Around

Snapshot Verdict

Around is a minimalist, AI-driven video conferencing tool designed to solve the fatigue and spatial clutter of traditional meetings. By replacing heavy video boxes with floating, circular crops and leveraging aggressive AI noise cancellation, it attempts to fade into the background of your workflow. While it excels at collaborative sessions where screen real estate is precious, its recent acquisition by Miro and shifting focus toward being a "Miro-only" experience limits its appeal for general-purpose communication.

Product Version

Version reviewed: Around for Desktop (February 2024 Build)

What This Product Actually Is

Around is a software-based video calling platform that reimagines the visual layout of a meeting. Unlike Zoom or Microsoft Teams, which rely on the "Hollywood Squares" grid, Around uses AI to identify your face and crop the video feed into a small, floating circle. These circles can hover over your other applications, allowing you to work in a code editor, design tool, or spreadsheet while still seeing your teammates.

The core of the product is built on two pillars: spatial efficiency and AI-enhanced audio. The software uses machine learning to filter out background noises like sirens, barking dogs, or laptop fans, while simultaneously managing audio ducking to prevent echoes when multiple people in the same room join the same call.

Following its acquisition by Miro, the product has pivoted. It is no longer just a standalone video tool; it is increasingly integrated as the primary communication layer for Miro’s digital whiteboarding ecosystem. It includes features like "Campfire" mode for casual hangouts and "Rooms" for persistent team spaces.

Real-World Use & Experience

Using Around feels significantly different from traditional video conferencing. The first thing you notice is the lack of a "main window." When you join a call, your teammates appear as floating bubbles on your screen. You can move these bubbles anywhere, which is a massive relief for those working on single-monitor setups or small laptop screens.

The AI-driven face framing is impressive. As you move in your chair, the software adjusts the crop to keep your head centered in the circle. This removes the need for users to manually adjust their webcams or sit perfectly still. It also hides the messy rooms or distracting backgrounds that usually occupy 70% of a video frame.

The audio quality is where the AI does its heaviest lifting. In testing, Around successfully filtered out high-frequency kitchen noises and low-frequency hums that typically bleed through in Slack or Zoom calls. The "EchoLock" feature is particularly useful for hybrid teams; if two people are in the same physical room, Around detects the proximity and prevents the piercing feedback loop that usually occurs when two mics are live.

However, the experience has become more fragmented since the Miro acquisition. There is a clear push to use the product within the Miro environment. While you can still use it as a standalone app, the prompts to link boards and the UI's shift toward Miro’s design language make it feel less like a neutral tool and more like a specialized plugin for designers and product managers.

Standout Strengths

• Minimalist floating video bubbles.
• Superior AI background noise suppression.
• Automatic AI-powered face framing.

The floating UI is a genuine productivity booster. By stripping away the chrome, chat bars, and massive black borders of traditional apps, Around gives you back about 20% of your screen. This makes "co-working" sessions—where people stay on a call while working silently—feel much less intrusive.

The AI noise cancellation is among the best in the SaaS space. It doesn't just muffle background noise; it seems to isolate the human voice profile with high precision. Even in a noisy cafe environment, the person on the other end hears a relatively clean signal.

The EchoLock feature is a hidden gem for office environments. The struggle of finding a "phone booth" or a meeting room just to avoid echo is a real friction point in modern offices. Around’s ability to let multiple people join from their own laptops in the same room without audio issues is a legitimate technical feat.

Limitations, Trade-offs & Red Flags

• Deeply tethered to Miro ecosystem.
• High CPU usage on older machines.
• Unsuitable for formal external presentations.

The biggest red flag is the platform's future independence. If you are not a Miro user, you will feel like a second-class citizen. Much of the development energy is going into Miro integrations, leaving the standalone experience feeling somewhat stagnant. If Miro decided to fold Around entirely into their main app, standalone users would be left stranded.

Despite the "lightweight" visual aesthetic, the AI processing for video cropping and noise cancellation is resource-intensive. On older MacBooks or mid-range Windows laptops, you will notice the fans spinning up. The software is doing a lot of real-time image manipulation, which puts a strain on the CPU/GPU that a simple "dumb" video stream does not.

Finally, Around is not a tool for formal client pitches or webinars. The "floating bubble" look is casual and tech-forward. If you are presenting to a traditional board of directors or a client who expects a professional, full-frame video experience, Around feels out of place and potentially confusing for the recipient.

Who It's Actually For

Around is designed for internal "builder" teams—software engineers, UI/UX designers, and product managers—who spend their day in collaborative software. It is for the team that stays on a call for four hours to squash bugs or brainstorm features.

It is also an excellent choice for remote-first companies that suffer from "Zoom fatigue." The reduced visual stimulus of the small circles makes meetings feel less draining. If your workflow involves a lot of screen sharing and collaborative document editing, the spatial layout of Around will feel like a relief.

It is not for sales teams, HR departments conducting interviews, or large-scale corporate town halls. It lacks the formal structure and participant management tools required for those use cases.

Value for Money & Alternatives

Value for money: fair

Around currently offers a free tier that is quite generous for small teams, which helps its value proposition. However, as it moves closer to the Miro pricing model, the "value" becomes harder to calculate independently. If you are already paying for Miro, Around is an incredible value-add. As a standalone paid product, it faces stiff competition from tools that offer more robust meeting management features for the same price.

Alternatives

• Gather — Uses a 2D RPG-style interface for spatial video chat, better for "virtual offices."
• Zoom — The industry standard with more reliable infrastructure for large groups but higher cognitive load.
• Discord — Excellent for persistent voice channels and low-latency screen sharing, though less professional UI.

Final Verdict

Around is a specialized tool that does one thing exceptionally well: it stays out of your way. The AI-driven cropping and noise cancellation are not just gimmicks; they actively reduce the friction of remote collaboration. However, the product's identity is currently in flux due to its acquisition by Miro. It is a fantastic tool for creative and technical teams, but its lack of formality and high resource usage make it a poor choice for general corporate use. If you want a meeting tool that lets you actually see your work while you talk, it is worth the download.