Free collaboration software for businesses, project management tools, communication tools, and help desk software. These communication tools for teams replace email with online chat, online video conferencing, file sharing, document collaboration, and task management systems. There are online collaboration tools for businesses, many of them free. But they aren’t always easy to use and they don’t always give you the features you need. The different collaboration tools in this list are very easy to use.
They have all the same functions that other top collaboration tools for the business offer, but they are free! The free online collaboration software listed here will help you communicate and collaborate with your business partners, colleagues, employees, and clients.
Free Online Collaboration Tools for Business
Asana:
Tool for managing projects, tasks, calendars, file sharing and conversations around projects.
Taskworld:
Application for managing projects online with a secure online workspace that allows the centralization of projects.
Twiddla:
Shareable virtual whiteboard with built-in chat.
Bubble.us:
Tool to create simple mindmaps that can be edited by several people.
Edmodo:
Teaching platform to promote sharing and communication between the teacher, students and parents.
SocialFolders:
A tool for sharing posts and publications.
Cacoo:
Tool to create schemas, diagrams and heuristics maps online.
Titanpad:
Online word processor to work with several people on one document simultaneously.
Wiggio:
Collaborative tool for organizing collective work with shared calendars, task lists, polls, and file sharing space.
Azendoo:
Online task management application.
BSCW:
Platform for working in collaborative mode.
Mikogo:
Tool for organizing video conferences, online meetings and online collaboration.
Freedcamp:
Project management and collaboration tool.
Meistertask:
Project management tool and online tasks.
Appear.in:
Free tool to easily organize video-conferences.
Slack:
Collbaoration tool for teams with a fre option (among other paid options as well).
mindmup:
Tool for creating easy-to-use and shareable custom diagrams.
Flask:
Task sharing tool for teams. Access is open to the entire team and priorities can be set.
Nooot:
Collaborative notebook for meetings and brainstorming with access for all.
Cosketch:
Multi-user online whiteboard designed to give users the ability to quickly visualize and share ideas as images.
Stoodle:
Collective shareable whiteboard via URL and social networks.
JitsiMeet:
Organization of video conferences and webinars with as many participants as desired and an integrated chat on an encrypted system.
SayHello:
Video-conference space accessible for 6 people.
Propulse:
Project management and task coordination tool with a common goal; each person has a roadmap or dashboard with its activities and overview.
ProjeQtor:
Application to manage projects with tasks, resource allocation, budgets and incident tracking. The software must be installed within the company and employees access it via a web interface. This platform offers an opportunity to manage larger projects.
Trello:
Software with unlimited use of accounts. The tool offers a wall with tasks in web and mobile versions. All collaborators have the same table for a project and receive notifications in real-time.
Collabtive:
A complete open source project management tool with an overview of the time spent by project and employee.
Best Free Collaboration Apps for Small Business.
1. Microsoft 365
Share and edit documents, now with messaging
Reasons to buy
+Familiar software+Collaborative editing+Teams provides UC+Cost-effective bundling
Microsoft Office may not be the first platform you think of when it comes to collaboration, but this now runs at the heart of the Microsoft 365 cloud-based office suite.
This is important because Microsoft Office remains the most used and therefore important office suite out there, and while there are competitors such as OpenOffice and Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) they still haven’t caught up to the same level of functionality and ease of use.
Therefore as Microsoft Office is likely to be at the heart of many businesses, the move to Microsoft 365 offers a number of advantages, not least the ability for teams to collaborate directly on the same set of documents. This could be anything from work shifts in an Excel spreadsheet to a presentation in PowerPoint, to client reports written in Word.
Added to this is that Microsoft Teams now comes bundled with a number of Microsoft 365 packages, allowing for Unified Communications integrated with the traditional office software.
What makes Microsoft 365 more attractive is that as a cloud-hosted platform it can be used not just with Windows, but also Mac, Android, and iOS.
Pricing depends on whether you are buying for personal or business use, with fees starting from $6.99 or $8.25 a month per use, with business use requiring pre-paid annual plans.
However, one little advertised alternative option is Microsoft 365 Business Basics, which offers most of the same software packages and options as above, but only comes in at $5 per month per user when paid annually. This makes the entire package extremely cost-effective, especially when compared to standalone UC and collaboration software prices.
Overall, Microsoft 365 doesn’t simply offer a great office suite, but one that is also firmly designed for collaboration and sharing with teams.
2. Slack
A collaboration tool which needs no introduction
Reasons to buy
+Excellent interface+Impressive free version
Reasons to avoid
-Some might want more depth in security
Slack is without doubt a mighty collaboration tool, with millions of users around the globe. It’s an incredibly smart platform, and you can get it on mobile and desktop devices. It allows for the sending of direct messages (DMs) and files to a single person or a group of employees, and there’s the ability to organise conversations into different channels (perhaps for specific projects, one for technical support, general chat, and so forth).
