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10 Best Online Communication Tools For Teams In 2023

Best Communication Tools Shortlist

Here’s a quick view of the tools in this article. Skip to the overviews if you are looking for more detailed information.

  1. monday.com

    Best communication tool for project management

  2. Workmates

    Best online communication tool with native engagement functionality

  3. Wrike

    Best communication tool for teams of all sizes

  4. Troop Messenger

    Best communication tool with unlimited search history

  5. Livestorm

    Best communication tool for hosting online events

  6. Blink

    Best communication tool for deskless employees

  7. Flock

    Best for organizing communication using channels

  8. Microsoft Teams

    Best communication tool for Microsoft users

  9. Zoho Cliq

    Best for small enterprises

  10. Hive

    Best communication tool with email integration

Communication tools have transformed the way we collaborate. Long gone are the times when we needed to make phone calls to get quick input from someone. Now, we have centralized access to tools that connect us at all times, display our status to colleagues, and travel in our pockets (mobile app).

Further, the use of communication tools has increased as a result of how we adapted to the health crisis we faced in 2020. Remote work became the norm for a long time, and it has slowly transformed into hybrid work arrangements. We currently have around 58% of people working from home at least once per week.

And with more than 32.5 million small businesses in the U.S. (as of December 2021), there’s no shortage of people looking for the right tool for their business.

If you have more general questions on the topic, go to our FAQ section. Otherwise continue to the overviews and remember you can always check out how I picked this software toward the end of this article.

Overviews of the Best Communication Tools

Lets get into the juicy details of each communication platform and what makes them a worthy candidate of this top 10 list.

1

monday.com

Best communication tool for project management

monday.com is an intuitive platform where teams can track processes and workflows, communicate within and across teams, and bring all of their tools together under one system. Its simplistic design and flexible features mean teams can get started in minutes.

Teams can communicate easily by mentioning one another on updates and host conversations in context around certain projects or tasks. Sharing files is easy with Google Drive and Dropbox integrations and continuing the conversation on other platforms is made simple with Zoom and Slack integrations.

monday.com acts as a central place for teams to track projects, manage time, build and share reports, send messages, and easily understand and improve their workflow.

monday.com has over 40 integrations including Google Calendar, Jira, GitHub, Trello, Zendesk, Typeform, and many more that are accessible via Zapier. monday.com allows teams to collaborate and communicate from everywhere—ensuring transparency and real-time updates.

monday.com costs from $6/user/month and comes with a free 14-day trial. They offer a free plan for up to 2 users.

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)

2

Workmates

Best online communication tool with native engagement functionality

Workmates is a cloud-based employee engagement solution by HR Cloud. This is specifically designed for startups and small businesses to help strengthen corporate work cultures applicable to office, field, and remote work settings.

The different features that are available to users include centralized directory creation to allow employees access to any information they may need and a range of employee engagement functionalities that include a dashboard to access different posts and resources, push notifications, and integrated calendar and productivity tools.

Users can improve employee engagement and collaboration through the centralized communication dashboard. The Kudos posts displayed in the dashboard effectively deliver news of acknowledgments to specific team members, and the latest posts and announcements section allows everyone to stay updated with recent news and changes within the company.

Users can seamlessly integrate existing collaboration applications with the software to improve employee collaboration further. If a team has already extensively used applications like Google Suite and Slack, they won’t have to start from scratch, as these solutions can be integrated.

Pricing starts at $3.50 per user per month. A free demo is available.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.5 4

Free demo available

From $3.50/user/month

3

Wrike

Best communication tool for teams of all sizes

Wrike is an award-winning, easy-to-use collaborative work management software trusted by 20,000+ organizations worldwide. The tool is suitable for teams of anywhere from five to an unlimited number of team members. It allows users to customize workflows, dashboards, reports, request forms, and more.

Wrike’s simple interface enables users to chat in real-time, and offers threaded messages and @ mentions for ease of communication. Wrike also features shared workflows and file sharing. Within Wrike, teams can share and assign tasks, have in-task discussions, and share and proof digital files together.

Wrike has an easy-to-use, intuitive interface and navigation with distinct spaces, folders, and tasks. Toggle quickly between the home screen and timesheets, dashboards, calendars, reports, and the notification stream. The tool also offers a variety of specific solutions depending on the team or organization — including marketing teams and professional service teams.

Wrike offers 400+ pre-built native integrations, including integrations with the most popular file management software from Microsoft, Google, and Dropbox, along with sales and marketing software from Salesforce and Marketo.

