What Are Office Pods & Booths?

Buy modern office pod? Office pods and booths can be simply understood as a "small room" placed inside an office. Employees can use them when they need to make calls, hold video conferences, work quietly, or have a brief chat with two or three people.

Common office pods are enclosed by wall panels, glass doors, and sound-absorbing materials. Inside, they can be equipped with a table, chair, LED lights, a ventilation system, and power outlets and USB ports. Compared to building a new wall to create a small meeting room, installing an office pod is much more convenient.

Office pods and office booths are often discussed together, but there are some differences. Office pods are usually more enclosed and more suitable for making calls, video conferences, or working in a quiet environment. Office booths are relatively more open and more suitable for short calls or discussions between two or three people, eliminating the need to occupy a meeting room for every small conversation.

They are also different from traditional cubicles. Cubicle is more like a fixed workstation that employees use every day, while office pod is more like an extra "small room" placed in an open-plan office. People can sit in their own office workstations normally, and then use office pod when they need to answer a phone call, have a video conference, or want to work quietly for a while.

What Are the Different Types of Office Pods?

Office pods can be categorized into different types based on your company's size and purpose. The smallest one only needs to accommodate one person to make a phone call, while the larger ones can fit tables and chairs. It allows everyone to work for extended periods, while larger ones can be used as small meeting rooms for a few people.

Therefore, when choosing an Office Pod, don't focus too much on its appearance. You should consider how many people this office privacy booth can accommodate. Is it intended for meetings or for individual office use?

Office Phone Booths

The office phone booth is the most compact type, usually designed for one person to use. It is mainly used for making and receiving phone calls, video calls, or short online meetings.

A typical phone booth for office occupies about 1m x 1m. It doesn't need a large desktop; it can be equipped with a small table, lighting, ventilation, power supply, and USB ports. For open-plan offices, their main function is to provide employees with a relatively quiet place temporarily.

By having someone go in and close the door, you can reduce the disturbance caused by conversations and footsteps outside, and also reduce the impact of your own phone call on your colleagues next to you.

Focus Pods

Focus pods are typically used by 1–2 people. Compared to the phone booth for office, it has a larger interior space and is more suitable for staying for a longer period of time.

A Focus pod typically includes a desktop, ergonomic office chair, power supply, lighting, and ventilation. It can be used to handle tasks that require focused attention, participate in long video conferences, or conduct simple one-on-one communication.

The Phone booth for office is more like "go in and make a phone call," while the focus pod is closer to a temporary small office. If employees need to bring their laptops in to work for an hour or two, a focus pod is usually much more comfortable than a cramped phone booth.

Meeting Pods

Meeting pods primarily provide private meeting rooms for small meetings of around 2–8 people.

The interior can be configured with a meeting table,  conference chairs, power outlets, and USB ports according to the number of people. Some meeting pods also have space reserved for monitors or video conferencing equipment for use during meetings.

Instead of renovating a fixed meeting room, a meeting pod can be placed directly inside an open-plan office. If the office layout is redesigned in the future, the modular structure will make adjustments easier.

Especially in offices where meeting rooms are often "not enough to go around," having a few more meeting pods means that people won't have to reserve a meeting room half a day in advance for a short 20-minute meeting.

Meeting Booths & Sofa Pods

Not all discussions need to be closed off. Meeting booths and sofa pods typically feature an open or semi-enclosed design, using high-backed sofas, upholstered screens, or enclosed structures to provide a simple communication area for 2–4 people.

It is more suitable for short-term communication. While not as independent as an enclosed office pod, it's much more comfortable than standing right next to an employee's workstation to discuss something, and you don't have to occupy an entire meeting room just to chat for ten minutes.

Office Pods vs. Traditional Meeting Rooms

Both office pods and Traditional Meeting Rooms provide employees with a private space for conversation and meetings, but they are used quite differently in practice.

Traditional meeting rooms are more suitable for meetings with a large number of participants, longer durations, or more formal meetings. Office pods are better suited for making phone calls, holding video conferences, having simple discussions with two or three people, or for one person to go in and work quietly for a while.

Are Office Pods Really Soundproof?

Can Office Pods completely block out sound? A more accurate answer is: most Office Pods are designed to reduce sound transmission and reception, not to achieve 100% soundproofing.

