Overview
The best online collaboration apps have changed the way people work, and it’s about time. Collaboration apps are any programs that help people work together, whether they are a remote team or in the same location. Some big names in this field that may come to mind are Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Google Workspace (which includes Google Docs and Sheets). All of these apps are used to communicate with others and get work done together.
Typically, the best collaboration software allows you to know the team’s activity on the work that concerns you. Through the app, you have access to the information and resources you need, so you can start working on time without having to notify someone else about it.
Collaboration software is a branch of productivity software, but it focuses more on empowering or facilitating teamwork, including remote collaboration. However, collaboration software is not a clearly defined category as it overlaps with several other categories, such as project management software, collaborative whiteboard apps, and to-do list applications (as long as they have sufficient sharing and collaboration features), among others. Below are the best team collaboration software products based on our tests and analysis.
Best Shared Task Management App
Todoist is the best for managing shared tasks. It features a low annual cost paired with a great set of features that help you stay productive while using the app. The user interface is excellent. Todoist also has apps for all major platforms and a web app capable of performing the same functions.
Suitable for individuals and small teams that need to manage work collaboratively but don’t need a robust project management application. Todoist is great for jotting down tasks and assigning those tasks to the right people.
Features:
– Multi-platform support with seamless and reliable syncing
– Excellent features like natural language input and productivity reports
– Efficient interface
– Collaboration features
– Offline functionality
Cons:
– Some important features are not available for free users
– Price increase since 2021
Best Workflow Management App
Asana is one of the most customizable and useful work management tools we’ve seen. You can use it to create lists and track simple tasks, as well as manage workflows, ideas, projects, and more. If you want to use it as a full-fledged project management app, you can, but the real power of Asana lies in its flexibility and customization options.
Suitable for teams that need to collaborate together to manage work and workflows, which may include some project-based tasks. Because Asana is highly customizable, it is ideal for those who need a lot of flexibility in how their task management application works. In other words, you will need some time to understand what your version of Asana will look like and what type of work you will be tracking with it.
Features:
– Flexible, fast, and modern design
– Strong free version
– Many features
– Facilitates Gantt chart-style dependency management
– Not ideal for tasks that require intensive graphics
– Prices are slightly higher than competitors
Best Beginner Project Management App
GanttPro is one of the best project management apps for beginners, making it ideal for team collaboration when no one has prior project management experience. However, GanttPro lacks the customizable reports and dashboards that larger teams need.
Features:
– Competitive pricing
– Good design and easy to learn
– Includes custom fields for tasks, Kanban board view, critical path feature, and save history that allows you multiple undos
No customizable reporting tools or customizable dashboards
– No invoices or billing
– Limited integrations
Best Whiteboard Collaboration App
The Miro app is the best in the realm of online whiteboard collaboration, perfect for teams seeking new ways to collaborate, brainstorm, and share ideas. This app can be amazing for remote teams working to enhance team cohesion and collaborate more effectively.
Features:
– Excellent collaboration and presentation tools
– Feature-rich
– User-friendly
– Strong integration support with other applications and services
– Limited offline functionality
Best Complete Business Office Suite
The Microsoft 365 Business Premium app is the best in the category of complete business office suites. Microsoft’s collaborative productivity applications are among the best in their field. When it comes to collaboration, some users may find Google Workspace to be more compatible, but Microsoft is equally capable of real-time collaboration. The Microsoft suite is not just a good investment; it’s an amazing deal considering everything you get.
Features:
– Generous cloud storage
– Full range of productivity tools with numerous add-ons
– Desktop applications supporting Windows and macOS
– Long list of management and security services
– Linux users are still second-class citizens
– The macOS version of Outlook still lags behind the Windows version
– Some new features are only available via the web
Best Feature-Rich and Integration App
The Slack app is the most popular team messaging app on the market, despite its higher cost compared to other apps. People love its design and the fact that everyone can deeply customize their settings, including options to make Slack less cluttered and more focused.
