38 Best Online Collaboration Tools for 2020 (By Category)
There is a reason today’s creative teams are more productive than ever. And that reason is online collaboration tools.
Using collaboration tools, a team spread out from Singapore to Sydney can now work on a product launch or design brief together. Even with dispersed teams or different time zones, collaboration tools allow businesses to work together online to get more stuff done.
However, collaboration tools do more than help dispersed teams work together. They can create smarter workflows and give updates in real-time to keep projects on track. As you start planning which technology resources to invest in for your marketing team in 2020, online collaboration tools should be near the top of your list.
In this ultimate guide, we’re going to look at 38 online collaboration tools to help distributed teams perform at a higher level. You’ll learn:
- What is an online collaboration tool
- How online collaboration tools help your business
- Design Collaboration Tools
- Chat/Communication/Video Conferencing Tools
- Documentation (and Process) Tools
- File-Sharing Tools
- Project Management Tools
- Software Collaboration Tools
- Knowledge Base Tools
- Time Tracking Tools
Let’s get collaborating!
What is an online collaboration tool?
Picture this. You’re a fast-paced startup, or perhaps a growing enterprise. Your team is made up of some of the most talented designers, developers and customer service members you could find.
The only problem is they’re spread out across different cities or countries.
Using online collaboration tools, it’s easy to rally the troops and get them working together in a 100% virtual environment.
Depending on the tool, you’ll be able to collaborate online with your team using features like project management, time trackers, messaging, video conferences and virtual whiteboards.
Collaboration tools empower your team to complete projects on time, communicate with colleagues, and optimize every resource available.
How online collaboration tools help your business
Remote teams are the clear winners if you’re looking to introduce an online collaboration tool into your workflow.
But even if you want to maximize in-house workflows, online collaboration tools are a great way to get teams working smarter and more effectively.
McKinsey found using online collaboration tools and digital workplaces can increase productivity by 20-30%. Another study by Aruba found 70% of employees attribute their collaboration efforts to the use of digital technology.
Using a collaboration tool can help your business in a lot of ways, such as:
- Delegating work
- Collaborating across different geographical areas and time zones
- Optimizing cross-collaboration between departments
- Increasing productivity
- Optimizing your reporting/tracking
- Organizing how you store workplace files
It’s clear: collaborating online makes everybody’s job easier. They help cut out useless meetings and emails and get your team working together on the most important projects.
The question is… what tool is right for your business?
38 online collaboration tools to help distributed teams perform at a higher level
Design Collaboration Tools
Ziflow
Ziflow is the leading tool for enterprise-level agencies and brands to proof their work online.
Using Ziflow, teams can upload and collaborate on projects easier without having to send email trails. With over 1,200 file types supported, all an agency needs to do is upload their file, have their team review it, and act on feedback.
Ziflow has all the tools a team needs to collect and share useful, actionable feedback. The result? All your projects stay on track, remain compliant, and get delivered on time.
“Current Ziflow customers deliver their projects up to 56% faster than before they adopted online proofing, with 29% fewer revisions.”
Key Features
- Proofing for Text, Audio, Video, and Hundreds of Other Media Types
- Collaborative and Real-Time Review
- Automated Workflows, Deadlines and Reminders
- Role-Based Permissions
- Version Control
- Side-by-Side Comparison
- SOC2 Security
- Audit Trails
- Integrations with Slack, Google Drive, Basecamp, and more.
Notable Clients
- Showtime
- Splash Worldwide
- AWS
- Hilton
- Weber Grills
Price: Plans start at $9 / user / month. Ziflow offers annual & monthly plans.
InVision
InVision is used by digital product designers to track and optimize the delivery of projects.
Used by tech companies like Netflix and MailChimp, InVision helps designers navigate every stage of the product design process, from ideation to development. Designers can begin a project using the freehand tool to sketch out their idea, like this:
When inside InVision’s dashboard, teams can control the entire design process through feedback loops and notifications.
Key Features
- Prototyping
- Collaboration
- Revision History
- Feedback Management
Notable Clients
- Netflix
- Uber
- MailChimp
Price: Free plan available. Premium plans start at $15 / user / month
Chat/Communication/Video Conferencing Tools
Slack
We’re willing to bet you’ve heard of Slack. It’s one of the most widely used messaging apps used by teams around the world.
Teams communicate with each other inside channels. These channels can be assigned to departments or issues and used to track and archive conversations to help teams get more done.
Team members can also search channels, as well as integrate with apps like Ziflow, Google Calendar, Zoom, and DropBox, to maximize time efficiently.
Key Features
- Shared messaging channels
- File sharing
- Apps and integrations
Notable Clients
- Hubspot
- Xero
- Lyft
- Shopify
- SurveyMonkey
Price: Free plan available. Premium plans start at $8 / user / month
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is a video conferencing and online meeting platform that combines the power of high-quality audio, video, chat, and screen sharing options to create one hub for collaboration before, during, and after team meetings.
The platform can be use to facilitate everything from 1-1 meetings and private team meetings to live events hosting thousands of internal and external participants. Because the platform works with Microsoft conferencing and A/V devices, enterprises are using Microsoft Teams to create a seamless connection between physical meeting spaces and remote meeting participation.
Key Features
- Team meeting hosting and scheduling assistance
- Live event hosting and live chat
- Meeting note taking and recording
- File sharing
- Screen sharing and instant messaging
- Audio conferencing
- Automatic transcription
Notable Clients
- General Electric
- L’Oréal
- McCann Group
- Goodyear Tire
Price: Office 365 Business Essential plans starts at $5.00 per user / per month.
Skype
Let’s get one thing straight. Skype was one of the first tools to help businesses host video meetings for free.
Although it’s now being rivalled by tools like Zoom, Skype is still worth a place on our list because of its features. Using Skype, you can have audio and video calls with team members around the world on multiple devices. You can also use Skype to host group calls, where you can talk to a bunch of team members at a time. Think of it as a way to hold a worldwide group meeting—digitally.
Key Features
- Instant messaging
- 1:1 video calls
- Group video calls & conferencing
- Voice messages
- File sharing & transfer
- Screen sharing
Price: Free version available. Paid plans start at $5 / month
Zoom
Zoom is a cloud-based video and web conferencing platform for teams and customers to conduct online meetings. The tool also allows you to share your screen (and files) to collaborate on any project in real-time.
You can also connect multiple conference rooms and add in remote attendees to meetings, so you no longer need a physical location to host those important meetings with clients.
Zoom also integrates with a bunch of tools like Google Calendar and Workplace, so once a session is booked on your calendar, a join link will be emailed to the attendee automatically.
Key Features
- Live / video conferencing
- Video call recording
- CRM integration
- Screen sharing
- Drag & drop file sharing
- Email invitations
Notable Clients
- Nasdaq
- Autodesk
- Finra
- Fox Studios
Price: Free plan available. Premium plans start at $13.99/month
Stormboard
Stormboard works differently to other tools in this section because it helps you brainstorm and plan a meeting before it happens. Using Stormboard, you can set up your meeting beforehand, discuss your ideas in real-time, and then assign tasks after the meeting wraps up to keep projects on track.
The tool also has built-in templates for project management techniques like agile, and work can be instantly exported using the tool’s reporting options. For more technical meeting needs, this tool is a good fit.
Key Features
- Activity/News Feed
- Collaboration
- Idea Ranking
- Mind Maps
- Status Tracking
- Workflow Management
Notable Clients
- Ikea
- Liberty Mutual
- Lonely Planet
- SalesForce
Price: Free plan available. Premium plans start at $5/month
GoToMeeting
GoToMeeting is a web conferencing tool for teams who need to host larger meetings.
Using GoToMeeting, you can host a meeting for up to 100 people, and attendees can share any application on their computer in real-time. It also works with a bunch of different devices like Mac, PC, iPad, iPhone or Android.
It’s simple enough to use. Meeting organizers can schedule meetings in advance or create regular meetings for their teams. Then, attendees can join the sessions by clicking on a link sent to them over email or message.
Key Features
- Instant meetings with a single click
- One-time scheduled meetings
- Recurring meetings
- Join from Mac, PC, iPad, iPhone or Android
Notable Clients
- Gainsight
- Marketo
- Penguin Random House
- Make-A-Wish
Price: Starting from: $12.00/month
Google Hangouts
Google Hangouts is used by thousands of businesses across the globe who are on a budget.
It’s similar to the other tools we’ve mentioned here because you can host video chats, as well as voice calls with your team. As it’s integrated into Google+ and Gmail, there is also an app for iOS and Android device your team can download to join meetings easier.
Key Features
- Chat / Messaging
- Discussion Threads
- Video Conferencing
- Screen Sharing
Notable Clients
- ASICS America Corporation
- Global Payments Inc
- Secret Escapes Limited
- ClearCapital
Price: Free, with G Suite pricing for business ranging from $3 to $25 per user per month.
Miro
Imagine having a digital whiteboard you could use to build and collaborate with your team on projects. Well, that’s exactly what Miro does.
Miro is a tool distributed teams can use to collaborate as if they would in person using a digital whiteboard. Teams can use Miro to brainstorm, build processes and make decisions in one place.
