Collaboration Tools is a suite of applications that can be used to better manage your Microsoft Office Documents. The Core component allows you to manage your documents from one central location. You can easily send documents back and forth with others. View the filed changes made by others to a specific Word document even if they have not shared a copy with you.
Projects are easier when everyone can work together in real time. Google Apps for Business offers the right tools to make collaboration happen, whether you’re creating a slideshow deck for a meeting or sharing calendar invites with colleagues. From email and online chat to editing and document tools, the following products make it easy to create and share with your team.
Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 (formerly Microsoft Office 365) allows simultaneous users to create and edit documents via SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business.
Once a document has been created and saved to the cloud, users can invite other team members to collaborate with them by sending them a link to the file or via email.
As in Google Docs, each user has specific file permissions for accessing the knowledge base, set by the file’s creator. Access can also be controlled via 365 Groups, which divides all users into teams. Each team can be granted or denied access to specific documents, speeding up the collaborative process.
New document changes are automatically synced and can be shown in-line or in the sidebar. Reviewers can track changes made by specific employees only, or see a summary of all new changes a team made. Markups can be previewed before suggested changes are accepted, and reviewers can accept changes en masse or individually.
In addition to making direct real-time edits, authors can communicate with each other via commenting, user tagging, and chat messages in the Microsoft Teams app. Best of all, because it comes with Microsoft Teams, it’s one of the few tools here that allows for video conferencing while editing files.
Microsoft 365 allows for up to 99 simultaneous editors per document.
It’s a good fit for teams who want to switch to the Microsoft Teams update from Skype and other business communication tools, and for those who need to divide larger teams into smaller editing groups.
Pricing and Plans
Microsoft 365 has three paid business plans, which can be billed on an annual or monthly basis. As shown below, the only real differences between the three plans are related to security and storage, so most companies can get by with the Business Basic version.
| Features | Business Basic | Business Standard | Business Premium |
| Cost | $5.00/user per month | $12.50/user per month | $20.00/user per month |
| OneDrive | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| SharePoint | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Microsoft Teams | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| iOS and Android Mobile App | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| External File Sharing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Real-time Co-Authoring | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Autosave | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Track Changes | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Unlimited Cloud Archive | X | X | X |
| Advanced Threat Protection | X | X | ✓ |
Box
Box is a secure document sharing and lives collaborative authoring tool used by top companies like Coca-Cola, General Electric, and Olympus.
In the past, Box was exclusively a file sharing and storage system, but it now allows simultaneous users to create and edit documents in Microsoft 365 and Google Docs.
It provides both internal and external document editing, has no user maximum, and offers unlimited document storage in the Box Drive. Edits are automatically saved, and each editor has color-coded notations and comments.
When compared to the other tools on this list, Box has the highest number of third-party app integrations.
It works with Salesforce, Zoom, popular Zoom alternatives, Slack, Microsoft 365, and over 1,400 other team collaboration platforms. This makes it an excellent option for teams that need to communicate over video or share their screens when making real-time edits together.
It’s also one of the few tools on this list capable of making video calls when integrated with Zoom.
Additional features include:
- File and drive search bars
- File locking and unlocking
- Document version control
- Offline document editing and access
- Two-factor authentication
- HITECH and HIPAA compliant
Pricing and Plans
Box has four paid Business Plans, each of which is paid on an annual or monthly basis. The majority of companies will be best served by the Business Plus plan.
| Features | Starter Plan | Business Plan | Business Plus Plan | Enterprise Plan |
| Cost | $5.00/user per month | $15.00/user per month | $25.00/user per month | $35.00/user per month |
| Storage | 100 GB | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| File Upload Limit | 2 GB | 5 GB | 5 GB | 5 GB |
| External Collaborators | X | X | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Real-Time Editing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Version History | Up to 25 | 50 | 50 | 100 |
| iOS and Android Mobile App | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Enterprise App Integrations | X | 1 | 3 | Unlimited |
| Template Library | X | X | ✓ | ✓ |
Bit.ai
Bit.ai is an end-to-end file collaboration platform with users in over 100 countries including well-known companies like Canon, MIT, and Accenture.
In addition to real-time editing, Bit.ai’s Integrated Smart Documents allow users to add content from Google Drive, cloud files, weblinks, SharePoint, Box, and more. Bit documents are compatible with numerous file types, including PowerPoints, Excel, Word, and more.
