Collaboration Software is a suite of business applications that enable team members to work together on different activities and projects. Collaboration packages generally consist of tools for effective communication, document exchange, conferencing, and real time assistance which diminish collaboration obstacles in remote and decentralized teams. Thanks to these applications, companies can keep all of their employees on the same page, save time and money, and identify problems at an early stage. In order to discover the best collaboration system on the market, check our frontrunner monday.com and similar products listed in this category.
To come up with this list of best collaboration software we have analyzed 215 different solutions currently available on the market, comparing their features, ease-of-use, customer support, available integrations and mobile support using our unique SmartScoreTM rating system. This ranking has been prepared by Nestor Gilbert, our B2B expert responsible for the collaboration software category.
CloudRank™ system is a unique algorithm that our research team uses to evaluate Collaboration Software solutions in a detailed and accurate way. The Winter 2022 edition of the ranking was prepared by Nestor Gilbert, our leading expert in the field of Collaboration Software, who has authored 800+ product reviews in this category. The goal of CloudRank™ is to present an unbiased, multi-layered perspective on Collaboration Software, considering a wide range of metrics and factors, and educating potential customers about both opportunities and challenges associated with each piece of software.
In order to achieve full objectivity the position in our CloudRank™ is based on:
We’ve calculated a score for each product based on the average experience shared by our users in their product reviews and arranged the list in three tiers. You can see the methodology below on how the calculations were made.
Regardless of their tier, all products included in our CloudRank™ are popular, quality products considered top-performers by our team of experts. Make sure you read a more detailed review of each solution to find one that will work best for your specific needs and budget.
Show lessMARKET POSITION
A score between 1 and 10 based on popularity and market reach of each product.
TOTAL score
A score between 1 and 10 based on the average of our Expert Score and User Score.
Market Position
A score between 1 and 10 based on popularity and market reach of each product.
Total Score
A score between 1 and 10 based on the average of our Expert Score and User Score.
CloudRank™ tier
Based on product's total score.
Rising Star
Contender
Front Runners
Here is a list of all 25 Collaboration Software solutions evaluated with our CloudRank™ analysis. We have compared their features, user satisfaction, market presence and other key factors in an in-depth analysis you can find below:
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Our report covered 25 most popular products from the Collaboration Software category. We’ve analyzed their features, performance, integration, customer support, pricing, and several other key buying factors and combined it with feedback from user reviews to come up with the current list of best solutions:
Project management unicorn monday.com is a company favorite for its ability to scale and adapt regardless of team size and need. More than 100,000 teams from SMBs and renowned brands use monday.com for their collaboration and project management needs. monday.com was an offshoot of an internal communication tool developed at Wix. It proved to be a great product by itself that funding from venture capital firms followed the product and gained unicorn status in 2019.
The work OS platform allows teams to create collaborative workspaces quickly either from scratch or based on one of its many customizable templates. Workspaces manage and track projects and keep collaboration and communication transparent. monday.com has robust features but its integrations boost its functionalities. The apps available on monday.com are numerous but there is also a GraphQL-based API to build personalized integrations.
The interface is clean and intuitive, it has earned FinancesOnline’s 2019 Great User Experience Award. Current awards for the highly regarded collaboration and work management platform is the 2020 Webby Award for Productivity in the Apps, Mobile & Voice category
Most users of Collaboration Software solutions confirm that in most cases these tools allow them to reach the following business goals:
The Winter 2022 version of the report includes a total of 25 Collaboration Software products that were compared and analyzed by our team. We selected them based on the following factors:
Telecommuting, remote work, flexible work schedule, whatever label is used, the work from home set-up is here to stay. Large enterprises like Facebook, Twitter, and Airbnb have announced plans to make remote work permanent and hybrid options available to their employees. This has led to an increase in demand for collaboration and videoconferencing solutions. The current market size for collaboration software is just under $12B in 2020 and is projected to reach $17B in 2026. It has also spawned a market for endpoints and peripherals such as laptops, tablets, IoT devices, headsets, and even lighting equipment.
Apps Run The World; Statista
Collaboration software overlaps multiple software categories – project management, workflow, unified communications often sharing strong UI similarities with social media. A survey from Savanta among 1,500 employees from Europe, the US, the Pacific, India, and China shows 67% regularly use videoconferencing in meetings. It’s also revealed a wide range of new technologies for meetings that are expected and wished for; video filters similar to Snapchat and Instagram and hand gestures to control meetings make it to the second and third spots of most wanted new technologies for video meetings.
Savanta
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) has been shown to increase employee productivity and efficiency when they are allowed to use technology they are familiar with and comfortable using; i.e. their own. BYOM is the next phase of BYOD where employees, particularly contractors and remote-based, can host meetings on their preferred platform and device. This solution addresses the differences in the endpoints used by employees and the company, and the tech resources available to both parties. BYOM also moves device manufacturers and collaboration and communications providers to develop agnostic products.
