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10 Best Collaboration Software In 2023

Best Collaboration Software Shortlist

Here’s the shortlist of the best tools that I’ll cover in this article.

  1. 1. Avaza — Best for cross-device business and project management
  2. 2. Productboard — Best for customer-driven product management
  3. 3. ReviewStudio — Best for online review and proofing with multiple team members
  4. 4. Elium — Best for ensuring company knowledge is readily available at all times
  5. 5. Notion — Best for maintaining a central knowledge base on multiple topics
  6. 6. Miro — Best for design thinking and creative concepts
  7. 7. monday.com — Best for segmented workflows customized per department
  8. 8. Lucidspark — Best for sharing ideas in adaptable digital spaces
  9. 9. Ziflow — Best for managing internal feedback on new projects and products
  10. 10. Connecteam — Best for quick communication with jobsite teams and remote workers

Productivity applications, designed to enhance teamwork and workflow, are called collaboration software. This genre of project management software has seen a meteoric rise — with 44% of businesses incorporating collaboration tools into their workflow arsenal since 2019. In fact, nearly 80% of workers in the digital sphere are using some type of collaboration software.

In a survey conducted in 2021, employers reported that their collaboration software improved productivity by over 50% and that 89% of employees with access to these tools report feeling less stressed and more supported in their workplace environment.

Could collaboration software be the key to improving your business operations, retaining quality employees, and increasing your yearly profits? Find out when you check out this list of the top collaboration software currently available. Discover how I compiled this list and why I think these tools are the best for any type of business when you read this article now.

Overviews Of The 10 Best Collaboration Software

You can use these simple overviews of each tool below to understand why I chose these options and how they stand out from other collaboration software.

1

Avaza

Best for cross-device business and project management

If you’re looking for collaboration and business management tools that work on mobile, laptops, and tablets, Avaza has developed the responsive design you need to ensure your team can work from anywhere. With features for resource scheduling, project management, expense management, and customer support, this is an all-in-one solution optimized for mobile work.

With Avaza, your team can more easily visualize everything that needs to get done for a project or client. With snapshot visuals through Kanban boards, Gantt charts, and list views for everything from resource scheduling and task tracking to time management and online payments, everyone on your team can work more efficiently. 

Avanza is all about helping businesses of all sizes save time in every aspect of their operations. Internal communication tools and file-sharing solutions ensure accurate tracking, insights, and reporting, as well as faster invoicing and online payments.

Avaza Standout Features and Integrations

Features include unified team chat, expense tracking, project management, invoicing, resource scheduling, automatic billing, calendar sync, cost-to-completion tracking, forecasting, risk management, discussions/forums, multi-location, and remote access.

Integrations include Zapier, Zero, QuickBooks, SharpSpring, Stripe, Google Workspace, Trello, Basecamp, Zendesk, and Insightly.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.5 267

Free plan available

Plans start at $11.95/month

Pros

  • Simple navigation and interface
  • Very easy to use
  • Great value for the money

Cons

  • Importing data can cause lags
2

Productboard

Best for customer-driven product management

If a lot of your task management revolves around your customers, Productboard may be for you. It not only empowers your team to get your products to market faster, but it also prioritizes client feedback to help you improve what you’re selling to ensure you’re meeting user needs.

With features like product roadmaps from pre-made templates and centralized feedback from customers, your team can stay up-to-date on the newest plans and strategies as your products evolve. This project management tool provides a holistic view of all the ideas and objectives you’ve got swirling around the office to bridge the divide between the product team and the customer community.

The basic Productboard plans are ideal for small and medium businesses, but they also offer a completely different level of online collaboration tools for enterprise-level needs. Their flexible, scalable platform allows you to build better products faster while reducing risk for large and small businesses.

Productboard Standout Features and Integrations

Features include activity planning, agile methodologies, assignment management, brainstorming, client portal, customizable reports, file sharing, timeline view, marketing calendar, percent completion tracking, project planning, and real-time updates.

