Horizon Workrooms Alternatives in 2026: Where Teams Go After Meta Shut It Down
Meta discontinued Horizon Workrooms as a standalone app on February 16, 2026 and deleted all Workrooms data. Four days later it ended commercial Quest sales and Horizon managed services. The best alternative for most former Workrooms teams is a virtual office that needs no headset at all: Katmai puts your team in a photorealistic 3D office on live video, in the browser. For an avatar office, Gather and Kumospace are the main options.
This guide is published by Katmai. Competitor details come from each vendor's own site; check them before you buy.
What happened to Horizon Workrooms
When it closed Workrooms, Meta pointed customers to third-party tools including Arthur, Microsoft Teams immersive events and Zoom Workplace. None of those is an always-on virtual office. Teams immersive events are scheduled events for all-hands, onboarding and training, and Arthur sells AI-guided immersive training and workflow experiences.
The best Horizon Workrooms alternatives
|
# |
Product |
What it is |
Headset needed |
Published price |
|
1 |
Katmai |
Photorealistic 3D office with live video, in the browser |
No |
$25 per user per month, every feature included |
|
2 |
Gather |
2D avatar office |
No |
Essential $12 per member per month billed annually ($15 billed monthly) |
|
3 |
Kumospace |
Avatar office in the browser |
No |
Free for up to 5 registered members; Business $16 per user per month, paid annually |
|
4 |
SoWork |
Avatar office |
No |
Free for up to 10 members; Basic $5.40, Premium $12 per member per month, billed annually |
|
5 |
WorkAdventure |
Open-source avatar office in the browser |
No |
Free for up to 10 users; Business from €8 per user per month |
1. Katmai. The closest thing to what Workrooms promised: a shared 3D space where you are present as yourself. The difference is that you're on live video instead of an avatar, and in a browser instead of a headset. Guests join free by link, and the Katmai team sets up your office after a demo.
2. Gather. A playful 2D avatar office with a 30-day free trial and no free plan.
3. Kumospace. An avatar office that runs in the browser with no download, free for up to 5 registered members.
4. SoWork. The lowest published paid price in this list, with a free plan for up to 10 members.
5. WorkAdventure. Open source and browser-based, free for up to 10 users.
Do you still need VR for a virtual office?
Microsoft and Meta both pulled back from headset offices within 90 days of each other. Microsoft retired Mesh and the Teams immersive 3D space on December 1, 2025, and Meta discontinued Workrooms on February 16, 2026. The general-purpose virtual offices still taking signups that we track run in a browser or a desktop app.
FAQ
Is Horizon Workrooms shut down?
Yes. Meta discontinued Horizon Workrooms as a standalone app on February 16, 2026, and deleted all Workrooms data.
What did Meta recommend instead of Workrooms?
Meta pointed customers to third-party tools including Arthur, Microsoft Teams immersive events and Zoom Workplace.
Is there a Horizon Workrooms alternative that doesn't need a headset?
Yes. Katmai is a photorealistic 3D virtual office that runs in the browser with no headset, and your team meets on live video.
What is the best free alternative to Horizon Workrooms?
For a free avatar office, SoWork is free for up to 10 members, WorkAdventure for up to 10 users and Kumospace for up to 5 registered members.
Related: Microsoft Mesh alternatives · Best 3D virtual office software · Browser-based virtual office software · All alternatives guides · Book a Katmai demo