Every team in any working environment require collaboration to flourish. Technology is a staple in our world now so is the workforce also becoming mobile. This flexibility has brought about people working remotely. The rate at which people work remotely is increasing by the day, and it’s not going to slow down. There are many software out there now, which makes team collaboration easy. Whether remotely or on-site, team collaboration has never gotten better.
Top 8 Best Cloud-based team collaboration software
- G Suite – Best Known As One Of The Oldest Cloud-based Productivity Tools.
- Office 365 – Best Known As A Business Essential Tool With Superior Customer Support.
- Slack – Best Known As The Virtual Office, Does More Messaging
- Gotomeeting – Best Known As A Conference Call Service.
- Prezi – Best Know As A Presentation Solution
- Visme – Best Known As The Collaboration Tool For Visual Communication
- Flock – Best Known As A Collaboration Tool For Modern Businesses And Teams.
- Asana – Best Known As A Project Management Tool.
1. G Suite – Best known as one of the oldest cloud-based productivity tools
PRICING: You can download and install for free and enjoy a free trial period. It has amazing subscription plans;
- Business Starter: $6 Per User Per Month
- Business Standard: $12 Per User Per Month
- Business Plus: $18 Per User Per Month
Popularly known as google workspace, the G Suite is a comprehensive cloud communication and collaboration software. They are available on every device. It has every tool you can use to communicate with your team, making collaboration better.
KEY FEATURES:
- Gmail, Google Meet, Calendars
- Drive, Spreadsheet, Forms
- Slides, Docs, Cloud Search
REASONS TO BUY:
- It Can Be Used For A Video Conference On Any Camera-enabled Device
- You Can Share A Screen To Brainstorm As A Team
- Data Are Updated And Stored Automatically In The Drive
REASONS TO AVOID:
- You Can Not Send Encrypted Email Through Gmail
2. Office 365 – Best known as a Business essential tool with superior customer support
Pricing: You can download for free and enjoy the 30days free trial period. They also offer good subscription plans;
- Microsoft 365 Family: $99.99 Per Year 2-6 Users
- Microsoft 365 Personal: $69.99 Per User Per Year
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic: $6.00 Per User Month
- Microsoft 365 E3: $36.00 Per User Per Month
Like the G suite, Microsoft 365 (office 365) is a suite of apps that helps teams collaborate and stay connected regardless of where they are. Many tools like doc, spreadsheets and presentations can be made will have a team video conference. Microsoft 365 is now open to other devices beyond Microsoft and can be used by Apple, Android, and iOS users.
KEY FEATURES:
- Word, Excel
- PowerPoint, Microsoft Teams
- Outlook, OneDrive
REASONS TO BUY:
- Easy To Use
- Good Interoperability
- Cloud Storage Is Secure
REASONS TO AVOID:
- Support For Access And Publisher Is Limited
3. Slack – Best known as the virtual office, does more messaging
PRICING: you can download and enjoy the app for free; however, they have great subscription plans;
- Free: $0.00 Per Month
- Pro: $6.67 Per Month
- Business+: $12.50 Per Month
Slack is a famous cloud-based collaboration tool; it is popular in the workspace and boasts about ten million-plus users per day. It has a very nice and user-friendly interface. It is easy to set up for any project. It swiftly handles all your messaging needs and allows users to send DMs simultaneously.
KEY FEATURES:
- Seamless File Sharing
- Collaboration On Large Files
- Customization Available
REASONS TO BUY:
- It’s Easy To Use
- All Communication And Works Are On The Same Page
- Documents Can Be Delivered From Anywhere (Cloud Storage And Any Device)
- You Navigate Switching Between Tabs Which Can Cause Distractions During Meetings
REASONS TO AVOID:
- Limited Audio And Video Call
4. GoToMeeting – Best known as a conference call service.
PRICING: It is easy to download and install. Although it doesn’t have a free version, it offers good subscription plans;
- Professional: $12.00 Per Organizer Per Month (150 Participants) Billed Annually
- Business: $16.00 Per Organizer Per Month (250 Participants) Billed Annually
- Enterprise: Contact Gotomeeting Directly For A Custom Price (3000 Participants)
GoToMeeting is a team collaborating software which allows you and your team to collaborate on projects seamlessly. More of based call service, it offers more like file sharing transcription and recording so you can go over the meeting offline.
