Online collaboration tools are container to work with people in real time. Collaboration tools are the virtual meetings. The bright side of collaboration online is that you don’t need to go to any other place for meetings rather just use online collaboration tools and get your work done.
Why do you Need an Online Collaboration Tool?
One of the most common reasons for using online collaboration tools is to make sure that everyone in a company is on the same page and are able to meet deadlines without hiccups.
Online collaboration tools have significantly grown into popularity over the past few years as the culture of remote working becomes commonplace.
Around 3.3 million Americans say that they work from home thanks to the internet, it’s possible for people to work on a single project together with no matter where they are in the world.
Nowadays, team members can be as close as the next apartment building or as far as the other side of the globe. Distance is no longer a limiting factor when choosing team members to work on a project together. This allows managers to hire the best minds they possibly can to work on a particular project from around the world.
Cool, right?
Companies are quickly realizing the power of collaboration tools in the workplace as around 53% of large companies use some type of team chat and online collaboration tool to get work done.
List of Online Collaboration Tools You Must Try:
There are many online collaboration tools out there in the market today. Each collaboration tool offers some unique features that other tools don’t provide. You’ll want to choose the best tools based upon the needs of your organization and employees.
Here are the top online collaboration tools for businesses:
1. Google Suites
The first online collaboration tool on our list is Google Suites. Google offers a vast array of products, from document creation tools to team collaboration tools which make communicating with team members very easy.
Apart from providing a simple yet powerful experience to the users, Google products are well integrated among themselves. The products are also integrated with Google cloud storage.
A combination of all these features is what makes Google one of the most widely used online collaboration platforms on the market. Other Google tools, such as Hangout and Keep also help users to collaborate more efficiently.
2. Bit.ai
One of the most powerful and feature-rich tools on this list is Bit. A new age cloud-based collaboration tool that helps teams create, manage, and track documents.
Bit allows teams to create workplace documents like- project proposals, sales decks, training documents, how-to guides, company policies, process documentation, media kits, fact sheets, competitive research, case studies, e-books, etc. and provides a safe and robust place to store these documents.
If you want to send these documents to external partners, clients, customers, or prospects, you can even track them to get intelligent engagement insights. Apart from documents, Bit also provides amazing content management capabilities.
Bit has a content library that automatically saves the images, files, and digital content you add to your documents (or workspaces) so that you can access and reuse them easily. Imagine, all of your work data and files in one place for easy access and storage!
Bit’s real-time collaboration feature makes it easy for your team to get under one virtual roof, give their feedback and suggestions, add comments, and discuss work together like a cohesive group.
Related: Top 6 Best Process Documentation Tools For SMBs
3. Trello
Trello is one of the best online team collaboration tools present. This reflects the fact that many top companies use this platform to manage their employees and projects.
Trello is a web-based platform, which means that info cannot be taken offline, but it does have an app to make your work mobile. Trello showcases tasks within boards in a kanban style.
Users can move the tasks around depending on whether it needs to be done, it’s in progress or has been completed. This allows users to check which tasks are done and which ones are currently being worked on. You add as many people as you want to the board and provide a chat box to message other members.
Related: Top Trello Alternatives Teams Can Use For Project Management
4. Asana
Asana is another online task management platform available for users that is similar to Trello in quite a few ways.
It offers a board that displays all the tasks that are currently assigned and when each assignment is due. The board is common to all the members so that everyone can see the status of other tasks.
One noteworthy feature of Asana is the implementation of the Timeline feature. This feature allows members to create a virtual timeline from start to end for a project and include all the tasks related to completing it in a timeline form. This makes sure that all aspects of a project are being worked on and none of the task details are missed.
Read more: 11 Asana Alternatives & Competitors You Must Know About!
5. Quip
Quip is a collaboration tool, that combines documents and team chat in a single place. It allows a team to create materials that are “live” meaning that all the team members can view and edit the text simultaneously.
Everyone can chip in new ideas and contribute to the project at hand. With a real-time built-in chat for every new document, decisions regarding the changes in the document are always available to everyone.
Quip’s primary aim is to decrease the dependence of a team on emails, which are inefficient when digging through old conversations. Quip also offers live apps such as poll and countdown timers for a document, which can significantly increase the team’s productivity.
