Cloud Collaboration Platforms

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Cloud Collaboration Platforms are where companies store data, share files, and using shared workspaces. The data is part of a network that can be accessed by multiple people across a company in real time. This is the global trend that will continue to change how we work together in a connected world.

What are Collaboration Tools?

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:

  • Communication
  • Project & task management
  • File sharing & management

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.

Cloud collaboration is a type of enterprise collaboration that allows employees to work together on documents and other data types, which are stored off-premises and outside of the company firewall. Employees use a cloud-based collaboration platform to share, edit and work together on projects. Cloud collaboration enables two or more people to work on a project at once.

A cloud collaboration project begins when one user creates the file or document and then gives access to certain individuals; for example, the project creator may share a link to the project that allows others to view and edit it. Users can make changes to the document at any time, including when employees are viewing and working simultaneously. All changes are saved and synced so every user sees the same version of the project.

Cloud collaboration has become more sophisticated as vendors try to attract customers. It is common for a collaboration tool to include a way for project participants to see who else is viewing the document and to communicate with each other while working, such as through comments or a chat function. Tools also often allow users to set up email alerts for when a file is changed. These and other functions help increase worker efficiency and productivity.

Employee’s motivations for using cloud collaboration tools vary, but the impetus is often that workers find the cloud tool to be better in some way than an old tool. Employees may think the cloud collaboration tool is faster, looks nicer, is easier to use and more.

Desire for a better collaboration tool can lead employees to choose and use a tool without prior approval of IT, a practice known as shadow IT. IT departments should be on the lookout for this, but they should also be open to the positive impact a cloud collaboration tool can have on group communication and teamwork.

Best Cloud Content Collaboration Software

Cloud content collaboration software serve as dedicated cloud storage and file sharing solutions for documents, images, videos, spreadsheets, and other files created and used by a business. Cloud content collaboration tools are flexible, syncable repositories for all the content within a business; they aim to be a business’ one-stop-shop for all their content needs. They allow users to easily store, share, create, collaborate on, and find content within the system and are available from multiple types of devices.

While a cloud content collaboration solution can be used as a simple document management system, they are capable of handling more than just document-like content and offer far more features. There is significant overlap between cloud content collaboration software and enterprise content management (ECM) software in terms of feature set; however, as its name implies, enterprise content management tools are intended for enterprise-level businesses and organizations, offering tighter security, more storage space, and on-premises options. Cloud content collaboration tools can integrate with ECM and other content management systems to create a comprehensive content storage ecosystem.

To qualify for inclusion in the Cloud Content Collaboration category, a product must:Provide cloud-based storage across multiple file typesSynchronize files across repositories and devicesProvide tools for both external and internal file sharingSupport versioning across filesOffer access to files from multiple devicesAllow users to create new documentsFeature prominent collaboration toolsShow More

Top 10 Cloud Content Collaboration Software

  • Dropbox
  • Microsoft OneDrive
  • Dropbox Business
  • Google Workspace
  • Box
  • iCloud
  • Dropbox Professional
  • Egnyte
  • Citrix ShareFile
  • Amazon Drive

Compare Cloud Content Collaboration Software

G2 takes pride in showing unbiased reviews on user satisfaction in our ratings and reports. We do not allow paid placements in any of our ratings, rankings, or reports. Learn about our scoring methodologies.Sort By:AlphabeticalSatisfactionPopularityG2 ScoreResults: 258Dropbox(12,970)4.4 out of 5Entry Level Price:$0 Always freeFavorite

Dropbox is a cloud based file storage and collaboration platform designed for the modern workspace to reduce busywork, so you can focus on the things that matter. Dropbox brings your files together, in one central place. They’re easy to find and safely synced across all your devices—so you can access them anytime, anywhere. No more wasting the day tracking down work. With powerful features like Smart Sync and Showcase, Dropbox Professional makes storing 2 TB (2,000 GB) of files, sharing work… Show MoreRead Dropbox ReviewsCompareMicrosoft OneDrive for Business(8,828)4.3 out of 5Entry Level Price:$5 user/monthFavorite

Microsoft OneDrive for Business lets you securely store, access, share, and collaborate on all your files from anywhere. -Access your files anywhere across all your devices -Store and organize your work documents in a secure location in the cloud.​-Share documents with others and work together in real time. -Get 1 TB of storage per user and upload files up to 250GB in size. ​-Synchronize documents stored in the cloud to your computer or mobile device so that you can access your documents of… Show MoreRead Microsoft OneDrive for Business ReviewsCompareDropbox Business(6,330)4.3 out of 5Favorite

