Best Remote Collaboration Software List
Here’s the list of the best remote collaboration software tools that I’ll cover in this article:
In a world where the hybrid work model has become the norm, you’ll want to use the best remote collaboration software to stay in touch with your remote team. It’s much easier to have things lost in the shuffle or email purgatory, but with the right tools this shouldn’t be a worry.
There are many remote collaboration tools on the market to support distributed teams. These range from all-in-one project management tools, to virtual whiteboards, to simple task tracking systems.
In this article, I’ll highlight some of the best remote collaboration software on the market that you can use to make remote working easier.
Comparison Criteria
Wondering what I look for when selecting the best remote collaboration software for this list? Here’s a summary of my evaluation criteria:
- Usability: I look for collaboration tools that are powerful, with features that are easy to learn. The last thing I want you doing is spending precious time learning the ins and outs of yet another tool.
- Integrations: I look for collaboration tools that play nicely with other tools in regards to integrations. A collaboration tool without integrations to common tools (think Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams or Microsoft Office) isn’t overly helpful.
- Value for $ and Ease of Free Trials: Just like taking a few cars out for a spin before deciding on what to buy, you may want to play around with a few of the tools out on the market before making a decision. A number of the tools listed below have a “free forever” version for a reduced amount of features and users, and some offer a free trial period of their paid plans to get a feel for them.
Remote Collaboration Software: Key Features
In regards to the main features of remote collaboration tools, here are the key features that I look for:
- Ease of Integrations: As your organization will have all sorts of data spread across a number of different apps, you’ll want a remote collaboration tool that pulls from these automatically instead of dealing with the pains of importing and exporting data manually.
- Project Management: All these tools in this list have some sort of project management aspect. Some are highly customizable with a steeper learning curve, while others take a simpler approach with less customization.
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Overviews of the 10 Best Remote Collaboration Software
Here’s a brief description of each remote collaboration tool to showcase each system’s best use case, highlight some noteworthy features, and explain their pros and cons. I’ve also included screenshots to give you a snapshot of the user interface.
Wrike
All-in-one project management for marketers
Wrike includes a highly customizable personal dashboard, allowing you to pin important items and switch between views such as calendars, Gantt charts, and kanban boards.
With custom request forms, Wrike allows you to collect the details you need and auto-assign tasks to those who have that information. Wrike’s online collaboration tool has helped teams cut down on email by as much as 90%.
Wrike offers over 400 integrations. This includes all major tools that fall under the CRM, email integration, CMS, messaging, and business intelligence umbrellas.
Wrike starts at $9.80 USD per user/month. They also have a free plan for a limited number of users. Larger plans include a 14-day free trial.
Ziflow
Best remote collaboration software for creative teams
Ziflow is a cloud-based collaboration platform specifically designed to support creative teams. Their review and approval workflows enable creative teams of project managers, designers, developers, copywriters, photographers, artists, and other professionals to collaborate across multiple time zones, file formats, and media types.
Ziflow eliminates the need for unnecessary meetings or back-and-forth emails, saving both time and money while providing an efficient way to track project progress from start to finish. Users can manage and assign tasks, track project progress, and review feedback. You can also easily see which tasks have been completed or are still pending completion.
Their platform provides real-time analytics that summarize how much time each task took and how many people were involved in each task's completion process. This feature helps managers get a better understanding of their team's workflow process so they can optimize it for maximum efficiency over time. Ziflow also offers workflow automation tools that make it easier for teams to manage their processes. Users can create custom approval workflows that speed up decision-making and help ensure consistency across the organization.
Ziflow allows users to create digital asset libraries to store and manage their files. This makes it easy for users to access their files anytime without searching through multiple folders or drives. Additionally, its library system includes customizable tags and filters so users can quickly find what they’re looking for without having to wade through long lists of assets.
Integrations are available with Asana, Basecamp, ClickUp, DropBox, Google Drive, Jira, Microsoft Teams, monday.com, Oracle Netsuite, Slack, Trello, and Zapier. In addition, Ziflow has plug-ins for all your Adobe Creative Cloud apps (After Effects, Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, Premiere Pro, etc.), plus their Webhook Zibots, which can integrate with other software systems that offer an API.
Ziflow starts at $40/user/month, billed annually. They also offer a 14-day free trial, and a free forever plan for personal use.
ClickUp
All-in-one productivity tool with over 50 automated actions.
ClickUp is an all-in-one productivity tool that aims to replace apps like Monday, Trello, Jira, Asana, Slack, and more (although they also integrate with them should you wish). This product makes use of a unique hierarchy in regards to flexibility and control of who has access to what.
ClickUp features over 35 apps for added functionality, which can be customized with no code required. ClickUp makes use of a thorough automation system which offers over 50 actions.
ClickUp integrates with Dropbox, Github, Google Drive, Outlook, Slack, and more.
ClickUp starts at $5 USD a user/month, and includes a free forever plan with limited features and storage.
OnBoard
Collaborative tool to make running board meetings a breeze
Focused specifically on board meetings, OnBoard is a useful collaborative tool to create actionable insights and help with coordinating board tasks. The tool provides a simple to use agenda and meeting minutes builder.
OnBoard includes a built-in Zoom integration and a secure messenger that allows you to focus on the meeting as opposed to things getting lost in email purgatory.
OnBoard integrates with ADP, Google Drive, Govenda, Zoom Meetings, and Microsoft 365, including Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint.
OnBoard offers customized pricing on request, as well as a free trial.
Creately
Data-connected visual workspace
Creately takes a more data-driven approach for its smart visual canvas. This canvas keeps everything in one place as opposed to spreading things across daily tasks, wikies, and other places.
