Work together more efficiently and be more productive with full-featured online collaboration software. There are some attractive options on the market, so keep reading and discover our top 6 choices for 2023.

Workplace collaboration is essential to maximize productivity and get the most out of your team. Teams that don’t work together simply aren’t as productive as those that do. Using a high-quality employee collaboration tool helps you bring your team members together by streamlining internal communications, setting clear targets, and implementing efficient workflows. 

Collaboration tools are especially important for dispersed teams with employees working in multiple locations. Even simple features like instant messaging and employee task management can help you build a more cohesive, collaborative team. And thanks to the beautiful thing that is cloud-based software, team members can collaborate on documents and other files in real time. 

In this guide, we take a closer look at 6 of the best employee collaboration tools and what you should think about when choosing one.  

If you don’t have the time to read through our research, jump down to our quick comparison table.

Our Top Picks

  1. Best all-in-one collaboration tool

    Learn more

  2. Good for integrations with third-party platforms

  3. Good for unified communications

What to Look For in a Online Collaboration Tool

When researching digital tools for collaboration, look for the following key features:

  • Real-time employee chat: With a built-in team chat tool like Connecteam’s, team members can communicate quickly and easily. They can provide project updates, ask and answer questions, and more. 
  • Company newsfeed: Post updates and announcements to your entire team so you don’t have to spend time messaging team members individually. 
  • Project management tools: Features like project timelines, Kanban boards, and Gantt charts enable managers to carefully plan each project. Good project management helps employees collaborate better by providing a clear picture of what’s involved with each job.  
  • File sharing: The ability to instantly share documents and other files streamlines the collaboration process by making information immediately accessible to relevant employees. Connecteam integrates file sharing with its team chat tool to make things even easier. 
  • Document collaboration: Enables team members to collaborate on the same document from different devices. Look for features like real-time collaborative editing, commenting, autosave, version control, and edit tracking. 
  • Knowledge management: Give all employees access to important documents, such as collaboration best practices, to help your team members work together more effectively. 
  • Company directory: An easily accessible list of employee contact information facilitates communication between team members. This is especially useful when one team member needs to collaborate with someone from a different department or location. 
  • Real-time reporting: Reports and insights help you analyze the success of your collaboration efforts. This way, you can swiftly make changes to company workflows where necessary. 
  • Mobile app: So your team can collaborate from anywhere, at any time.

The 6 Best Online Collaboration Tools of 2023

  1. Connecteam — Best all-in-one collaboration tool

    Available on

    Construction communication app

    Connecteam is the best team collaboration tool on the market, and it’s backed by a range of extra features like an employee time clock and shift scheduling tools. It also boasts a user-friendly interface, a full-featured mobile app, and competitive prices. 

    Let’s take a closer look at just what Connecteam has to offer. 

    Built-in communication tools for real-time collaboration

    Connecteam’s built-in communication tools center around its team chat. You can create secure group or one-on-one chats to communicate and share information with your employees in real time. Connecteam also lets you share photos, videos, files, and more in messages. 

    Chats never leave the app, and Connecteam gives managers full control over user permissions. 

    What’s more, you can configure mobile alerts and push notifications to ensure you and your employees don’t miss important updates. The team chat is even fully integrated with Connecteam’s other features.

    In addition to its in-app chat, Connecteam has a company newsfeed you can use to share organization-wide announcements and updates. You’re able to schedule automated and targeted posts, enable or disable comments on messages, and see who has viewed your posts.

    Seamless file sharing to save time and effort

    You and your team members can securely share files with each other using the team chat too. In addition, you can upload and store important documents in the knowledge center so they’re available at any time and to a wider group of employees.

    You can also create access controls and permissions to ensure employees can only access files that are relevant to their positions. All stored documents are fully encrypted and secured in line with industry standards and privacy regulations.   

    Versatile project management tools to keep your jobs running smoothly

    Connecteam offers numerous project management tools to help your employees work together more efficiently. For example, the job timeline is available for relevant team members to view, and it can help them ‌understand their roles and who they need to work with. 