Dropbox is a cloud based file storage and collaboration platform designed for the modern workspace to reduce busywork, so you can focus on the things that matter. Dropbox business helps your company grow without limits while you maintain complete control over important company information and user activity. We integrate with over 300,000 applications, ensuring that Dropbox works well with the tools and software your team already uses today. Dropbox is designed with a secure, distributed infras… Show MoreRead Dropbox Business ReviewsCompareGet a quoteGoogle Workspace(39,522)4.6 out of 5Entry Level Price:$5 user/monthFavorite

Everything you need to get anything done, now in one place. Google Workspace includes all of the productivity and collaboration tools you know and love—Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet, and many more. Whether you’re at home, at work, or in the classroom, it’s the best way to create, communicate, and collaborate. Familiar tools; fewer distractions; more time to make things happen.Read Google Workspace ReviewsCompareBox(4,681)4.2 out of 5Optimized for quick responseEntry Level Price:Free Single userFavorite

Box is the Content Cloud — a single, secure, easy-to-use platform built for the entire content lifecycle, from file creation and sharing, to co-editing, signature, classification, and retention. Work securely from anywhere, and integrate your tech stack across 1,500+ best-of-breed apps. Trusted by 100K+ of the world’s leading organizations, including AstraZeneca, JLL, and Nationwide, Box has been named a Leader by all major industry analyst firms. To read the analyst reports and find out how Bo… Show MoreRead Box ReviewsCompareGet a quoteApple iCloud(611)4.3 out of 5Entry Level Price:Free Favorite

iCloud does more than just store your content. It lets you access your music, photos, calendars, contacts, documents, and more, from whatever devices you???re on. And it???s built into every new iOS device and every new Mac.Read Apple iCloud ReviewsCompareDropbox Professional(461)4.4 out of 5Entry Level Price:$9.99 /month or $99/yearFavorite

Dropbox Pro is a single home for your work and your personal stuff. With 1 TB (1,000 GB) of space and unrivaled sync, your photos, videos, docs and other files are ready no matter where or when you need them.Read Dropbox Professional ReviewsCompareGet a quoteEgnyte(730)4.4 out of 5Optimized for quick responseEntry Level Price:$10 per employee/monthFavorite

Egnyte provides the only unified cloud content governance platform for collaboration, data security, compliance, and threat detection for multicloud businesses. Unified across devices, apps and repositories, and powered by a combination of human and machine-generated metadata, Egnyte enables more than 17,000 businesses to gain 360-degree insight into content, allowing companies to make smarter decisions, and respond to risks and opportunities across a wide variety of use cases. Egnyte’s simpl… Show MoreRead Egnyte ReviewsCompareTry for freeCitrix ShareFile(1,000)4.1 out of 5Entry Level Price:$16 per monthFavorite

Citrix ShareFile offers secure file, sync, and sharing for your small or medium business.Read Citrix ShareFile ReviewsCompareGet a quoteAmazon Drive(192)4.2 out of 5Favorite

Amazon Drive is a cloud backup for photos, files and videos.Read Amazon Drive ReviewsCompareZoho Docs(142)4.4 out of 5Favorite

Zoho Docs is a comprehensive online document management system used for creating, storing, sharing and collaborating on documents of almost any format available. The application consists of two distinct core functions: document storage and management and document editing and collaboration. Using Zoho Docs, you can: ●Store and preview over 160 file types online – From documents to images, excel sheets to presentations and even music and movies. ● Share files securely within or outside the o… Show MoreRead Zoho Docs ReviewsCompareDiskStation(48)4.7 out of 5Favorite

DiskStation Manager (DSM) is an intuitive web-based operating system for every Synology NAS, designed to help you manage your digital assets across home and office.Read DiskStation ReviewsCompareGet a quoteeFileCabinet(312)4.4 out of 5Optimized for quick responseFavorite

eFileCabinet empowers businesses to reinvent their most common processes to be more efficient. Offering both cloud and on-premise platforms, eFileCabinet is document and content management software that provides businesses with intelligent organization, workflow automation, secure file-sharing, fillable forms, and eSignature requests, all on one platform. Businesses never have to worry about losing documents, wasting time, or keeping compliant. eFileCabinet is accessible via web browser and a d… Show MoreRead eFileCabinet ReviewsCompareGet a quoteCitrix Workspace (featuring Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops)(322)4.0 out of 5Optimized for quick responseFavorite

