Around
Box
| Feature | Around | Box |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $10/mo | Free / from $14/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.3 / 5 | 4.2 / 5 |
| Best For | remote-teams, hybrid-teams, developers, creative-teams | enterprises, regulated-industries, legal-teams, healthcare-organizations |
| Founded | 2019 | 2005 |
| Floating Bubbles | ✓ | ✗ |
| Noise Cancellation | ✓ | ✗ |
| Auto Leveling | ✓ | ✗ |
| Screen Sharing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Reactions | ✓ | ✗ |
| Meeting Notes | ✓ | ✗ |
| Calendar Integration | ✓ | ✗ |
| Cloud Storage | ✗ | ✓ |
| File Sharing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Workflow Automation | ✗ | ✓ |
| E Signatures | ✗ | ✓ |
| Compliance | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ai Powered Search | ✗ | ✓ |
| Version History | ✗ | ✓ |
| Granular Permissions | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Around Pros
- Minimal screen footprint with floating video bubbles
- Excellent AI noise cancellation
- Auto-equalizes audio levels between participants
- Designed for casual always-on collaboration
✗ Around Cons
- Limited features for formal presentations
- Smaller user base than major platforms
- No recording on free plan
✓ Box Pros
- Enterprise-grade security and compliance (HIPAA, FedRAMP)
- Excellent integration ecosystem (1,500+ apps)
- Advanced workflow automation (Box Relay)
- Unlimited storage on business plans
- Box AI for content insights
✗ Box Cons
- Individual file size limits on lower plans
- Interface less intuitive than consumer alternatives
- Can be expensive for small teams
The Verdict
Around is built for remote teams and hybrid teams, with a focus on floating-bubbles and noise-cancellation. Box targets enterprises and regulated industries and leads with cloud-storage and file-sharing.
Pricing is close: Around starts at $10/mo versus $14/mo for Box — 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.
Feature-wise, Box offers broader built-in capabilities (8 features vs 7), while Around takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.