Amid the current work-from-home scenario due to the pandemic, the demand for online project collaboration tools is higher than ever. And this is not surprising, considering the need for cultivating a collaborative workspace to ensure smooth-flowing projects.
While collaboration may seem easy to put into effect, for some, it is the hardest to put into practice. A few challenges that an organization may face due to poor collaboration include:
- Negative employee mindset
- Developing trust within the team
- Lack of productivity
- Lack of team alignment
These are common challenges that hinder project management, throwing team collaboration off the window.
A project collaboration tool can help project managers ease team collaboration and meet tight deadlines hassle-free. After all, seamless collaboration is what ties all parts of a project together.
In this blog, we’ll explore the best project collaboration tools that promise real-time collaboration so that team members can connect with each other and achieve more together.
What is a Project Collaboration Tool?
A project collaboration tool offers a space where team members can connect with each other effortlessly. One can schedule projects and ensure that everyone is on the same page. Using such online collaboration tools helps discuss tasks and address roadblocks instantly. This helps maximize team efficiency and improve overall productivity to enable a smooth-flowing project.
A Quick Look at Top Project Collaboration Softwares & Their Key Features
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Software |
Key Features |
Pricing |
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ProProfs Project
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Slack |
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Trello |
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Asana |
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Redbooth |
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Troop Messenger
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Google Drive |
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Monday.com |
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Airtable |
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Chanty |
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Flock |
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Basecamp
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GoToMeeting
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Evernote |
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Microsoft Teams |
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Facebook Workplace |
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Teamwork |
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Notion |
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Jira |
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Miro |
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List of Best 20 Project Collaboration Tools
With so many project collaboration tools at your disposal, it can be hard to select a tool that fulfills your unique project and team requirements.
But, don’t worry. We have gone through a long list of online collaboration tools, studied them in detail, and have come up with this narrowed-down list to help you zero in on the best project collaboration software that will benefit your team and help deliver projects faster.
1. ProProfs Project
ProProfs is one of the best online collaboration software for inspiring teamwork. With collaborative features such as instant messaging, task comments, and file sharing, you can get things done faster and better. The tool offers alerts and notifications that let your team members stay on the same page from anywhere and anytime. Besides, its interactive project views such as Gantt chart, Kanban board, and Calendar view provide real-time project progress of all your projects on the go.
Features:
- Instant messaging and task comments
- Seamless file-sharing ability
- Multiple project views such as Gantt chart and Kanban board
- AI-powered reports to get rich insights into project progress
- Automation capabilities for recurring tasks
- Real-time alerts and notifications
- Task scheduling and prioritization
- Time and milestone tracking
| Pros | Cons |
| 1. Seamless team collaboration with solid collaboration features | 1. Limited third-party integrations |
| 2. Powerful project reports & analytics | 2. Short trial period of 15 days |
| 3. Real-time Project status with project views | |
| 4. Task management capabilities | |
| 5. Effortless workflow customization |
Pricing: Basic plan starts from $2 per month for 1 user.
Best suited for: Small and large teams.
2. Slack
If you’re looking to improve team collaboration, Slack is your best bet. This online project collaboration tool helps bring teams together to plan, schedule, and manage multiple projects on a single platform. It offers cross-functional collaboration so that your team members can connect easily with each other across teams and departments.
Features:
- Pinned messages
- Shared channels
- Screen sharing
- Polling capabilities
- Video calling
| Pros | Cons |
| 1. Easy tool navigation | 1. Limited storage |
| 2. Document tracking & management | 2. Comments get deleted within 14 days |
| 3. Advanced search modifiers | 3. No calendar integration |
Pricing:
Free – $0
Pro – $2.67/month
Business+ – $5/month
Enterprise Grid – Contact for queries
Best suited for: Enterprise level
Read More: 19 Best Software for Remote Team Collaboration
3. Trello
Trello is an excellent project collaboration software. It offers a collaboration board that allows team members to easily visualize, track, and manage projects. It helps organize your projects into boards so that you can analyze progress on the go.
