Around
Pumble
| Feature | Around | Pumble |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $10/mo | Free / from $2.49/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.3 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Best For | remote-teams, hybrid-teams, developers, creative-teams | small-teams, startups, budget-conscious-teams, remote-teams |
| Founded | 2019 | 2020 |
| Floating Bubbles | ✓ | ✗ |
| Noise Cancellation | ✓ | ✗ |
| Auto Leveling | ✓ | ✗ |
| Screen Sharing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Reactions | ✓ | ✗ |
| Meeting Notes | ✓ | ✗ |
| Calendar Integration | ✓ | ✗ |
| Channels | ✗ | ✓ |
| Direct Messages | ✗ | ✓ |
| Video Calls | ✗ | ✓ |
| File Sharing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Threads | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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
✓ Pumble Pros
- Unlimited message history on free plan
- Very affordable paid plans
- Familiar Slack-like interface
- Good video calling
✗ Pumble Cons
- Smaller integration ecosystem
- Less mature than Slack
- Limited automation features
The Verdict
Around is built for remote teams and hybrid teams, with a focus on floating-bubbles and noise-cancellation. Pumble targets small teams and startups and leads with channels and direct-messages.
On pricing, Pumble is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $2.49/mo compared to $10/mo for Around. That $7.51/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Feature-wise, Around offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Pumble takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Both tools are a solid fit for remote teams — in those cases, the decision often comes down to workflow style and how your team prefers to organize work.
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.