The best Gather.Town alternative: HyHyve

Holding exceptional events or working fully remotely as a company isn’t easy. In these cases, you need the right platform.

In this article, we explain why Gather.Town isn´t the best choice if you prefer a professionally designed space and ease of use.

Our alternative for Gather.Town is the favorite app for many professional event agencies because of the easy organization of interactive and exciting virtual networking and events in the Metaverse: HyHyve

HyHyve is the Gather.Town alternative that supports almost any device and platform, amazes professional participants, and is made in the EU.

FAQ - Frequently asked questions

Is Gather.Town for free?

Gather is free up to 25 users. In the space you can place interactable features such as whiteboards, YouTube videos or games. Invite your friends and colleagues by link per email and let them join your space.

Which are the top 10 alternatives and competitors of Gather.Town?

HyHyve: Fully customizable and engaging networking and online event platform that supports different devices and browsers.
Wonder: A networking platform that wants people to discuss like real-life.
Spatial: A wonderful app to hold networking events with groups of different sizes.
Remo: The simple way to interact with people in smaller or larger groups with a strong event focus.
Workadventure: This app provides an online campus, virtual office, and digital events simultaneously.
Topia: A playful world-building platform that offers the possibility of video chats.
Trember: An app for people interested in having small business meetings online.
SaySom: This app brings a real-life conversation vibe into the world of online networking.
Virtuali: In this online world, you can build in-person connections as you would do in reality.
VRChat: You can discover this virtual reality space created by people from all over the world.

What browsers and devices does Gather.town support?

Gather.Town supports Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox the best. Safari is still available in a beta version, and Microsoft Edge is not officially supported. Gather works best on desktops and laptops. Mobile devices are supported, but their access to the platform is restricted and still a work in progress. Therefore performance-related issues can be expected.

Does Gather.town work on mobile?

Gather.town does not support mobiles devices (e.g. phones and tablets). [8]

Does Gather.town works on iPads?

iPads and tablets have access to Gather.town but the usage of the platform is restricted and still a work in progress.

Is Gather.town Metaverse?

Gather.town is part of the Metaverse. According to Gather, they are trying their best to build a Metaverse for mankind.

If you are looking for a Gather.Town alternative, think about...

Is the platform GDPR compliant? Who owns my participants' data?

How do you amaze also professional participants?

Are all of your participants' devices supported?

HyHyve vs. Gather.Town comparison table

In this showdown of online event and networking tools, we compare Gather.town vs. HyHyve to help you choose the right platform. While Gather and HyHyve may seem like similar apps at first glance, the differences between these apps are pretty significant, and you need to know them to make the right decision.

	HyHyve	Gather.Town
Pricing	Starts at 0,03€/minute. Per event/month/year pricing on request.	Free for up 25 attendees. Different plans start at 2$/user for 2 hours.^[1]
GDPR	✅ German company. GDPR compliant.	🟡 American company. GDPR compliance shall be discussed.^[2]
Location	Germany	USA
Most common browsers supported	✅ Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge.	🟡 Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox. Safari and Microsoft aren't officially supported. ^[3]
Platforms supported	✅ Desktops (Windows, macOS, Linux), tablets (iPad, Android-based devices), mobile devices (iOS, Android-based devices).	🟡 Desktops and laptops works the best. Mobile devices have an restricted access.^[3]
Public access	✅ Yes, via a public link.	✅ Yes, via a public link.
Restricted access	✅ Yes, email-based, email-domain-based or guest list.	✅ Yes, with a general room password, email-based or email-domain-based authentication.
Maximum participants per "circle" (ad-hoc conversation)	✅ Up to 50 people.	🟡 No maximum group size in ad-hoc conversations specified.
Broadcast to your participants	✅ Yes, speakers can be invited to the stage flexibly .	🟡 Yes, but only 100 listeners are recommended. For larger audiences, organizers shall use different services ^[4]
Record Broadcast	❌ No recording feature available.	❌ No recording feature available.
Embedding links, images, signs, streams, whiteboards or browser window	✅ Yes, everything is available, some of them on request.	✅ Yes, everything is available.
Custom background picture	🟡 Yes, but not recommended.	🟡 Yes, but not recommended.
Custom maps	✅ Yes, fully customizable, including walls and the option to create buildings/places familiar for participants.	✅ Yes, a fully customizable map in an 8-bit pixelized style, including walls and interactive elements.
Maximum participants per room	✅ HyHyve spaces/rooms have an organizational soft limit of 250 participants. Multiple Spaces can be linked. ^[5]	✅ Gather has a maximum capacity of 500 participants per Space. ^[6]
Language	English and German	English and Korean.
	Request a free HyHyve demo

[1] According to the Gather.Town Pricing.
[2] According to their statement, Gather.Town is not fully GDPR compliant, but a special agreement is possible upon request: Are you GDPR Compliant?
[3] Supported devices and browsers of the Gather Town platform: Browser Settings and Permissions
[4] According to their statement, “This feature is best used for meetings of approximately 100 (or fewer) participants.” (Source: “Spotlighting”)
[5] We recommend dividing rooms if more than 250 participants are expected to ensure that the rooms do not become overly large and participants “get lost”. HyHyve can provide a high level of interactivity by switching off linked rooms at off-peak times with fewer participants.
[6] Maximum capacity is specified in the Gather.Town Pricing. On request a larger number of attendees is possible.

This comparison was updated on 21.03.2022.

What is Gather.Town?

Unlike other apps like Zoom Gather.town provides an online networking experience in a virtual space. Participants can go into and leave a conversation by moving their avatar as they would do in real life.

