Top-10 team collaboration software

January 7, 2020
Last updated: January 9, 2020

If you work on a project together with other team members, you definitely have to exchange a lot of messages and emails during the day. And in case your team also consists of remote workers, online communication becomes key to achieving goals and keeping up with the rest of the team. But is the tool you use convenient for the purpose?

Team collaboration software nowadays is a must, as well-organized communication among project participants contributes to the overall work result. Many project management tools already include a platform which can be used for internal communication. But there are also multiple software which is supposed to be used separately and can be integrated into the main tool you use.

How to choose team collaboration software?

There are certain features to look for while choosing project communication software:

  • Choose comprehensive tools. It is most convenient to have all features you need for project management in the same place. And that includes other tools which are connected to planning and organizing a workspace. Your team should have easy access to everything they might need, so either pick a project management software with its own communication system to begin with or look for the possibility to integrate other tools;
  • Seek both for group and private communication. Even though it is important to have public discussions of the project, there definitely should be an ability to chat eye to eye;
  • Test how easy it is to use. Especially if your team is growing fast, every worker should be able to get used to your software quickly. Otherwise your team members will waste time trying to adjust to new tools. Installing a demo version is very helpful in that case;
  • Prefer cloud team collaboration. It is convenient because all data is stored at one place and you have access to it whenever you need.

Best team collaboration tools

We made a list of tools to advise those who are looking for team collaboration software:

  1. Bitrix24
  2. Trello
  3. Asana
  4. Jira
  5. Monday
  6. Podio
  7. Basecamp
  8. Wrike
  9. Freshconnect
  10. Slack


Bitrix24


This is more than just team collaboration and communication tool, as Bitrix24 actually offers a wide variety of features to be used while managing a project. What you get with Bitrix24 are:

It is perfect for agile project management, and can be used both in bigger and smaller teams. As for communication and collaboration, Bitrix24 offers its own messaging system. You can create group chats or text your workers individually. It is also possible to link Bitrix24 to your team emails and set tasks through them. Developers will get an update on their tasks too and a notification will be sent each time changes are made or another task is assigned.

Trello


Trello is regularly used for task management but it is also very convenient when increasing transparency and collaboration among team members. When a board is created, each project participants gets access to it and can alternate it and make updates as the work flows. Users have a great overlook of the project as a whole and can see when a task is stuck or something requires immediate attention.

It is also possible to plan meetings with Trello, as each team member has an opportunity to contribute. With such system all issues will be addressed and each worker will pay attention to the difficulties they face.

If you think that Trello alone doesn’t fulfill your preferences when it comes to collaboration among team members, you can integrate it into other tools you use. For example, if you need a messaging system you can connect it to Slack and if you want to upload files and generally store project data, you can use any online data storage, such as GoogleDrive, together with Trello. You can even integrate Trello into a calendar so that you could have monthly overview of the tasks which need to be completed. Trello also offers various features for team project management.

Asana


This is yet another comprehensive tool for project management which suits various teams and is altogether perfect for implementing agile methodology. What Asana offers is:

  • Planning tasks for a certain term or a sprint in various ways. You can choose what suits you best: a Kanban type board, Gantt chart to track dependencies, a calendar with monthly overview or a daily list of tasks with main priorities;
  • Tracking the most important data which can be used later on to improve the workflow. If you know how much time your teammates need to complete a task or what influences their productivity, you can adjust the work process responsively;
  • Involving each team member into the project. Even though there is a project manager, each worker has the opportunity to make updates on their tasks which allows to keep everyone on the same page about what is going on;
  • Simple interface which makes working with Asana both easy and pleasant. Every team member can have access to what they need immediately.

It is also possible to communicate with your workers as well as with customers using Asana. Even a comment on a task might help, but you can also message a person and have a discussion or even link your email and have all the data about your online correspondence in one place.

Jira


Jira cloud team collaboration tool is another popular option. It can be used for tracking and organizing work inside a team of developers, but also is a great tool to increase collaboration inside a team. As many similar tools, Jira also suggests to use a Scrum or a Kanban board to set goals and control the workflow. Such approach is also great because the team has the opportunity to see the whole project from the inside and actively contribute to its completion.

Other features Jira includes are:

  • Planning the roadmap of a project. If you want to set deadlines, mark connections between assignments as well as get a general plan of a project this feature is perfect for you;
  • Connection to other tools. It is possible to link Jira to other software you use in work. It can both be used to get the most informative overview of the workflow, but also means updates are made in real time;
  • Reports. After you complete a sprint or just as you work on a task you can request a report on several various features. This is how productivity and efficiency can be tracked and adjusted so that better results could be achieved.

Monday.com


If you are looking for a top collaboration and project management tool, Monday.com might satisfy your needs. It is a tool from a variety of visual organization software which means it is extremely simple to use and requires no adaptation period for workers who use it for the first time.