Integrations include Slack, Typeform, Intercom, Zendesk, Trello, Salesforce Sales Cloud, Zapier, Microsoft Azure, Gong.io, and Drift.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.3 197

15-day free trial available

From $20/user/month

Pros

  • Built-in features that prioritize planning
  • Add new features by customer request
  • Clean and intuitive user interface

Cons

  • Needs more integrations for ticket tracking
  • Minimal reporting available
3

ReviewStudio

Best for online review and proofing with multiple team members

ReviewStudio is an online proofing SaaS that simplifies all types of creative collaborations. It streamlines the review and approval process for any design without endless email chains and unclear feedback.

One of the best features of ReviewStudio is the way they organize the feedback on each project. Collaborative comments are threaded and synchronized in real-time so you can filter, sort, and cycle through them quickly and easily. You also have the option to provide private and live feedback with extra privacy and control over version numbers.

ReviewStudio offers ideal solutions for advertising, marketing, manufacturing, video production, architecture, real estate, photography, and other design-focused businesses. By facilitating better communication with easy markup and annotation, you can get contextualized feedback to consolidate versioning for collaborative work.

ReviewStudio Standout Features and Integrations

Features include markup tools, approval management, task management, compare mode, comment threads, file types, comment privacy, automated workflows, 256-bit SSL encryption, custom workflow templates, automated reminders, and approval tracking.

Integrations include Zapier, Integromat, and API for Custom Integrations.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.7 60

15-day free trial available

The Pro Plan starts at $20/user/month (billed annually)

Pros

  • Great customer support
  • Streamlined proof uploading
  • Good client-facing functionality

Cons

  • One of the more expensive software options
  • New users require tutorials and guides
4

Elium

Best for ensuring company knowledge is readily available at all times

Elium claims that the average employee spends two hours every day just searching for the information they need to know to get their job done. With this collaboration software, Elium empowers everyone on your team with company knowledge that’s simple and easy to find — streamlining decision-making and improving collaboration.

Their software has several features that allow you to democratize access to company knowledge, including smart tabs that automatically reorganize tons of information into bite-sized, easy-to-read resources. The platform’s AI assistant also steps in from time to time to suggest actions that will keep your company databases up to date.

Elium offers solutions for a variety of business sizes and industries, but they definitely specialize in plans for financial institutions, pharmaceutical companies, and retail businesses. You can even collaborate with teams and partners across the globe through multi-language knowledge sharing.

Elium Standout Features and Integrations

Features include Elium bookmarklet, pre-defined templates, intelligent tags, fully indexed search, quick searches, targeted newsletters, report sharing, analytics suite, AI assistant, verified content, security, and GDPR-compliant features.

Integrations include Microsoft Office 365, G-Suite, Slack, Workplace from Facebook, AirTable, Giphy, Youtube, Loom, Scribed, and Vimeo.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4 12

14-day free trial and demo available

Plans start at $4.50/user/month (billed annually)

Pros

  • Low barrier for entry
  • Great support from the customer service team
  • User-friendly software

Cons

  • Doesn’t have an offline option
  • Some difficulty with data transfer through integrations
5

Notion

Best for maintaining a central knowledge base on multiple topics

Whether it’s for your internal team, the CEO of the company, or external stakeholders, Notion offers you a project management platform that helps everyone share information related to goal setting, lead management, and status tracking. When you empower users with Notion, you streamline business operations through a multitude of tools to more easily organize and rearrange ideas, plans, and tracking.

With Notion, you can house a knowledge base that covers all the topics you touch on during business operations. From task instructions and coding guidelines to HR workflows, the Kanban boards and built-in calendar ensure users can monitor tasks and create roadmaps based on any filter, including completion status, priority, assigned team members, or category.

Notion provides solutions for individuals, enterprises, and small businesses across a number of industries. Explore a platform with answers to meet the needs of startups, nonprofits, education, and remote work.