    With Connecteam’s free task management software, you can assign create and assign jobs to teams and individual team members in seconds. You’re able to add descriptions, checklists, files, images, due dates, and more to each task as well. Send push notifications reminding employees to complete tasks and request progress updates in real time. 

    There’s also a task-specific communication channel so conversations stay on topic.

    Schedule collaborating employees in a snap 

    Connecteam offers a number of employee scheduling features. You can create and publish open shifts that any employee can claim, or assign shifts based on qualifications and availability. With Connecteam’s drag-and-drop scheduling tool, you can assign collaborating employees to the same shift or job site and ensure qualified employees are available for specialized jobs. 

    You’re also able to add tasks to specific shifts so employees know what they need to work on each day.

    Connecteam will notify employees when new schedules are posted and when any changes have been made to their schedules. Team members can even request to swap shifts with coworkers. You’re able to review these requests directly from the Connecteam app.

    A company directory so you can contact anyone in seconds

    There’s also a company directory that enables you to store important contact and other information about employees, clients, suppliers, and other relevant parties. For added privacy and security, you can set access permissions and select which employees are able to view certain information.

    Employees can use the directory to contact other employees via email, text, phone call, or Connecteam’s in-app chat. This makes collaboration super straightforward, especially when combined with integrated features like file sharing and job scheduling. Team members can even specify their preferred contact hours. 

    Real-time reporting to help you monitor team collaboration

    Along with its team collaboration tools, Connecteam offers comprehensive analytics and reporting features. You can access real-time data about who’s on the clock, how jobs are progressing, and whether or not employees have seen important updates. 

    These insights can help you understand how well your team is collaborating. You can use this information to improve workflows and tweak collaboration procedures to boost your overall business productivity. 

    An attractive mobile app and much more

    You can access all these features in Connecteam’s mobile app. It’s very user-friendly, so your team won’t need to overcome a learning curve to get familiar with it.

    Connecteam also offers various features for HR, communications, and operations. For example, its onboarding features enable you to add training materials, induct employees, and track the entire onboarding process. Connecteam’s time clock is another standout feature. It’s accurate down to the second and comes with GPS and geolocation functionality. 

    Connecteam is one of the most affordable options on the market as well, with prices starting at $29 per month for up to 30 users. There’s also a free-forever plan for teams of up to 10 and a free trial you can use to give Connecteam a try. 

    Key Features

    Pros

    • Intuitive and easy to use

    • Enables real-time collaboration

    • Attractive free plan for small teams

    • Numerous collaboration features

    Cons

    • No video conferencing yet

    Pricing

    Free-for-life plan availablePremium plans start at $29/month for 30 users

    14-day free trial, no credit card required

    Start your free trial

  2. Asana — Good for integrations with third-party platforms

    Available on

    • Web
    • iOS
    • Android
    Screenshot of the Asana webpage

    Asana has collaboration features that teams can use to improve their teamwork efforts. Employers can set up automatic workflows with the project management tools, take advantage of project visualization features, and create and assign tasks to team members. 

    There are third-party integrations available. These include Google Drive (including Google Docs), Microsoft Teams, and Slack. Asana also has in-app communication, task comments, and file sharing. 

    One disadvantage is that Asana lacks some of the features similar programs have, including an employee time clock and shift scheduling. It’s also a rather pricey option. 

    Learn more about Asana

    Key Features

    • Project management
    • Third-party integrations
    • Employee messaging
    • File sharing

    Pros

    • Decent project management features
    • Integrations are easy to configure

    Cons

    • Lacks some features
    • Quite expensive compared to some alternatives

    Pricing

    Starts at $10.99/user/month Trial: No Free Plan: Yes — Up to 15 people

  3. CA Flowdock by Broadcom — Good for unified communications

    Available on

    • Web
    • Windows
    • Mac
    Screenshot of the CA Flowdock by Broadcom webpage

    Flowdock’s collaboration software includes various communications features. Users have access to remote messaging functionality, and all conversations can be viewed from a central dashboard. 

    Team members can view email conversations, feeds, alerts, and more in one place through the central communications dashboard. Notifications can be configured and there’s a small number of integrations. Users can share files within the app as well.

