Katmai vs Virbela in 2026: Real People on Live Video or 3D Avatars?

Virbela and Katmai are both 3D virtual offices, and that is where the resemblance ends. Virbela is a 3D avatar campus: your team appears as stylized animated avatars in a world of buildings, auditoriums and offices, the main app is a download, and Virbela Go is the browser version that needs no download. Virbela publishes no prices; you talk to sales. Katmai is a photorealistic 3D office in the browser where your team appears as real people on live video, not as avatars, with no download and no headset. Katmai is $25 per user per month with every feature included, no minimum number of users and free guests. If you want a campus for large events, Virbela is built for that. If you want an office your team actually works in and clients can walk into, Katmai is.

This page is published by Katmai, which makes virtual office software. Virbela facts come from Virbela's own site in October 2026; check it before you buy.

Katmai vs Virbela at a glance

Avatars or real people

Both products put you in a 3D space. In Virbela you are an avatar: a character you dress and steer, with your voice coming out of it. Your colleagues are characters too. It works for a conference where people want to wander a campus, and it is a layer of abstraction between every person on your team.

In Katmai there is no character. You are on live video, at a desk or in a room, in an office that looks like a real one. Your colleagues see your face, your expressions and whether you're on a call, and you see theirs. For a team that works together every day, that difference is the whole product.

What each costs a team

Virbela does not publish a price. Teams contact sales and get a quote, so there is no figure to compare and no way to budget without a conversation.

Katmai is $25 per user per month, every feature included, with no minimum number of users. Ten people are $250 a month, twenty-five are $625 a month, and guests add nothing. The price is on the Katmai pricing page.

Download or browser

Virbela's main application is a download, and Virbela Go runs in the browser without one. Katmai runs in the browser only, with nothing to install and no headset. Katmai recommends 16GB of RAM and an i7 processor or better, because it renders a photorealistic office with live video.

Who makes Virbela

Virbela was owned by eXp World Holdings, which sold it to Virbela LLC in November 2024. It is still sold.

Where Virbela is the better fit

You run large virtual events or conferences and want a campus with auditoriums for hundreds of avatars. Your organization prefers avatars to cameras. You are comfortable with a sales process and an unpublished price.

Where Katmai is the better fit

You want a daily office, not an event venue. You want your team and your clients to see real people. You want a published price, no minimum, free guests, nothing to download and an office set up for you.

How Katmai compares to other virtual offices

FAQ

How much does Virbela cost?

Virbela does not publish a price; you contact sales. Katmai is $25 per user per month with every feature included.

Is Virbela still available?

Yes. eXp World Holdings sold Virbela to Virbela LLC in November 2024, and it is still sold.

Does Virbela need a download?

Virbela's main app is a download. Virbela Go runs in the browser without one. Katmai runs in the browser with no download and no headset.

Is Katmai an avatar platform?

No. Katmai shows your team as real people on live video inside a photorealistic 3D office. There are no avatars.

What is the difference between Katmai and Virbela?

Virbela is a 3D avatar campus built for events, with no published price. Katmai is a photorealistic 3D office where your team works together on live video, at $25 per user per month with every feature included, no minimum number of users and free guests.

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