Overview
- Jump To Details
Todoist
Best for Shared Task Management - Jump To Details
Asana
Best for Workflow Management - Jump To Details
GanttPro
Best for Beginners to Project Management - Jump To Details
Miro
Best for Whiteboard Collaboration - Jump To Details
Microsoft 365 Business Premium
Best Full Business Office Suite - Jump To Details
Slack
Best for Features and Integrations - Jump To Details
Teamwork
Best Project Management App for Client Work - Jump To Details
Zoho Projects
Best for Small Business Project Management - Jump To Details
Airtable
Best for Database-Driven Collaboration - Jump To Details
Basecamp
Best for Balancing Work and Communication - Jump To Details
Google Workspace
Best for Office Collaboration - Jump To Details
Smartsheet
Best for Managing Project Work Using Automations - Jump To Details
Trello
Best Kanban-Style Collaboration Tool - Jump To Details
Microsoft Teams
Best for Team Chat in a Microsoft Environment
The best online collaboration apps change the way people work—and for the better. A collaboration app is any piece of software that helps people get work done together, regardless of whether they are a remote team or all in one physical location.
Typically, the best collaboration software lets you know about team activity on work that pertains to you. Through the app, you have access to the information and assets you need, so you can pick up your part of the work at the right time without someone else having to notify you to do so.
Collaboration software is a subcategory of productivity software, but it's more tightly focused on enabling or facilitating teamwork, including remote collaboration. However, collaboration software isn't a clear-cut category because it overlaps with several others, such as project management software, collaborative whiteboard apps, task-management apps, and others. Below are the top team collaboration software products based on our testing and analysis.
You Can Trust Our Reviews
Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks
Todoist
Best for Shared Task ManagementWhy We Picked It
Todoist Premium has a low annual cost coupled with a superb range of features that help you stay productive while you're using the app. The interface is stellar. Todoist also has apps for every major platform and an equally capable web app.
Who It's For
Todoist Premium is for individuals and small teams who need to manage work collaboratively, but who don't need a robust project management app. Todoist is wonderful for writing down what needs to get done and assigning those tasks to the right people.
Pros
- Cross-platform support with effortless, reliable syncing
- Excellent features, such as natural language input and productivity reports
- Efficient interface
- Collaboration features
- Works offline
Cons
- A few important features not available to free users
- Prices have increased sharply since 2021
Learn MoreTodoist ReviewAsana
Best for Workflow ManagementWhy We Picked It
Asana is among the most customizable and yet useful work-management tools we've seen. You can use it to make lists, track simple tasks, as well as manage workflows, ideas, projects, and more. If you want to use it as a full-fledged project management app, you can, but Asana's real strengths have to do with its flexibility and customization options.
Who It's For
Asana is for teams who need to collaborate together to manage work and workflows, and that may include some project-based work. Because Asana is highly customizable, it's ideal for people who need a lot of flexibility in how their task-management app works. In other words, you will need to put some time into figuring out how your instance of Asana will look and what kind of work you will track using it.
Pros
- Flexible, fast, and modern design
- Capable free version
- Lots of features
- Timeline view makes it easier to manage dependencies
Cons
- Not ideal for graphics-intensive work
- Prices slightly higher than competitors
Learn MoreAsana ReviewGanttPro
Best for Beginners to Project ManagementWho It's For
GanttPro is one of the best project management apps for beginners, and that makes it ideal for team collaboration when next to no one has had any prior experience with project management. That said, GanttPro does not have customizable reports and dashboards that larger teams may need.
Why We Picked It
With reasonable pricing, an interface that anyone can learn to use, and a good balance of features, GanttPro is one of the best project management tools. We also appreciate that it includes custom fields for tasks, a kanban board view, a critical path feature, and a save history that allows you to do multiple undos.
Pros
- Competitively priced
- Well designed and easy to learn to use
- Includes custom fields for tasks, kanban board view, critical path feature
- Saves history for undo
Cons
- No customizable reporting tools or customizable dashboards
- No billing or invoicing
- Light on integrations
Learn MoreGanttPro ReviewMiro
Best for Whiteboard CollaborationWhy We Picked It
Miro has the best range of features of any whiteboard app, and that includes tools for collaborating in real time and asynchronously. Subscriptions also sell for a fair price. In our testing, we loved that Miro is easy to use and offers wonderful templates that help you see all the different ways you might incorporate it into your work.
Who It's For
Miro is for teams who want the very best online collaborative whiteboard on the market; or it's for teams who are looking for new ways to collaborate, brainstorm, and share ideas. This app can do wonders for remote teams who are working toward increasing team cohesion and working together more effectively.
Pros
- Excellent collaboration and presentation tools
- Lots of features
- Strong support for integration with other apps and services
- Easy to use
Cons
- Little offline functionality
Learn MoreMiro ReviewMicrosoft 365 Business Premium
Best Full Business Office SuiteWhy We Picked It
Microsoft’s collaborative productivity apps are the best at what they do, bar none. For getting any kind of work done, they are top-notch. When it comes to collaboration, some users may find Google Workspace more familiar, but Microsoft is just as capable at real-time coauthoring. Microsoft’s suite is not merely worth the money, but an amazing bargain considering all you get.
Who It's For
Home users and very small businesses will find Microsoft 365 Personal an excellent deal. Larger organizations can get Microsoft 365 Business. When you account for not only the apps but also the storage space that comes included, a subscription is well worth the price.
Pros
- Generous cloud storage
- Full suite of productivity tools with lots of add-ons
- Desktop applications support Windows and macOS
- Long list of administration and security services
Cons
- Linux users are still second-class citizens
- MacOS Outlook client still behind the Windows version
- Some new features are web-only
Learn MoreMicrosoft 365 Business Premium ReviewSlack
Best for Features and IntegrationsWhy We Picked It
Slack is easily the most beloved team messaging app on the market, despite it costing more than others. People love its layout and the fact that each person can deeply personalize their settings—including options to make Slack look less busy and more focused.
Who It's For
Slack is for teams and organizations of any size who want the best tool for letting people talk in an online space. If your organization does not yet have a team messaging app and are still doing most of your digital communication via email, then we would highly encourage you to give Slack a try.
Pros
- Rich set of tools and options
- Highly customizable
- Integrates with many other collaboration and office tools
Cons
- Expensive
- Audio and video call quality need improvements
Learn MoreSlack ReviewTeamwork
Best Project Management App for Client WorkWhy We Picked It
Among project management apps, Teamwork is one of the easiest to use while also including the right features, in this case, billing and invoicing tools for teams that work for clients.
Who It's For
Teamwork is for teams who need project management tools that support client work. In other words, it's for groups who complete projects for clients rather than people who work on in-house projects, although the app can handle those, too. For client work, however, it's the best project management app you'll find.
Pros
- Simple and intuitive design
- Great customization options
- Billing and invoicing included
- Free account available
Cons
- No PDF or image markup tools
Learn MoreTeamwork ReviewZoho Projects
Best for Small Business Project ManagementWhy We Picked It
Zoho Projects is a project management app that is simple to use, has tiers of service that fit practically any organization's needs, and starts at a low cost.
Who It's For
Zoho Projects is for any small or growing team that needs a reliable project management app. It's especially well suited to small teams that are on a budget, but it also works for teams that are expecting to grow and may want to upgrade their tier of service to a pricier one that offers more features as expansion happens.
Pros
- Excellent value
- Generally easy to set up and navigate
- Multiple ways to communicate in the app
- Deep configuration options
- Strong time-tracking tools
Cons
- Does not include premade templates
- Slightly unusual resource management view
Learn MoreZoho Projects ReviewAirtable
Best for Database-Driven CollaborationWhy We Picked It
Airtable lets you and your team collaborate and manage information about anything at all, from editorial calendars to inventories and collections. It can also be a collaborative work-management and workflow tool. We love that it's easy to use, highly customizable, and downright versatile.
Who It's For
Airtable is a collaborative work-management tool that uses relational databases at its core. You don't have to know anything about what a relational database is to use it, however. It's for teams who need to manage work or ideas among a team of people, and who need a tool that they can customize to fit their needs.
Pros
- Light and user-friendly interface
- Highly customizable and versatile
- Excellent collaboration support
- Integrates with a long list of services
Cons
- Some formatting limitations
Learn MoreAirtable ReviewBasecamp
Best for Balancing Work and CommunicationWhy We Picked It
Basecamp is very easy to use and delivers a lot of structure. Instead of leaving you to figure out what your workflows should be or how you might go about collaborating with your team, Basecamp gives you modules that guide you toward different types of collaboration efforts. For example, there are tools for tracking tasks, deadlines, files, discussions, and announcements that happen around work.