Notion Standout Features and Integrations

Features include wikis, product roadmaps, OKRs, meeting notes, vacation planners, editorial calendars, habit trackers, downloads for iOS and Android, Notion AI, configurable workflows, subtasks, contact management, and document management.

Integrations include Slack, InVision, Figma, Google Drive, Slack, Trello, Clockify, Evernote Teams, Zapier, Twitter, and Miro.

Offers a forever free plan with limited features

From $8/user/month

Pros

  • Ideal for shared visibility
  • Easy to organize notes on the dashboard
  • Integrated templates for quick launches

Cons

  • Doesn’t have good offline functionality
6

Miro

Best for design thinking and creative concepts

With Miro, your team can centralize Gantt charts, RACI matrices, Kanban keyboards, and user story maps in a single visual hub so they can be referenced throughout the project. From the beginning, this collaboration software provides powerful visual tools that ensure teams can discuss projects and ideas via tagged comments, video calls, and board chats.

Because of its central data collection, Miro acts as an essential tool for anyone in the design industry because you have access to individual and team ideas, wireframes, post-it notes, and more so that users can see the big picture and zoom in when they need more details — skipping time wasting meetings, calls, and emails for updates.

Miro is the perfect tool for design thinkers, agile coaches, and UX/UI designers because it simplifies remote collaboration, research and design, brainstorming and ideation, strategy and planning, agile workflows, mapping, diagramming, and workshopping.

Miro Standout Features and Integrations

Features include mind mapping, task tracking, user story mapping, PI planning, online workshops, brainwriting, timebox sessions, digital sticky notes, video conferencing, webinars, asset sharing, data visualization, customizable templates, and employee photos.

Integrations include Google Drive, Microsoft Excel, Slack, Trello, Google Workspace, DropBox Business, Zoom, Survey Monkey, Adobe Creative Cloud, and GitHub.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.8 3414

Freemium plan available

From $8/user/month

Pros

  • Simple interface and design
  • Very user-friendly
  • No learning curve

Cons

  • Too many items on one board can cause lag
  • Works best with a trackpad
7

monday.com

Best for segmented workflows customized per department

At its core, monday.com allows you to generate team collaboration in any department. Whether you’re trying to improve teamwork in HR, marketing, or sales, this cloud-based Work OS is here to help. Shape your process for any project code-free in a way that adapts to the shifting needs of any project. Managers can easily see the big picture, while team members at every level can access data, docs, and templates at will.

Some of the features that guaranteed this collaboration software a place on this list include the time tracking tools that help you meet deadlines, automation that relieves your team from manual work, and integrations with all the most popular tools and apps.

You’ll find that monday.com has solutions segmented by company size and team type so you can develop a package that works specifically for your needs. With an agile collaboration platform like this, you can easily scale your operations as your business grows.

monday.com Standout Features and Integrations

Features include 360-degree feedback, activity dashboard, asset sharing, collaborative development, commenting and notes, commission management, contractor database, due date tracking, event calendar, historical reporting, and idea management.

Integrations include G Suite, Google Drive, Microsoft Suite, Slack, Trello, DropBox Business, Zoom, Mailchimp, Adobe, Asana, GitHub, and Jira.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.7 6745

14-day free trial + freemium plan available

From $8/user/month (billed annually, min 3 seats)

Pros

  • Provides support documents and guides
  • Very flexible platform
  • Visually intuitive

Cons

  • Too many automations and customizations can be overwhelming
  • Notification management can be a hassle
8

Lucidspark

Best for sharing ideas in adaptable digital spaces

If you’re looking for a collaborative platform that revolves around an adaptable shared space, Lucidspark is here with an innovative web-based whiteboard tool that helps your team create plans, organize tasks, collaborate on projects, and evaluate ideas. Brainstorm for real-time collaboration, synchronized editing, and instant updates that enhance your work management.

From sticky notes and commenting to freehand drawing tools, voting, and built-in timers, Lucidspark features automate and aggregate internal options for easy data reading to develop a comprehensive project roadmap with the adaptability to evolve with your business needs.