6. Mural
Mural is another excellent online collaboration tool that checks all the ticks a collaboration platform should have and then some. Apart from all the necessary functions such as tracking tasks and members, Mural also has some unique features.
Mural allows users to add sticky notes and one can even draw freely on them. Mural supports images and videos from many different sources. The canvas of the Mural platform allows members to analyze and prioritize tasks at hand.
Read more: 50 Best Team Building Activities For Collaboration
7. Slack
Slack is one of the most widely used online collaboration tools in the world. In Slack, channels are provided to the user, and these channels can be divided by teams, projects, or anything else relevant to the organization. These channels can also be directly shared with clients and vendors.
This allows everyone related to a particular project to provide real-time analysis and feedback. The ability to make a voice or video call directly through the platform is another huge advantage. Another significant feature of Slack is that it has the largest app directory among its competitors. This makes integrating with other services very convenient.
8. NowBridge
NowBridge is one of the more unique online collaboration platforms available today. Instead of providing team members with a standard board, NowBridge tries to create the illusion of being in a room with other team members.
NowBridge exchanges still images of members who are remotely working on the same project. This allows members to check who is available in real-time. The platform is entirely mutual; therefore a member can only be seen by members he/she can see. This makes all the members working remotely feel like they are part of a team.
9. Basecamp
Basecamp provides users with a simple to-do list for all the tasks related to a project.
Users can also add relevant information to the list such as who the work is assigned to, along with the due dates. The functionality of making comments directly on the to-do list is also present.
Apart from that, the message board is there to keep the entire conversation regarding a particular topic in a single place.
The built-in calendar allows keeping track of all the upcoming due dates. One of the unique features of Basecamp is check-in questions. It enables team leaders to avoid lengthy meetings and ask questions directly to a team or individual members.
Read more: 11 Basecamp Alternatives to Check Out!
10. Yammer
Another major player that provides a great team collaboration platform is Microsoft. MS Docs and Excel are still the most widely used document creation tools. Microsoft provides an online version of Docs and Excel, along with a powerful online collaboration tool called Yammer.
Yammer is an enterprise social network that allows anyone in the organization to collaborate and work together with ease.
Apart from basic collaboration and communication features to keep everyone on the same age, Yammer allows users to create and join groups relevant to their work and interest. People can send files, documents, spreadsheets, ask questions, plan meetings, and get work done swiftly with Yammer.
Read more: 7 Compelling Reasons Why You Need To Invest In Team Collaboration
11. Zoho Projects
Zoho Projects is a cloud-based team collaboration application that provides project management tools to organizations.
Zoho Project includes a set of project templates and intranet capabilities. Using it, team managers can set up centralized sheets for current projects, a project wiki for storage of project info, ideas, reference materials, and other specifications.
Additional data or information relevant to the project may also be stored on the wiki. Chat capability allows team members to communicate easily regarding project details and information.
Zoho Projects incorporates style features similar to social media for data sharing in a centralized position. A feed can be used to post comments, discussions, and can provide an overview of all projects associated with the workflow of the project.
12. Flock
Flock is another platform explicitly designed to manage the work of the team members. It’s a direct competitor to Slack and Trello.
Flock’s primary aim is to reduce the reliance of organizations on email which is very efficient and hinders the pace of the workflow.
Flock provides team collaboration functions such as chat with another member or a group and video calling directly through the application. Flock’s advanced searching abilities can help members to look for anything very quickly.
13. Workzone
WorkZone is another cloud-based online collaboration tool that is useful for mid-sized and bigger businesses. Workzone’s ease of use is its most significant feature.
The project dashboard is a collection of tasks, separated by project, which includes information about who’s responsible for the job, the timeline for completion, project status, and any notes that might be relevant to that task.
Users can see at a glance where all active projects are, what needs to happen next, and what might be delaying the project. Clicking any to-do list from the dashboard allows users to see what’s due, when it’s due, and anything that’s overdue.
Overdue tasks are marked so users can’t miss them. WorkZone features a task dependency linking system that allows project managers to create cascading tasks. The completion date of another triggers the start date of one task.
Read more: 31 Uplifting Collaboration Quotes to Ignite Successful Teamwork
14. Wrike
Wrike is a project collaboration tool that gives teams an overview of project status and the team’s productivity.