Features:
- Progress meter checklist
- File attachments
- Drag and drop editing
- Advanced checklists
- Unlimited power-ups
| Pros | Cons |
| 1. Impressive project visualization | 1. No offline task management |
| 2. Automation capabilities | 2. Can get clunky to use for complex projects |
| 3. Detailed & quick card overviews | 3. Limited storage |
Pricing:
Basic – $0
Premium – $13.49/user/month
Business – $30.49/user/month
Best suited for: Large teams, enterprise-level
4. Asana
Asana makes collaboration easier for your teams by providing them a space where they can coordinate their efforts to stay in sync with each other. This helps manage tasks better and deliver projects within the defined deadline and budget. The tool lets you customize workflows to suit the unique project and team needs.
Features:
- Project views
- Insightful reporting
- Team management
- Third-party integrations
- Task prioritization
| Pros | Cons |
| 1. Workflow customization | 1. No time tracking |
| 2. Activity feeds | 2. Limited assignments |
| 3. Customizable dashboard | 3. Unable to assign multiple assignees to tasks |
Pricing:
Basic – $0
Premium – $13.49/user/month
Business – $30.49/user/month
Best suited for: Small teams
5. Redbooth
Redbooth offers a collaboration platform that lets you manage multiple projects across the enterprise. It allows you to forecast planning and measure real-time progress toward goals. Using this software, you can share the team workload and deliver projects sooner than expected.
Features:
- Shared workspaces
- Mobile-friendly
- One-click voice calls
- Powerful reports
- Progress tracking
| Pros | Cons |
| 1. Multi-level project reporting | 1. Poor milestone tracking |
| 2. Mobile-friendly work management | 2. Inadequate chat features |
| 3. Progress tracking on the go | 3. Poor dashboard navigation |
Pricing:
Pro – $12/user/month
Business – $18.75/user/month
Enterprise – Available on request
Best suited for: Enterprise level
6. Troop Messenger
For seamless office chat features that help speed up coordination, Troop messenger is a one-stop solution. It offers an organized space that allows you to work the smart way with solid team collaboration equipped with features such as instant messaging and audio-video calling. It also offers seamless vendor collaboration by bringing your clients, customers, and vendors together to discuss work in real-time.
Features:
- Unlimited group chats
- Instant messaging
- Audio messaging and calling
- Screen sharing
- Remote desktop control
| Pros | Cons |
| 1. Sync conversations & files | 1. No meeting recording ability |
| 2. Single office chat interface | 2. Limited third-party integration |
| 3. Voice-video calling | 3. Lagging issues |
Pricing:
Premium – $1.01/user/month
Enterprise – $3.03/user/month
Superior – $6.72/user/month
Best suited for: Large teams, enterprise level
7. Google Drive
Google Drive is an all-in-one collaboration software. It lets you manage and share multiple files on the go. Whether you wish to collaborate on documents, presentations, or spreadsheets, it offers you the best platform to edit and store all your data in one secure place.
Features:
- Shared drives
- Data loss prevention
- Offline access
- Drag and drop uploads
- Starred folders
| Pros | Cons |
| 1. Easy-to-access platform | 1. Limit on file size for single-day upload |
| 2. Stores data in a safe & secure place | 2. No offline access |
| 3. Edit & share files on the go | 3. Third-party integrations can be improved |
Pricing:
Business Starter – $1.71/user/month
Business Standard – $9.21/user/month
Business Plus – $17.27/user/month
Enterprise – Available on request
Best suited for: Small teams, large teams
Read More: How Project Collaboration Software Minimize Problems in Creative Collaboration
8. Monday.com
Monday.com is an all-in-one collaboration project management software. With its easy navigation, it allows team members to collaborate on multiple projects simultaneously. It is a versatile tool that lets you create smarter workflows to coordinate team efforts in the most efficient manner.
Features:
- Instant messaging
- Document sharing
- Gantt charts and Kanban boards
- Insightful reports
- Resource management
| Pros | Cons |
| 1. Custom workflows | 1. Mediocre time tracking ability |
| 2. Easy-to-use automations | 2. Poor task scheduling capabilities |
| 3. Time tracking ability | 3. Poor search results functionality |
Pricing:
Individual – $0
Basic – $24/month
Standard – $30/month
Pro – $48/month
Enterprise – Available on request
Best suited for: Large teams
Read More: Team Collaboration Strategies You Need to Adopt Right Now
9. Airtable
One of the best online collaboration tools, Airtable offers a collaborator field that lets you select one or more team members’ names from an automatically generated list. It instantly notifies the team members so that they can get started on the assigned task immediately. The tool also offers ready-to-use professionally designed templates so that you can create your base and get started within minutes.
