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Zoom is for meetings. Pairio is for the work that happens after.
Signs to switch
Zoom
If two or three ring true, Zoom is doing fine as a meeting tool and failing as a working one — whether you’re reviewing a design, walking a client through a demo, pairing on code, or training someone through a workflow. Pairio is a lightweight native Mac app for sharing a screen: pixel-perfect quality, live drawing, one-click calling.
Try Pairio free| Feature |
Pairio
|
Zoom
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|---|---|---|
| Pixel-perfect screen quality | ||
| Draw on shared screen | Basic |
|
| Remote keyboard & mouse | Basic |
|
| Hide apps while sharing | ||
| One-click calling | ||
| Built-in voice chat | ||
| Native Mac app | ||
| End-to-end encrypted | ||
| EU hosted |
Zoom is great for meetings and presentations. For pair programming it falls short: screen sharing is compressed to fit the video call, annotation is clunky, and the desktop app is heavy on CPU and battery. Pairio is purpose-built for the shared-screen, shared-keyboard work developers actually do.
Zoom optimises for meetings, not for doing the work. The usual reasons: the desktop client is heavy on CPU and battery, screen shares are compressed so code looks blurry, annotation tools are an afterthought, and spinning up a meeting link for every ten-minute pair session is friction. Pairio is a lightweight native Mac app with pixel-perfect screen quality, live drawing, and one-click calling.
Zoom has a 'Request remote control' feature, but it is clunky and often blocked by company policy. Pairio makes remote keyboard and mouse a first-class feature — either side can drive, and handoff is instant.
Zoom encodes the screen share as compressed video tuned for faces and slideware. That compression crushes anti-aliased text and fine lines. Pairio uses a codec tuned for screens, so code stays pixel-perfect at any font size.
Zoom has annotation tools but they are disconnected from the content and awkward to reach mid-call. Pairio makes drawing on the shared screen feel like using a pen on the display itself — either participant can draw, and the ink stays in place as the screen moves.
Yes. Zoom's desktop client is a well-known resource hog — fans spin, battery drains. Pairio is a lightweight native Mac app that lives in the menu bar and only does one thing: screen sharing with your team.
No. With Pairio you just call a teammate directly — no meeting link, no scheduling, no waiting room. You are sharing a screen in seconds.
Pricing
Every feature included. No card required.
The free plan stays free — upgrading is your call.
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