Users also can create Gantt charts, edit tasks, and work with their teammates. Wrike lets teams break down substantial work into smaller pieces so that each task can be completed on time.
Wrike has pre-designed templates that can eliminate the time spent on designing models from scratch. Time tracking for each member and the entire project can help make accurate decisions regarding future planning and budget management.
Write also allows teams to share real-time interactive reports and schedule notifications for report updates.
15. Taiga
Taiga is a team collaboration platform specially designed for software developers. The application focuses on features that a developer would need. These are quite distinct from the requirements of a project manager.
Taiga lets users track components called stories and backlogs. The idea is that a backlog is a final product. So project managers can set up a backlog, and the team members work on it in sections, called stories. As the backlog is depleted, the team gets closer to the finished product.
The project manager can determine how the backlog is managed. Stories can be assigned to individuals or groups of team members.
The final due date can also be assigned to make sure a project doesn’t end up delayed. It’s also possible to have stories that aren’t attached to a specific person or team or that do not have a particular due date. Project managers can change all of that information at any time.
16. Zenkit
Zenkit is one of the most feature-packed collaboration tools in the market. It also focuses on scalability, so that the platform can be adjusted to the size of the organization.
Zenkit has its own text editor and spreadsheets tools.
Useful features include calendar, checklists, marking action actions as favorites, activity tracking, team information, and ability to add mentions.
Above all the regular features, it has other uniques features such as the ability to work offline and global searches for the entire archive for any data. Another useful feature is the capability to customize the notification so that they do not cause any distractions.
Related: Top 4 Document Tracking Systems For Keeping Track Of Files
17. Proofhub
Proofhub is another online collaboration tool that is packed with features. It tries to minimize the need for multiple tools to run an organization. It works as a focal place to manage and run projects.
This tool also helps teams with different tasks to keep things on track, share ideas, and collaborate with teams and clients. Files and documents are maintained to keep the entire information organized.
Group chat features are available to ask questions, get answers, and continue crucial conversations seamlessly, analyze files and documents instantly, and track time spent on the projects.
Proofhub also helps with charts to design the project plans that’ll assure the timely conclusion of the projects. It also supports the project manager to keep a bird’s eye view on project progress, generate roles in determining access levels for the teams and clients.
It helps create project reports for insights on how projects are progressing, and how groups and individuals are performing.
18. Walkabout
Walkabout is one of the unique online collaboration platform available today in the market. It uses 3D rendering to create a virtual office for people working remotely so that they feel like they are in the same office.
This office comes with fun features such as a lunchroom and breaks a room. Access to documents and tools are provided, and neat features like shutting the door for privacy are also present. Formal meeting rooms are also there. Individual and groups chat, and video calling features are also built-in.
19. Workplace
The workplace is an online collaboration platform developed by Facebook. The workplace is essentially Facebook for businesses where employees of a company can interact and collaborate.
Workplace’s interface feels like Facebook and that’s helped the Workplace to gain new users quickly. Users have the same ability to like, comment, react, real-time chat, and share information with others.
The workplace has several next-gen technologies like a live video for interacting with team members and the auto-translate feature to help employees connect and share information. This platform also uses learning algorithms that allow the platform to become better the more it’s used.
20. Airtable
Airtable is another unique online collaboration tool available for users to consider. This tool is like an Excel spreadsheet but with database superpowers! You can add all types of content, images, weblinks, fields, and information into each of your cells.
This highly visual aspect allows users to understand various types of content beyond text and numbers. Airtable’s relational database is collaborative across your entire team.
Online Collaboration Tools for Team Communication
Communication and collaboration go hand-in-hand.
With that in mind, let’s first check out some online collaboration tools that will help your team stay connected and in touch.
Slack
What Does Slack Do?
Slack is perhaps the most well-known communications tool around.
With Slack, teams can communicate individually, in specific groups, and as an entire company. Managers and other team members can create topic- or group-specific chat rooms to keep individual discussions focused at all times. Users can also tag each other when sending relevant messages and files.
Slack’s integrations keep communications in sync on all platforms, ensuring all team members always have access to the most current info needed.
