# Gather vs Cosmos Free (2026): Free Alternative to Gather

Canonical: https://caniforkit.com/vs/gather-town-vs-cosmos-free
Last updated: 2026-08-11

Compare Gather ($12/mo) vs Cosmos Free ($0/mo free alternative to Gather). Side-by-side breakdown of pricing, self-hosting setup, data storage, and practical trade-offs.

## Side-by-Side Comparison Matrix

| Feature / Metric | Gather | Cosmos Free |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $12/mo | $0.00 / month |
| 1-Seat Annual Cost | $144/yr | $0.00 / year |
| 5-Person Team Annual Cost | $720/yr | $0.00 / year |
| 10-Person Team Annual Cost | $1,440/yr | $0.00 / year |
| License Model | Proprietary Commercial SaaS | proprietary, free |
| Hosting / Runtime | Vendor Cloud | Hosted |
| Data Ownership | Stored on vendor servers | Account, messages and files live in Cosmos's cloud; calls are transmitted encrypted, while user-started recordings are stored on Cosmos servers and some recording or message data is handled by US processors |
| GitHub Stars | Closed Source | ★ $0 forever |
| Code Repository | None | — |
| The Catch / Trade-off | Recurring subscription cost | The four-person concurrent cap and shallow map and game-world tooling make it a much smaller social space than Gather. |

## About Cosmos Free
A persistent spatial office for four people with no call timer; the fifth person remains outdoors.

- **Installation**: Hosted signup in the browser, with optional native desktop and mobile apps
- **Data Storage**: Account, messages and files live in Cosmos's cloud; calls are transmitted encrypted, while user-started recordings are stored on Cosmos servers and some recording or message data is handled by US processors
- **Supported Platforms**: desktop, mobile, web, they host it
- **The Catch vs Gather**: The four-person concurrent cap and shallow map and game-world tooling make it a much smaller social space than Gather.

## Cost Savings Breakdown
Switching from Gather to Cosmos Free eliminates ongoing per-seat subscriptions:
- **Solo / 1-seat**: Save **$144/year**
- **5-person team**: Save **$720/year**
- **10-person team**: Save **$1,440/year**

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Is Cosmos Free a good free alternative to Gather?
Yes. Cosmos Free is a verified free replacement for Gather. A persistent spatial office for four people with no call timer; the fifth person remains outdoors.

### What is the catch when switching from Gather to Cosmos Free?
The four-person concurrent cap and shallow map and game-world tooling make it a much smaller social space than Gather.

## Related

- [All Gather Alternatives](https://caniforkit.com/gather-town)
- [Cosmos Free Full Profile](https://caniforkit.com/fork/cosmos-free)
- [community Category Hub](https://caniforkit.com/category/community)
- [All Paid SaaS Alternatives Index](https://caniforkit.com/alternatives)