The free-form canvas allows you to add data, notes, and tasks anywhere. Creately allows you to create workflows with rules and formulas, with no codes needed.
Creately integrates with Github, Office 365, Slack, and more.
Creately starts at $4/user/month, and offers a free plan with limited features.
Redbooth
Kanban boards for remote collaboration
Using customizable kanban boards, Redbooth makes it easy to sort, track and organize tasks across your organization. Redbooth features thorough productivity reports to see task status, and how time is spent. It also allows you to zoom in on one specific task, or review the entire project all in one view.
When assigning tasks, Redbooth will recommend the best person for the assigned task and due dates through their “Smart Redbooth” tool.
Redbooth integrates with tools like Dropbox, Gmail, Google Drive, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zapier, and more.
Redbooth starts at $12/user/month. Redbooth also offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.
Asana
All-in-one remote collaboration tool
From being used as a simple to-do list tracker, to full fledged project management software, Asana is a scalable collaborative tool that cuts back on email and keeps track of what’s being worked on, and by who, across an organization.
With a small learning curve, users can be up and running quickly with this collaborative tool. Asana’s user interface (UI) and user experience is also top in its class.
Asana connects with tools like email apps, Google Drive, Microsoft Office 365, Salesforce, Slack, and more.
Asana’s pricing starts at $10.99 USD per user/month. There is a free forever version with fewer features and team members that you can try too.
Podio
All-in-one project management tool with excellent automation capabilities.
Podio is a project management tool to help streamline your data collection and automation of document workflows all into one tool. Podio includes extensions and add-ons built for specific use-cases, such as time tracking or Gantt charts.
Podio’s advanced workflow systems help to reduce repetitive tasks. Podio allows you to easily migrate data across from other tools to be integrated under one centralized work hub.
Podio integrates with Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft 365, and more.
Podio starts at $7.20 per user/month. There is a free plan for up to five employees.
Bluescape
Collaborative space with emphasis on images
Bluescape is an online whiteboard and virtual workspace that works best for creative teams. The tool offers built-in voice and video conferencing, and supports real-time feedback for design reviews.
Bluescape’s integrated tool called Popsync allows you to quickly pull images from common image sources like Unsplash or Google Images to add to your workspace. Bluescape offers over 200 pre-built templates for your workspace - from meetings, strategy and planning, presentations, and more.
Bluescape integrates with a number of collaborative tools, such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft 365, Slack, Zoom, and more.
Bluescape’s pricing starts at $10 USD a user/month. They also have a freemium version available with limited features for up to 15 meeting participants.
Milanote
Collaborative tool for creative projects through visual boards
A visual workspace, Milanote works for many creative endeavors, whether you’re an agency, a startup, a photographer, a marketer, or any other type of creative distributed team.
Milanote allows you to share boards with no required signup, making it easier to collaborate with clients in real-time. This collaboration platform has smart notifications to show exactly what has been edited since your last visit, and who has seen the edits you’ve made.
Milanote integrates with other tools such as Dropbox, Evernote, Google Drive, and Trello.
Milanote starts at $9.99 USD per user/month. There is also a free version with fewer features and users available.
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The 10 Best Remote Collaboration Software Summary
| Tool | Free Option | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wrike All-in-one project management for marketers | Free plan available | From $9.80/user/month | Visit Website |
| 2 | Ziflow Best remote collaboration software for creative teams | 14-day free trial + freemium plan available | From $40/user/month | Visit Website |
| 3 | ClickUp All-in-one productivity tool with over 50 automated actions. | Freemium plan available | From $9/user/month | Visit Website |
| 4 | OnBoard Collaborative tool to make running board meetings a breeze | Free trial available | Pricing upon request | Visit Website |
| 5 | Creately Data-connected visual workspace | Free plan with limited features | From $4/user/month | Visit Website |
| 6 | Redbooth Kanban boards for remote collaboration | 14-day free trial | From $12/user/month | Visit Website |
| 7 | Asana All-in-one remote collaboration tool | Free plan available | From $10.99/user/month | Visit Website |
| 8 | Podio All-in-one project management tool with excellent automation capabilities. | Free plan for up to five employees | From $7.20 per user/month | Visit Website |
| 9 |  Bluescape Collaborative space with emphasis on images | Free forever plan available | Plans start at $12/user/month | Visit Website |
| 10 |  Milanote Collaborative tool for creative projects through visual boards | Free plan available | From $12.50/user/month | Visit Website |
Other Options
Here are a few more options that didn’t make the best remote collaboration software list:
- Miro
Online whiteboard tool for team collaboration
- Smartsheet
Project management through user-friendly spreadsheets
- Kantata
Project management tool for professional services
- Height
Best for collaborating within a project management software
- Gmelius
Remote team collaboration tool built right into Gmail.
- Lucidspark
Virtual whiteboard for team collaboration.
- Evernote
Document and note collaboration for projects.
- Basecamp
Simple project management tool perfect for remote, mid-sized businesses.
- Jostle
Employee success platform to allow teams to celebrate success together.
- Todoist
Simple to-do list and task management software for remote teams.
What Do You Think About This List?
This list is just a few of the many remote collaboration software systems that exist on the market to help you collaborate with your distributed team. Whether you’re a small organization working on small projects with a few remote workers, or a large enterprise with a remote team spread out across the world, at least one of these remote team collaboration tools will work for you.
As mentioned, many do feature a free forever version with limited users or features, along with free trials of paid plans (no credit card required), so if you need to get a better feel, you may want to play around with some of the tools available.
For more on hybrid working and best practices, check out our following articles:
- 6 Hard-Learned Lessons For Adapting To A Hybrid Working Model
- 27 Best Practices For Managing Remote Teams In 2023
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