On each digital whiteboard, teams can upload videos, files and build processes using templates. Then, you can use Miro to host video meetings and discuss projects or problems to keep workflows on track.
Key Features
- Remote collaboration
- Agile management
- Brainstorming sessions
- Prototyping/wireframing
- Getting feedback on design content
Notable Clients
- Instapage
- Skyscanner
- Cisco
- UpWork
Price: Free plan available. Premium plans starts at $8 / user / month
Zeplin
Zeplin is a collaboration tool used to bridge the communication gap between designers and developers.
For product teams, Zeplin can be used to automatically handoff designs between collaborators with accurate specs, assets and code snippets. Product designers can export and store their designs in Zeplin as a project, and work on them from anywhere in the cloud. When team members need help, they can invite their colleagues using a share link to boost collaboration and get projects delivered faster.
Key Features
- Integrations with Sketch, Adobe XD, Figma and Photoshop CC
- Renaming assets
- Design handoff
- Filtering notes
Notable Clients
- Airbnb
- Starbucks
- DropBox
Price: Free plan available. Premium plans start at $17 / user / month
3. Documentation (And Process) Tools
Google Docs
Are there any dispersed teams out there that don’t know about Google Docs?
Google Docs is an online word processor teams can use to create, comment and edit documents using share links. Using Google Docs, teams can create work from a blank document, or use a suite of pre-made templates.
Writing content, building proposals and sending out meeting notes has never been easier.
Key Features
- Upload a Word document and convert it to a Google document
- Easy document formatting
- Create text, sheets, presentations and drawings
- Invite other people to collaborate on a document with you
- View your document’s revision history
- Collaborate online in real-time
Notable Clients
- Roche
- Genentech
- Virgin America
- National Geographic
- Motorola
Price: G Suite Basic starts at $6 per user per month.
Box
Also a primary player in the file-sharing game, Box is a cloud-based storage solution for teams who need to access their work from anywhere, anytime.
Box works on any device, so team members can access documents, project plans, presentations and videos easily. It’s also built to make life easier for administrators; its dashboard makes it easier to view every piece of content on file.
Key Features
- Online storage
- File sharing links
- Edit documents in the cloud
- Admin and security controls
Notable Clients
- IBM
- Toyota
- Gap
- Eurostar
- Coca-Cola
Price: Free plan available. Premium plans start at $5 / user / month for 100 GB
Dropbox Paper
This is Dropbox’s answer to Google Docs.
Dropbox Paper is used by everyone from creative and product teams to remote workplaces to create content and exchange ideas. Using the tool, teams can assign to-do lists, set up projects with due dates and action people on a task by mentioning them in the doc.
Dropbox Paper also has a ton of other features like attributions and emojis to help teams give each other feedback enjoyably.
Key Features
- Templates
- Scheduling
- Agenda
- Minutes
- Notes
Notable Clients
- MartinSignCompany
- Patreon
- MyTaxi
- Lullabot
Price: Free
Process.St
Process Street gives businesses a way to create streamlined workflows in a non-technical way.
Using the tool, teams can create and customize checklists with text, images and video. But it’s more than just a checklist tool. Process Street’s approval process combines conditional logic, automations, and integrations.
Key Features
- Access Controls/Permissions
- Drag & Drop
- Forms Creation & Design
- Process/Workflow Automation
Notable Clients
- H&R Block
- Disruptware
- Gold Metal Waters
Price: Plans start at $12.50 / user / month
Etherpad
Etherpad is an open-source, web-based editor that teams can use to collaborate on text documents.
As it’s a real-time editor, multiple users can access a document at the same time and edit it together. And each author’s text is given their own color, so other team members will know who is editing what.
Etherpad is open-source, so anyone can download it and integrate it into their workflows using API—for free.
Key Features
- Time Slider
- Shareable URL Link
- Import/Export In Various Formats
- Well-Documented API
- Customizable Editing Application
Price: Free
Tettra
Tettra is a wiki that helps software teams collaborate more effectively.
Tettra is suited for teams who use a bunch of tools like Google Docs, Dropbox, and GitHub. It gathers everything in one place, so teams can find what they need using a single hub.
Its Slack integration is also worth a mention: whenever a page gets created or updated, your entire team will get notified in Slack.
Using Tettra is one of the easiest ways to make sure your whole team stays on the same page.
Key Features
- Link Sharing
- Searchable Database
- File Sharing
- Role-Based Permissions
Notable Clients
- Wistia
- Rain
- Process.st
- Geckoboard
Price: Free plan available. Premium plans start at $39 / month
4. File Sharing
Google Drive
Google Drive is a cloud-based file storage platform teams can use to store and share their documents, photos, videos, spreadsheets and presentations with each other. Using the tool, you can create separate folders and invite others to view, edit, download, and collaborate on any file or project you might be working on.
