Document Collaboration Software is a new way to work with people on documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and more. It makes it easy to see what others are working on in near-real time, chat with them, and more.
Collaboration software is designed to replace the paper-based systems currently used for data capturing and document creation/management by large enterprises. Collaboration software allows users to easily share ideas, engage in discussions, and to review each other’s customized documents. Typically users collaborate through a central server which holds the enterprise’s documents; the documents are then presented to individual users who can then access them via phone or PC.
Google Docs
With over 800 million active worldwide users, Google Docs is the most well-known of all the document collaboration software on this list.
However, many don’t realize that, in addition to adding comments and making edits to a finished draft, real-time online collaboration is possible with Docs.
Up to 200 people can simultaneously view a Doc, and 10 users can make simultaneous real-time edits.
All edits are automatically updated in the same master doc and saved in the cloud, so there is no need to create a new document for every draft. This version control feature prevents teams from making edits to outdated drafts.
Documents are shared via email or through a URL, and team leaders can select which specific employees can directly edit, suggest edits, or have view-only access.
The “Live Edits” feature shows real-time, color-coded updates that multiple people have made to a file. Users can track changes to see previous file versions without the new changes, approve or deny edits. They can also make comments in the sidebar, tag each other in these comments, or communicate via chat messaging.
Docs also allows users to save files in multiple formats, including PDF, plain text, web page, and rich text. It’s a wise choice for teams with a focus on user-friendly software, or for smaller companies that need a free editing tool.
Pricing and Plans
Google Docs can be purchased as a part of the G Suite product package or on its own. The below table compares the prices and plans of the free Google Docs Personal plan and the paid Google Docs Business Plan.
| Features | Personal Plan | Businesses Plan |
| Cost | Free | $10/user per month |
| iOS and Android Mobile App | ✓ | ✓ |
| Autosave | ✓ | ✓ |
| Real-Time Collaboration | ✓ | ✓ |
| Work Offline | ✓ | ✓ |
| Voice typing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Revision History | ✓ | ✓ |
| Comments and In-Line Edits | ✓ | ✓ |
| Includes Google Meet | X | ✓ |
| Cloud Storage | 15 GB per user | 100 GB per user |
Zoho WorkDrive
Zoho WorkDrive’s Writer is a real-time online document creation and editing platform ideal for businesses that have numerous files requiring frequent collaboration across devices.
It’s “blank page” interface is designed to eliminate distractions when writing or editing. For reviewers who must perform especially detailed edits, the tool’s “Focus Mode” highlights only one line of text at a time.
Zoho also comes with a virtual writing assistant, Zia, that scans documents for grammar errors and readability.
It integrates with Microsoft Word and WordPress and comes with a template library for drafting documents like HR policies and event invitations. Zoho WorkDrive includes a “Content Mask” feature that allows admins to hide sensitive information or specific parts of a document from selected reviewers. Its “Content Lock” lets the document’s creator select which parts of the text they don’t want to be changed.
Additional Zoho WorkDrive features include:
- Quick chat messaging tool
- Live cursors
- Offline editing
- Access receipts on collaborators
- Comments and user tagging
- Track changes
- Document merging
- Digital signatures
Pricing and Plans
Zoho WorkDrive offers three paid plans that can be paid monthly or annually. Additional storage is available for purchase.
| Features | Starter | Team | Business |
| Cost | $2.00/user per month | $4.00/user per month | $8.00/user per month |
| File Upload Limit | 1 GB | 5 GB | 50 GB |
| Storage | 1 TB/team | 3 TB/team | 5 TB/team |
| Team Folders/Subfolders | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| External File Sharing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| iOS and Android Mobile App | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Content Search Bar | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Real-Time Collaboration and Commenting | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| File Activity Timeline | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| File Access Statistics | X | X | ✓ |
| Team Activity Timeline | X | X | ✓ |
| File Locking | X | X | ✓ |
Dropbox Paper
Dropbox Paper is similar to Box’s collaboration system in that, in the past, Dropbox was solely a tool to store and share files.
Dropbox Paper is a completely free document editing tool that lets simultaneous users make real-time edits and suggestions. As with Zoho WorkDrive, Dropbox Paper’s interface is uncluttered and free of distractions like menus and toolbars, which are only available when specific text is highlighted.
In addition to making live line edits, users can use the comment and tagging features to make suggestions in the sidebar. They can also mark comments as unread, and edit and delete past comments. Comment history is also available.
While primarily a file editing tool, Dropbox Paper also offers project timelines. This allows admins to manage deadlines, use task management features, and set project milestones to ensure responsibilities are clear.
It’s a good choice for businesses that require specific document outlines, have a high number of people collaborating on files, and those that rely heavily on images and URLs when creating content.