Ludicspark offers plans for individuals, teams, and large enterprises to accommodate a range of needs with a variety of plans. These team collaboration tools are perfect for remote teams who want more responsive and interactive digital tools.

Lucidspark Standout Features and Integrations

Features include roadmapping, to-do lists, permissions control, spreadsheet integrations, synchronous editing, scorecards, screen sharing, milestone tracking, meeting management, Kanban board, idea ranking, file management, agile methodologies, and video conferencing.

Integrations include Slack, Google Docs, Zoom, Jira, Smartsheet, Confluence, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Teams, Jira, and Lucidcharts.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.5 2065

7-day free trial available

From 7.95/user/month

Pros

  • Plenty of pre-made template options
  • Easy functionality for real-time collaboration
  • Very intuitive workspace

Cons

  • Limited available icons
9

Ziflow

Best for managing internal feedback on new projects and products

This team collaboration software is based on proofing applications that are meant to manage content review and approval in one place. With annotation and commenting tools, your entire team can provide feedback on creative content and automate file share tasks, FTP uploads, and workflows through templated proof creation and distribution.

One of the coolest collaboration features of this tool is that you can work on documents and media in a variety of file formats, ranging from PowerPoint and DOCX to PDF, GIF, HTML5, TIFF, and many more. Share and edit content securely – even when introducing outside collaborators like clients, vendors, and partners.

Ziflow is for marketing agencies and businesses in manufacturing, retail, consumer goods, and even healthcare because the clear project visibility prevents anything from slipping through the cracks.

Ziflow Standout Features and Integrations

Features include group chat, CRM, document storage, due date tracking, instant messaging, metadata management, mobile screen support, real-time data and updates, time tracking, versions control, progress tracking, markup tools, and API.

Integrations include monday.com, Slack, Trello, Asana, Microsoft Teams, Basecamp, Asset Bank, Planview Adaptivework, Google Drive, and Adobe.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.5 647

14-day free trial + freemium plan available

From $40/user/month

Pros

  • Amazing customer support
  • Centralized comments and feedback
  • The most affordable proofing system

Cons

  • No social media approval section
  • Uploads and processing time are long
10

Connecteam

Best for quick communication with jobsite teams and remote workers

If you’re looking to simplify employee communication and reach your entire workforce through one easy-to-use tool, Connecteam offers an employee management app that provides managers with the tools they need to automate forms, reports, and checklists through a mobile-first focus.

With a feed similar to social media and automated publishing, Connecteam provides a central place for important company communications that reach every employee with essential news and updates. It even allows you to incorporate images, GIFs, videos, polls, and surveys into postings to engage employees and get targeted feedback for internal needs.

Design a communication hub with your logo and branding to manage employee scheduling, time tracking, and task management on a platform designed for operations management, employee onboarding, and employee engagement.

Connecteam Standout Features and Integrations

Features include a communication hub, news feed, engagement tracking, auto-updated directory, knowledge base, private chats, surveys, event management, real-time status updates, accounting integration, time tracking, scheduling, forms, and checklists.

Integrations include Gusto, Google Calendar, Quickbooks Payroll, and Nextbee.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.3 34

Freemium plan available

From $29/month (30 users)

Pros

  • Designed for mobile use
  • No hidden add-on or expansions costs
  • Improve app based on customer feedback

Cons

  • GPS could be more accurate

Best Collaboration Software Comparison Chart

Here’s a convenient table that contains all the details you need to compare these options side by side.