The app also supports video calling. You can use the feature to talk to your colleagues about projects and work in-depth, without having to type everything into a DM. While this isn’t a replacement for cloud storage services, you are able to drag, drop and share files with your colleagues directly within Slack. It’s also compatible with services such as Google Drive, Dropbox and Box.
To round things off, Slack even has a free version, although unsurprisingly it has limitations (in terms of the number of messages stored, overall storage space and so forth).
3. Asana
Organisation to the max
Reasons to buy
+Project tracking+Handy integrations
Reasons to avoid
-Other apps have better comms features
Asana has been around since 2008, making it a veteran in the collaboration arena, and companies such as Intel, Uber, Pinterest and TED all use it as their core method of communication.
It’s been designed as an easy way for companies to track the work of employees and to get the best possible results. Using the platform, you can create to-do lists for ongoing projects, set reminders for upcoming deadlines and send requests to colleagues. Team members can also assign comments to posts within the app.
You can organize all your projects in a list or board format, and there’s a search function so you can locate past work quickly. In short, Asana is a very effective way to stay super-organized and facilitate conversations when it comes to updates on how work is progressing.
4. Trello
An app for organising all your projects
Reasons to buy
+Clean, easy-to-use interface+Free version
Reasons to avoid
-Not many comms features
If you have ever looked into project management software and online collaboration tools, then no doubt you’ve come across Trello. Available on the web and with mobile apps, it lets you easily organize projects and work on them with colleagues.
The platform allows you to work with boards or lists, which can be organized by teams and different tasks. And within these, you can set up to-do lists and delegate amongst colleagues. There’s also the option to assign comments to cards – a quick way to give feedback to others.
Furthermore, Trello boasts a number of integrations with apps such as Evernote, GitHub, Google Drive and Slack. You can download the app for free, but there are premium options available which give access to more features.
The Premium pricing tier unlocks a number of additional administrative features for better organization. There’s also an Enterprise edition which is priced according to the number of users required and provides some additional organizational management features
5. Discord
Discord bills itself as an all-in-one voice and text chat for gamers, and it’s clear why. In addition to the usual private and group DMs, Discord offers a new way of collaborating in real-time: Voice channels. Think of them as always-on radio channels to talk to your team. Loved by gamers, voice channels can also be an easier, less stressful way to collaborate remotely on shared documents. More importantly, Discord offers unlimited voice, video, and text chat—all for free!
Image: Hacker Noon
Discord’s free plan
- Unlimited users, messages, text and voice channels, and file sharing (individual file size < 8MB)
- Unlimited video conferences with up to 10 participants + screen sharing
- A cool Text-to-Speech function that reads out what you type!
Discord Nitro Classic lets you upload a GIF avatar, use custom emojis everywhere, and ups that pesky file size limit to 50MB – for $4.99 per user per month.
6. Zoho Cliq
Zoho Cliq lets you view multiple conversations—each in its own column—so you don’t have to shuffle back and forth between a channel discussion and a private chat with a colleague. Also, host video conferences with up to 100 participants on the free plan.
Unsurprisingly, Cliq integrates smoothly with other Zoho apps, but there are also integrations for third-party services such as Asana, Wrike, and Zapier.
Image: Zoho
Cliq’s free plan
- Unlimited users, messages, and channels (up to 100 members in each)
- Video conferencing with up to 100 participants + screen sharing
- 100GB storage for file sharing and 10K message history
- 10 third-party app integrations
For $3 a user per month, Cliq Unlimited offers unlimited message search, ups file storage, and lets you connect up to 100 third-party integrations. It also unlocks the PrimeTime Assembly feature, so you can stream live video to as many as 10,000 participants.
7. Rocket.Chat
If on-premise software is a must, look no further than Rocket.Chat’s open-source team collaboration app. Easily deployed to on-premise or cloud servers, Rocket.Chat is free with zero restrictions on core functionality. It’s your server! Just one caveat: If there’s trouble, you’re probably on your own – the free plan doesn’t come with any web, email, or phone support, so be prepared to hunt through pages of technical documentation for any fixes.
Image: GitHub
Rocket.Chat’s free plan
- Unlimited users, messages, channels, video calls, and file sharing
- It’s open-source, customizable, and you own all your data (again, it’s your server)!
- Inline message translations
Rocket.Chat offers cloud-based deployment plans with 24/7 email support at $2 a user per month.
Looking for more options? Check out our guide to the best collaboration tools for productive teams (includes both free tools and pricier options).
“The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.”
– Babe Ruth
Conclusion
If you want to achieve success in business, you should choose the right collaboration software to maximize teamwork. Free business collaboration tools make it impossible to not join now! The best collaboration apps provide generous free plans, making it impossible to not join now!