10 Best Collaboration Software Shortlist
With so many different collaboration software solutions available, figuring out which is right for you is tough. You know you want to streamline and enhance the way your teams communicate and work together, but need to figure out which tool is best. I've got you! In this post I'll help make your choice easy, sharing my personal experiences using dozens of different collaboration tools with large teams and projects, with my picks of the best collaboration software.
What Is Collaboration Software?
Collaboration software is a tool designed to help individuals work together more effectively. It allows team members to communicate, share files, manage tasks, and coordinate on projects, regardless of their location.
Collaboration tools streamline group work, ensuring that everyone is on the same page and can contribute efficiently, enhancing productivity and facilitating smoother completion of group objectives. Essentially, they serve as a digital workspace that bridges the gap between different team members, enabling better teamwork and collaboration.
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.
Axero
Best for intranet and extranet knowledge sharing
Axero provides a well-rounded platform for creating intranets, knowledge centers, and enterprise portals that cater to the modern, mobile workforce. It facilitates collaboration through streamlined communications and knowledge sharing, and it stands out for its AI-driven features, including its AI-powered bot, Copilot.
Why I picked Axero: This software facilitates knowledge sharing through both public and private spaces. These can be set up in both an intranet and extranet environment, making it suitable for collaboration among internal and external stakeholders. The knowledge sharing platforms can be fully managed and maintained as wikis.
There are tons of different communication tools available, from live chat to blog posts to forums to surveys and even mass broadcasts. Commenting and like buttons make for a more engaging experience where people can share their thoughts and opinions, too.
Axero Standout Features and Integrations
Features include polls & surveys, activity streams, discussion forums, commenting, notifications, suggestion box, live chat, video sharing, like buttons, @Mentions, mass email, and more.
Integrations include Outlook 365, Sharepoint, OneDrive, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace, Slack, Zoom, Dropbox, Box, Unsplash, and Twilio, among others.
Pros
- Highly flexible and customizable to various contexts
- Suitable to the needs of larger organizations
- Can be used for internal and external knowledge sharing
Cons
- Takes time to get familiar with all features
- Integrations not included in starter plan
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.
Pros
- No learning curve
- Very user-friendly
- Simple interface and design
Cons
- Works best with a trackpad
- Too many items on one board can cause lag
Flock
Best for teams looking for a centralized communication software
Flock is a collaborative business messaging app that facilitates collaborative project management through chat-based communication that supports direct and group messaging with private and public channel options.
Why I picked Flock: When it comes to collaboration, Flock works as expected, providing tools and capabilities that include the ability to tag colleagues or team members in the comment section, upload files and documents, set reminders and deadlines, and upload multimedia files like video clips and images. The app also has a to-do list and a search function that lets you search for specific files or comments in chat and discussion threads. It also allows you to create teams, projects, and tasks, as well as set up email reminders to alert your team members of mentions, changes in project status, and other relevant communications.
Flock’s audio and video call functions can be scheduled and are easily carried out from within the application, while the screen sharing feature gives users the ability to show their teammates what they’re currently working on, in real time. This scalable collaboration platform also enables code snippet sharing, poll taking, and group discussions.
Flock Standout Features & Integrations
Features include text-based messaging, audio and video calling, screen sharing, polls, reminders, and file sharing.
Integrations include connections to other apps through its app store. These include Zoom, Google Drive, Giphy, Asana, Trello, Mailchimp, Jira, OpsGenie, Sentry, and Jenkins. Additionally, you can connect to thousands of apps using a paid subscription with Zapier.
Pros
- Add to-do lists, due dates right into chats
- Can make audio/video calls in the tool
- Integrations are simple to set up
Cons
- Missed message emails can clutter inbox
- Notifications lag on mobile app
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.
Pros
- Great value for the money
- Very easy to use
- Simple navigation and interface
Cons
- Importing data can cause lags
Workplace from Meta
Best for integrated communication and collaboration tools
Workplace from Meta, formerly Facebook Workplace, is collaborative software with extensive features that allow team members to share ideas, communicate, and collaborate in real time. It simplifies the interaction process by integrating communication tools and streamlining organizational processes.
Users can create a professional profile that only allows colleagues and fellow team members to see their work progress. Workplace provides several collaboration tools, including chat, video conferencing, document sharing, task assignments, and file storage. Teams can effortlessly collaborate on tasks, share information, and receive real-time updates. The customizable interface allows organizations to modify it to suit their unique needs and branding. Moreover, it is compatible with multiple devices, such as desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones.
Workplace from Meta is equipped with familiar social networking features that allow ease of use and promote team bonding. The newsfeed feature allows colleagues to follow what their fellow workmates are up to and know when they have achieved a career milestone. The messenger feature encourages real-time communication and quick messaging back and forth across departments. The live video tool facilitates virtual meetings and collaborations that would otherwise be difficult. Groups allow employees to create private spaces to share project ideas, progress, and keep track of team goals. And Insights enable team leaders to monitor team performance and provide feedback where necessary.
