Collaboration platforms facilitate a cohesive digital workspace for teams, enabling communication, project management, and co-editing in real time. They centralize information and resources, breaking down silos to enhance productivity and transparency. With features like integrated video conferencing and persistent chat, these solutions are essential for a synergistic work environment. Discover and compare top collaboration software to empower your team.
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Online collaboration software makes working together on professional projects easier and faster. It reduces bottlenecks in feedback and approval processes and allows for real-time communication. The three core areas of functionality for collaboration tools are:
Some products stress one feature set over another. These take a best-of-breed approach, and work well if they offer integrations. For example, Slack is an online team collaboration app focused on messaging and file sharing. It also includes audio and video conferencing capabilities. For everything else, it integrates with other software tools.
Because they each have slightly different specialties, many of the tools above are not perfectly comparable. Depending on your business needs, you may want to invest in a few different types of collaboration tools. For example, many teams use a messaging application like Slack for casual communication and also use web conferencing software to host online meetings.
Online collaboration tools are closely related to a number of other types of software, including:
All of these platforms include collaboration features, though most are limited to a specific channel or type of interaction.
Sometimes collaboration tools can replace these more traditional solutions, but it is more common to integrate collaboration tools with existing communication and workflow structure. Often collaboration tools bring interactions that would otherwise be handled by separate platforms into a convenient central location.
Some collaboration tools have communication capabilities at their core. Examples of online communication tools that specialize in this are include:
Other collaboration features are available but may have a limited scope. Communication features across collaboration tools include:
Another class of online collaboration tools have underlying project and task management capabilities at their core. These tools may not be as advanced as traditional project management platforms. However, they can be incredibly useful for online team collaboration and communication.
Examples of collaboration tools noted for significant project & task management features include:
Some products walk the line of collaboration and project management. For example, Wrike has many robust project management features, but it’s designed like a social network to make engaging with team members easy.
Access to advanced project management capabilities is usually more important for larger or interdepartmental teams. Collaboration features related to project & task management can include:
Other online collaboration tools focus on document storage, sharing, and management. Examples of these products include:
They also offer significant opportunities for collaboration. Collaboration features central to file sharing include:
Locally hosted collaboration solutions (like Redbooth Private Cloud) are less common than online SaaS collaboration tools. Online solutions are more abundant and often more convenient for end-users. They work particularly well for remote teams and employees who need to collaborate on common tasks.
They come in many forms, from mobile apps to browser extensions.
Some tools are industry and use case-specific. For example, Mural.ly and ConceptBoard are tools for graphic designers. On the other hand, Microsoft Yammer is more like a social network for corporate enterprises, regardless of department or industry. Other use cases for collaboration software include:
Adoption is key to success with collaboration software. It is only effective if everyone on the team is on board with the software.
It is important to choose a collaboration tool that is easy to use. The tool should also fit your team’s culture and goals. There are dozens of collaboration products on the market -- and it’s ever-growing!
To help you find a good fit, consider these questions:
To help you more easily compare different types of collaboration tools, consider these 3 key factors:
Collaboration software is usually priced by user on a monthly subscription.
Most vendors offer a free tier for up to a certain number of users. The free tiers usually have a more limited set of features and capabilities. There are many basic free online collaboration options, including GoVisually, Trello, Podio and Google Drive for example.
For paid plans, pure collaboration tools focused on notes, tasks, and chat start around $8/mo. per user. For collaboration tools that include cloud storage, pricing starts at around $10/mo. per user, and goes up from there based on storage size.
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Collaboration tools help teams communicate, manage projects and tasks, and share and store files more efficiently. Not all online collaboration tools have the same set of capabilities, specific tools may specialize in one of the three areas above. Common use cases for collaboration software include:
Many collaboration software products have a free version available, though typically with more limited space or functionality. Popular free tools for small teams or SMBs include: