Office team culture has changed drastically in the past five years, with remote collaboration tools nowadays being regarded as more efficient and practical even for organizations that have retained an office-based presence.
We’ve rounded up the most well-known names on the market in terms of process management software, and asked a group of experts to give us their brutal feedback. Based on this, we’ve compiled a list of the seven best remote collaboration tools for modern teams.
Table of Contents
The Trend for WFH & Remote Collaboration Tools
Why are remote collaboration tools so important? New businesses and start-ups are increasingly favoring remote work from day one, according to a 2023 survey conducted by Gusto, with 35% of new organisations preferring to hire fully-remote teams. This figure increased from 22% in 2022, so the trend is clearly going in one direction.
And, while longer-established companies and corporations keep pushing for a return to the office, employee feedback does not quite support this. Just for some perspective, in the US, 35% of workers with jobs that can be done remotely are working from home all of the time, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted earlier this year. And, according to the Home Office Life, 84% of workers surveyed said that they got more work done working remotely or within a hybrid model.
The writing’s on the wall. Project management tools for start-ups are essential – but this also applies to larger or more established organizations. It’s simply impossible for a company nowadays to function at an optimal level without the right remote collaboration tools.
How do Remote Collaboration Tools Help?
Does your team really need remote collaboration tools, you might wonder? Isn’t email and video conferencing enough? The best team collaboration software goes beyond a collection of disparate, unconnected office tools.
For the best remote collaborations we’re looking at preferably using one central interface that’s integrated with all the tools and apps that your team uses. In this way you’re guaranteed seamless work and alignment. Put simply the best remote collaboration tools can:
- Enhance team communication and reduce misunderstandings/stress
- Enable real-time file sharing and collaboration
- Improve project tracking and accountability
- Increase productivity with task management features
- Facilitate remote meetings and discussions
- Support flexible work across different time zones
- Centralize work resources and documentation
Our Experts’ Top 7 Best Remote Collaboration Tools
- Teamplate – Comprehensive, full integration of collaboration tools, 100% free
- Monday.com – Project-centric, visually-intuitive, highly-organizable
- ClickUp – Versatile, productivity-enhancing, goal-trackable
- Jira – Agile, software-centric, developer-oriented
- Wrike – Full customization, collaborative approach, multi-layered interface
- Microsoft Teams – Kanban-style, tracks tasks, visually-organized
- Trello – Visual, simple, drag & drop functions
How We Reviewed these Collaboration Tools
To help us reach an accurate, and honest opinion of which are the best online collaboration platforms, we brought in three experts who currently lead fully remote teams. We asked them to evaluate these softwares based on the following features:
- Usability
- Features
- How comprehensive they are or whether they require a lot of third party integrations
- Pricing
Below, we go into detail about the experts’ findings for each specific tool so you can compare pros and cons for each one and apply them to your particular team needs. All user reviews have been taken from leading reviews site TrustPilot.
Teamplate – ‘Completely Satisfied’
Product Description: One platform to unlock full remote collaboration without the need of using any other apps or tools. Includes functionalities like email, instant message, video conferencing, free Kanban–style software, task automation, screen recording, real-time document sharing and editing.
User Sentiment:
- Streamlined Workflow is its main benefit, and Switching between chat, file sharing, and project boards within the same platform can boost efficiency. – Christian Teuma
- Teamplate is easy to use and helped me eliminate the need to use multiple apps.
- Now everything is in one tool and it’s made me more productive and efficient – Brmfiveseven
- I’ve been looking for a long time for software where I can do everything in one and don’t have to switch between different programs for video calls, tickets or calendar entries. So far completely satisfied! – Mello
| Types of Teams | Best Uses | Challenges | Pricing |
| Flexible & intuitive, suitable for all sizes & industries | Task management, remote communication, realtime collaboration | None identified on TrustPilot | Free for all features |
Monday.com – Good Idea, But Complicated
Product Description: A highly-customizable work operating system that allows you to create your ideal workflow. Functionalities are visually-driven, and include built-in automation to reduce repetitive tasks and improve productivity. It also integrates seamlessly with other remote collaboration tools like Slack, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams to provide a cohesive work experience.
User Sentiment:
- Monday.com has all the bells and whistles, but using it feels like assembling IKEA furniture without instructions. – Maria M Platt
- Due to its high price, I might move to something else as I can not afford another 300 pounds annual cost for my start up. – Shukurulloxon Olimov
- Overall it’s a solid product and has been a critical portion of our operations. A few months ago, they pushed an update that broke our system without any notice. – M. Roy
| Types of Teams | Best Uses | Challenges | Pricing |
| Medium to large teams | Project management | Customization overwhelm | $36 per month for 3 users on the standard plan |
ClickUp – Monitor Your Billing Closely
Product Description: ClickUp is a feature-rich productivity platform that aims to consolidate multiple project management tools. It offers a wide range of capabilities including task management, document collaboration, time tracking, and goal-setting, but the interface can overwhelm new users who need a simpler approach. Third party integrations are needed to achieve all functionalities offered by other remote collaboration tools.