Workplace has advanced search features that allow employees to search for coworkers, files, or conversations quickly. It employs several security measures to keep data safe and confidential, such as encryption, multi-factor authentication, and secure connections. It can integrate with popular business productivity tools such as Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Google Workspace.
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.
Pros
- Clean and intuitive user interface
- Add new features by customer request
- Built-in features that prioritize planning
Cons
- Minimal reporting available
- Needs more integrations for ticket tracking
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.
Pros
- Good client-facing functionality
- Streamlined proof uploading
- Great customer support
Cons
- New users require tutorials and guides
- One of the more expensive software options
Nuclino
Best for centralizing company knowledge
Nuclino is a collaborative knowledge platform that centralizes your knowledge, documents, and projects.
Why I picked Nuclino: The tool has a search engine that you and your team can use to find any company- or business-related information. Nuclino is designed to serve as a unified workspace for individuals and teams. It gives you the ability to organize knowledge, share ideas with colleagues, as well as manage different tasks and projects.
In addition to its search engine, Nuclino is also equipped with authoring and an intuitive interface. All its features are designed to help you improve the knowledge creation process as well as the sharing and collaboration within your team and the company.
Nuclino is a cross-platform solution, which means you and your team can use the app for work, regardless of the device or platform being used, be it a desktop PC or a mobile device. It allows your team to collaborate and learn on the go.
Nuclino Standout Features & Integrations
Features include quick setup, instant search, hotkeys, private workspaces, drag-and-drop attachments, real-time edits from other team members, and a board view to help track items in a workflow.
Integrations include more than 40 apps such as Zendesk, HipChat, and Jira Software, as well as other external applications that can enhance the overall efficiency of your team’s workflows and processes.
Zulip
Best communication platform for small teams
Zulip is a robust open-source group chat application that combines the immediacy of a live chat tool with the collaborative benefits of threaded conversations. Released under the Apache license, the app offers hosted instances, although it offers a variety of features and capabilities that users familiar with a software such as Slack would come to expect.
The app offers multiple streams, which work just like chat rooms or channels. This function is especially useful for teams collaborating on tasks and projects, as it enables them to communicate directly and in real time with the people involved in the project.
Zulip’s powerful chat application is compatible with multiple platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS. It allows team members to collaborate using any platform, whether they’re using a desktop PC, Mac, or any mobile device like a smartphone or tablet.
Zulip Standout Features & Integrations
Features include @mentions, image embeds, logging, highly configurable notifications, emoji reactions, and file uploads.
Integrations include over 120 native integrations, including Airbrake, Basecamp, Asana, Dropbox, Flock, GitHub, Jenkins, Mailchimp, Slack, and Trello. Additionally, you can connect to thousands of applications using Zapier.
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.
Pros
- User-friendly software
- Great support from the customer service team
- Low barrier for entry
Cons
- Some difficulty with data transfer through integrations
- Doesn’t have an offline option
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 | Trial Info | Price | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Axero Best for intranet and extranet knowledge sharing | 14-day free trial | From $2,000/month for up to 200 users | Website |
2 | Miro Best for design thinking and creative concepts | Free plan available | From $10/user/month | Website |
3 | Flock Best for teams looking for a centralized communication software | 30-day free trial + free plan available | From $6/user/month | Website |
4 | Avaza Best for cross-device business and project management | Free plan available | Plans start at $11.95/month | Website |
5 | Workplace from Meta Best for integrated communication and collaboration tools | 30-day free trial available | From $4/user/month | Website |
6 | Productboard Best for customer-driven product management | 15-day free trial | From $25/user/month | Website |
7 | 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) | Website |
8 | Nuclino Best for centralizing company knowledge | 14-day free trial available | Starts from $6 per user/month | Website |
9 | Zulip Best communication platform for small teams | A free plan is available | Starts at $8 per user/month | Website |
10 | 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) | Website |
Other Collaboration Software Options
Here are a few more options that didn’t make the best collaboration software list:
- Notion
Best for maintaining a central knowledge base on multiple topics
- monday.com
Best for segmented workflows customized per department
- Lucidspark
Best for sharing ideas in adaptable digital spaces
- Ziflow
Best for managing internal feedback on new projects and products
- Connecteam
Best for quick communication with jobsite teams and remote workers
- Celoxis
Best for advanced project cost and performance analysis
- Kantata
Best for expanding visibility to contractors, vendors, and clients
- Next Matter
Best for handling complex, cross-functional workflows
- Project.co
Best for getting clients involved in the task completion
- Quire
Best for managing massive projects by breaking them down into manageable 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.
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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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