Cisco Annual Internet Report, 2018 to 2023
Collaboration tools enable companies to unite their employees and to make the most of their talent and potential. Most of the time, it consists of sharing and contribution platforms and excessive online databases where all corporate information is made available to all employees. Still, one has to be careful when choosing the best collaboration tools, and to know a few basic things in advance:
In most cases you will want to try out some free trial plans or demo from the most popular collaboration software providers in order to understand better what is collaboration software and to check out key features of their software tools first. That way you can get some insight on how the software works and also do a comparison before you commit any money. The best thing to do is to try services that currently have the highest rankings in the SmartScore and Customer Satisfaction Rating in our collaboration software reviews and choose the best collaboration software for your company: Wrike reviews, Nutcache, eXo Platform, JIRA, Workfront, Zoho Projects, ProWorkFlow, Zoho Docs, Procore, Mavenlink, Azeus Convene, TeamDesk and LiquidPlanner.
Generally, collaboration software suits every team that works on large and complex projects, and needs to communicate for the purpose. Your team would qualify for the purchase as well, if it is for instance:
Collaboration apps are used to collect and archive all relevant corporate information on one location, from where it will be available to all team members, and where they can cooperate to complete their assignments in the best possible way. The more employees are involved and the more tasks are assigned, the more difficult it becomes to unify their work, which is why large businesses are in need of a robust collaboration system. These systems enable a smooth flow of data and give a chance to the company’s most valuable ideas, in particular opportunities that can be neglected during busy day-to-day management. A distinctive advantage is also that businesses get to extend their reach to global talent, and to do it on a fraction of the usual cost, being able at the same time to keep most decentralized teams virtually connected. Eventually, the business improves also its customer satisfaction rates, being one of the key reasons why such systems are introduced. For more information and to do informed comparisons, read our detailed reviews of the top 10 collaboration software.
You can get more details on other leading apps by reading our in-depth reviews of the top 15 collaboration solutions.
Collaboration software can be divided into three distinct categories, each with its own range of functionalities. It’s possible your company will need all of these functionalities, but quite often you’ll only need a few of these. It should be expected that more sophisticated features will cost more, so you should only buy the elements you really need.
Informal discussions and presentations
If you need collaboration software that’s more focused on communication, you can check out software like Slack, Blink, and Speakap. These tools’ main features center on facilitating faster, more convenient communication among team members and across departments.
Sharing information
If you’re looking for collaboration software that eases information sharing across users and teams, consider software such as Zimbra, Magentrix, and Workplace by Facebook. These platforms allow users to set up discussion threads and forums for specific projects.
Project collaboration
More robust collaboration solutions include project management tools for a complete package. However, some vendors sell project management as a separate solution. If your business is project-intensive like in the construction industry, it’s recommended to get a full project management software than a collaboration solution with project management tools. On the other hand, if your projects are small or intermittent and you just need occasional project management tools, collaboration software with these tools are perfect. Here are some basic project management features to check:
Most collaboration software also double as project management software, but some tools are more suited to certain workflows and methodologies. If you’re looking for a collaboration software for Kanban workflows, for instance, you can look up Wrike, Trello, and Volerro.
Purchasing collaboration software is often a decision on the line, knowing both how suspicious entrepreneurs are when letting data go viral and how many communication alternatives can be used instead. Still, there is a list of benefits to be obtained from using private collaboration networks, and easy access is only one of them:
Most of the trends we were predicting at the beginning of this year are already a fact, which makes us believe that the current ones are already on their way:
The way we put it so far, collaboration software is amazing and there is no reason for a company not to purchase it. Still, there are few drawbacks each executive should consider before making a decision.
Picking the right collaboration software for your team can be a tricky prospect. Here are some tips that can help you make the right choice.
Focus on the reasons you need the software, not on what’s trendy. With the growing popularity and number of collaboration software, it’s easy to get distracted by trendy tools with advanced features. It’s best to keep in mind why you need collaboration software in the first place. This will help you focus on looking for tools that offer capabilities that will meet your needs while avoiding the common pitfall of choosing flashy software that’s not the right fit for your organization.
Another way to ensure that you’re choosing the right collaboration software is to ask vendors directly about the software they offer. Here are some important questions that can help you determine if a collaboration tool can meet your needs.
How do organizations bigger than us benefit from your platform?
Scalability is a key feature of collaboration software, as you don’t want to keep getting new software as your business grows. You can ask how the software will adjust its features if you added 500 new employees, for instance. This should tell you what you need to know about the software’s capability to grow and adapt alongside your business.
What kind of support do you offer?
A software vendor’s support capabilities are crucial especially since collaboration software typically has many users within an organization. Some collaboration tools offer more support channels than others, providing knowledge bases, training videos, and 24/7 live chat support. Comprehensive support capabilities can come in handy for onboarding purposes.
Are you working on any new features?
It’s always better to go with vendors who are continuously working to improve their products and services. You want to choose a collaboration software that will be regularly updated with new or improved features to better meet your organization’s needs.
