Gather vs SoWork in 2026: Which Avatar Office Is Better, and What Does Katmai Do Differently?

Gather and SoWork are both avatar offices, so the choice between them is mostly about price and polish, not about what you see. Gather is a 2D pixel-art office at $12 per member per month billed annually or $15 billed monthly, with a 30-day trial and no free plan since Gather 2.0 launched on September 15, 2025. SoWork is an avatar office in a 2.5D space, free for up to 10 members with a 30-minute limit on every meeting, then Basic at $5.40 and Premium at $12 per member per month billed annually, with a 7-day trial. In both, your colleagues are characters. Katmai is the alternative to the whole category: a photorealistic 3D office in the browser where your team is present as real people on live video all day, at $25 per user per month with every feature included, no minimum number of users and free guests.

This page is published by Katmai, which makes virtual office software. Gather and SoWork prices come from each vendor's own pricing page in October 2026; check them before you buy.

Katmai, Gather and SoWork at a glance

Gather vs SoWork on price

SoWork is cheaper at every published tier. Its free plan covers ten members, where Gather has no free plan at all, and its Basic plan at $5.40 per member per month billed annually is less than half of Gather's $12. Both top out at $12 billed annually: SoWork Premium and Gather Essential cost the same, and Gather's month-to-month rate is $15. Ten members on Gather Essential cost $120 a month billed annually; ten members on SoWork Premium cost $120 a month billed annually, or nothing on the free plan if 30-minute meetings are acceptable.

Gather vs SoWork on what's free

Gather ended its free plan when Gather 2.0 launched on September 15, 2025. After the 30-day trial, you pay or lose the office. SoWork's free plan is real but limited: 30-minute meetings, no analytics, no recording and no AI, so a team that actually meets will end up on a paid plan.

Gather vs SoWork on what you see

Gather is a 2D pixel-art world. SoWork is a 2.5D avatar world with more polish and AI meeting notes on Premium. Either way, the person you work with is a character, and video opens when characters meet. Neither gives you a room full of real faces.

Who makes them

In February 2026 Gather became an independent, non-venture-backed business and its AI team joined Figma; Gather is still sold. SoWork is made by Sophya, Inc., in Boston, and runs an active content program in which it ranks itself first, so read its comparison pages as marketing.

What Katmai does differently

Katmai skips the avatar. Your team is on live video in a photorealistic 3D office, at desks and in rooms, so you see who is around, walk over and talk. Clients and candidates join free by link and see your team, not sprites. It runs in the browser with no download and no headset, with 16GB of RAM and an i7 or better recommended, and the Katmai team sets up your spaces and adds your users. Katmai is $25 per user per month with every feature included and no minimum number of users.

Which should you choose?

Choose SoWork if you want the lowest published price for an avatar office, or ten people or fewer can live with 30-minute meetings.

Choose Gather if your team prefers Gather's pixel-art world and the 30-day trial is enough to decide.

Choose Katmai if you want an office that looks and feels real, where your team and your clients see real people, with one price that includes everything, no minimum and free guests.

FAQ

Is Gather or SoWork cheaper?

SoWork. Its Basic plan is $5.40 per member per month billed annually against Gather Essential's $12, and SoWork has a free plan for up to 10 members where Gather has none.

Does Gather still have a free plan?

No. Gather's free plan ended when Gather 2.0 launched on September 15, 2025. Gather offers a 30-day free trial.

Are Gather and SoWork both avatar offices?

Yes. Gather is 2D pixel art and SoWork is a 2.5D avatar space. Katmai is a photorealistic 3D office with real people on live video.

Is Gather shutting down?

No. In February 2026 Gather became an independent, non-venture-backed business and its AI team joined Figma. It is still sold.

What does Katmai cost compared to Gather and SoWork?

Katmai is $25 per user per month with every feature included, no minimum number of users and free guests, for a photorealistic 3D office on live video rather than an avatar office.

Related: Gather pricing · SoWork pricing · Katmai vs Gather · Katmai vs SoWork · Gather alternatives · Katmai pricing · Book a Katmai demo