Features:
- Comments and @mentioning
- In-app notifications
- Customized views
- Sort and rearrange records
- Tags and keywords
| Pros | Cons |
| 1. Effective task delegation | 1. Long learning curve |
| 2. Personally-crafted views | 2. Poor automation capabilities |
| 3. Document and resource management | 3. Mobile app is not easy-to-use |
Pricing:
Free – $0
Plus – $12/user/month
Pro – $24/user/month
Enterprise – Available on request
Best suited for: Large teams
10. Chanty
Chanty lets you upgrade team collaboration to the next level. Its feature-rich dashboard provides a better way to work with built-in task management capabilities. Interestingly, it allows you to turn any message into a task for smarter collaboration among team members.
Features:
- Discussion threads
- Video conferencing
- One-on-one audio calls
- Public and private conversations
- Screen sharing
| Pros | Cons |
| 1. Praise-worthy task management | 1. Limited integrations |
| 2. Seamless group video calls | 2. Project views are not interactive |
| 3. Calendar management | 3. Lacks advanced customizations |
Pricing:
Free – $0
Business – $3/user/month
Best suited for: Small teams
Read More: What is a Project Collaboration Software & Why it is Important for Your Organization
11. Flock
Flock, equipped with team messaging and screen sharing, supports effortless team collaboration. Boasting a simple and intuitive dashboard, it is suitable for businesses of all sizes. Moreover, you can create a separate channel for anything for holding discussions anywhere and anytime.
Features:
- Shared to-do’s and notes
- Drag and drop file sharing
- Group messaging
- Polls and reminders
- Voice notes
| Pros | Cons |
| 1. Team chat | 1. Poor task management |
| 2. Channel messaging | 2. Difficult search functionality |
| 3. Seamless file sharing | 3. Messaging limit is at 10,000 messages only |
Pricing: Basic plan starts at $0 per month for 20 users
Best suited for: Enterprise level
12. Basecamp
Basecamp is one of the best online tools for seamless collaboration across teams and departments. It powers team members to schedule and manage tasks right from the tool’s dashboard. This remote work software is a respite for staying on track and delivering projects on time, regardless of where team members are working from.
Features:
- Group chat
- To-do lists
- Message board
- Automatic-check ins
- File management
| Pros | Cons |
| 1. Task management capabilities | 1. No time tracking |
| 2. Built-in automation | 2. No Gantt charts |
| 3. Multi-device functionality | 3. Lacks task dependencies |
Pricing:
Starter – $0
Enterprise – Available on request
Pro – $2.67/user/month
Best suited for: Small teams
Read More: How People Interact – Collaboration Made Easy
13. GoToMeeting
GoToMeeting is a secure and reliable video conferencing software. It allows team members to connect face-to-face and address roadblocks on the go. Thus, team members can engage with fellow team members and stay connected no matter where they are.
Features:
- One-click video recording
- Screen sharing
- Meeting scheduler
- Group live chat
- HD video conferencing
| Pros | Cons |
| 1. Video conferencing | 1. Needs good internet bandwidth for seamless functioning |
| 2. Virtual whiteboard | 2. Not Affordable |
| 3. Great video & sound quality | 3. Frequent bugs |
Pricing:
Basecamp Personal – $0
Basecamp Business – $99/month
Best suited for: Large teams
14. Evernote
Evernote is a solid team collaboration software that provides a platform for making notes that can be accessed by other team members via a notebook. This allows your team members to share insights on project progress and stay on the same page effortlessly. Also, you can decide who can edit notes.
Features:
- Sync and organize notes
- Document scanning
- Calendar integration
- 24/7 access
- Web clipper
| Pros | Cons |
| 1. Dedicated spaces & notebooks | 1. Limited offline access |
| 2. Go paperless with document scanning feature | 2. Limited cloud storage |
| 3. Attach photos, to-do lists | 3. Can’t password protect individual notes |
Pricing:
Professional – $12/organizer/month
Business – $16/organizer/month
Enterprise – Available on request
Best suited for: Small teams
15. Microsoft Teams
Microsoft teams is a collaborative tool that lets you connect with team members across cities and continents. It lets you communicate with team members in real-time. Also, it lets you connect with external stakeholders instantly using your Teams account.
