Short answer: pick Kosmi for a free, no-sign-up hangout room with voice, video and chat built in, especially if friends are on phones or you mix videos with games. Pick Teleparty to sync Netflix, Disney+, Hulu or Prime Video on everyone's own account in Chrome, Edge or Safari. Want free video calls with your own streams on desktop Chrome? See the third option below.
The core difference
- Teleparty is a sync extension. Everyone plays the video on their own streaming account and Teleparty keeps playback in step, with a group chat next to it.
- Kosmi is a room. You invite friends with a link to a customizable room. Inside, you can use integrations (such as Netflix and YouTube), browse together, share your screen or share links, with voice, video and messaging.
Teleparty vs Kosmi at a glance
| Teleparty | Kosmi | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Syncs each person's own stream | Room with integrations, shared browsing, screen sharing |
| Free plan | Sync + text chat on free channels | Free, no sign-up |
| Paid plan | Premium (voice and video chat, more) | Optional Premium for extras |
| Voice and video | Premium only | Included |
| Devices | Chrome, Edge, Safari | Browser, mobile app |
Where Kosmi is better
- Calls for free. Voice, video and messaging are part of the free room.
- No sign-up. Share a link and friends are in.
- Phones. There's a mobile app as well as the browser version.
- More than video. Rooms also cover games and shared browsing, so it works as a general hangout.
Where Teleparty is better
- Your own stream. Everyone watches their own account at full quality rather than a shared browser or screen share, which matters for picture quality (see sync vs screen sharing).
- Browsers. Chrome, Edge and Safari.
- Focused. It's built for one job: syncing streaming services, with a simple install-and-share-link flow.
The trade-off: Teleparty's free plan is text chat only. Voice and video chat come with its paid Premium plan, explained in Teleparty free vs Premium and Teleparty video call.
A third option: Watch Party
Watch Party is a free Chrome extension that keeps play, pause and seek in sync on any site with a standard video player. Like Teleparty, everyone plays on their own account. Unlike Teleparty's free plan, it includes free group video and voice calls in a side panel. Guest mode works, Google sign-in is optional, and the host sets room capacity up to 500.
- Good for: your own streams at full quality plus calls, without paying
- Not for: phones, TVs, Safari, Edge or Firefox (desktop Chrome only)
The direct comparison is in Teleparty vs Watch Party.
Which one should you pick?
| Your situation | Pick |
|---|---|
| Friends on phones | Kosmi |
| A hangout with games and videos | Kosmi |
| Netflix or Disney+ in Safari or Edge | Teleparty |
| Streaming services, text chat is enough | Teleparty (free plan) |
| Own streams plus video calls, free, on desktop Chrome | Watch Party |
Comparing more tools? See every Teleparty alternative or the best watch party apps.