User Sentiment:
- I recommend staying vigilant with billing dates, removing inactive users, and reviewing the payment information saved on your account to avoid unexpected charges. – Troy Teeples
- We can really recommend ClickUp for large task lists, documents, and planning. – Tamino
- In task list mode, after I create a new task, and I start to normally see my list, the interface glitches and auto-refreshes. – Niklas
| Types of Teams | Best Uses | Challenges | Pricing |
| Medium-sized organizations | Task management, Gantt charts, timelines | Slow load times for large projects | $12 per user per month for midsized teams |
Jira – Fully Customizable, Yet Complex
Product Description: This is one of the most powerful collaboration tools, designed primarily for software development teams to help them implement Agile methodologies. Nowadays it has expanded for use across all industries. However, the sheer vastness of its functionalities is also its downfall, with many teams complaining that it is too complicated. It offers features like customizable workflows, Scrum and Kanban boards, and advanced reporting, and can be integrated with other Atlassian tools like Confluence and Bitbucket.
User Sentiment:
- I have to say, the product is overall good and the pricing is fair. There are of course still things that could be better. – SysAdminFromGermay
- Unfortunately, my experience has gone from positive to frustrating due to their poor customer service – BuddIt’s
- Awfully slow and complicated to add a new task/subtask. – Fred
| Types of Teams | Best Uses | Challenges | Pricing |
| Advanced features make it best for large teams | Agile-focused features like Scrum and Kanban boards | Configuring it to your specific needs is complex | $7.75 per user per month on the Standard Plan |
Wrike – Resource Optimization Takes Time
Product Description: Wrike takes a unique approach to project management by emphasizing customization for different industries and team types. It features more dynamic request forms, advanced automation, and workload management functions than many other remote collaboration tools. These can help teams optimize resources and simplify complex workflows. One of its notable drawbacks, however, is its complicated interface as users may find it difficult to navigate through multiple layers of settings, and can end up initially bogged down.
User Sentiment:
- Software was overly complicated/involved. After using for several months, we decided to jettison it. – Daniel Schlanger
- This inflated system will have your employees glued to their screens in a very non productive manner – Maureen
- The software is overall well built but with much more features then we actually require and was hard to get the team engaged with it. – Rui Abreu
| Types of Teams | Best Uses | Challenges | Pricing |
| Medium to large | Workflow customization | Mastering the interface | $9.80 per user per month on the Team Plan |
Microsoft Teams – Classic Layout Worked Better
Product Description: One of the most well-known remote collaboration tools, integrating deeply with Microsoft 365. This is perfect if you’re already using other tools in the Microsoft ecosystem as you’ll get seamless access to chat, video conferencing, and shared document editing. However, it can easily become cluttered with too many channels and conversations, which may reduce efficiency if not well-organized.
User Sentiment:
- Super slow, buggy and forces bluetooth headset to use hands free mode instead of stereo – Kristoffer Halkjaer
- Overengineered, non-intuitive, and adds some extremely extremely annoying features – Boris Zhmud
- Bring back classic teams layout! – Clipping Point
| Types of Teams | Best Uses | Challenges | Pricing |
| Medium to large | Integration with other Microsoft tools | Cluttered channels | $4 per user per month on the Essentials lan |
Trello – Cumbersome for Large Projects
Product Description: This board-based task management tool excels at simplifying project workflows through a drag-and-drop interface. It uses cards, lists, and boards, making organizing tasks intuitive and easy to adapt for different types of projects. Trello’s power-ups allow you to integrate third-party apps such as Google Drive, Slack, and Evernote. However, it has very limited scalability for complex project management, and can become cumbersome when managing large projects with multiple dependencies.
User Sentiment:
- Trello has been a game-changer in my journey from artist and media producer to structured content creation – Bjorn Callius
- The issue expressed by others – No Card Description Visible – has apparently been ignored by Trello. For me it’s a deal killer. – Robert Anderson
- It’s been more than 4 months we started use Trello with my team, and collaboration became much easier. I especially recommend for small to medium size teams – Busra Gezen
| Types of Teams | Best Uses | Challenges | Pricing |
| Small to mid-sized teams | Basic task management | Structured collaboration | $5 per user per month on the Standard Plan |
Are there any Free Remote Collaboration Tools?