Features:
- Online video calling
- Screen sharing
- File sharing
- Third-party integrations
- Tabs for frequently used apps
| Pros | Cons |
| 1. Audio & video conferencing | 1. Too much storage consumption |
| 2. Access to usage reports | 2. Limited channels |
| 3. Co-author & edit content | 3. Poor file structuring |
Pricing:
Free – $0
Personal – $3.34/month
Professional – $4.29/month
Best suited for: Large teams, enterprise level
Read More: 15 Best Collaboration Tools for Remote Teams
16. Facebook Workplace
Facebook Workplace offers a virtual collaboration space for teams to stay connected throughout a project’s life cycle. It is a secure tool that lets you plan and manage projects within specified deadlines and budgets. You can even invite external stakeholders to the meeting easily.
Features:
- Screen sharing
- Chat rooms
- Unlimited meeting hours
- @mentions
- File sharing
| Pros | Cons |
| 1. Video chat rooms | 1. Confusing layout |
| 2. Unlimited time for calls | 2. No file sharing support while on calls |
| 3. Activity feed | 3. Poor third-party integrations |
Pricing:
Standard – $0
Advanced – $4/user/month
Enterprise – $8/user/month
Best suited for: Small teams
17. Teamwork
Teamwork is one of the preferred real time collaboration tools. It provides transparency into projects and teams, facilitating project organization and allowing you to keep an eye on who is working on what at any given time. It also helps team members be aware of their immediate and future tasks at a glance.
Features:
- Board view
- Customizable workflows
- Resource management
- Project reporting
- Gantt charts
| Pros | Cons |
| 1. Real-time status updates | 1. No chat option |
| 2. Milestone tracking | 2. No pricing flexibility |
| 3. Customizable dashboards | 3. Poor project visualization |
Pricing:
Free Forever – $0
Deliver – $12.25/user/month
Grow – $22.5/user/month
Scale – Available on request
Best suited for: Enterprise level
18. Notion
Notion provides a central workspace that helps create pages and discuss business on the go. It allows you to edit and share these with team members, clients, and stakeholders instantly. Also, there is no limit on the number of edits that can be made on a single page.
Features:
- Comments and @mentions
- Real-time reminders
- Updates and notifications
- To-do lists
- Project management
| Pros | Cons |
| 1. Seamless page sharing & editing | 1. Long learning curve |
| 2. Create documents & databases easily | 2. Poor search functionality |
| 3. Solid knowledge base | 3. No formatting options |
Pricing:
Personal – $0
Personal Pro – $5/month
Team – $8/month
Enterprise – Available on request
Best suited for: Enterprises
Read More: 10 Project Manager Roles And Responsibilities
19. Jira
Jira is a feature-rich tool for effortless team communication. It lets you collaborate with each other and deliver projects as per the pre-defined schedule. Overall, the tool is easy to navigate and offers robust customization options to adjust workflows.
Features:
- Interactive dashboard
- Insightful reports
- Streamlined automation
- Mobile-friendly
- List, calendar and board views
| Pros | Cons |
| 1. Customizable workflows | 1. Limited file size upload |
| 2. Powerful reports & analytics | 2. Inadequate resource management |
| 3. Progress tracking | 3. Poor third-party integrations |
Pricing:
Free – $0
Standard – $7
Premium – $14
Enterprise – Available on request
Best suited for: Large teams, enterprise level
20. Miro
Miro is a feature-packed online collaboration tool. It helps team members brainstorm, ideate, and manage projects right from its initiation. It takes seconds to get started with whiteboarding and accomplish projects well within the deadline.
Features:
- Video chat
- Whiteboard
- Drag and drop
- Mind mapping
- Marker colors
| Pros | Cons |
| 1. Visual mapping & diagramming | 1. Needs a better UI |
| 2. Embedded chat and commenting | 2. Lacks good third-party integrations |
| 3. Collaborative editing | 3. No offline access |
Pricing:
Free – $0
Team – $10/member/month
Business – $20/member/month
Enterprise – Available on request
Best suited for: Enterprise level
Read More: How to Choose the Best Collaboration Software for Your Organization
Must-Have Features of a Project Collaboration Software
Project collaboration software must have a few features that are non-negotiable. We have listed these features below:
A. Collaborative Features
Well, project management and collaboration tools ought to boast some of the best features for seamless collaboration. A few features to look out for are instant messaging, task comments, and file sharing. These features ease overall team collaboration and help manage projects smoothly so that they can be delivered on time and within budget.
