Coordinating your team to all be on the same page can be a headache, especially when the everyday workload of a business feels like a towering mountain.
Using a team collaboration tool can shave off a lot of time and stress that comes with managing a team, allowing you to focus on other parts of your business.
In today’s fast paced work environment, choosing the right collaboration tool can be overwhelming. This is why we’ve gathered the necessary information to make your decision a piece of cake.
In this guide, we will show you the top 10 team collaboration tools in 2024 you can use for your business today.
What Is A Team Collaboration Tool?
The workplace can sometimes be a jumbled mess, if your team isn’t on the same page, then your projects can go downhill fast. Whether you’re a small startup or a multinational corporation it’s important to have a cohesive team that is working towards a common goal.
A team collaboration tool is a software that helps everyone see the bigger picture. This allows for projects to get done faster and better.
It not only boosts productivity but also gives employees a sense of purpose within the organization through communication.
Features And Benefits Of A Team Collaboration Tool
There are many different kinds of team collaboration tools, but they essentially all do a similar thing.
Here are the features you can find in most team collaboration tools:
- Shared calendar so all team members can view each others tasks
- Messaging tools for messages, group chats, voice/video calling, and screen sharing
- Sharing and reviewing files from team members
- Assigning due dates, tasks, and reviewing deadlines
Why invest in a team collaboration tool? While we can’t guarantee that it will immediately boost your sales or productivity, we can show you the potential benefits it can provide you and your team.
The benefits of a team collaboration tool include:
- Faster and smoother communication within your team
- Clear exchange of information such as files and project updates
- Increased productivity
- Holds every team member accountable
- Ensures that tasks meet deadlines
How To Choose The Right Team Collaboration Tool
Every team is different. There is no one size fits all approach to finding the right team collaboration tool.
So, how do you know which tool is right for you? Before purchasing consider these questions:
Does it fit my price range?
Make sure your collaboration tool fits your price range. If you run a smaller business, it’s probably better to go with a multi-purpose tool instead of a feature specific tool.
Is the software easy to use?
As a business owner, the last thing you want to see is chaos and confusion among your team members. The tool you choose should be easy to navigate and simple to integrate into your team.
Can it integrate with other tools?
No tool can cover everything. Make sure you purchase a collaboration tool that seamlessly integrates with any other tools or software your team uses.
Does it meet my team’s needs?
Every team needs a way of communicating. And most tools have those features; however, not every tool can meet your department-specific needs.
Top 10 Team Collaboration Tools
We’ve done the research. We know the material. We’ve even integrated some of these tools into our own team.
Here is a list of the best team collaboration tools we’ve found:
1. CoSchedule Marketing Suite
Best for: Project management
The CoSchedule Marketing Suite is a great software for assigning and sharing workload with team members. We use this cross-functional collaboration tool to view projects and campaigns across all departments, from marketing to engineering.
This software is designed to integrate seamlessly with software such as Zapier, Slack, HubSpot, and many more. We personally use the Marketing Suite to integrate Google Drive, WordPress, and Active Campaign.
Here are CoSchedules key features:
- Team view that gives an overview of everyone’s tasks and projects
- Task assigning and managing
- Approval workflows to ensure projects are up-to-par
- Request form features
- Digital Asset Management to centralize finished projects and files
2. Asana
Best for: project management
Asana is a team collaboration and project management tool that shows an overview of the entire project cycle and a map of what everyone is doing. Many of its users enjoy its flexibility in task management and workflow design.
This is a great tool for any company big or small due to its multi-departmental capabilities and easy user interface.
Asana is also known to be a significant tool if a good chunk of your team works remote.
Here are some of the features that Asana is praised for:
- Easy-to-use interface
- Messaging features such as direct messaging, screen recording, conferencing, and group chats
- Monitoring team workflows, tasks, and project progress
- Integrations with platforms such as Gmail, Slack, and Zapier
- Resource managing to plan timelines and workloads
3. Slack
Best for: Communication
This is our favorite tool for communicating with team members. We use it to keep everyone in-the-know and communicate with each other to meet objectives.
Slack also allows you to make different channels for anything from important company updates to simple birthday celebrations.
Slack does not specialize in project management, so most companies integrate it with other tools specific to project management. Luckily, Slack is cheap so paying for it along with other software isn’t going to break your wallet.
Here are some of Slack’s most popular features:
- Note taking
- Information sharing features like canvases
- Managing tasks and projects
- Voice and video conferencing tools
- Direct messaging and group chats
- Customizable channels for specific topics
4. Trello
Best for: Project management
Companies enjoy using Trello for its ability to give a good overview of projects and tasks. Organizing information such as Kanban-style boards, lists, and cards is Trello’s speciality.
