Katmai vs WorkAdventure in 2026: Real People in 3D or an Open-Source Pixel Office?

WorkAdventure is an open-source 2D pixel-art avatar office: your team moves small characters around a map, and video and audio open when two avatars come close. It is free for up to 10 users, its Business plan starts at €8 per user per month, its Event plan at €4 per user per day, and organizations can self-host it through sales. Katmai is the opposite kind of virtual office: a photorealistic 3D office in the browser where your team is present as real people on live video all day. Katmai is $25 per user per month with every feature included, no minimum number of users and free guests. If open source or self-hosting is a requirement, WorkAdventure is the one to look at. If you want an office that looks and feels real, with clients joining free by link, Katmai is the one to see.

This page is published by Katmai, which makes virtual office software. WorkAdventure prices come from WorkAdventure's own pricing page in October 2026 and are in euros; check it before you buy.

Katmai vs WorkAdventure at a glance

What you actually see

In WorkAdventure, your colleague is a sprite the size of a thumbnail. You steer it across a tiled map, and when it gets close to another sprite a video window opens. It is charming, and it is also the reason it fails as a daily office for many teams: you cannot read a room full of pixels, and the video only exists while two characters stand together.

In Katmai, your colleague is your colleague. Everyone is on live video in a photorealistic 3D office, so you can see at a glance who is at their desk, who is in a meeting and who is free. You walk over and talk. There is no avatar between you and the person.

What each costs a team

WorkAdventure is free for ten users. Twenty-five users on Business cost from about €200 a month, in euros, so the dollar figure moves with the exchange rate. Self-hosting trades the subscription for your own servers and your own maintenance.

Katmai is $25 per user per month, every feature included, no minimum number of users. Ten people are $250 a month and twenty-five are $625 a month. Guests add nothing.

Setup and running it

WorkAdventure gives you a map editor and an open codebase. Your team designs the office or starts from a template, and a self-hosted deployment needs someone to run it. Katmai starts with a demo, then a configuration meeting where the Katmai team sets up your spaces and adds your users. It runs in the browser with no download and no headset, and Katmai recommends 16GB of RAM and an i7 processor or better.

Where WorkAdventure is the better fit

Open source is a hard requirement. You need to self-host for data residency. You run events and want per-day pricing. You have ten people or fewer and want a free office. Your team likes a retro pixel world.

Where Katmai is the better fit

You want an office that looks real, where your team and your clients see real faces instead of characters. You want presence all day, not video that only opens when two sprites touch. You want the office set up for you, one price that includes everything, no minimum and free guests.

How Katmai compares to other virtual offices

FAQ

Is WorkAdventure free?

Yes, for up to 10 users. Business starts at €8 per user per month and Event at €4 per user per day.

Is Katmai open source?

No. Katmai is a hosted virtual office that runs in the browser at $25 per user per month, with every feature included. WorkAdventure is open source and can be self-hosted through sales.

Which looks more like a real office?

Katmai. It is a photorealistic 3D office where your team is on live video. WorkAdventure is a 2D pixel-art map with avatars.

Can clients join either one?

Katmai guests join free by link. For WorkAdventure, check its pricing page for how visitors are handled.

What is the difference between Katmai and WorkAdventure?

WorkAdventure is an open-source 2D avatar office with a free plan for small teams. 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.

Related: WorkAdventure pricing · WorkAdventure alternatives · Katmai vs Gather · Browser-based virtual office software · Katmai pricing · Book a Katmai demo