Users can also interlink documents for better file organization, and access smart document tracking during the review process. This provides information on engagement levels from external collaborators. For increased security, users can set expiration dates for internal and external files.
Files are organized by workspace and arranged in folders and subfolders. Wiki pages make finding past content and answering common questions simple. Unlimited document version history and tracked changes are also available.
Note, however, that it does not offer a chat messaging tool like Slack alternatives such as Chanty and Twist.
Bit.ai works well for teams that frequently reuse and repurpose past content, as well as businesses that frequently collaborate with editors outside of their organization.
Additional features include:
- Co-authoring
- Live line editing
- Integration with Github, Miro, and social media platforms
- Pre-made template library
- Upload past content to new documents
- Color-coded editing notifications
- Mentions
- Commenting features
Pricing and Plans
| Features | Free Plan | Pro Plan | Business Plan | Enterprise Plan |
| Cost | Free | $12/user per month | $20.00/user per month | Unlisted |
| Maximum Collaborators | 5 | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| File Limit | 5 MB | 200 MB | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Storage | ||||
| Real-Time Collaboration | X | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Document Statistics | X | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Inline Commenting | X | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Version History | X | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| File Expiration | X | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| Real-Time Notifications | X | X | ✓ | ✓ |
| App Integrations | X | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Collaboration Tool: Google Docs
Google Docs is a free cloud collaboration product by Google. Once you create a Google ID or Gmail account, you can get started using Google Docs.
One of the best things about having your documents on the cloud is that you can access your files on any device. You won’t panic if your laptop goes down!
If you’re familiar with Microsoft Word, Google Docs will feel familiar to you. It has a top bar filled with all of your editing and formatting buttons that you’re familiar with.
Google Docs has collaboration built-in, making it easy for your team or clients to collaborate. Once you create a document it’s easy to share it with others via email or a shareable link.
Google provides 15GB of cloud storage on their free plan. You can always upgrade to a paid account if you need more storage.
You can work on a document with your teammates simultaneously over the cloud, give them access to edit or make it as a ‘view only’ doc, and leave comments in real-time.
Google Docs is a great collaborative document tool for small teams. With larger teams, sharing permissions on a document and folder level become difficult to manage as your team grows.
Collaboration Tool: Zoho Docs
Just like Google Docs, Zoho Docs also provide tools to create documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, right in the cloud.
Zoho Docs make document creation, storage, editing, sharing, and collaboration a breeze. Apart from your documents, spreadsheets and presentations, you can even upload your music, movies, and other files to the Zoho cloud and basically take your office wherever you go.
Zoho cloud offers 5Gb free storage space. You can even sync your Windows, Mac, or Ubuntu Linux computers to the cloud and vice-versa and access your files on any computer, both online and offline.
Users also have the ability to organize their files by teams, projects, file types, and authors which makes it easy to access the files quickly.
With Zoho Docs, you can create folders to organize all your documents more effectively. You can even create team groups and share files privately.
Users can set permissions, password protect your files, or even set an expiration timer after which everyone loses access to the file or document. Zoho Docs also provides the ability to chat with collaborators in real-time to make document editing easier.
Integrations with other cloud services like Google Drive and Dropbox adds a little more flare to Zoho’s offerings.
Podio
A mobile-friendly collaboration tool
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REASONS TO BUY
+Easy-to-use interface+Quality mobile apps+Wide range of integrations
Podio describes itself as a flexible and customizable online platform for work and communication among teams. In other words, it gives you a way to organize large stacks of work and to delegate tasks between employees.
Just like many of the other business collaboration apps out there, Podio provides you with the tools to share files, view the status of ongoing projects and get feedback on the things you’re currently working on. These functionalities are combined into an easy-to-use interface.
Podio is also equipped with quality mobile apps for when you’re out and about, and need to use your smartphone or tablet, and it has an impressive amount of integration with third-party services and apps including Dropbox, Google Drive, Evernote and Zendesk.
Conclusion
You need to work with people all around the world, share files easily, and update them at the same time. The Document Collaboration tools let you create shared files over the Internet, set up online meetings to work on documents face-to-face, and let you generate alerts (and take actions) whenever documents change.