With Monday.com you can:

  • Use templates for work organization. It simplifies organization process and makes it easier to create repeated tasks. But at the same time, as all templates are customizable, you can implement necessary changes and overall create a personalized workspace which would work perfectly for your particular team;
  • Organize and store communication. With Monday.com you won’t lose the data or files you sent to your teammates as nothing of it is deleted and rather is stored for further use;
  • View your project from various angles. You can choose the view you prefer to see your tasks in. Those include basic Kanban board view, timescale, calendar and even a map. You can also sort the tasks according to deadline or priority and see if you missed something important.

Another great feature Monday.com offers is a mobile version. That means you and your workers can keep in touch regardless of the availability of a personal computer or a laptop. It is enough to download a mobile app and log in.

Podio


Another tool for creating centralized work environment and team collaboration enhancement. Podio offers incorporating everything you might need on a daily basis when working on a project in the same place. It has simple yet efficient design which means workers won’t be distracted and will be able to focus on the task and its performance.

With Podio it is possible to visualize your plans and current stages of a project. You also can create elements which will contain all information about a certain task, such as a brief description or a deadline. But it is also possible to have a discussion in the element in case any alterations have to be made.

As a cloud based collaboration tool, Podio allows to exchange files and other data and return to it whenever you need. This means everything you might need in your project is always on hand stored in one place.

It is not required to use Podio from a personal computer. Mobile apps were created as well which makes it much easier to stay in touch with the rest of the team. That means even remotely working developers or just those who had a necessity outside the office can still be organized wherever they are.

Basecamp


Basecamp is a simple and visual team collaboration software which allows to keep all work in the same place. It includes:

  • To-do lists. Keeping the team organized is very important and to-do lists are definitely helpful with that. In Basecamp it is possible to divide each task into a set of subtasks which allows to distribute the work evenly and complete it faster;
  • Calendar overview. You can suggest your team to have a glance of a whole month as it might be a better way of visualizing the work which needs to be done;
  • Group chats. If you need a place to communicate with all of the workers together, Basecamp can definitely offer you a tool to do this. That means there is no need to visit another app or website and get distracted from the work process;
  • Feed. You get a message board which can be used as a social media feed but with the purpose of informing your teammates. This is where necessary updates and notifications can be posted;
  • File storage. Documents and files connected with your project can also be stored in Basecamp. You can reach out to them anytime you need.

Overall Basecamp suggests a well-balanced work environment which is perfect for team collaboration and communication.

Wrike


This platform provides visual work environment software which is used for team collaboration and project management. It is based off a Gantt chart which means not only the work process is visual but all dependencies can be tracked which allows the developers to adjust the work process.

Wrike also allows to automate the work process and eliminate mistakes by setting automatic customizable assignments. At the same time, there is no need to update a task status via email as it can be done in Wrike and seen in real time, so other workers get a full picture immediately.

In case you are constantly facing bottlenecks which prevent your team from completing the work timely, you can track that using Wrike too. If some of your team members get overloaded by tasks while the others have nothing to do, it might ruin the work tempo. But seeing the dependence you can easily fix the issue.

At the same time, as every worker is involved and has a transparent view of every project detail, it becomes much easier for them to understand the overall goal of the project as well as detect the flaws of the workflow and suggest help in the spheres requiring attention.

Freshconnect


With Freshconnect you are constantly plunged into the workflow of your project and don’t miss any detail. You no longer need to switch from tool to tool to provide your co-workers with the necessary context as everything can be stored and shared in the same place. As the updates are implemented immediately, everyone always gets a full picture of the project.

Freshconnect is a comprehensive platform which means you can organize the workflow here, plan the project ahead and store data - all in the same place. But there are also other features which make this tool so attractive.

Here you can find a possibility to perfectly organize communication with team members and inside the team. It is possible to create group chats for various context and purposes, even those where your co-workers can discuss free time activities. But you can also address a person in a face-to-face chat and discuss certain ideas or issues without any intervention. And you can also switch off notifications if you don’t want to be distracted by constant updates.

Freshconnect also allows integration with other platforms. In case you have already used a certain program and don’t want to lose the data while switching to Freshconnect, just link it to your current tool.

Slack


Slack is a great solution for teams which are in need of team collaboration and communication platform. Unlike Trello which mostly has planning and project management tools, Slack is perfect for organizing communication.

In Slack you can:

  • Divide team communication into channels. For example, it can be done according to the task people work on - if they do it together, they will need a space to discuss it;
  • Call your team members. If you find it more convenient to discuss certain things in a voice form of you just need a space for an online meeting, you can use Slack for this purpose as well;
  • Share files. There is no need in creating a separate storage for project related files. You can send them directly to a person, or just drop them in a chat;
  • Search chat history. If you are in need of certain data or files, you can use a chart search to get faster access to it.

What is even more convenient, is the possibility to connect Slack to other of your project management tools. That means you can still create a fully efficient work environment even though Slack doesn’t offer you all the features at once. Just choose other tools you use, integrate them into Slack and use everything your work on productively.

A final word

Just as any project management tools, team collaboration software is a matter of personal choice. If you still are not sure what to choose, it might be best to try a free or demo version of several tools which you find the most appealing. Don’t agree to get software which is lacking features you find important otherwise you won’t be able to organize the work. But definitely give it a go, as team collaboration software is extremely important for teamwork and productivity.

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