Around

Lightweight video calls for remote teams.

Best for: Remote teams who want to feel present together throughout the day without full-screen video calls.

Free plan

4.1/5Editorial score 77/100around.co

Entry plan

Free

Get started free

Opens the official website in a new tab.

Editorial score77/100

Compare with similar tools

The editorial note

What to know about Around

Around was a lightweight video calling app designed for remote and hybrid teams, known for its small floating video bubbles that sat in the corner of your screen while you worked. It featured automatic noise cancellation, blur, and a minimal UI that kept calls from being disruptive. Around was acquired by Miro in 2023 and shut down in January 2025. Teams looking for similar lightweight video should consider tools like Whereby, Loom, or Slack Huddles.

Is it right for you?

Who Around suits

Choose it if

Remote teams who want to feel present together throughout the day without full-screen video calls.

Look elsewhere if

Anyone looking to deploy this tool today — Around is discontinued. Use Whereby, Slack Huddles, or Google Meet instead

What you get

Key features

Floating bubble video UI for distraction-free calls
Automatic noise cancellation
Background blur without GPU-heavy processing
Screen sharing with cursor highlighting
Reactions and emoji during calls
Browser-based — no app install required
Slack integration for quick call launching
Recording support

Works with

Integrations5

Slack Notion Linear GitHub Miro

What it costs

Pricing

Around pricing plans
Plan	Price	What it includes
Free	Free	Lightweight video collaboration with AI noise cancellation

Prices are recorded from the vendor's public pricing page and can change. Check before you buy.

The trade-off

Pros and cons

Pros

Non-intrusive floating bubble UI kept video small while you worked
Automatic noise cancellation and background blur without setup
Fast, browser-based joining with no heavy client required
Designed specifically for remote-first async and sync collaboration

Cons

Discontinued — service shut down in January 2025
Limited recording and meeting management features compared to Zoom
Small user base and ecosystem compared to Google Meet or Zoom
No enterprise security certifications before shutdown

Quick read

At a glance

Category: Remote Work
Pricing model: Free
Entry plan: Free
Free plan: Available
Free trial: Not listed
Website: around.co

The verdict

Our take on Around

Around is the right choice for remote teams who want to feel present together throughout the day without full-screen video calls. Unique ambient presence concept with minimal screen real estate, making it one of the stronger options in its category. The main caveat: limited to small teams; less feature-rich than Zoom for formal meetings. It is free to use, so factor that into your evaluation.

Get started free Compare before deciding

Keep exploring