Key Slack Features
- Threads keep conversations centered around individual tasks or topics
- File sharing ensures teams always have access to the most up-to-date version of a project or document
- Tagging and notifications keep the necessary team members in the loop and ensure important messages don’t slip through the cracks
Key Slack Integrations
- Google Suite
- Zoom
- Trello
Take team collaboration to the next level integrating Slack with your work apps using Automate.io.
Slack Pricing
- Free for up to 10,000 messages and ten integrations
- Pro: $6.67/month per user for unlimited messages and apps, group video, and 20GB of storage
- Business+: $12.50/month per user for added security and privacy guarantees, data loss prevention, and guaranteed uptime. Business+ users also have access to a designated customer success team.
Google Meet
What Does Google Meet Do?
Google Meet is an online communications tool focused mainly on audio/video conferencing for teams.
Typically, Google Meet is used for quick, down-and-dirty video calls — but can also be used for scheduled meetings, as well. With Google Meet, team leads can facilitate discussion and engagement using features like hand-raising and screen-sharing. Team members can also take control of other participants’ screens when sharing, allowing for true collaboration for remote teams.
Google Meet integrates with all other tools in Google’s suite, and with other project management tools, as well. When a meeting is scheduled, the information will automatically be pushed to these tools — ensuring team members never miss an important conference or discussion.
Key Google Meet Features
- Multiple conferencing rooms for various purposes
- Message threads to keep in-meeting discussions on task
- Cloud storage and video recording
Key Google Meet Integrations
- Slack
- Asana
- Salesforce
Check these go-to Google Meet integrations to simplify your daily workflows.
Google Meet Pricing
- Free: One-hour meetings for 3-100 people, 24-hour 1:1 meetings, and 15GB of cloud storage per user
- Workplace Essentials: $8/month per user for meetings up to 24 hours and 150 people, interactive meeting options, and 100GB of cloud storage per user
- Workplace Enterprise available at tailored pricing
Zoom
What Does Zoom Do?
Zoom was the de facto tool for online video communication in 2020 — and continues to be useful in 2021 and beyond.
Like Google Meet, Zoom is used for both quick-and-easy communications, as well as for more structured video meetings, conferences, and presentations. Zoom offers a ton of features for interactivity — and also allows team leads to easily take control of meetings in real-time.
Zoom also integrates with a number of online collaboration and team management tools, ensuring all involved participants have the information they need to collaborate effectively throughout their meetings.
Key Zoom Features
- Administrative options keep teams focused and on-task — and keep non-essential attendees from disrupting meetings
- Scheduling and attendance monitoring ensures all involved team members attend their meetings as necessary
- Recording and cloud storage options allow for easy retrieval and playback of important meetings
Key Zoom Integrations
- Slack
- MailChimp
- Dropbox
Advance your online team collaboration by integrating Zoom with your pool of apps.
Zoom Pricing
- Free for unlimited meetings of up to 100 participants with a 40-minute maximum, and local recording capabilities
- Pro: $14.99/month per user for advanced administrative options, cloud recording, and social streaming
- Business for $19.99/month per user for 10+ host accounts, increased meeting limits and meeting transcription options
Microsoft Teams
What Does Microsoft Teams Do?
Microsoft Teams is another online tool for communication which may be the best option for teams already using Microsoft’s 365 suite of tools.
Microsoft Teams focuses heavily on collaboration, allowing teams to work on Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files directly within the Teams app. From screen sharing to file sharing, organizations can use Microsoft Teams to update documents and files together in real-time, from anywhere.
Integrating your other online collaboration tools with Microsoft Teams will allow you to push and pull meeting info accordingly. Again, this ensures all team members stay on the same page, and are always prepared for the meetings ahead.
Key Microsoft Teams Features
- Real-time collaboration of Microsoft documents directly within the Teams app
- Nearly unlimited number of video meeting participants allowed
- Channels separate conversations and discussions by topic
Key Microsoft Teams Integrations
- Trello
- Asana
- Basecamp 3
Connect Microsoft Teams with your favorite apps and automate all your communications.