Pricing starts at $9.80 per user per month. There are four different price points, including a free version and plans which offer the ability to invite free external collaborators to a paid account.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.2 2544

Freemium version available

From $9.80/user/month

4

Troop Messenger

Best communication tool with unlimited search history

Troop Messenger is far more than a simple chat interface. It was designed to improve the communication of internal teams of all sizes, from small teams to large corporations, and it delivers a robust feature set for doing so.

Overall this tool does a standout job with its feature offering and hits all of the criteria I look for in a communication tool, plus more. The main features include instant messaging, voice-video calling, video conferencing, file sharing, and desktop sharing.

But something I find especially useful in this tool are its more advanced messaging features. I like both the 'respond later' option as well as the 'burnout' option which lets you set a message to send at a later time. The self-messaging feature is also unique—a simple but useful feature that lets you send reminders and notes to yourself. Finally, there's a way to send bulk text messages and files to multiple users at once, using the 'forkout' feature. And the advanced search in this tool is really good, too.

Troop Messenger supports many native and third-party integration such as employee monitoring and tracking apps, attendance management systems, Google Drive, Dropbox, and LDAP. It's available across Windows, Linux, Mac, Android, and iOS.

Troop Messenger costs from $2.50/user/month. It's worth noting that although it’s a SaaS model, it offers the delivery models of self-hosting, API, and custom application.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.8 101

7-day free trial

From $2.50/user/month

5

Livestorm

Best communication tool for hosting online events

Livestorm is a web-based communication and conferencing platform that enables teams to create a complete video communication strategy.

The tool is geared towards marketing, sales, customer success, or HR teams, and allows teams to create online events for their audiences. Livestorm can accommodate meetings, webinars, conferences, online training courses, podcast interviews, product demos, and more.

The tool is browser-based and teams can access it from a variety of devices. Other notable features include the ability to create custom landing pages; send promotional emails and reminders; host engaging online events with integrated chat, polls, and Q&A functionalities; and analyze event performance through an advanced analytics dashboard.

Livestorm offers a free plan that includes limited functionality, and paid plans start at €89 (~$108 USD).

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.5 418

From € 89/month

Pros

  • Integrates with a variety of apps including HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, and more
  • Advanced dashboard with features for promoting, hosting, and analyzing events
  • Can be used on desktop and mobile without download

Cons

  • Price point is higher than others on this list
  • Performance is dependent on a stable internet connection
6

Blink

Best communication tool for deskless employees

Blink is a communication tool for the unique needs of deskless workers, who, until now, didn’t have the same quality technology as their colleagues in HQ. In just one app, it includes workplace messaging, a social media style company Feed for top-down communications, directory, cloud storage, workplace analytics, polls, and more.

Blink is built around the concept of workplace messaging as the central functionality so peer-to-peer direct messaging, group Chats, and top-down communications via the company Feed, all play an important role. Moderators and admins who post in the company Feed also have the option of turning on and off push notification for each post depending on importance. Blink also features polls, powerful integrations, and digital forms for reporting.

Analytics for admins features prominently through the app: post by post analytics, Org-wide and Team analytics within the Admin Portal, and Hub analytics that measures interactions and adoption within the document storage and reporting section of the app.

Blink is a straight-out-of-the box Saas communication software; no technical knowledge is necessary to get started and to invite colleagues to the platform. Its user-friendly, brandable interface is designed with familiar social media style features (think emojis and like buttons) that encourages engagement from employees—even less tech-savvy ones.

You can use existing integrations with 3rd party systems such as Jira, Trello, Office 365 and G-suite or build new integrations to your existing systems using Blink’s public APIs. Blink supports Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac, and you can access Blink via your browser.

Blink costs from $3.40 user/month. They offer a free 14-day trial and you can book a demo through the homepage.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.6 133

Free demo upon request

From $6.18/user/month

7

Flock

Best for organizing communication using channels

Flock is one of the most robust communication apps, going far beyond a simple messaging system. This communication app stands out with its chat module which is designed to streamline and centralize communication from different groups and across different teams. Going a step beyond “back and forth” communication, Flock enables you to turn messages into useful resources with bookmarks, and convert discussions into tasks.

Flock’s features include video and audio calls, group and individual chats, and an intuitive screen sharing module. It also includes many nice-to-have communication tools, like the ability to create an anonymous poll, share it with your team, and download the results. You can also use tags in conversations to indicate high priority info. Another useful feature is the ability to automatically generate email lists of members in a particular discussion board, allowing you to quickly send out group emails to the right people.

