PairOnce

ANY DEVICE · ANY BROWSER

An AirDrop alternative for every device

AirDrop only works between Apple devices. PairOnce does the same job in the browser, so a Windows laptop, an Android phone, an iPhone and a Mac can all send files to each other.

Open paironce.com on both devices, scan the QR code one shows with the other, check the safety code, then send.

Step by step

  1. Open paironce.com on both devices. Any current browser works: Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari.
  2. Connect them. On one device, scan the QR code the other shows, or type its six-digit code under Enter a code. Check that the safety codes match, then tap Approve device. On the same Wi-Fi you can skip the scan: with PairOnce open on both, the other device appears under On this Wi-Fi; select Connect and check the safety code as usual. A page opened from a QR code or link asks you to confirm first: tap Connect.
  3. Send. Choose files on one device, tap Accept on the other, then Save.

How it compares with AirDrop

Like AirDrop, files go device to device: they are encrypted between the two browsers and not stored on PairOnce servers or in a cloud folder.

Unlike AirDrop, it works across platforms, and you pair on purpose: scan a QR code or type a six-digit code, then check that both screens show the same safety code. Nobody nearby can send you files out of the blue.

Unlike cloud links, nothing waits online: both devices must be open at the same time.

Limits, and when this is not the right tool

  • A file can be up to 2 GB over a direct connection when the receiving browser saves straight to disk (Chrome or Edge on a computer or Android, Firefox on a computer, Safari on iOS 26 or later). Other browsers take up to 50 MB per file and hold 100 MB of received files at a time.
  • Files over 2 GB need PairOnce Pro on one of the two devices. Then a file can be up to 10 GB, received the same way, and the relay carries 5 GB a month.
  • When the two devices cannot reach each other directly, an encrypted relay carries the data. Each device can send and receive 200 MB a month that way, counted together; a direct connection has no monthly limit.
  • Both pages must stay open until everything has arrived: keep the phone’s screen on and the browser in front.
  • PairOnce moves things between two devices that are open at the same time. It is not cloud storage: nothing waits on a server for later.

Other ways to do it

  • Quick Share. Google’s and Samsung’s nearby sharing, between Android phones and Windows PCs; it needs an app on Windows and does not reach iPhones or Macs.
  • LocalSend. Free and open source, with apps for every system; it works on one local network.
  • Snapdrop or PairDrop. Browser-based like PairOnce; devices find each other on the same network, which some Wi-Fi setups block.
  • Cloud links. Google Drive, iCloud or WeTransfer work at any distance; files are uploaded first and kept online.

Common questions

Does it need Bluetooth or the same network?

No Bluetooth is needed. The devices do not have to be on the same network, but the same Wi-Fi is fastest and has no relay limit.

Is there a file size limit?

Up to 2 GB per file over a direct connection when the receiving browser saves straight to disk, as Chrome, Edge and Firefox do, or 10 GB with PairOnce Pro on one of the two devices; otherwise 50 MB per file.

What happens to my files?

PairOnce servers never have a copy. Small files live only in the receiving tab until you save them; large files saved straight to disk sit in that browser’s private storage until you save or remove them.