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Gather is built to make informal team conversations easier, but its pricing transparency and lack of a free plan are drawbacks. The alternatives below are mostly meeting tools, not like-for-like virtual offices: Whereby offers permanent meeting rooms, while Webex bundles meetings with other collaboration tools. Jitsi and FreeConferenceCall.com have free plans listed, though their setup or pricing details still matter. Choose based on whether your priority is casual drop-ins, scheduled calls or a lower-cost way to meet.
01Why people leave Gather
No free plan
Gather has no free plan, so teams looking for a free starting point need to consider another tool.
Pricing clarity is a concern
Pricing transparency is a stated weakness, making it harder to compare costs before deciding whether to switch.
Alternatives change the workflow
Most options here focus on meetings or calls, so switching may mean giving up Gather’s emphasis on informal virtual-office conversations.
02The alternatives, ranked by fit
- Permanent meeting rooms
WherebyWherebyWhereby is the closest fit if your team values rooms people can return to: its listed use cases include permanent meeting rooms and higher meeting capacity. It also covers embedded video for product builders. The pricing summary lists a free plan and a starting price of $10.99, giving you a lower-cost entry point to compare with Gather’s $12 starting price.
Trade-off: Check plan caps and add-on fees; it is positioned around meetings, not virtual-office conversations.
7.2/10from
$10.99/mofree plan - Free browser meetings
Jitsi MeetJitsi MeetJitsi Meet suits teams willing to replace Gather’s virtual-office format with browser-based meetings. The listed fit includes free browser meetings, self-hosting and apps embedding video with JaaS. A free plan is listed, which may help teams avoid Gather’s paid-only starting point; the summary also notes JaaS pricing becomes relevant as usage scales.
Trade-off: Self-hosting takes work, and JaaS pricing changes the cost picture as you scale.
7.5/10from
$99/mofree plan - Broader collaboration
WebexWebexWebex is worth a look if your switch is about more than informal conversations. Its listed fit includes meetings and calling together, collaboration devices and small teams that can work within 40-minute meetings. A free plan is listed. That makes it a broader collaboration option than a meeting-only replacement, though paid pricing is described as opaque.
Trade-off: Paid pricing is opaque, and Reddit reports flag rollout friction.
6.5/10from
Freefree plan - Large scheduled meetings
GoTo MeetingGoTo MeetingGoTo Meeting is a more direct choice if your team mainly needs scheduled calls rather than a virtual office. The listed fit covers meetings for up to 250 people, unlimited meetings and cloud recordings on the Business plan. Pricing starts at $12 per organizer per month when billed annually, matching Gather’s stated starting price.
Trade-off: It is meeting-focused, and the $12 starting price requires annual billing.
7.0/10from
$12/mo - Budget-conscious groups
FreeConferenceCall.comFreeConferenceCall.comFreeConferenceCall.com may suit teams prioritizing free capacity over Gather’s informal office setup. Its listed fit includes large calls, recordings, screen sharing and international dial-in. A free plan is listed, with paid pricing starting at $6.58. That gives budget-conscious groups a lower entry point to assess before replacing Gather.
Trade-off: Pricing gaps and reported call-routing issues are the cautions.
6.8/10from
$6.58/mofree plan - RingCentral customers
RingCentral VideoRingCentral VideoRingCentral Video makes most sense if your organization is already considering RingCentral’s communications bundle. The listed fit includes meetings for up to 300 participants and webinars in a broader bundle. Its stated starting price is $20, above Gather’s $12 starting price, so compare the wider bundle rather than treating it as a low-cost video-only switch.
Trade-off: Video-only pricing and user feedback are unclear.
6.0/10from
$20/mo - Small link-based meetings
SylapsSylapsSylaps is an option if you can replace casual Gather drop-ins with link-based meetings and your calls stay small. The listed fit is meetings of up to eight people, developer use and teams needing higher usage. Its pricing summary lists a free plan and a $19.90 starting price, but says to check unpublished limits before paying.
Trade-off: Usage limits are unpublished, and the stated starting price is $19.90.
5.3/10from
$19.90/mofree plan
03Side by side
| Tool | Score | From | Free plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Gather Gather (current) | 7.0 | $12/mo | No | Remote teams seeking spontaneous conversations |
| Whereby Whereby | 7.2 | $10.99/mo | Yes | Individuals wanting permanent meeting rooms |
| Jitsi Meet Jitsi Meet | 7.5 | $99/mo | Yes | Free browser-based meetings |
| Webex Webex | 6.5 | Free | Yes | Organizations wanting meetings and calling together |
| GoTo Meeting GoTo Meeting | 7.0 | $12/mo | No | Teams needing meetings for up to 250 |
| FreeConferenceCall.com FreeConferenceCall.com | 6.8 | $6.58/mo | Yes | Budget-conscious groups with large calls |
| RingCentral Video RingCentral Video | 6.0 | $20/mo | No | Teams already considering RingCentral communications |
| Sylaps Sylaps | 5.3 | $19.90/mo | Yes | Small meetings of up to 8 |
Questions people ask
Does Gather have a free plan?
No free plan is listed for Gather; the published pricing summary says its starting price is $12. That makes free-plan options such as Jitsi Meet or Whereby worth comparing, but their listed plan terms and limits should be checked before switching.
Which Gather alternatives have a free plan?
The published summaries list free plans for Webex, Whereby, Jitsi Meet, FreeConferenceCall.com and Sylaps. They do not give detailed free-plan limits for each, so check the relevant pricing page before relying on a specific capacity or feature.
Which alternative is closest to Gather’s virtual office?
Whereby is the closest fit in this list if you want persistent spaces: its listed use cases include permanent meeting rooms. The alternatives covered here are primarily described as meeting, calling or video tools, though, and none is explicitly positioned as a full virtual-office replacement.