    However, Flowdock lacks project management, document collaboration, or any other tools that could help teams work together more efficiently. 

    Learn more about CA Flowdock by Broadcom

    Key Features

    • Consolidated communication
    • In-app chat
    • Third-party integrations
    • File sharing

    Pros

    • Comes with instant notifications and alerts
    • Decent level of customization available

    Cons

    • No project management features
    • No document collaboration

    Pricing

    Starts at $3/user/month Trial: Yes — 30-day Free Plan: Yes — Up to 5 users

  4. Proofhub — Good for project management

    Available on

    • Web
    • iOS
    • Android
    Screenshot of the Proofhub webpage

    ProofHub has a focus on project management—with a little communication on the side. Employers can use internal messaging, team chat, and configurable alerts and notifications to keep their teams collaborating efficiently. 

    ProofHub’s project management features include Gantt charts, a calendar view, and Kanban boards. Employers can use these to plan job schedules and organize daily workflows. ProofHub also has file sharing, custom roles and access controls, and task management. 

    However, ProofHub has limited reporting functionality and only a few third-party integrations. 

    Learn more about Proofhub

    Key Features

    • Project management
    • Task management
    • Internal messaging
    • File sharing

    Pros

    • Decent project management tools
    • Some calendar integrations

    Cons

    • Limited integrations
    • Limited reporting functionality

    Pricing

    Starts at $45/month Trial: Yes — 14-day Free Plan: No

  5. Hive — Good for visual collaboration

    Available on

    • Web
    • iOS
    • Android
    Screenshot of the Hive webpage

    Employers can use Hive’s internal chat and video conferencing to encourage collaboration among their employees. Hive Notes is a collaborative tool that team members can work on together, and it integrates with the meeting manager. 

    Employers can invite temporary users and guests to collaborate on specific projects. There are also various project management features, including a project visualization tool, Kanban views, and Gantt charts. Features like the time clock, integrations, and reporting tools add extra functionality.

    Hive is one of the pricier options on the market, and larger businesses can expect a significant monthly bill. 

    Learn more about Hive

    Key Features

    • Internal chat
    • Video conferencing
    • Collaborative notes
    • Project management tools

    Pros

    • User-friendly mobile app
    • Decent number of integrations

    Cons

    • Quite an expensive option
    • Limited edit tracking on collaborative documents

    Pricing

    Starts at $16/user/month Trial: Yes Free Plan: Yes

  6. Microsoft 365 — Good for anyone who uses Microsoft apps

    Available on

    • Web
    • iOS
    • Android
    • Windows
    • Mac
    Screenshot of the Microsoft 365 webpage

    A Microsoft 365 subscription provides access to a selection of Microsoft apps, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, and Microsoft Teams. Employers can communicate with their employees through the Teams app. It includes team chat, calling, and video conferencing tools. 

    Team members can work together on documents (Word), spreadsheets (Excel), and presentations (PowerPoint). They all offer collaborative editing, comments, and edit tracking. Shared files can be stored and accessed by the relevant employees with OneDrive’s centralized file storage hub. 

    Learn more about Microsoft 365

    Key Features

    • Team chat
    • Audio and video calling
    • Document collaboration
    • File sharing

    Pros

    • Decent selection of tools
    • Has desktop apps

    Cons

    • No free plan
    • Some features are web-only

    Pricing

    Starts at $6/user/month Trial: Yes Free Plan: No

Compare the Best Online Collaboration Tools

Topic Start for free
Reviews
4.8
4.5
4
4.6
4.5
4.6
Pricing
Starts at just $29/month for the first 30 users
Starts at $10.99/user/month
Starts at $3/user/month
Starts at $45/month
Starts at $16/user/month
Starts at $6/user/month
Free Trial
yes
14-day
no
yes
30-day
yes
14-day
yes
yes
Free Plan
yes
Free Up to 10 users
yes
Up to 15 people
yes
Up to 5 users
no
yes
no

What Are Collaboration Tools?

Online collaboration tools are platforms that help teams work together more efficiently on specific jobs or projects. Most are available through web and mobile apps, which means they can be used on the go. 