Microsoft Teams Pricing
- Free: 60 minutes, 100-person video meetings; unlimited chat; 10GB storage
- Business Basic: $5/month per user; 24-hour, 300 person meetings; 1TB storage and video recordings; security and compliance guarantees
- Business Standard: $12.50/month per user; Advanced administrative functions
Online Collaboration Tools for Team and Project Management
Whether your team operates remotely or on-premise, there are a number of digital tools available to keep tabs on their progress — and keep them on track as they accomplish their goals.
Notion
What Does Notion Do?
Notion is an online collaboration tool, a note-taking app, a wiki, and much more. It helps teams organize and manage their tasks efficiently. Primarily a note-taking app, Notion provides an all-in-one workspace where teams can manage multiple projects simultaneously.
Notion allows you to create, assign and track tasks to completion, create custom calendars that empower your project roadmap, brainstorm with your team using Kanban boards, and a lot more. With Notion, the sky is the limit, literally. If you can think of it, you can build it in Notion.
Notion is loaded with features to help you organize your work in one place; let’s take a look.
Key Notion Features
- Share your knowledge and resources with your whole team by building a custom note-taking and product wiki template in Notion.
- Assign tasks and projects to team members. Track their progress using status badges, like recently assigned, in-progress, and completed.
- Use ready-made templates provided by Notion, such as—CRM, meeting notes, new hire onboarding, user research, and more. There’s a template for every use case.
- Add images, videos, audio files, code, bookmarks, and embed PDFs or Google Drive files to your workflow in a few steps using Notion blocks.
- Choose from multiple views to see your data, including table view, board view, list view, calendar view, gallery view, and timeline view.
Key Notion Integrations
- Trello
- Slack
- Todoist
Boost your productivity off the charts using Notion integrations. 
Notion Pricing
- Free for personal use.
- Personal Pro plan at $4/mo.
- Unlimited file uploads and guests.
- Plus version history.
- Team plan at $8/member/mo.
- Everything from a Pro plan plus unlimited team members.
- Collaborative workspace.
- Access to advanced permissions and admin tools.
- Contact sales for Enterprise plan.
- Advanced security and user provisioning.
- Dedicated manager.
- Custom contract.
Google Tasks
What Does Google Tasks Do?
Google Tasks is a basic project management tool for team collaboration that allows teams to stay focused on the most important tasks in front of them.
With Google Task, managers can create and edit projects to be completed, provide additional information to team members as needed, and track progress from beginning to end.
As part of the Google Suite, Task integrates with Google Docs, Spreadsheets, Calendar, and Gmail to keep project info in sync within each tool.
Key Google Tasks Features
- Create tasks and subtasks, then prioritize accordingly to focus your team’s attention on what’s most important
- Set due dates and automate reminder notifications to be sent via Google Calendar
- Google’s AI delivers in-depth insight into team productivity, allowing managers to make the appropriate adjustments moving forward
Key Google Tasks Integrations
- Google Suite
- Office 365
- Asana
Take workflow management to the next level with Google Tasks integrations.
Google Tasks Pricing
Google Tasks is free to use.
Trello
What Does Trello Do?
Trello is a project management tool for online teams that utilize lists and cards to visualize team progress.
With Trello, managers and individual team members can easily keep track of who’s working on what, and who will also be needed in the near future. Teams can use Trello to share files, and also link out to additional resources. Trello’s automated workflows help minimize the amount of manual effort needed to manage tasks and keep projects moving in the right direction.
Trello integrates with a variety of tools via “Power-Ups”, syncing project-related data and information between platforms to ensure uniformity throughout your tech stack.
Key Trello Features
- Checklists, scheduling, and tagging ensure all involved team members always know what’s expected of them throughout the completion of a project
- Card labels and covers make for easy identification of relevant projects and tasks for all team members
- Drag-and-drop interface for simple and intuitive task progression
Key Trello Integrations
- Google Drive
- Freshdesk
- Intercom
The magic of Trello doesn’t end here! Integrate Trello with your suite of apps for easier project management.
Trello Pricing
- Free: Unlimited cards for unlimited team members; Up to 10 boards; Unlimited storage; Basic scheduling; 50 automated commands per month
- Business Class: $10/month per user up to 100 team members; Unlimited boards; Unlimited power-ups; Multiple views; 1,000+ automated commands per month; priority support
- Enterprise: Tailored pricing; unlimited automated commands; advanced administration and management
Asana
What Does Asana Do?