Gather.Town is an all-in-one communication, event, and networking tool. The event organizer designs the natural spaces in an 8-bit pixelized world that looks like a video game. Each participant can move their avatar freely by using the computer keyboard arrows. According to this Gather.Town is a better alternative to Zoom because it offers a feeling of having a real-life conversation. In the mapmaker mode, you can create an interactive world where your attendees can play games like “one-night werewolf” or “Sudoku” together, exchange ideas on a whiteboard or share files. The clue is that you can do all these things within the Gather.town space.

What can Gather.Town do?

In your Gather.town space, you can upload documents, stream videos, and exchange data. The Gather “space” participants can also talk spontaneously via video chat with each other. People can interact, celebrate, or work together in public and private spaces. Up to 500 people can be in one space simultaneously, and they can join the so-called Gather “spotlight” (particular areas where a limited number of people can receive a broadcast).[7] Within a space, admins can share their screen, stream a video, play music, announce the event plan, or have a podium discussion. A private and group chat helps to exchange contact details and get in touch with each other.

Gather combines the wonderful ability to network quickly in groups because of its flexible and interactive space where external contents like music, videos, links, Q&As, or websites can be integrated.

Is Gather.Town easy to use?

Gather Town spaces are simple and bring real interactions into virtual spaces. As always, a new tool needs some onboarding activities to make sure that even not tech-affine users feel comfortable with the platform.

What should I be aware of when using Gather.Town?

Gather started as an open-source project, but it can’t be self-hosted anymore. Technically, Gather works very well, but there are some areas you should consider even though not all of them are related to the Gather. town itself but to the overall event organization and preparation. Gather can be downloaded as an app or used in a browser-based version. The best performance is guaranteed by using Chrome or Mozilla and a device such as a desktop or a laptop. If you consider holding professional events or creating a virtual workspace on Gather, you have to be aware of the effect of the playful design of Gather. Some people might not find it professional-looking.

The Gather space and tool design

Gather offers a very structured onboarding experience, and the space editor is easy to use but offers a large variety of integrations and possibilities. Therefore you have to plan some time to get comfortable with the mapmaker and to create your customized space. Gather.town offers near-endless features and customization options to produce the best space for your attendees. If you plan to integrate other tools like Zoom meetings, whiteboards, games, websites, or documents, the interaction can be confusing at first. Therefore the participants need a little more time to feel comfortable with the app. By starting with a template, it’s easier to build a space from that foundation.

Via email, you can assign specific roles like admin, builder, or mod to different people. By placing signs, attendees won’t get lost so easily. Logos and a virtual background can personalize the space even more. The communication of shortcuts can enhance the participants’ experience, e.g., pressing the z-button, which leads to dancing of the avatars. Also, the customization can be fun for attendees when they are joining the space for the first time.

The space’s minimap helps the user move in the right direction, and a public announcement will allow him to find the right spots. The tool offers an engaging experience when it’s explained in every detail to the attendees, and the usage cases differ as much as the customization options of the map.

Advice:
How to prepare your participants for the Gather.town usage

As the mechanism of “bumping together in a virtual venue” and interacting with content by clicking the “X” key is currently not known to everyone, it’s helpful to have “practice sessions” with your participants in advance (e.g., online networking and after-work session a couple of days earlier).

Limited mobile and browser support

Unfortunately, Gather.Town tool doesn’t support mobile devices and tablets like iPads or similar devices. Furthermore, it would be best to keep in mind that Safari is only available in a beta version, and Microsoft Edge isn’t supported. The Gather app officially supports Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, and the platform performs the best on desktops and laptops. [8]

Advice:
How to deal with the limited mobile and browser support

Although most users are already using Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox, you should consider recommending using one of the supported browsers. [9] As “clicking on links” leads to the start of the user’s standard browser, you have to ensure that the browser recommendation is communicated often and clearly. As selecting the right browser and joining the Gather space can sometimes be tricky, you can implement a support hotline or a team during your event to guarantee a seamless experience.

GDPR compliance of Gather.town

Gather.Town is a platform of an American Company, and Gather’s servers are located outside the EU. Gather clearly states that they are currently not fully GDPR compliant, and by signing an agreement, the usage under GDPR is supposed to be possible. [10]

Advice:
How to deal with GDPR compliance

Before using Gather.town, you should discuss the GDPR compliance with your data protection supervisor.

[7] According to their Pricing, Gather offers up to 500 participants per Space (on request are more possible). Gather doesn’t specify how many people can interact in an ad-hoc conversation.
[8] Supported devices and browsers on the Gather Town help website: Browser Settings and Permissions
[9] Market shares of the most used browser versions worldwide in February 2022: Statistics from February 2022
[10] According to their statement, Gather.Town is not fully GDPR compliant but it’s possible with an agreement: Are you GDPR Compliant?

This section was updated on 21.03.2022.

What HyHyve clients have to say

"Our online annual meeting with participants from all over the world was a great success. With about 130 participants, the plenary meeting went well, and the HyHyve team provided quick and professional support when needed. With the spontaneous interactions, the participants had a great experience and told us that it was the nearest we could get to an actual meeting on-site; better, friendlier than a standard videoconference."

Mont Terri Project - Annual Technical ConferenceRomain Nicol - Social Media Manager

"Our event with HyHyve was a fresh online experience! The interaction is intuitive and innovative. HyHyve's maps can be customized and created a buzz with their attention to detail! The HyHyve team was very helpful and supported us with any questions."

EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AGJoachim Haydecker - Customer Experience Manager

"Our guests were thrilled! HyHyve is innovative, encourages interaction, and motivates with the surprises on the map. The HyHyve team is very supportive, professional, and a pleasure to work with. I can recommend HyHyve anytime."

BVMW Mittelstandsnetzwerk Hans-Peter Neeb