Collaboration apps are perfect for remote work or for teams with employees working in numerous locations. Features like internal messaging, file sharing, and project management can help individuals collaborate efficiently. Furthermore, many platforms include real-time insights that can help you understand how well your employees are working together. 

How Do Collaboration Tools Work?

The best collaboration software uses cloud technology to deliver various tools to help employees work together more efficiently. For example, collaborative documents can be edited by multiple people at once, regardless of their location. Team chat and other communication features ensure that all employees are up to date with any recent developments. And project management tools ensure everyone understands their responsibilities in completing tasks.

Employees can use collaboration tools to interact with their fellow team members in a faster, more efficient way. Managers can set up mobile alerts and push notifications to ensure important messages are never missed. Task and project management tools can help employees understand what’s expected of them and how they should be working with their peers. 

Meanwhile, employers can use collaboration tools to improve communication and productivity within the workplace. They can also use project management tools to track the progress of tasks and assign specific employees to collaborate on specific tasks.

The Benefits of Collaboration Tools

Improve communication with user-friendly software

Using collaboration tools with internal messaging and other communication features can dramatically improve your internal comms. A built-in messenger with one-on-one and team chat functionality enables team members to speak with each other about work-related matters in real time.

Enhance productivity by managing jobs more effectively

Most collaboration software comes with project and task management tools. With these, employees can understand exactly what’s required of them. This way, they can be more productive and work together more efficiently to complete jobs. 

Increase team engagement

Using collaboration tools that encourage employees to work together is a great way to increase employee engagement. Team members are made to feel like they’re an important part of your company when they get to collaborate with their colleagues in a streamlined, hassle-free manner. 

Lower costs due to more efficient collaboration

When your employees work together more efficiently, they’ll complete jobs faster and with fewer errors. This can help you save money on both labor costs and the cost of fixing preventable mistakes. 

Manage resources better

Collaboration tools can help you manage company resources better by improving your overall efficiency. Scheduling the right employees to work together on the right jobs can help you save a significant amount of time. Plus, understanding exactly what each project involves can help you minimize waste and prevent overutilization. 

How Much Do Collaboration Tools Cost?

Most team collaboration tools use a per-user pricing system, which can add up fast and become expensive for larger teams. For example, Asana costs $10.99/user/month, Hive starts at $16/user/month, and Microsoft 365 starts at $6/user/month. Flowdock is more affordable at $3/user/month—but this would still come to $150 per month for a team of 50 people. 

Connecteam delivers top-quality digital tools for collaboration at an affordable price. It starts at $29 per month for up to 30 users, plus $0.50 per month for each additional team member. For a team of 50 people, Connecteam would cost just $39 per month. 

Even better, Connecteam has a Small Business Plan that’s absolutely free for up to 10 users. 

FAQs

Which is the best collaboration tool?

Connecteam is a leading employee collaboration solution. It has internal communications features like in-app chat, a company newsfeed, and task management tools. Its project management tools are also great for promoting a collaborative workplace. Plus, Connecteam has loads of other features like an employee time clock and shift scheduling tools. 

What is an example of a collaboration tool?

Connecteam is a great example of what a good online collaboration tool should be. Collaborative efforts begin with Connecteam’s built-in team communication tools, which include internal chat and a company activity feed. There are also project management, task management, and file-sharing tools to help teams collaborate effectively. 

What makes a good collaboration tool?

A good collaboration tool should have communication features, file-sharing capabilities, and some sort of task or project management tools. It should also be user-friendly and accessible to all employees, have solid security, and include analytics and reporting. 

The Bottom Line On Online Collaboration Tool

Using online collaboration tools can help team members work together more efficiently. For the best experience, choose a collaboration platform with solid internal communication tools, document collaboration, file sharing, and project management features. 

Connecteam is the best collaboration tool on the market. It has secure integrated messaging to keep your employees connected, project management to help you schedule jobs efficiently, and file sharing to help team members collaborate on documents and other files. 

What’s more, Conecteam is a super affordable option. There’s a free-for-life plan for small businesses and paid plans that start as low as $29 per month for teams of up to 30. 

Sign up for a free trial today and see how Connecteam can make it easier for your employees to work together.