Asana allows managers and teams to visualize progress made on individual projects, long-term initiatives, and all in between.
With Asana, team members and key stakeholders will always know what’s been done, what’s being done, and what’s left to do with regard to a given project.
Asana integrates with Google Calendar and a number of scheduling apps to ensure team members always know what’s due, when.
Key Asana Features
- Task prioritization and visualization enables teams to focus on the most important jobs to be done
- Task and project templates allow managers to quickly assign tasks accordingly
- Automated workflows and recurring tasks help streamline operations and minimize administrative tasks
Key Asana Integrations
- Google Suite
- Microsoft 365 Suite
- Slack
Asana is a complete tool in itself, but have you checked these Asana integrations to make your workflows effortless?
Asana Pricing
- Free for unlimited tasks, projects, and conversations for 15 team members; list, board, and calendar project overviews; task tagging and assigning
- Premium: $10.99/month per user for unlimited team members, custom fields and forms, task logic, and advanced navigational features
- Business: $24.99/month per user for project portfolios, guided onboarding and dedicated customer support
Monday.com
What Does Monday.com Do?
Monday.com allows teams to create customized workflows, templates, and tools for a variety of purposes — including online collaboration and project management tools.
The highly customizable nature of Monday.com means managers can develop the tool that best allows them to keep track of team and individual progress.
Monday.com integrates with a number of other online collaboration tools, such as Trello, Asana, and Toggl — allowing teams to further customize the presentation of tasks and workflows within these tools.
Key Monday.com Features
- Customizable templates and drag-and-drop interface makes for easy creation of tasks and projects
- Progress management and monitoring tools allow managers to set KPIs, prioritize tasks, and allocate resources to specific projects as necessary
- Messaging and file sharing features streamline communication and keep team members up to date on progress as it’s made
Key Monday.com Integrations
- Microsoft Teams
- Google Calendar
- Slack
Take project management to the next level by integrating your favorite apps with Monday.com.
Monday.com Pricing
- Free for 1-2 users, unlimited projects and boards; over 200 templates; access to Monday.com’s iOS and Android apps
- Basic: $8/month per user for unlimited tasks and projects; unlimited read-only access; 5 GB file storage; prioritized customer support
- Standard: $10/month per user for timeline, calendar, and Gantt visualization; 250 integration actions per month; analytics dashboard for up to 5 boards
- Pro: $16/month per user for additional visualization options; time-tracking features; automation workflows; 25,000 integration actions per month
Airtable
What Does Airtable Do?
Similar to Monday.com, Airtable is a flexible and customizable project management tool that allows online teams to create content calendars, schedule projects, and develop campaigns and initiatives to be completed over time.
Airtable integrates with many other scheduling tools and communication apps to keep team members on the same page and deliver alerts and reminders as progress is made.
Key Airtable Features
- Project templates and maps, along with a drag-and-drop interface, make for easy task creation
- Task prioritization and tagging ensures the right team members focus on the right tasks at all times
- Workflow automations minimize the need for hands-on task scheduling and administration
Key Airtable Integrations
- Asana
- Google Suite
- Slack
Connect your apps with Airtable for a smoother online team collaboration automation.
Airtable Pricing
- Free for unlimited project bases; 1,200 records per base; grid, calendar, kanban, form, & gallery views; 2GB of attachments per project base
- Plus: $10/month per user; 5,000 records per base; 5GB of attachments per base; 1 synced table per base (with automatic data sync); 6-month project history visualization
- Pro: $20/month per user; unlimited apps; 50,000 records per base; 20GB of attachments per base; 12-month project history visualization
Hirebook
What Does Hirebook Do?
Hirebook is a people and online team management tool that focuses on helping teams achieve specific, intended outcomes.
With Hirebook, managers can create agendas for meetings, projects, and other actions — and set specific goals for each initiative planned. Managers can track progress and document findings during check-ins and meetings while staying focused on defined OKRs.
Hirebook integrates with Google Suite, Microsoft Teams, and Slack to sync team communication and overall collaborative efforts.