Trello’s interface is less complex and pricing plans are cheaper than other project management options. Many of its users are business owners, but a lot of them are also non-business owners who use it for everyday tasks and projects. So, you won’t have a problem training your employees how to use it.
With that being said, if you want something more advanced you may want to consider a different software.
Here is a list of Trello’s most popular features:
- Kanban boards for better workflow
- Lists and cards
- Attachments and file sharing
- Assigning projects and due dates
5. Zapier
Best for: Building internal tools
Zapier is a good tool for automating tasks and improving your workflow. This software centralizes your project updates so that all team members know what’s going on.
Customers enjoy using Zapier for its plugin abilities and integrations. Remarkably, Zapier integrates with over 7,000 other software and applications such as Google Forms, Hubspot, and Notion.
We highly recommend Zapier if you are looking for a project management software that can easily integrate with other applications.
Here is a list of Zapier’s key features:
- Vast array of integration features
- Simple user interface
- Task managing and assigning
- Automated task creation
6. Microsoft Teams
Best for: Project management and file sharing
Microsoft Teams is a team collaboration tool that is mainly used for communicating and file sharing.
Microsoft Teams is a workspace within Microsoft 365 so it integrates seamlessly with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, SharePoint, and Outlook. It can also integrate with 3rd party applications such as Trello, Zoom, 1Password, and Adobe Creative Cloud.
If your team isn’t familiar with Microsoft applications, then you can use Google Drive as an alternative. It is essentially the same thing but Drive uses Google’s services.
Here are some of the core features of Microsoft Teams:
- Integrated with Microsoft 365 including all of its applications
- Direct messaging and group chats
- Video conferencing and webinars
- File storage and sharing
7. Notion
Best for: Note taking
Notion is an all-in-one solution made specifically for scheduling tasks and reminders, managing files, and saving documents. This is a great tool if you are looking for a simple way to organize and centralize your work.
Notion integrates with other databases such as Docs, Wikis, and Notes, so you can pull your ideas and put them together in Notion.
However, Notion does not allow for communication besides commenting on other’s notes. If this is a must have feature, we recommend using a 3rd party such as Slack.
In all, if you are looking for a cheap, easy-to-use solution that strictly organizes you and your team’s ideas, you should consider using Notion.
Here is a list of Notion’s vast array of features:
- Flexible, easy-to-use interface
- Create goals, tasks, timelines, and due dates
- Kanban boards to show task status
- AI autofill and writing
- Integrated with Docs, Wikis, and Notes
8. Zoom
Best for: Video conferencing and screen sharing
Zoom is a high quality video conferencing application that works great when you need to communicate face-to-face with your team members.
Zoom took off during the pandemic lockdowns in 2020 due to its reliability, quality, and reach. Whether your team members are local or live halfway across the globe, this platform delivers high resolution video chatting and screen sharing.
This software is free and easy to use. You can purchase it without buyers remorse because your team members won’t have issues learning its interface.
Here is a list of Zoom’s best features:
- Video and audio conferencing
- Screen sharing, file sharing, and chatting within the meeting group
- Webinars across mobile, desktop, and conference room systems
- Start/join meetings from any location with internet connection
9. Monday.com
Best for: Project management
Monday.com is a project management tool that provides features such as Kanban boards, task overviews and assignments, and seeing the overall process of your projects.
Customers enjoy its ability to seamlessly integrate with 3rd party software such as Zoom, Gmail, and Slack.
Monday has a slight learning curve, but once you get used to it, it’s easy to use for any team member even if they’re not tech-savvy.
Here are Monday.com’s core features:
- Plan timelines and manage tasks
- Track project progress and deadlines
- Easily integrate with other softwares
- Customizable workflow templates
10. Jira
Best for: Project management
Jira is a project management software that works well as a workflow tool. It has Scrum and Kanban boards, timelines, and insights that are designed to keep your work moving at a consistent rate.
Jira also allows for 3rd party integrations such as Slack, Figma, and Github so that you can access real-time data and accurate information.
It is important to note that this tool was designed specifically for IT and software development teams; however, it can be used for teams in other departments as well.
That being the case, Jira is a bit more complicated collaboration tool than some of the other options in this top 10. If you are looking for something with an easy user interface, then this is not the software you are looking for.
Here are some of Jira’s substantial features:
- Manage tasks, projects, deadlines, and goals
- List view to update, sort, and prioritize
- Calendars and timelines to view projects
- Integrate 3rd party applications
In all, team collaboration tools are proven effective in maximizing productivity and communication.
However, finding a good software tool can be tough. Choosing the right collaboration tool ultimately depends on your team’s specific needs.
Whether your team consists of a few people or hundreds of people, the tools listed above offer a range of features to help your team stay connected and productive.