SpatialChat Alternatives in 2026: Which Proximity-Video Office Should You Choose?

SpatialChat is a 2D space where each person is a round video bubble you drag around a flat map, and audio fades with distance. It was one of the first proximity-video products, and teams leave it when a flat map of bubbles stops feeling like a workplace. The best alternative is Katmai, which keeps the real video and puts it in a photorealistic 3D office in the browser where your team is present at desks and in rooms all day, at $25 per user per month with every feature included, no minimum number of users and free guests. Cosmos Video and Flat.social are the closest like-for-like swaps, and Kumospace and Gather are the avatar options.

This guide is published by Katmai, which makes virtual office software. SpatialChat's prices are on spatial.chat/pricing; other competitor prices come from each vendor's own pricing page in October 2026. Check them before you buy.

The best SpatialChat alternatives at a glance

SpatialChat itself: 2D proximity video; free for up to 12 participants, then Business at $8 per user per month (spatial.chat/pricing, read October 2026).

Why teams leave SpatialChat

Proximity video was a good idea: you hear the people near you and nobody has to start a call. The limit is the room. A flat map of bubbles reads as a diagram, not a place, so teams use it for events and socials and drift back to calls for real work. The question is whether you want the same idea on a better map, or the same idea in a real office.

1. Katmai: proximity presence in a photorealistic 3D office

Katmai is what SpatialChat's idea looks like when the space is real. Your team is on live video in a photorealistic 3D office, at desks and in rooms; you see who is around, walk over and talk, and clients join free by link into an office that looks like yours. It runs in the browser with no download and no headset, and Katmai recommends 16GB of RAM and an i7 processor or better. One plan, $25 per user per month, every feature included, no minimum number of users. Getting started is a demo, then a configuration meeting where the Katmai team sets up your spaces and adds your users.

2. Cosmos Video: the closest like-for-like

Cosmos Video is live video tiles on a 2D map, the same mechanic as SpatialChat. Free for up to 4 people online at once; Premium allows up to 150 online and bills by concurrent users, with the paid price filled in by script, so open Cosmos Video's pricing page to see it.

3. Flat.social: concurrent seats, built for events

Flat.social puts video and audio on a 2D map in the browser, free for up to 5 people at once, then $6 per seat per month for 10 to 100 seats and a Day Pass at $2 per seat per day with a 10-seat minimum. Seats are concurrent capacity. It positions itself for meetings, events and online schools, with a virtual office as one use, and adds whiteboards, mini-games and custom maps.

4. Kumospace: avatars instead of bubbles

Kumospace swaps the video bubble for an avatar, with video when you meet. Free for up to 5 registered members with one floor and 50 guests; Business is $16 per user per month paid annually with a 5-member minimum and a 14-day trial, adding unlimited floors, recording and analytics. Guests are limited to 4 hours a week.

5. Gather: the pixel office

Gather is a 2D pixel-art avatar office at $12 per member per month billed annually or $15 billed monthly, with a 30-day trial, no free plan since September 15, 2025, and guests not billed.

How to choose

If you want to keep real video, the choice is between a map and an office: Cosmos Video and Flat.social keep the map, Katmai gives you the office. If you are happy to move to avatars, Kumospace and Gather are cheaper. For a team that works together every day rather than meeting occasionally, Katmai is the one built for it.

FAQ

What is the best SpatialChat alternative?

Katmai, for a team that wants real people on live video in a photorealistic 3D office rather than bubbles on a flat map, at $25 per user per month with every feature included, no minimum number of users and free guests.

Which SpatialChat alternatives keep real video?

Katmai, Cosmos Video and Flat.social. Kumospace and Gather use avatars with video when characters meet.

Is there a free SpatialChat alternative?

Cosmos Video is free for up to 4 people online at once and Flat.social for up to 5. Kumospace is free for up to 5 registered members. Katmai starts with a demo.

How much does SpatialChat cost?

SpatialChat is free for up to 12 participants, then Business at $8 per user per month (spatial.chat/pricing, read October 2026). Katmai is $25 per user per month with every feature included.

Is Katmai a 2D map like SpatialChat?

No. Katmai is a photorealistic 3D office where your team is on live video at desks and in rooms, in the browser with no headset.

Related: Katmai vs Cosmos Video · Katmai vs Flat.social · Around alternatives · All alternatives guides · Katmai pricing · Book a Katmai demo