Around
Focusmate
| Feature | Around | Focusmate |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $10.99/mo | Free / from $6.99/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.2 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Best For | remote-teams, quick-standups, pair-programming, distributed-teams | remote-workers, freelancers, students, adhd-professionals |
| Founded | 2020 | 2016 |
| Floating Video | ✓ | ✗ |
| Auto Leveling | ✓ | ✗ |
| Noise Cancellation | ✓ | ✗ |
| Screen Sharing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Reactions | ✓ | ✗ |
| Virtual Backgrounds | ✓ | ✗ |
| Video Coworking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Session Booking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Accountability Partner | ✗ | ✓ |
| Calendar Integration | ✗ | ✓ |
| Session History | ✗ | ✓ |
| Community | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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
✓ Focusmate Pros
- Powerful accountability through social presence
- Free plan includes 3 sessions/week
- Global community available 24/7
- Proven to reduce procrastination
✗ Focusmate Cons
- Requires camera on (can feel awkward)
- Limited to 25/50/75 min sessions
- Depends on partner availability
The Verdict
Around is built for remote teams and quick standups, with a focus on floating-video and auto-leveling. Focusmate targets remote workers and freelancers and leads with video-coworking and session-booking.
Pricing is close: Focusmate starts at $6.99/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: Focusmate has a slight overall edge — but if lightweight and fast matters most to you, Around may still be the right call.