Who It's For
Basecamp is for teams who want to be able to customize their online collaboration space without feeling like they're building it from scratch.
Pros
- Easy to set up and use
- Flat monthly price for unlimited users
- Supports integration with a wide variety of apps and services
Cons
- Communications can feel siloed
- Limited reports
- No free account
Learn MoreBasecamp ReviewGoogle Workspace
Best for Office CollaborationWhy We Picked It
Google Workspace, once known as G Suite, offers a powerful, elegant set of office and collaboration apps. It set the bar for online collaboration in terms of coauthoring files. Google's Workspace office suite is nearly as powerful and flexible as Microsoft 365, despite only offering online apps. This browser-based approach means its apps are available for and work the same on any platform.
Who It's For
Google Workspace is not only suitable for, but also highly desirable to businesses, educational institutions, and other organizations. Why? Quite frankly because it's familiar and people like it. And the paid version is priced competitively.
Pros
- Elegant office tools
- Works the same on any browser
- Fine-tuned collaboration and revision-tracking features
- Corporate-friendly user management
Cons
- Online-only apps
- Less powerful than comparable desktop apps
- Offline editing requires Chrome and advance planning
Learn MoreGoogle Workspace ReviewSmartsheet
Best for Managing Project Work Using AutomationsWhy We Picked It
Automations save tremendous time and effort for teams who embrace them. Smartsheet supports automations in spades. Though it's not the simplest collaboration app to learn to use, it is worthwhile for any team that is currently managing a lot of rote work.
Who It's For
Smartsheet is for teams that need a project management app and want to use automations. Automations are "if this, then that" type commands; for example, "when X occurs, do Y." So you can use Smartsheet to carry out a command like "when new information comes in through a client intake form, alert the team manager."
Pros
- Endlessly customizable and quite powerful
- Supports automations, input from web forms, proofing and approvals
- Robust resource management options for Business plan users
Cons
- Lacks real-time time tracking and invoicing tools
- Pages don't update in real time or autosave as frequently as we'd like
Learn MoreSmartsheet ReviewTrello
Best Kanban-Style Collaboration ToolWhy We Picked It
Trello's biggest selling point is truly in how simple it is to use. You can make it more complex by adding on more features, but at it's core it's a kanban board that virtually anyone can figure out how to use.
Who It's For
Trello is for teams who need to organize, manage, and track simple work and tasks. And it's effective at organizing work among fairly large and distributed teams. Because it's so easy for anyone to learn to use, it's also good for teams who work with a lot of contractors, freelancers, and other staff who are not in-house.
Pros
- Flexible and customizable kanban app
- Suitable for teams of all sizes
- Highly intuitive
- Offers desktop apps and mobile apps
Cons
- Many features require add-ons, including time tracking and billing
- Not suitable for managing traditional projects
Learn MoreTrello ReviewMicrosoft Teams
Best for Team Chat in a Microsoft EnvironmentWhy We Picked It
Microsoft Teams is an internal messaging app with features galore, including tight connectivity with other Microsoft apps. As Microsoft rolls out Copilot, people who use Teams will be able to ask the AI tool to review the main points, action items, and decisions of a discussion without having to scroll through long threads.
Who It's For
Teams is a good messaging and video calling app if your organization runs on Microsoft. It has hiccups and may not be everyone's favorite team messaging app, but in many organizations that rely heavily on Microsoft, it just makes sense to use it.
Pros
- Highly customizable
- Tightly integrated with other Microsoft Office apps
- Plentiful integration options
- Included with Microsoft 365 business accounts and Windows 11
Cons
- Most effective in a Microsoft-centric environment
- Compartmentalized design may inhibit open dialogue
- Can be difficult to find the conversations you need
Learn MoreMicrosoft Teams Review
Buying Guide: The Best Online Collaboration Software for 2024
What Are the Best Project Management Apps for Collaboration?
Of the overlapping categories mentioned at the top, project management software is the most competitive. PCMag has three Editors' Choice winners for project management, all of which we also include on this list of the best collaboration apps:
- GanttPro for small teams that are new to project management
- Zoho Projects for small and growing businesses on a budget
- Teamwork for client work
What Is the Best Visual Collaboration App?
Visual collaboration apps are growing in popularity, and our two favorites are Editors' Choice winner Miro and close runner-up Mural.