No cost collaboration tools for teams are difficult to find as you’ll see from our reviews above – the only one that truly fits the bill is Teamplate. All the other tools reviewed have low-cost and higher-cost plans to achieve full functionality. Below, you can see exactly which remote collaboration tools offer a free plan, what this includes, and what you get if you power up to a subscription.
| Tool | Free Plan Availability | Free Plan Features | Paid Plan Features |
| Teamplate | Yes | N/A | N/A |
| Monday.com | Yes | Up to 2 users, unlimited boards, over 200 templates. | Additional features including advanced reporting, integrations, and increased automation capabilities. |
| ClickUp | Yes | Unlimited tasks, 100MB storage, real-time collaboration, integrations with over 1,000 tools. | Unlimited storage, integrations, dashboards, Gantt charts, and custom fields. |
| Jira | Yes | Up to 10 users, Scrum and Kanban boards, backlog and agile reporting. | Advanced permissions, audit logs, and 250GB storage. |
| Wrike | Yes | Unlimited pages and blocks, sharing with 5 guests, sync across devices. | Unlimited file uploads, collaborative workspace, version history. |
| Microsoft Teams | No | Unlimited messages, video calls, 10GB of shared storage | Deep integration with Microsoft 365, video conferencing, screen sharing, and extensive third-party app integration. |
| Trello | Yes | Unlimited cards, up to 10 boards per workspace, unlimited Power-Ups per board, 10MB file attachment limit. | Unlimited boards, advanced checklists, custom fields, 250MB file attachment limit. |
How to Make Remote Collaboration Tools Work for you
- Set Clear Goals and Expectations: This ensures that everyone is aligned and knows how to contribute effectively.
- Use Any Integration Features: Alternatively, choose remote collaboration tools that have everything included within the dashboard, like Teamplate.
- Create Dedicated Channels or Spaces: Keep all information organized by creating channels (Microsoft Teams) or Space (Teamplate).
- Use Task Management to Break Down Work: Features like boards, lists, and cards can help break down complex projects into manageable tasks.
- Customize Workflows to Fit Your Team: Create a system that matches your team’s specific working style and requirements.
- Encourage Real-Time Collaboration: Use shared documents, live editing, and collaborative boards to minimize back-and-forth communication and speed up decision-making.
- Establish Guidelines for Communication: Set guidelines for when to use chat, email, or calls. This helps prevent over-communication or missed messages and keeps interactions efficient.
- Onboard Your Team: Set up a session so your team can learn how to use online collaboration tools effectively.
Teamplate: Why it Should be at the Top of your Remote Collaboration Tools
We’ve taken a deep look at the most popular remote collaboration tools available on the market. Teamplate is right at the top of the best collaboration platforms for a number of reasons. Let’s recap our experts’ findings:
✔️ Access to all features is 100% free for all members of your team.
✔️ You won’t need any third-party integrations as it’s an all-in-one tool.
✔️ You gain access to email, instant messaging, calendar, and video-conferencing from a central dashboard.
✔️ You can manage tasks and projects using a Kanban-board software system.
✔️ You can share documents and collaborate on them in real-time.
✔️ You have dedicated Spaces for different departments or teams.
Teamplate has received unwaveringly positive reviews from users, praised not only for being so comprehensive but also for being highly-intuitive. The onboarding process is extremely easy, and you won’t need to set aside long sessions for the team to become familiar with it. The minimalist visuals are optimized to enable your team to identify tools and actions at a glass, without having to dig deep or use up time trying to figure out where everything is. This not only results in higher productivity, but also in a happier, less stressful environment for all concerned.
Ready to start using one of the most powerful remote collaboration tools? Get in touch with the Teamplate team now.
FAQs
What is the best remote collaboration tool?
There are plenty of remote collaboration tools available, but user reviews point towards Teamplate as being one of the best. This is due to its all-in-one, comprehensive suite of functionalities that you can use from one central dashboard.
Is Teamplate a remote collaboration tool?
Yes, Teamplate is an award-winning, comprehensive remote collaboration tool, offering a fully-integrated suite of functions such as email, calendar, chat, video conferencing, task management, and more.
Does Google have a team collaboration tool?
Yes, Google offers Google Workspace. However, you will need to integrate other tools from within the Google ecosystem, such as Google Meet, Google Chat, and Google Docs. If you’re after one centralized dashboard, a tool like Teamplate may meet your requirements better.
Does Microsoft Teams have a collaboration tool?
Yes, Microsoft Teams can be a powerful collaboration tool as it provides chat, video conferencing, and document sharing. However, it doesn’t support project management, so you’ll need a third party app to oversee workflow.