B. Project Planning and Scheduling
For easy collaboration, you must have a well-defined project schedule in place. For this, it is important to create workflows that are easily accessible to team members and stakeholders alike. Easy planning and scheduling help speed up project execution tenfold.
C. Document Management
While managing projects, you are bound to share files and documents with team members. Thus, a tool must allow you to share files easily with everyone, no matter where they are located. Also, how good would it be if we could attach these files to a particular task? Well, a collaboration tool must offer you just that!
D. Smooth tool navigation
A tool’s high learning curve deters team members from actively using the tool for their everyday project tasks and activities. On the contrary, if a tool is easy to onboard and navigate, people will adapt to using it almost immediately. Moreover, it will be well-received by teams of all sizes, easing overall project management with improved team communication.
E. Security
The robust security features of a tool ensure the integrity and confidentiality of all your project information across all devices. Such a tool is adept at managing potential risks and handling data security concerns well. To ensure that you’re going in for a secure platform, ensure that all its project data is established through an HTTPS connection.
Read More: Problem Solving Activities to Improve Team Creativity
How to Choose the Right Online Collaboration Tool
With so many amazing tools available in the market today, it can be difficult to select a tool for your team’s needs. But, don’t worry. Here are a few things to consider while selecting a collaboration tool for your team and organization.
a. Key Features
List down the essential features that collaborative software must offer. Some of the must-have features include instant messaging, commenting on tasks, and file sharing. These key features may vary according to your project needs and requirements. So, ensure that you make it a point to check these features and their usability first to adopt a tool that benefits your team.
b. Honest & Recent User Reviews
When we haven’t used a tool ever, the first thing we do is look for reviews. This is a good way to explore software and learn from the first-hand experiences of other users. These views offer insight into what problems the tool helped in solving. Also, ensure that you look for reviews that have been posted in recent times.
c. Listed on Top Saas Sites
Top Saas Sites such as Capterra and GetApp lend credibility to software. Thus, when exploring software through other’s experiences, make sure that you hop on to only the top SaaS sites. These sites have verified reviewers who have actually used a tool before writing their experience with the same. This helps stay away from sites that offer fake reviews, negatively influencing decisions.
d. Vendor Support
Merely onboarding a tool is not the end of your communication with the tool’s vendor. A vendor must offer the best vendor support agreement, which may come into use in case of an event of bugs in the code or, say, some defect in the tool’s functionality. This ensures that adequate support will be provided when needed.
e. Third-party Integration
When you adopt a tool, you don’t just use that one tool for managing projects. You may also require a few other third-party applications to ease project management. Ensure that a tool offers third-party integrations with multiple applications securely. This allows you to easily integrate these apps with the collaboration tool and extract data from these apps within seconds.
Comparison of Best Project Management Collaboration Tools:
Now, we’ll quickly glance through the best project management and collaboration tools to help you get a gist of what each tool offers for a smooth project run.
|
Software |
Project scheduling |
Resource management |
Document Management |
Project views |
Easy-to-use dashboard |
Real-time alerts & notifications |
Time tracking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ProProfs Project | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Slack | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Trello | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Asana | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Redbooth | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Troop Messenger | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Google Drive | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Monday.com | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Airtable | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Chanty | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Flock | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Basecamp | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| GoToMeeting | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Evernote | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Microsoft Teams | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Facebook Workplace | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Teamwork | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Notion | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Jira | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Miro | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
Meet Deadlines Faster with Solid Collaboration Tool
Some of the best project collaboration tools are ones that are simple enough to navigate throughout a project’s life cycle and also are powerful enough to handle multiple ongoing projects across teams. These tools help maximize efficiency, manage deadlines, and help save time and money, while of course, boosting team collaboration.
Given the plethora of tools available and each tool offering solid features that outdo the other, select a tool that best fits your needs as a project manager to run projects with effective team collaboration.
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