Around
Fantastical
| Feature | Around | Fantastical |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $10.99/mo | Free / from $6.75/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.2 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Best For | remote-teams, quick-standups, pair-programming, distributed-teams | apple-users, professionals, freelancers, busy-professionals |
| Founded | 2020 | 2011 |
| Floating Video | ✓ | ✗ |
| Auto Leveling | ✓ | ✗ |
| Noise Cancellation | ✓ | ✗ |
| Screen Sharing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Reactions | ✓ | ✗ |
| Virtual Backgrounds | ✓ | ✗ |
| Natural Language | ✗ | ✓ |
| Calendar Sets | ✗ | ✓ |
| Weather | ✗ | ✓ |
| Time Zones | ✗ | ✓ |
| Proposals | ✗ | ✓ |
| Widgets | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Around Pros
- Lightweight and fast
- Minimal floating interface
- Good noise cancellation
- Reduces meeting fatigue
✗ Around Cons
- Limited features vs Zoom
- Smaller user base
- No recording on free
✓ Fantastical Pros
- Natural language input
- Beautiful design
- Weather integration
- Multiple calendars
✗ Fantastical Cons
- Apple only
- Expensive
- Free version limited
The Verdict
Around is built for remote teams and quick standups, with a focus on floating-video and auto-leveling. Fantastical targets apple users and professionals and leads with natural-language and calendar-sets.
Pricing is close: Fantastical starts at $6.75/mo versus $10.99/mo for Around — not a deciding factor on its own.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Bottom line: Fantastical has a slight overall edge — but if lightweight and fast matters most to you, Around may still be the right call.