File collaboration tools are designed to help a team of people who are working together on a document, presentation, spreadsheet, or any other type of file. They do not replace document management software but rather extend it.
File collaboration tools are increasingly used by companies to enable employees, partners or customers to work together on a document or project. The tools used today encompass a wide range of functionality from web-based applications to desktop applications, enabling users to pan, zoom and interact with files in real time.
Collaboration Tool: Microsoft Word
Who hasn’t heard of Microsoft Word? The famous editor has been around for over 3 decades and continues to be one of the most popular editors out there. Word has become second nature for most of the PC users out there when they think about writing, editing, and formatting text files. The famous ribbon-style formatting toolbar gives a bunch of options to users to edit their documents however they like.
Now with the Word online, Microsoft has taken the classic Word editor over to the cloud, trying to compete with a new generation of editors that have emerged. Word online provides collaboration features that allow people to edit simultaneously and forget about the to-and-fro email chains. Users can also translate documents in your non-native language with just a click.
Word also offers dedicated Android and iOS apps to take your work with you wherever you go.
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.
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 | ✓ |
Microsoft OneDrive
OneDrive is a Microsoft cloud storage app that lets teams collaborate by storing and sharing files in the cloud.
But will this tool actually drive your team to success? Let’s take a look:
Microsoft OneDrive key features
- Cloud storage space for file sharing
- Version control helps your team manage drafting and revisions
- Comment notifications for real-time alerts
- Permission management functionality
- Document review and feedback collection features
Microsoft OneDrive pros
- Easy onboarding
- Offers 5 GB of free file storage space and teams can earn more space through the referral incentive
- Compatible with iOS, Chromium, Android, and Mac devices
- Integrates with other Microsoft Office apps like Microsoft Teams
Microsoft OneDrive cons
- Difficulty with proofing, editing, and sharing docs outside of Microsoft365
- No built-in notepad functionality
- Privacy concerns as it scans stored files for ‘objectionable content’
Microsoft OneDrive pricing
The team plans for this document collaboration tool starts at $5/user per month.
Microsoft OneDrive user ratings
- G2: 4.2/5 (7000+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.4/5 (8000+ reviews)
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 | ✓ | ✓ |
Conclusion
There are a number of suggestions for file collaboration tools that exist today. These allow companies to share important files amongst a team of people. The first piece of advice one can offer is to use a personal storage device, which can be placed on a home computer. This allows the employee to have the responsibility of managing their own files and not have to rely on a third-party company or other network. There are also cloud storage programs, such as Box and DropBox , that will allow the employee to access their files from any device connected to the internet. One can also use Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive, however this method