Additional Dropbox features include:
- Real-time comment notifications
- Searchbar
- Pre-made template library
- Keyboard shortcuts for document formatting
- Emoji comment reactions
- Drag-and-drop image insertion
- Automatic image gallery creation
- Link embedding
- Ability to connect multiple documents
Paper is 100% free to use.
Notion
Notion is a real-time collaboration app designed to replace a variety of popular workflow management tools like Trello, Confluence, and Asana.
It has the most customizable interface of any tool on this list, allowing users to create their own sidebar file organization system, add action items, and create tags and labels for files.
In addition to standard features like live co-authoring and editing, Notion provides version history, unlimited team member access to documents, and multiple view options.
It’s ideal for companies who need to consolidate the number of collaboration software programs they’re currently using, but still, need project collaboration features.
Additional Notion features include:
- Distraction-free interface
- Mobile and desktop versions
- Keyboard shortcuts
- User tagging
- Commenting feature
- Due dates
- Notifications
- Drag-and-drop content organization
- Kanban board and to-do list formats
- Template library
Pricing and Plans
Notion offers one free plan and three paid plans, billed monthly or annually. The most important file collaboration tools come with the Team or Enterprise plans.
| Features | Personal Plan | Personal Pro | Team Plan | Enterprise Plan |
| Cost | Free | $4.00/user per month | $8.00/user per month | Unlisted |
| Android and iOS Mobile App | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Guest Access | 5 maximum | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Version History | X | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Commenting and Real-Time Editing | X | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| Advanced Permissions | X | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| Wiki | X | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multiple Views | X | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| App Integration | X | X | ✓ | ✓ |
Collaboration Tool: Confluence
Atlassian Confluence is a document collaboration software for teams to communicate internally.
Confluence allows teams to easily create, share and collaborate on documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and images. Tracking project progress is a breeze in Confluence.
Team members can share PDFs, docs, images, track every version and changes made to a page, and connect to Jira to provide insight into their development work with automatic linking, quick issue creation, and reports.
With the ability to add inline, file and page comments, you can easily leave feedback without getting lost in your email threads or chat messages. Team members can pin comments on the shared file, add their suggestions or feedback, and can edit office files right from their Confluence dashboard.
Users have the ability to organize and share company information amongst employees and with their customers.
Confluence offers two “power” add-ons, Confluence Calendars and Confluence Questions.
Confluence Calendars adds a central source of truths by offering a single calendar for the entire team. The calendar allows teams to keep track of who’s on leave and for how long, what events or projects are coming up, and switch between four calendar views, list, week, month and timeline. Users also have integration options with Google Calendar, Outlook, and iCal. Confluence Calendars cost $10/month for a team of 10.
Confluence Questions, on the other hand, lets team members ask, vote on, and answer questions collaboratively. All the content posted is searchable to avoid users asking same questions again. Team members can earn points for answering questions and can even earn an “expert” status. The gaming angle makes it fun and encourages people to collaborate and help solve queries. Confluence Questions add on also costs $10/month for up to 10 users.
Confluence is a great collaboration tool, especially if your team already uses Jira and HipChat by Atlassian, as it’s designed to work with those platforms.
ClickUp
ClickUp is the world’s leading project management tool and is used by highly productive teams worldwide.
From team document collaboration to remote project management, this project management software can handle anything and everything!
The best part?
This team collaboration software is free!
ClickUp key features
Here’s why ClickUp is the best document collaboration software available in the market:
1. Docs
ClickUp’s Docs is a built-in document collaboration solution for your team.
Use it to create and store important company and project-related documents that your team can easily edit and access.
Here’s a closer look at what you get with ClickUp Docs:
- Real-Time Editing to edit a document alongside other team members to maximize collaboration
- Collaboration Detection to see when a team member views, comments, or edits a document
- Real-Time Syncing ensures that recent changes are reflected on every team members’ device
- Nesting allows you to organize pages within a document for added categorization
- Rich Text Formatting to give you all the functionality you need to create detailed, beautiful documents
- Keep your Docs public or private with the Permissions Feature. Send links for file sharing and you can customize what the recipient can do with the file
- Import Feature for importing documents from external sources to Clickup Docs. For example, you can import work from Evernote, Google Docs, and even from a Microsoft Word Document
- The ability to get your Docs indexed by Google to appear in search results
Conclusion
Collaboration software provides a complete set of tools to give you the ability to work together in real time, regardless if the other person is in the room or in another part of the world. The latest version adds wikis for easily creating team intranets and blogs for broadening communications. It works with Microsoft Outlook to help you turn email into action items and let you share calendars with co-workers. And it includes social networking to help you connect instantly with people around the globe.