Features:
– Rich set of tools and options
– Highly customizable
– Integrates with many collaboration and office applications
– Expensive
– Audio and video call quality needs improvements
Best Project Management App for Working with Clients
The Teamwork app is one of the easiest project management apps to use with clients, making it perfect for collaboration when teams have clients. Teamwork works great for managing projects that benefit clients rather than those working on internal projects, although the app can handle those as well. For working with clients, it is the best project management app you’ll find.
Features:
– Simple and easy-to-use design
– Extensive customization options
– Invoice and billing integration
– Free account available
– No tools for editing PDF or image files
Best Project Management App for Small Businesses
The Zoho Projects app is an easy-to-use project management application available at service levels suitable for almost any organization’s needs, starting at a low cost.
Features:
– Excellent value
– Easy to install and navigate
– Multiple communication methods within the app
– Deep configuration options
– Powerful time tracking tools
Best Database-Driven Collaboration App
The Airtable app allows you and your team to collaborate and manage information about anything, from editorial calendars to inventory and collections. It can also serve as a work management and collaborative workflow tool. We love that it is user-friendly, highly customizable, and versatile.
Features:
– Lightweight and easy-to-use interface
– High customizability and flexibility
– Excellent support for collaboration
– Integrates with a long list of services
Best Work-Life Balance and Communication App
The Basecamp app is very easy to use and provides a lot of structure. Instead of leaving you to define what your workflows should be or how to collaborate with your team, Basecamp provides you with guided modules that lead you towards different types of collaborative efforts. For example, there are tools for tracking tasks, deadlines, files, discussions, and announcements happening around the work.
Features:
/>– Easy to set up and use
– Fixed monthly price for unlimited users
– Supports integration with a wide range of applications and services
– Communication can be isolated
– Limited reporting
– No free account
Best Office Collaboration App
Google Workspace, formerly known as G Suite, offers a powerful and sleek suite of office and collaboration applications. It set the standard for online collaboration in terms of collaborative document editing. The Google Workspace package provides a set of collaborative and office applications almost like Microsoft 365, although it only offers online applications. This browser-based approach means that its applications are available and work the same way on any platform.
Features:
– Sleek office tools
– Works the same on any browser
– Precisely refined collaboration and editing tracking features
– Suitable user management for businesses
– Applications only online
– Less powerful than comparable desktop applications
– Offline editing requires Chrome and prior setup
Best Work Management App with Automations
Smartsheet provides tremendous time and effort savings for teams that adopt it. Smartsheet heavily supports automations. While it may not be the simplest collaboration app to learn to use, it is worth the investment for any team handling a lot of mechanical work.
Features:
– Infinitely customizable and highly powerful
– Supports automations and input from web forms, reviews, and approvals
– Powerful resource management options for business plan users
– No real-time time tracking or billing tools
– No real-time updates or auto-save at the frequency we desire
Best Kanban Collaboration App
The Kanban system is a workflow system used in a variety of fields, although it is particularly popular among software developers and other technical workers. Essentially, Kanban works by using cards on a board to represent tasks or ideas. The board has columns, and each column is (typically) a stage or step in the workflow process. So, you may have a board with columns for “To Do,” “In Progress,” and “Done.” You write all the tasks that need to be done and place them in the “To Do” column. When you start a task (represented by a card containing the task name and other details about it), you move its card to the “In Progress” column. When finished, you place the card in the “Done” column.
Trello is one of the most user-friendly Kanban tools on the market. Anyone can sign up for an account and quickly start using it. It’s not feature-rich when you’re ready, but with a paid account, you can select Power-Ups (i.e., additional features) to make it more powerful.
Features:
– Flexible and customizable Kanban application
– Provides desktop and mobile applications
– User-friendly interface
Best Chat App in the Microsoft Environment
Microsoft Teams is an internal messaging application with many features, including robust connectivity to other Microsoft applications. With Microsoft’s launch of Copilot, people using Teams will be able to ask the AI tool to summarize the main points and actionable items and decisions for discussion without needing to scroll through long threads.
Source: https://me.pcmag.com/en/old-collaboration/14760/the-best-online-collaboration-software-for-2023
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