Key Hirebook Features
- Goal-setting for individuals, teams and the overall organization keeps everyone moving in the same direction
- Templated and customizable performance reviews allow managers to provide individualized feedback in real-time and at specific project milestones
- Dashboards visualize individual and team progress, providing managers with the information they need to deliver laser-focused feedback
Key Hirebook Integrations
- Google Suite
- Microsoft Teams
- Bamboo HR
Hirebook Pricing
- Business: $10/month for all modules/meeting types; unlimited data retention; unlimited integrations
- Enterprise: Tailored pricing per team needs; additional administrative options; dedicated customer support
Online Collaboration Tools for Idea Management
Whether formulating new ideas for future projects or documenting lessons learned from completed tasks, investing in the right online tools is crucial for your team’s ongoing success.
Coda
What Does Coda Do?
Coda is a customizable, purpose-driven document creator that helps facilitate brainstorming and ideation — and allows teams to document their collective knowledge over time.
With Coda, teams can create a Single Source of Truth for idea development and knowledge storage. This helps all team members stay on the same page as they work through individual tasks, and also ensures they continue growing as professionals moving forward.
Coda offers integrations in “Packs” — each of which performs certain features based on the tier of service being used. For example, Coda’s Typeform Pack syncs survey responses and other feedback within individual documents to help streamline ideation processes.
Key Coda Features
- Customizable idea campaigns, complete with digital surveys and suggestion box features, allow teams to control the ideation process from soup to nuts
- Customizable OKR definitions and progress monitoring ensure teams stay on the right track throughout the brainstorming and creative processes
- Reporting and analytics dashboards enable teams to document new knowledge with ease
Key Coda Integrations
- Dropbox
- Google Drive
- GitHub
Coda Pricing
- Free for unlimited forms; 7-day document history; limited storage and integrations
- Pro: $10/month per administrator; unlimited documents with 30-day history; 5GB per document; 500 automation actions
- Team: $30/month per administrator; unlimited document size, attachments, and automation actions; priority support and knowledge base
- Enterprise provides additional support and security features
Helpjuice
What Does Helpjuice Do?
Helpjuice is a knowledge base tool for online teams that can be used for internal or customer-facing purposes.
Internally, Helpjuice’s knowledge base tool enables teams to document essential information regarding workflows, operating procedures, and best practices — along with organizational policies and other such info. Teams can also create external knowledge bases to provide customer support via self-service.
Helpjuice integrates with apps like Olark, Salesforce, and Slack to help users find the exact information they’re looking for when working through a task or process.
Key Helpjuice Features
- Customizable templates and document structures allow teams to create cohesive, navigable knowledge bases and sub-sections
- Collaborative tools allow remote teams to create knowledge documentations together in real-time
- Reporting and analytics help teams measure the impact of their knowledge documents, in turn allowing for laser-focused optimization
Key Helpjuice Integrations
- Slack
- Freshdesk
- Salesforce
Helpjuice Pricing
Helpjuice users receive the same features and services at all pricing tiers, with each tier allowing for more users and administrators.
- Starter: $120/month for up to 4 users
- Run-Up: $200/month for 16 users
- Premium Limited: $289/month for 60 users
- Premium Unlimited: $369/month for unlimited users
Brightidea
What Does Brightidea Do?
Brightidea actually offers a suite of online collaboration tools for the purpose of idea management.
From content management and document storage to task creation and process development, Brightidea’s suite provides an all-in-one solution for teams looking to supercharge their online collaborative efforts.
Key Brightidea Features
- Idea Box allows teams to collect and develop ideas into organizational knowledge
- Programs facilitate employee innovation, allowing them to create repeatable processes and operations
- Labs helps teams identify and prioritize the initiatives that have the most impact on their outcomes
- Ecosystem facilitates communication with stakeholders to develop new business opportunities
- Transformation helps teams develop a growth mindset, allowing managers to build learning and development into the organization’s daily processes
Key Brightidea Integrations
- Slack
- Microsoft Teams
Brightidea Pricing
Brightidea offers tailored pricing based on individual needs and specific tools used.
Online Collaboration Tools for Creative Collaboration
In addition to keeping your team members in sync and enabling efficient communications, you’ll also want to invest in online tools that focus specifically on creative collaboration.
Miro
What Does Miro Do?