Citrix Workspace is a unified, secure, and intelligent digital workspace designed for improving the employee experience and empower people to work better anytime, anywhere without distractions. Citrix Workspace uniquely organizes, guides, and automates work, with customized interfaces and personalized workflows that enable employees to stay engaged in meaningful, innovative work that drives the business forward. Citrix Workspace securely delivers at every layer of the workspace technology stack… Show MoreRead Citrix Workspace (featuring Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops) ReviewsCompareGet a quoteownCloud(179)4.2 out of 5Favorite

ownCloud is the open platform for more productivity and security in digital collaboration. ownCloud offers a solution to organizations that need to share confidential data internally and externally. The open platform offers better productivity and security within digital collaboration, and enables users to access data no matter where it is stored or which device is being used.Read ownCloud ReviewsCompareGet a quoteDigital Pigeon(50)4.9 out of 5Entry Level Price:$15 per month, paid annuallyFavorite

Share your digital media with clients quickly, reliably and beautifully. Digital Pigeon is a large file delivery service for digital media producers, creative studios and advertising & marketing agencies. You don’t have time for failed or slow downloads. We partner with Amazon Web Services, one of the world’s biggest, most trusted cloud service providers to make sure your work is delivered quickly and securely. Our technology means you’ll never compete for bandwidth again when upload… Show MoreRead Digital Pigeon ReviewsCompareGet a quoteWebdocs(24)4.5 out of 5Favorite

Webdocs helps you streamline business processes and go paperless by digitally managing the entire lifecycle of documents and data. Capture paper and electronic documents and manage them in a secure environment. Send documents through workflows in just a few clicks.Read Webdocs ReviewsCompareGet a quoteSamepage(212)4.5 out of 5Entry Level Price:$0 Favorite

Samepage facilitates communication, project management, running meetings, online collaboration and more by combining team chat, video conferencing, screen sharing, task management, file sharing, and real-time team document collaboration in a single cloud-based collaborative workspace.Read Samepage ReviewsCompareGet a quoteZoho WorkDrive(53)4.3 out of 5Favorite

Zoho WorkDrive is an online file storage, sync and collaboration platform for modern teams, small businesses and large enterprises. It introduces Team Folders, which enables teams of any size to work together securely like they’re right beside you. Besides, you get the Zoho Office Suite Editors, and complete access stats at the team level and the team folder level. WorkDrive takes complete care of your mobility needs with the Android and iOS mobile apps and the desktop sync application.Read Zoho WorkDrive ReviewsCompareGet a quoteExaVault Cloud FTP(45)4.9 out of 5Entry Level Price:$50.00Favorite

Empower your business operations with the instant-setup Cloud FTP platform that helps over 5000 companies in 101 countries perform manual and automated file transfers. We’re evolving FTP — supporting open standards, but adding easy web management running on enterprise-grade infrastructure. Remove barriers and software complications — connect anything, anywhere. We’ve tested compatibility with thousands of third-party software products, from desktop applications like FileZilla to integration … Show MoreRead ExaVault Cloud FTP ReviewsCompareTry for freePortal(40)4.9 out of 5Entry Level Price:$49 per internal user per monthFavorite

Modern customer portal that lets you streamline the experience for your clients. With Portal Modules, offer clients one unified place for messaging, file-sharing, eSignatures, payments, forms, and self-serve support. With Portal Extensions, connect products you already use like Airtable, ClickUp, Calendly, and Google Data Studio. Portal lets you design a customized client experience that elevates your brand in all customer interactions. You can configure each Portal Module, upload your brand a… Show MoreRead Portal ReviewsCompareGet a quoteHightail(678)4.2 out of 5Entry Level Price:$45 user/month (minimum 3 users)Favorite

OpenText Hightail is the essential creative collaboration application for marketing teams and their creative partners developing compelling visual creative content and looking to speed their time to market. With one place for teams to share, review feedback and approve multimedia files, Hightail streamlines the process and helps teams keep marketing campaigns on schedule. Mobile access and visual previews also make it easy for executive level creative review. Learn more at www.hightail.com.Read Hightail ReviewsCompareGet a quoteDatto Workplace(20)4.6 out of 5Favorite

An enterprise grade File Sync & Share (FSS) solution purpose-built for business.Read Datto Workplace ReviewsCompareGet a quoteDocSend(438)4.7 out of 5Optimized for quick responseEntry Level Price:From $10 user/monthFavorite