Flock integrations include Trello, Airtable, Paperform, Slack, Asana,GitHub, Facebook Lead Ads, Twitter, Reddit, Evernote, Dropbox, Google Doc and Google Calendar, Office 365, and many more.

Flock costs from $6/user/month and offers a 30-day free trial. They also have a free plan with limited features to get started as well.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.4 198

30-day free trial + free plan available

From $6/user/month

8

Microsoft Teams

Best communication tool for Microsoft users

Microsoft Teams is another trustworthy communication software from a highly competitive developer. MS Teams offers communication services for enterprises of all sizes, and it can stand on par with Slack and popular Slack alternatives.

With its windows-style visuals, MS teams supports the team with live communications, and great threading of past and current data. Video conferencing, messaging, threads, file sharing and screen sharing, everything is there. Even if its push notification system falls a bit behind, integrations with other software like OpsGenie (for routing critical alerts to the right people) make up for it.

MS Teams integrates with the whole MS package, of course, but also with Adobe Creative cloud, Trello, SurveyMonkey, Folly, Wrike, Jira and many, many more. As a communication tool, it integrates with lots of communication channels: email, Google apps, social media platforms, etc. And, of course, it integrates with your essentials on the cloud: Dropbox, Drive and OneDrive.

Microsoft Teams costs from $4/user/month and offers a 30-day free trial as well as a freemium plan with limited features.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.3 12056

30-day free trial + freemium version available

From $4/user/month

9

Zoho Cliq

Best for small enterprises

Cliq, by Zoho, markets itself as an app for smaller enterprises, but their visually beautiful solution for streamlining team communication could be a fit for larger organizations as well. Going beyond the capabilities of employee communication tools, Cliq offers the ability to grant permissions to external guest users, who can easily access and navigate the easy-to-learn app in order to participate in discussions and conferences.

This team communication tool offers audio and video conferencing, private, group and board messages, and a good system for managing both internal and external contacts. Their discussion threading and search is up to standard, and their built-in calendar works well for simple scheduling, though users often like to integrate their own calendar system (such as Google Calendar). In terms of value for the price, Cliq is compelling—with unlimited storage and unlimited video calling, even in the free version.

Cliq by Zoho also integrates with many of the mainstream apps: Appear.in, BitBucket, Box, Meetup, Stack Overflow, Trello, GitLab, Twitter, various email services, Dropbox, and Google Drive.

Zoho Cliq costs from $3.00/user/month.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.3 94

Free trial

From $3/user/month

10

Hive

Best communication tool with email integration

Hive is a robust tool for project management, collaboration, and flexible task coordination. It lets users organize projects in a Gantt chart, Kanban board, table, or calendar, and also easily switch between each layout, depending on the communication style they prefer. Updates are reflected across all project views so the whole team is informed no matter what option they use.

Hive enables users to easily collaborate by sending messages directly to individuals or groups. Need to share a document? Upload it directly to a task, project, or message. Hive’s Forms feature eliminates constant emails and collects all necessary information through simple fill-in-the-blanks.

It’s worth noting that if you’re switching to Hive from another tool, you can import tasks from tools including Asana, Trello, Basecamp, Smartsheet, and a few others. Hive integrates with Google Drive, Salesforce, Jira, Dropbox, Slack, Zoom, One Drive, Box, and more than one thousand other tools through Zapier.

Hive costs from $12/user/month.

This is an aggregated rating for this tool including ratings from Crozdesk users and ratings from other sites.
4.6 414

14-day free trial

From $16/user/month

Need expert help selecting the right Internal Communications Software?

We’ve joined up with Crozdesk.com to give all our readers (yes, you!) access to Crozdesk’s software advisors. Just use the form below to share your needs, and they will contact you at no cost or commitment. You will then be matched and connected to a shortlist of vendors that best fit your company, and you can access exclusive software discounts!