KEY FEATURES:
- Workflow Integration
- Transcription And Recording
- Screen Sharing
REASONS TO BUY:
- It Can Be Used Conveniently On The Phone. It Has A Mobile App
- You Can Create A Personal Meeting Room
- Offers Hardware Bundles
- Smart Assistant
REASONS TO AVOID:
- No Free Plan
- Chat Capabilities Are Limited
5. Prezi – Best know as a presentation solution
PRICING: You can download and enjoy the collaboration with your team. It offers a 14-day free trial period. You can also choose a subscription plan to maximize Prezi;
- Basic: $0.00 For Free
- Plus: $12.00 Per Month
- Premium: $16.00 Per Month
Prezi is another Cloud-based collaboration software that helps you and your team reach your goals regardless of the distance. You can use Prezi software to create and share visual messages with your team on a virtual campus.
KEY FEATURES:
- Audio File Management
- Content Library
- Charting
REASONS TO BUY:
- Easy To Use
- Wide Range Of Attractive Templates To Choose From
- Innovative Presentation Style
REASONS TO AVOID:
- The Collaboration Support Still Needs Improvement
- Some Of Their Tools Lack Precision
6. Visme – Best known as the collaboration tool for visual communication
PRICING: You can download and use it for free, but you will enjoy it better with the subscription plans;
- Basic: $0.00. Use It As Long As You
- Personal: $12.25 For Individual Projects
- Business: $24.75 For The Whole Team
Visme is a great tool for creating graphs, slideshows, infographics and online reports. It is a perfect fit for sales marketing teams looking for cost-effective visualization tools. With Visme, you can collaborate on creating graphics and reports easily.
KEY FEATURES:
- Real-time Updating
- Autosave
- Template Creator
- File Sharing
REASONS TO BUY:
- It’s Easy To Use
- Wide Range Of Templates For Marketing And Slideshows
- It Has Versatile, Useful Tools
REASONS TO AVOID:
- It Doesn’t Support Guest Collaboration
- Cheaper Plans Are Extremely Limited
7. Flock – Best known as a collaboration tool for modern businesses and teams.
PRICING: Flock has not provided pricing information for this service. It is custom based on user needs, so you need to contact them for pricing information.
Flock provide teams with an in-built productivity tool, like to-dos and reminders. It makes collaboration work easier within teams. Users can have an audio or video conference call where they brainstorm and share ideas. It also comes with integrated google drive, googles calendar, and Twitter, to name a few. It makes collaboration easy.
KEY FEATURES:
- 24/7 Uninterrupted Support
- Workflow Management
- Business Instant Messaging
REASONS TO BUY:
REASONS TO AVOID:
- The Interface Can Be Confusing
- No Unique Features
8. Asana – Best known as a project management tool.
PRICING: You can download it for free and enjoy this amazing collaboration software; you can also check out their subscription plans;
- Basic: $0.00 Free
- Premium: $10.99 Per User, Per Month Billed Annually ($ 13.49 Billed Monthly)
- Business: $24.99 Per User, Per Month Billed Annually ($30.49 Billed Monthly)
- Enterprise: No Pricing Was Stated. You Should Reach Out To Them For Customized Additional Security, Control And Support.
One of the oldest collaboration software, Asana allows you to work from anywhere. Asana focuses on scalability and reliability. It helps teams get their work done with ease. It helps teams track their work from task to workflow and even projects. It Is a beloved software for productivity enthusiasts.
KEY FEATURES:
- Project Planning
- Project Mapping
- It Has Timeline Views Which Makes It Easier To Manage Dependencies
REASONS TO BUY:
- It’s Easy To Use
- Free Version Available
- Provide Templates Users Can Use To Start New Projects.
- Users Can Move Tasks And Change Dependencies Using Drag And Drop.
- Fast And Flexible With Cutting Edge Design
REASONS TO AVOID:
- A Little Expensive Compared To Its Competitors
- A No Go For Graphics-intensive Works
Reference and Links:
- https://workspace.google.com
- https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365
- https://slack.com/
- https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/prezi
- https://www.g2.com/products/reviews
- https://joon.us/cloud-based-collaboration-and-communication-tools/