Tool Free Option Price
1
Avaza

Best for cross-device business and project management

Free plan available

Plans start at $11.95/month Visit Website
2
Productboard

Best for customer-driven product management

15-day free trial available

From $20/user/month Visit Website
3
ReviewStudio

Best for online review and proofing with multiple team members

15-day free trial available

The Pro Plan starts at $20/user/month (billed annually) Visit Website
4
Elium

Best for ensuring company knowledge is readily available at all times

14-day free trial and demo available

Plans start at $4.50/user/month (billed annually) Visit Website
5
Notion

Best for maintaining a central knowledge base on multiple topics

Offers a forever free plan with limited features

From $8/user/month Visit Website
6
Miro

Best for design thinking and creative concepts

Freemium plan available

From $8/user/month Visit Website
7
monday.com

Best for segmented workflows customized per department

14-day free trial + freemium plan available

From $8/user/month (billed annually, min 3 seats) Visit Website
8
Lucidspark

Best for sharing ideas in adaptable digital spaces

7-day free trial available

From 7.95/user/month Visit Website
9
Ziflow

Best for managing internal feedback on new projects and products

14-day free trial + freemium plan available

From $40/user/month Visit Website
10
Connecteam

Best for quick communication with jobsite teams and remote workers

Freemium plan available

From $29/month (30 users) Visit Website

Other Collaboration Software Options

Here are a few more options that didn’t make the best collaboration software list:

  1. Kantata

    Best for expanding visibility to contractors, vendors, and clients

  2. Project.co

    Best for getting clients involved in the task completion

  3. Forecast

    Best for mapping upcoming projects for better resource allocation

  4. Quire

    Best for managing massive projects by breaking them down into manageable tasks

  5. MangoApps

    Best for prioritizing training, teamwork, and content management on a single dashboard

  6. YouTrack

    Best for creating a central data hub for internal teams

  7. Bluescape

    Best for sharing digital assets with internal vendors and stakeholders

  8. Omnidek

    Best for incorporating intranet portals and workflows in one unified platform

  9. Ledger

    Best for toggling between other apps and subscriptions

  10. UpWave

    Best for project and portfolio collaboration to streamline daily tasks

How I Selected The Best Collaboration Software

Choosing the best collaboration software for this list wasn’t easy. I had to evaluate a wide range of options with positive user ratings before I could even start to narrow the list to the top 10 options based on their features, pricing, and usability.

If you look below, you’ll see a breakdown of how I chose the best applications from hundreds of collaborative tools to just a few dozen. Finally, I used my years of digital project management experience to compare each platform and stack them up to see which would add the most value to your team.

For general questions about collaboration software or more details on your overall options, you can skip the more detailed summaries of the top 10 choices on my list and take a look at the FAQ section below.

Selection Criteria

Here’s a short summary of the main selection and evaluation criteria I used to develop my list of the best collaboration software for this article.

Usability

Your team needs to want to use the collaboration apps you introduce into your workflow. If they’re too clunky, confusing to operate, or difficult to learn, nobody in your office will actually benefit from having them because they won’t be using them. The collaboration software I chose for this list is some of the most popular among employees.

Standout Features

Whether your office needs shared calendar views for simplified scheduling, cloud-based storage for easy access to essential data, or a mobile-friendly design that encourages employees to download and use the app while on the go, there are certain standout features that make up the basics of all the best collaboration software.

Software Integrations

Your business probably uses a lot of tools, including those that enhance internal messaging and communications, manage customer support, and develop marketing strategies. Your collaboration software should be able to integrate with all these essentials to streamline every aspect of your business operations.

Pricing

I want to get you the best value for your money. Since every business has different needs, I’ve included a range of pricing, packages, and options that ensure you find something that actually adds value to your operations without blowing your budget.

People Also Ask

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I hope this has been an informative exploration into collaboration software that helps you make the best choice for your organization. If you’re looking for more information, make sure to browse The Digital Project Manager blog for unique insights into the latest trends.

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By Hermann Fink

Hi! I'm Hermann Fink Fuentes, a technology enthusiast and chronic researcher. I've been in project management for over a decade, both as a technical lead for global corporations like Hewlett Packard, and as an entrepreneur. I'm constantly looking for tools that can help improve productivity, boost efficiency, consume as little budget as possible, and help shorten project completion timelines. Join me as I search for the perfect tool and share some content along the journey!

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