Miro is a whiteboard tool aimed at helping remote and cross-functional teams create collaboratively in real-time.
With Miro, teams can create visual representations of information and knowledge, allowing for strategic planning and the development of optimized workflows.
Miro integrates with over 70 tools for a variety of purposes, from task management and file storage to team-wide communications.
Key Miro Features
- Mind map templates, drag-and-drop creation, and freestyle drawing provide multiple ways for teams to collaborate for creative purposes
- Voting, commenting, and other in-document features allow teams to collaborate in real-time
- Task management ensures all involved team members know what’s expected of them at any given moment
Key Miro Integrations
- Slack
- Google Drive
- Asana
Miro Pricing
- Free for 3 boards; premade templates; attention management/administration features; core integrations
- Team: $8/month per user; unlimited boards; unlimited editors, viewers, and commenters; Kanban framework; remote meeting toolkit; advanced integrations
- Business: $16/month per user; Single Sign-On; Day passes for guest collaborators
- Enterprise: Additional administrative options; advanced security; dedicated onboarding and customer support
MURAL
What Does MURAL Do?
MURAL is a digital workspace for visual collaboration.
MURAL supercharges your team’s creative efforts, from ideation, planning, and design, to implementation, customer engagement, and retrospective analysis. With a heavy focus on visual design, MURAL allows teams to bring their creative ideas to life with ease.
MURAL’s integrations allow teams to push creative artifacts into documents, spreadsheets, and project management cards for easy syncing of information and ideas.
Key MURAL Features
- Frameworks allow creative teams to focus on specific actions and outcomes during meetings and collaborative sessions
- Multiple creative features (e.g., drawings, shapes, sticky notes, etc.) allow for optimized visual representation of ideas and information
- Administrative options and in-app texting/calling allow for maximum productivity throughout collaborative sessions
Key MURAL Integrations
- Slack
- Microsoft 365
- Google Suite
MURAL Pricing
- Starter: $12/month per user; unlimited rooms and murals per user; unlimited visitors; remote meetings; security and compliance guarantees; 24-hour support
- Plus: $20/month per user; 10+ members allowed in single workspaces; Single Sign-On; Prioritized customer support
Jive
What Does Jive Do?
Jive “throws people-centric collaboration into hyperdrive”.
What sets Jive apart from the other online collaboration tools on this list is the use of AI to make suggestions for how teams can make the most of their collaborative efforts. Basically, Jive learns how your team works best, then creates automated workflows to ensure the right team members are involved at the right times throughout the collaborative process.
Jive integrates with Google Drive, Gmail, Outlook, and many other tools to gather a comprehensive understanding of the context your team is operating within. This, in turn, allows Jive to provide laser-focused suggestions for how to best proceed.
Key Jive Features
- Create comprehensive team member profiles, allowing Jive to connect the right people for specific creative purposes
- Employee quests and rewards gamify team progress and individual professional development efforts
- Employee engagement dashboard allows managers to visualize team productivity and make adjustments as needed
Key Jive Integrations
- Google Suite
- Microsoft 365
- Jira
Jive Pricing
Jive provides tailored pricing plans based on a team’s unique needs
Choose The Right Online Collaboration Tools for Your Team
So, there you have it:
A list of 17 of the best tools for online team collaboration are listed here.
While many of the tools on this list offer features that overlap in different ways, each is unique in its own right.
Some are more focused on team management and administrative processes, while others are more about enhancing real-time collaborative efforts. And still, others offer a mixture of both, whether through a single app or a suite of tools.
Though the online tools we’ve focused on cater to small, growing businesses, this may mean different things to different teams.
Most of the tools we’ve discussed provide:
- Multiple tiers of service and customer support
- Varying combinations of features
- Multiple pricing plans and payment options schemes
Things to Consider When Evaluating Collaboration Tools:
- The collaboration tool should be easy to use and understand. Teams are made up of people who are of different generations, who have different communication preferences and skillsets. The software should not alienate part of your team.
- Make sure the collaboration tool integrates with the software you already have running in your company.
- Data security.
Conclusion
As you, most probably, are most likely aware, online collaboration tools are becoming more popular with each passing day. With the dawn of the internet, the way we work with one another was drastically different than it is now. And without a doubt, it has changed for the better.