Around
Rocket.Chat
| Feature | Around | Rocket.Chat |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $10/mo | Free / from $4/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.3 / 5 | 4.1 / 5 |
| Best For | remote-teams, hybrid-teams, developers, creative-teams | developers, self-hosted-teams, enterprises, customer-support-teams |
| Founded | 2019 | 2015 |
| Floating Bubbles | ✓ | ✗ |
| Noise Cancellation | ✓ | ✗ |
| Auto Leveling | ✓ | ✗ |
| Screen Sharing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Reactions | ✓ | ✗ |
| Meeting Notes | ✓ | ✗ |
| Calendar Integration | ✓ | ✗ |
| Channels | ✗ | ✓ |
| Direct Messaging | ✗ | ✓ |
| Video Conferencing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Omnichannel | ✗ | ✓ |
| Marketplace | ✗ | ✓ |
| Federation | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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
✓ Rocket.Chat Pros
- Fully open-source
- Self-hosted option
- Omnichannel customer support
- Highly customizable
✗ Rocket.Chat Cons
- Requires server resources to self-host
- Less polished than Slack
- Plugin quality varies
The Verdict
Around is built for remote teams and hybrid teams, with a focus on floating-bubbles and noise-cancellation. Rocket.Chat targets developers and self hosted teams and leads with channels and direct-messaging.
On pricing, Rocket.Chat is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $4/mo compared to $10/mo for Around. That $6/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 Rocket.Chat takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Both tools are a solid fit for developers — 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.