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The first and most important thing is to make sure the app is perfect for your organization’s needs. Do not worry about the delivery method and pricing model and concentrate on getting the right software. Second, you should invest some time to do proper groundwork on the background of the vendor and the functionality of the product. Otherwise, you may end up paying a high price if the software proves to be a bad fit.
Another important thing is you should always read the contract and understand the terms and conditions. SaaS contracts are known for clever phrasing, so be sure you know what you are getting into. Do not get sapped into an evergreen contract. Be certain about the renewal terms as well as the notice time needed to cancel the renewal.
You will be surprised to learn the gains you can get by negotiating smartly. SaaS software is a competitive market and providers will be willing to offer you a price concession to earn your business and continue it. Make use of this opportunity to save some money.
Realize that the teaser rate is provided only for a short period. Learn about the total fee you need to shell out after the initial discount ends. Also, estimate the long-term price to know what you are getting into.
The best collaboration software is monday.com. monday.com serves as a compact, efficient solution for teams looking to improve collaboration and communication. The platform offers highly customizable features, an advantage for teams handling complex projects and workflows.
monday.com uses a Board concept, allowing users to list projects and tasks together for easier access. These Boards work in tandem with the Column Center, which gives you all the capabilities to handle tasks that come your way. You can mix and match boards and columns to deal with any type of projects, from construction to marketing, or accounting to creative ones.
These projects and tasks can be connected to other users or external team members. You can control access at the user level to minimize the risk of data leaks. You can also add code-free automations to your boards to boost productivity and reduce the risk of human error.
The platform also offers various features for project planning, including a Workload feature that lets you see how much is on a team member’s plate. Timeline views also allow managers to see what their teams have planned for given timeframes. In a Timeline view, you can also add deliverables and set deadlines.
Moreover, monday.com easily integrates with over 50 third-party applications, including video conferencing applications, productivity software, and marketing software. With these integrations, your team can spend less time switching between software and focus on completing tasks and projects.
Efficient project management. Many collaboration software come with features for managing projects, allowing users to assign tasks and set deadlines and managers to oversee project progress.
Easy information sharing. Users of collaboration tools can easily share relevant documents and have in-context discussions on tasks and projects. This helps users save time on digging through email threads for important files.
Improved productivity and employee satisfaction. By combining multiple functions into one platform, collaboration software helps employees save time on switching between apps. These tools also empower employees to join conversations and make contributions to projects.
No information silos. The software ensures that data remains accessible to those who need it and that important information isn’t just locked up in certain mailboxes in the team. Collaboration tools collect the information into a database without compromising security.
Lower costs. The software also helps businesses enjoy lower costs through conferencing and communication features that reduce the need for employees to travel.
Collaboration tools today offer various capabilities, but these software share the following standard features:
Organized project dashboards. The software provides a centralized dashboard through which you can view project progress, task status, as well as upcoming calendar events.
Project management and task management. The software lets you streamline the management of projects and tasks, so you can assign tasks to individual users, set deadlines, and monitor overall project progress.
File sharing and information retrieval. Most collaboration tools facilitate easy file sharing, allowing users to upload documents, images, and videos relevant to projects. These files, along with messages, comments, and other information, are easily searchable by users as well.
Mobile optimization. This feature ensures that team members and managers can use collaboration tools on mobile devices, for cases where users are working on the go.
Integrations with third-party apps. These integrations ensure that the software works well with applications already being used by employees. These integrations also ease the adoption of collaboration software.
Easy setup. These tools are also easy to install and set up, so teams can quickly take advantage of easier collaboration and improve their productivity.
Vendor support. Most vendors of these software provide ample support to users to reduce downtime and prevent project delays caused by software glitches or issues.
It’s important that collaboration software is easy to use, so many of these tools have an intuitive user interface. This ease of use makes onboarding faster and helps boost productivity and software adoption. These collaboration tools are among the easiest to use:
Wrike. One of the most popular collaboration software today, Wrike provides a centralized hub for projects, tasks, and files, along with user-friendly navigation. The three-pane project view is particularly useful for tracking project operations.
Zoho Projects. Zoho Project stands out for its user-friendly interface, which is easy to navigate without compromising functionality. The software’s features include project planning, workflow management, and time-tracking tools.
Smartsheet. With its spreadsheet-like interface, Smartsheet will feel familiar to many employees today. Users can add tasks and update task status in a matter of minutes, while managers will be able to easily monitor project progress.
The good news is that there are plenty of collaboration software you can use, totally free of charge. Here are some free collaboration software you can try:
Trello. Trello offers a comprehensive feature set for its Free plan, which allows users to set up boards, lists, and cards and upload attachments. The free version of Trello also provides integrations with document management software such as Box and Dropbox.
Jira. Jira has a free plan that provides users with features to set up scrumboards, Kanban boards, and customized workflows. You also get 2 GB storage, along with access to community support.
Brief. Offering only a free plan, Brief centralizes team communication, task management functions, and file sharing capabilities into one platform. For easier communication, the platform offers video chat capabilities as well.
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