Pop

Pop is a video-calling service for people who need to work together directly on a shared computer. It suits pair programmers and teams guiding someone through a task; its strongest advantage is combining remote control and visual annotation with a call.

Overview

Pop combines voice and video with low-latency screen sharing, remote control, drawing and messaging. Participants can use their own mouse and keyboard on the shared screen, making Pop more useful for collaborative work than a call that only lets others watch. Guests can join from a link without registering, including from a smartphone, which makes it easier to bring someone into a short working session.

Pop says it does not store or record meeting media and encrypts traffic in transit. One-to-one calls are end-to-end encrypted; calls with three or more participants use an SFU that decrypts and re-encrypts media. Teams for whom end-to-end encryption across group calls is a requirement should look elsewhere. Pop is hosted on Google Cloud Platform and Google Firebase.

Key features

• Remote control: Pop lets participants click and type on another person’s computer, with each person using their own mouse and keyboard. That makes it a practical choice for pair programming and guided troubleshooting, but it requires comfort with others controlling a shared device.
• Drawing and highlighting: Participants can mark up the screen to explain visual ideas in real time. This adds a useful way to point out a change or problem without relying on verbal directions alone.
• Voice, video and messaging: These tools sit alongside screen sharing, so a working session can keep conversation and coordination together.
• Joining and integrations: Guests can join from a link before registering, using a laptop or smartphone. Users can start a meeting from Slack with a slash command or call button, with the meeting appearing in the conversation. Google Calendar can be connected to manage scheduled meetings; Pop may view and edit calendar data for that purpose.

Pricing

Pop has free plans and a paid Enterprise plan. Pro is free while in beta, with unlimited meeting creation and hosting, no time limit and access to a public support forum. It is the broadest free option for regular hosts, but its stated billing condition is tied to the beta.

Starter is free and includes unlimited meeting joining, high-quality screen sharing, remote control, drawing and messaging. It suits people who mainly join other users’ sessions; unlike Pro, its stated inclusions do not promise unlimited meeting hosting.

Enterprise is $25 a month, billed per user per month, starting at 40 licenses for $12K/year. It includes all Pro features, SAML single sign-on and Slack or email support. The 40-license minimum makes it a team-scale commitment rather than a small-team upgrade, but it adds centralized sign-in and a more direct support channel.

Platforms

Pop is available on Linux, macOS, the web and Windows. Meetings can also be joined through Chrome, Firefox, Safari and mobile browsers, using a laptop or smartphone.

Who it's for

Pop is best suited to pairs and teams who need to solve problems together on a computer, especially pair programmers, collaborators reviewing visual work and people providing remote guidance. It is less suitable for teams that require end-to-end encryption for calls with three or more participants, or for people who only need to present a screen without interactive control.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Remote control, drawing and messaging complement voice and video, supporting active collaboration rather than screen viewing alone.
• Pro: Guests can join from a link without registering, reducing friction for one-off collaborators.
• Pro: Pro offers unlimited hosting and no time limit at no charge while in beta.
• Con: Group calls with three or more participants are not end-to-end encrypted; the SFU decrypts and re-encrypts media.
• Con: Enterprise starts at 40 licenses, putting its $12K/year starting commitment out of reach for many small teams.
• Con: Pro’s free terms are stated as applying while in beta, so it is not the same commitment as a free plan described as lasting indefinitely.

Alternatives

For a broader directory of tools in this category, see Pair Programming Software. Choose Drovio if you want a free screen-sharing option with remote control and can work within its 30-minute daily remote-control limit and two-participant cap. Zed is the alternative to consider when a code editor with a free personal plan is a better fit than a videoconferencing tool. Saros may suit users seeking a completely open-source collaboration option with no paid plans. Visual Studio is another alternative. Coterm is a free macOS app with an optional self-hosted collaboration backend. Duckly may suit occasional sessions where two participants and no video calls are enough on its free plan. Remote Collab is an open-source SublimeText plugin for real-time work on the same project. Codeshare may suit browser-based code collaboration, with its free plan allowing 20 saved codeshares and unlimited collaborators.

Verdict

Choose Pop if your calls need shared control, screen annotation and conversation in one place, particularly for pair programming or remote guidance. The free Pro plan’s unlimited hosting and lack of time limits make it an appealing starting point while in beta. Look elsewhere if group-call end-to-end encryption is essential or your team needs a paid plan without Enterprise’s 40-license minimum.