LINRAY offers the best acoustic office pods, reducing noise from conversations, phone calls, and footsteps in the office, allowing you to make calls or concentrate on work in a quieter environment. It also reduces the sound of conversations inside the pod escaping, ensuring that people outside cannot hear you.

The actual acoustic performance of an Office pod is affected by many details, such as panel materials, acoustic insulation, glass thickness, door seals, and the overall connection structure of the pod. Especially important are the gaps between doors and the connections between different panels; if not handled properly, even with thick wall panels, sound can still find a way to escape.

Therefore, when purchasing acoustic office pods, don't just look at whether the product page says "soundproof." If the supplier provides acoustic test data, you can further examine the specific sound attenuation performance and testing standards, such as ISO 23351-1 and other relevant acoustic tests.

How to Choose the Right Office Pod?

When choosing an Office Pod, appearance is important, but what truly impacts daily use are the number of people using it, its intended purpose, its quietness, and seemingly insignificant details like ventilation and power.

Start with How Many People Will Use It

First, determine how many people will use the Office privacy pod. If it's primarily for one person making calls or participating in video calls, a compact office phone booth is suitable. If one person needs to work for extended periods or occasionally conduct one-on-one communication, consider a larger focus pod. If two, four, or more people frequently use it, choose a meeting pod of the appropriate size.

Don't buy a large pod just because you "might need it later." One person making calls occupying a four-person meeting pod is essentially the same as one person holding a large meeting room.

Determine What the Pod Will Be Used For

Once the number of users is determined, think about what they will actually be using it for.

The configuration needed for making calls and for extended periods of work are different. A phone booth for the office might only require a small table, while an office pod for focused work needs to consider desktop size, chair space, and laptop space. A meeting pod also requires further consideration of the location of the meeting table, monitor, and video conferencing equipment.

Check the Acoustic Performance

If the primary reason for purchasing an office pod is to reduce office noise, then acoustic performance cannot be judged solely by whether the product name includes "soundproof."

Confirm with the supplier whether they have actual acoustic test data, sound attenuation performance, and the testing standards used. If the product has been tested according to standards such as ISO 23351-1, you can further examine the corresponding test results.

Check Ventilation, Lighting, and Power

Enclosed office pods need a proper ventilation system, especially meeting pods for 2, 4, or more people. If several people are in a 30-minute meeting with poor air circulation, even the most aesthetically pleasing pod will become uncomfortable after a while.

Also, check LED lighting, power outlets, USB ports, and necessary data interfaces. For office pods used for video conferencing, consider in advance how computers, monitors, and other equipment will be powered.

How Much Do Office Pods Cost?

Office pod prices vary considerably. For market reference, a single-person office phone booth typically starts at several thousand dollars, while meeting pods for 2–6 people can commonly cost around US$9,000–30,000 or higher. Products with certified acoustics, smart controls, or high-end features will see even higher prices.

However, these figures are market references and not fixed prices from LINRAY office pods. An office phone booth designed for one person to make calls will obviously cost more than a meeting pod that seats 4–6 people, complete with tables, chairs, ventilation, power, and conferencing equipment.

Office pod prices are primarily affected by size and the number of users. Larger office pods require more wall panels, glass, frames, and internal space, necessitating increased ventilation and lighting. Therefore, the price typically increases significantly from a single-person office phone booth to a multi-person meeting pod.

Additionally, when purchasing a Modern Office Pod, check the sound-absorbing materials used and the construction of doors, glass, and wall panels. These factors affect how clearly voices can be heard from inside.

Internal features such as ventilation, LED lighting, power outlets, USB ports, desktop, chair, and monitor stand will also influence the final price. Some office pods are essentially ready to use right out of the box, while some prices only include the office pod itself, so it's best to check what's included before comparing prices.

Why Choose Linray Office Pods & Booths?

LINRAY office pods and booths come in various sizes, from single-person office phone booths to multi-person meeting pods, allowing you to buy a modern office pod to suit your needs.

Our office pods can be configured to meet different usage requirements. For example, acoustic materials, glass doors, ventilation systems, LED lighting, power supplies, and USB ports can all be customized. Office pods can also be equipped with desktops, chairs, and other furniture.

Different offices have different decor styles and sizes, so colors, finishes, dimensions, and some internal configurations can be adjusted. You don't need to adapt the entire office's color and size to fit just one office pod.