Hiroba review
A lightweight virtual office for presence and spontaneous 1:1 conversations, not group video.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Hiroba gives remote teams a persistent virtual office: a top-down 2D floor with a lobby and team rooms, alongside a roster showing availability and status. People can start proximity voice conversations or page someone 1:1 rather than scheduling a meeting. It suits technical teams that want lightweight presence and informal contact, particularly those comfortable self-hosting. The product also supports 1:1 camera and screen sharing, but it is not a replacement for group video calls.
Deployment is a meaningful distinction. Hiroba is open source, and its server can be self-hosted as a single binary at no cost. Teams preferring a managed service can try hosted Hiroba for 30 days without a credit card. Hosted Standard is $2 per seat per month, billed monthly; it includes Google and GitHub sign-in, organization creation, invite links, member management, TURN, managed infrastructure and updates, and email support. Enterprise includes Standard features plus deployment support for corporate networks, invoice or custom billing, onboarding and rollout consultation, and direct contact with the team. The published plans leave Enterprise pricing unspecified, so the $2 rate applies to Hosted Standard.
Hiroba’s scope is deliberately focused on presence and quick 1:1 interaction. Guest collaboration is supported, and the web, Windows and macOS clients provide options across common desktop environments. But there are no group video meetings or recording, and camera and screen sharing are 1:1 only. Teams needing scheduled group calls, recordings, or a broader remote-work hub should choose another tool; Hiroba is a better fit when a visible virtual office, proximity voice, and self-hosting matter more than those capabilities.
Hiroba pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Persistent roster and 2D floor make availability and team spaces visible.
- Proximity voice and one-click 1:1 paging support quick conversations.
- Free, open-source single-binary server can be self-hosted.
- Where it doesn't
- No group video meetings or recording.
- Camera and screen sharing are limited to 1:1.
- Hosted Standard has no listed integrations beyond Google and GitHub sign-in.
Hiroba fact sheet, pricing and score →
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