Communication Tools Comparison Chart

Tool Free Option Price
1
monday.com

Best communication tool for project management

14-day free trial + freemium plan available

From $8/user/month (billed annually, min 3 seats) Visit Website
2
Workmates

Best online communication tool with native engagement functionality

Free demo available

From $3.50/user/month Visit Website
3
Wrike

Best communication tool for teams of all sizes

Freemium version available

From $9.80/user/month Visit Website
4
Troop Messenger

Best communication tool with unlimited search history

7-day free trial

From $2.50/user/month Visit Website
5
Livestorm

Best communication tool for hosting online events

Not available

From € 89/month Visit Website
6
Blink

Best communication tool for deskless employees

Free demo upon request

From $6.18/user/month Visit Website
7
Flock

Best for organizing communication using channels

30-day free trial + free plan available

From $6/user/month Visit Website
8
Microsoft Teams

Best communication tool for Microsoft users

30-day free trial + freemium version available

From $4/user/month Visit Website
9
Zoho Cliq

Best for small enterprises

Free trial

From $3/user/month Visit Website
10
Hive

Best communication tool with email integration

14-day free trial

From $16/user/month Visit Website

Other Communication Software You Might Find Useful

There are so many communication tools out there—here are a few good options that we haven’t included in this review. Check them out!

  1. FLEEP

    Best user interface and UX

  2. YAROOMS

    an end-to-end room booking solution that eliminates room scheduling conflicts and supports informed space planning decisions

  3. ProWorkflow

    Best for email and project communication integration

  4. nutcache

    Best for internal team communications

  5. Rocket.Chat

    Best free communication software

  6. Slenke

    Best for built-in task management features

  7. Volley

    Best free video messaging software

  8. Gain

    Best communication tool for social media teams

  9. Pastel

    Best communication tool for website and UX design

  10. Ryver

    Best communication tool for remote teams

How I Picked The Best Communication Tools

I evaluated the tools on this communication software list based on the following criteria:

User Interface (UI)

Does the tool have clear displays and intuitive navigation? This is especially important as tools add more collaboration features. The whole point of these tools is to facilitate effective communication between team members. A bad interface might deter your team from using the chat tools and move to alternatives or not communicate.

Usability

Is this an effective business communication software in that it’s easy to learn and use? Company communication tools should come with supplementary tutorials and training to help employees make the most out of it.

Features & Functionality

How many of the key business communications features and functions does it provide, and how powerful are they? Specifically, I looked for:

  • Messaging: Includes direct messaging, private chat, group chat, threaded discussions, open forums, and team or group-based messaging. Team messaging apps should allow you to upload and share documents. This should all work on a mobile device, too.

  • Threading: The best communication tools have threaded discussions that serve as an easily-searchable record of all communication.

  • Notifications: Whenever a message, call, thread change, or any type of employee communication occurs, the right people need to be notified. The notifications feature should allow you to update your preferences so your notification feed includes relevant updates while minimizing clutter.

  • Video calling: Video chat is a necessary feature for distributed teams, but it’s also a great tool for agencies who need to hold meetings with out-of-town clients. At the minimum, we look for the capacity to make high-quality video calls. Additionally, some business communication solutions support live video feeds and video conferencing with easy guest access.

  • Screen sharing: This is especially important for business communication tools where you’ll be walking clients through your digital product or progress.

Integrations

I look for all the ways in which these tools can connect to others and extend their capabilities. Therefore, I include information on out-of-the-box integrations and third-party software. I also mention ways to build custom integrations, like rest APIs and webhooks.

Pricing

Unless you are a huge enterprise, most of us are price sensitive. Therefore, I mention the price per month on a monthly plan, when available. As part of the pricing information, I also like to include details on free trials, free versions, or even available discounts to help you make informed decisions.

Communication Tools FAQs

Find some of the common questions other people ask about this topic.

What Are Communication Tools?

Communication tools are apps that act as virtual, online meeting rooms for team members, enabling remote team collaboration. They help your team have conversations, exchange vital project data, update others on progress, and share files, making remote work an option for just about every company.

Communication tools include any tool (offline or online) that helps you understand others and be understood. Team or interoffice communication tools include familiar tools like mail, email, and phones, as well as apps and software for web conferencing (Skype), screen sharing, sharing files, group messaging, and collaborative work management.

What Types Of Communication Tools Are Commonly Used In Business?

Common business tools for communication include: document collaboration tools, file sharing tools, chat and messaging tools, knowledge base tools, voice and video conferencing tools, and project management software.

What Are The Best Communication Tools For Small Teams?

We picked these as the best communication tools for small teams because they offer a free plan.

What Are The Best Communication Tools For Agencies?

These are some of the best communication tools for agencies because they offer useful file sharing, management, and user permission control along with standard messaging features: monday.com, Ryver, Fleep, Slenke, Flock, and Teamwork.