Both take the form of a digital whiteboard or canvas that multiple people join simultaneously. They have tools for drawing, posting sticky notes with text, uploading files and images, embedding videos, and adding other kinds of content to the board. Miro offers video calling, so you can chat with colleagues while simultaneously brainstorming and working on visual projects. Mural purposely offers only audio calls. The idea is to keep the visual focus on the board.
Miro and Mural both include a healthy stock of templates. Mural's library includes many templates used for team building and group icebreakers. They work almost like tabletop games. Miro offers more in the way of library objects and templates for making charts, diagrams, and other visual aids you can reuse in other business materials, such as presentations. If neither of those apps fits your needs, you might also consider Conceptboard or Lucidspark.
What Is the Best Multipurpose Collaboration App?
A few of the entries on this list don't fit neatly into any one category. In a way, that's what makes them special. They're flexible, customizable, multipurpose tools.
Asana is one. Asana started out as a task-management tool but has grown to tools for managing workflows, ideas, projects, and more. If you want to use it as a full-fledged project management app, you can, but Asana's real strengths have to do with its flexibility and customization options.
Basecamp belongs among the best multipurpose collaboration apps, too. It is one of the stronger examples of an app that balances work management and communication. Plus, there's a lot of flexibility in what you use Basecamp for. You can manage projects as well as non-project work. It's a great place to have asynchronous discussions with in-house colleagues as well as partners on the outside, such as contractors and clients. It all depends on what you need the tool to do.
What Is the Best Collaborative To-Do List App?
Todoist is our Editors' Choice winner for to-do list apps, but it's also a highly valuable collaboration tool. If your team needs an inexpensive app that helps a group of people write down, prioritize, and manage everything they need to get done, it's at the top of the list.
What makes Todoist better than other collaborative to-do list apps? For starters, it has apps for every major platform that all work reliably and sync effortlessly. It also gives you a ton of tools for organizing tasks, such as priority ratings and labels, without creating a cluttered interface. That keeps the app easy to use and highly accessible to newcomers.
What Are the Best Collaboration Apps for Working With Databases?
Two apps on this list specialize in changing the way you manage and interact with relational databases. They are Airtable and Smartsheet.
Before the word database makes you run away, know that Airtable is an approachable collaboration tool with a variety of uses. You can set it up to manage information, such as an editorial calendar, or any kind of collection, such as inventory. You can use it to track and monitor work as it goes through a workflow, moving for example from one person to another for edits or approvals. It's surprisingly easy to use, highly customizable, and downright versatile.
Smartsheet is another app that lets you work with relational databases, though it's a bit beefier than Airtable. At PCMag, we cross-list Smartsheet under project management software, because it can do that, too. What makes Smartsheet powerful is its support for automations, something like "when X occurs, do Y." For example, "when new information comes in through a client intake form, alert the team manager and automatically assign one of the junior team members a task to follow up with the new client within three days." Using this example, you can set up a rule in Smartsheet so that as soon as a client intake form arrives, the rest happens automatically. When you automate rote tasks, it saves the entire team time that they can spend on more important work.
What Is the Best Collaboration App for Kanban?
Kanban is a system for working that's used in a variety of fields, though it's especially popular among software developers and other kinds of technical workers. Simply put, here's how kanban works: It uses cards on a board to represent tasks or ideas. The board contains columns, and each column is (usually) a stage or step in the work process. So you might have a board with the columns To Do, Doing, Done. You write down all the tasks that need to be done and put them into the To Do column. When you start a task (represented as a card containing the task name and other details about it), you move its card to the Doing column. When you finish, you put the card in the Done column.
Trello is one of the friendliest kanban tools on the market. Anyone can sign up for an account and start using it quickly. It isn't especially feature-rich out of the box, but with a paid account you can choose Power-Ups (that is, add-on features) to make it more powerful.
Many collaboration apps have started adding kanban views, often called a board view, so you always have the option to work in that style if you want. Asana, Zoho Projects, Teamwork, and even Todoist all have a board view.
Culture Is the Key to Collaboration
One important point about all tools for team collaboration and communication is that they must have a company culture behind them. Throwing a new tool at a bunch of people and telling them to use it instead of email doesn't work. To start using a collaboration tool successfully, all the key players on the team need to buy into it. It has to become part of the culture.
When you're up and running with a collaboration app that fits your needs and everything starts clicking, you may be amazed at how much more productive and organized your team becomes.