DocSend helps business professionals like you to securely share and control the content that drives your business forward. DocSend’s powerful link-based system makes it easy to set security preferences for each stakeholder, receive notifications each time someone views your file, analyze content performance on a page-by-page basis, and create modern virtual deal rooms. Join over 17,000 companies that rely on DocSend to share and manage sensitive information.Read DocSend ReviewsCompareGet a quoteCloudGuard Posture Management (Dome9)(69)4.5 out of 5Favorite

Using Dome9, organizations can visualize and assess their security posture, detect mis-configurations, model and actively enforce security best practices, and protect against identity theft and data loss in the cloud.Read CloudGuard Posture Management (Dome9) ReviewsCompareGet a quotepCloud(132)4.3 out of 5Entry Level Price:$7.99 per monthFavorite

pCloud is a cloud- based digital asset management platform and cloud storage that provides access to all your digital content including images,video, audio,documents, and more- anytime, anywhere,on any device. Keep all of your important files safe and centralized in one place. You can share with team members, clients, etc. across the globe and give them controlled access and permissions to your digital library. It has a user-friendly interface that clearly shows where everything is located and… Show MoreRead pCloud ReviewsCompareGet a quoteScan123(14)4.8 out of 5Favorite

Electronic document filing system.Read Scan123 ReviewsCompareBitrix24(400)4.1 out of 5Entry Level Price:$0.00Favorite

Bitrix24 is an online workspace featuring tools designed to help you run your business easier and more efficiently. We’ve got task and project management tools, CRM, chats, video calls, website builder, telephony, CRM marketing and analytics, and so much more. The beauty of Bitrix24 is that all of these otherwise individual tools are conveniently packaged in a single online service, seamlessly integrated with each other, and available to you via a standard browser version, desktop app, or mobi… Show MoreRead Bitrix24 ReviewsCompareGet a quoteThoughtFarmer(72)4.6 out of 5Optimized for quick responseEntry Level Price:$10 per user, per monthFavorite

ThoughtFarmer is a leading provider of intranet software that brings people, teams, and knowledge together. Used by organizations around the world— including Hormel Foods, Petronas Canada, Guardian News & Media, and Operation Smile—ThoughtFarmer streamlines communication, facilitates knowledge sharing, and encourages collaboration across geographical distances. Based in Vancouver, BC, Canada, ThoughtFarmer excels at engaging distributed employees. With a superior mobile app, and integratio… Show MoreRead ThoughtFarmer ReviewsCompareTry for freeCitrix Content Collaboration(40)4.3 out of 5Favorite

Citrix Content Collaboration is an industry-leading file sync and sharing solution that meets the needs of today’s mobile business without compromising security. With a robust set of features and integration capabilities, IT can feel confident that data is kept safe without a complicated deployment process.Read Citrix Content Collaboration ReviewsCompare

Adoption

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:

  • What types of projects will you collaborate on?
  • What are the steps of a typical project?
  • How does your team handle communication and workflow?
  • Where do you store project files?
  • How many people will be collaborating? How many departments?
  • Will project managers or team members be collaborating? Both?
  • What other platforms and apps does your team use? How does the tool handle integration?
  • How formal or informal will collaboration be? Will all discussions be related to work on specific projects, or will some be social?
  • Will all conversations be archived?


Collaboration Tools Comparison

To help you more easily compare different types of collaboration tools, consider these 3 key factors:

  1. What’s the main purpose this tool will serve? For example, are you looking for an easy to use team instant messaging app? Or do you need a web conferencing tool that will be easy for employees and clients to use? Or maybe you’re looking for a new company intranet, or file and document sharing solution. Figuring out what business need(s) the tool will serve will help you identify which set of collaboration tools to evaluate.
  2. Ease of use, which helps determine how widely adopted the software will be, is highly important. If you invest in a collaboration tool that has a steep learning curve, it’s less likely to be adopted by the rest of your team. Look for tools that have high ‘usability’ ratings on the product scorecard tab on TrustRadius to help narrow down the list of products you’re considering.
  3. What does your budget for collaboration and communication software look like? This will likely depend on whether you are self-employed, a contract worker, an SMB, or an enterprise business. Many collaboration tools in this category have either free versions or free trials for your team to test out. However, if your business needs a very budget-friendly solution, look for tools that have a ‘forever free’ option.

Conclusion

Cloud collaboration platforms are used by businesses to enhance communications, bidirectional co-editing, file sharing and task management processes.

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