What Is Business Communication?

Business communication is a broadly applied term that can include interactive communication like messaging, emails, calls, and meetings as well as aspects of interdepartmental communication, client communication, and even customer management, marketing, and PR.

Why Is Communication Important In Business?

Communication is important in business because healthy relationships are the lifeblood of business—and relationships are built and maintained through communication. The importance of great communication in business can’t be understated!

What are 7 Benefits Of Communication Tools?

Benefits of online communication tools include:

  1. Organizes conversations
  2. Provides context for discussions
  3. Enables asynchronous communication and remote working
  4. Keeps you working in real-time
  5. Minimizes costly mistakes
  6. Enables better management
  7. Boosts accountability

You can find out more about these benefits of communication software below.

If you are in the project managing game, even for just a day, you know the important role that good communication plays within a team. Some of the more robust project management tools out there already include functionality for team communication, but here, we’re exploring the best-in-class tools that specialize in communication. Nowadays, being online and connected with every team member is not a luxury, but a standard—and a good one at that.

In the modern workplace of today, many communication apps are inexpensive (or free)—it’s a no-brainer for agencies, studios, and startups who need to coordinate effort on fast-paced projects performed by distributed teams. In fact, many young companies rely heavily on instant messaging communication apps until they’re ready to scale and upgrade to something more comprehensive.

Communication Tools Buyer's Guide

How do you pick the best communication tools for your team? Let’s talk about what to consider when choosing between communication tools.

What Do You Need Communication Software For?

Are you upgrading from an old communication system and need to import existing data, or are you starting fresh? Also, what are the needs of your team? Consider whether you’re looking at internal communication tools or need software that’s client-facing. If you communicate via video, then consider Slack, or popular Slack alternatives like Flock or Ryver.

What’s The Size Of Your Team?

Getting everyone to use the same app can be hard to do, especially when your team is large and diverse in terms of technical literacy, location, project, etc. Robust tools with different levels of user permissions and guest access, like Microsoft Teams, are a good fit for large, distributed teams.

How Would It Fit Into Your Workflow?

This is often a matter of integration. Make a list of the tools you use to get the projects done. If you already have a collection of time tracking apps, invoicing apps, and others, then consider Fleep or Zoho Cliq, which have a large library of pre-built integrations.  On the other hand, if your toolkit is minimal now but you can see your operations scaling, try out a solution like Slenke, which offers project management and task management features to help out as you scale. Make a list of your integration requirements, and check it twice—and it doesn’t hurt to ask your team members what they use in terms of additional software and what they prefer.

How Long To Set It Up?

Most communication tools are intuitive to use and set up as an online app. However, if you prefer to host on your own servers, that takes a bit more time. Rocket Chat has a professional team to assist you, and Slack is a popular choice with good support. Either way, it depends on data sensitivity and the amount of data traffic your team expects.

What’s The Learning Curve?

Whether you are getting a new communication system or upgrading from an old one, everyone involved needs to get accustomed to the changes. Change management is often made easier with simple-to-use interfaces. 

Teamwork Chat is an example of a visually simple, easy-to-learn tool. Keep in mind that your team isn’t the only one using it—you might have clients or people who are not part of your day-to-day processes needing access to video conferences; if this is the case, make sure there’s an intuitive client portal.

What’s The Cost?

What’s your budget for a communication tool? Investing in communication tools is a good idea, but remember that less is often more—the good news is that many communication tools have a “free forever” version with limited functionality. The free communication tools version may serve your team’s needs just fine, offering all the “must-haves” without being overly complicated with the “nice-to-haves”.

communication tools logos list

What's Next?

As you know, communication in project management does not stop at having a nice tool. Therefore, here is an article on how to build a project communication plan. You can also broaden that scope and check out what are the 9 project controls, besides a communication plan, that you can incorporate into your PM lifecycle to tame the chaos.

By Ben Aston

I’m Ben Aston, a digital project manager and founder of thedpm.com. I've been in the industry for more than 15 years working in the UK at London’s top digital agencies including Dare, Wunderman, Lowe and DDB. I’ve delivered everything from film to CMS', games to advertising and eCRM to eCommerce sites. I’ve been fortunate enough to work across a wide range of great clients; automotive brands including Land Rover, Volkswagen and Honda; Utility brands including BT, British Gas and Exxon, FMCG brands such as Unilever, and consumer electronics brands including Sony.

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2 Comments

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