All without having to send a single file through email.
Key Features
- Access Controls/Permissions
- File Sharing
- Team Folders
- Document Management
- Drag & Drop
- Encryption
Notable Clients
- Lyft
- StackShare
- Asana
- Typeform
- Zillow
Price: Your first 15 GB of storage are free with a Google Account. Then 100 GB for $1.99/month
Dropbox
Dropbox pioneered the industry of cloud-based file sharing and storage.
The tool allows teams to store, manage and access their files across multiple devices from anywhere they want. Using Dropbox, every file uploaded to the cloud-based server is automatically synced across all connected devices, so they’ll be available to your whole team instantly.
Over 300,000 businesses use the platform across the world, including more than 50% of the Fortune 500 industry.
Key Features
- File sharing
- Automatic back-up
- File storage
- Team folders
- Link-sharing via email, chat or text message
- Online back-up & file recovery
Notable Clients
- Designit
- Lonely Planet
- Expedia
- Topps
- World Bicycle Relief
Price: Free trial. Standard plan starts at $12.50 / user / month for 3TB of storage
DropSend
Do you often have to send files to your team that are huge?
You need DropSend. It allows users to send large files via a small desktop client. All you do is upload the file online using a DropSend account, and then the person you’re sending the file to will receive an email with a download link.
From there, they can download it straight onto their device. No more messing around with huge email attachments.
Key Features
- Send large files of up to 8GB
- Ideal for sending JPGs, PFs, MP3s
- Back up all your files online
- 256-bit AES Security
Notable Clients
- FeedBurner
- Veerle
Price: Free plan available. Premium plan starts at $5 / user / month for 15 sends
Egnyte
Egnyte provides IT teams will the tools to protect business assets contained within all cloud and on-premise content repositories created throughout the enterprise. The platform combines secure file sharing with proactive monitoring of content labeling, use and access. Automatic classification of sensitive information stored in content repositories, identification of abnormal individual permissions, and flagging of inappropriate external content sharing enables IT teams to gain real-time snapshot of data security and prevent threats before they occur.
Key Features
- Secure file sharing
- Cloud and on-premise content monitoring and classification
- Content governance
- Real-time data security
Notable Clients
- Buzzfeed
- Design Within Reach
- Red Bull
- Yamaha
Price: $8.00 / month/ user
5. Project Management Tools
Asana
Asana is a simple tool that helps teams coordinate and manage their workflows.
Whether your team is made up of five or 500 people, you can plan any tasks or projects on Asana, and then assign responsibilities to each team member.
It has a bunch of pre-built templates team leaders can use to build anything from marketing campaigns to product launches. Or, you can use the KanBan view to create a simple pipeline to track projects or workflows from start to finish.
Key Features
- Task Creation and Assignment
- Due Dates
- To-Do Lists
- Collaborative Project Planning
- Comments/Notifications
Notable Clients
- Sony Music
- John Lewis
- Givenchy
- HubSpot
- Air France
Price: Free plan available. Premium plans starts at $10.99 / user / month
Basecamp
Basecamp is a project management platform that combines group chat, to-do lists and task assignment, scheduling, and file sharing to help get collaborative team projects out of email communication and disparate apps and into one central workspace.
Team-wide visibility into task and project status allow managers to plan, adjust, and assign team workloads across projects. Individual views into to-do tasks and deadlines keep every team member organized and accountable for their work beyond planning meetings.
The customizable project environment makes Basecamp an appealing choice for businesses that want to use one project management tool across many different teams (design, marketing, development, etc.) and manage tasks that involve internal-external collaboration.
Key Features
- Task and project scheduling
- Messaging boards
- To-do lists
- Group chat
- Automatic check-ins
- File sharing
- Integrations with Ziflow, Zapier, Proposify, and other third-party applications
Notable Clients
- Shopify
- NASA
- Quartz
- 3M
Price: $99 / month for unlimited projects and users.
Monday.Com
Monday.com is project management geared towards busy creative teams with project templates and use cases for marketing, public relations, agencies, agile development, and more.
Instead of spending time on project setup, the platform helps creative workers track the entire marketing campaign lifecycle by managing requirements and priority setting, assigning tasks across creative groups, and using timeline views to track the status of marketing campaign planning and launch. For agencies juggling client projects, the platform can also be used to connect project orders, briefs, and invoices to internal tasks related to the client campaign.
Key Features
- Project templates
- Assigned tasks and to-do lists
- Priority and status setting
- Time tracking
- Shareable project boards
Notable Clients
- The Discovery Channel
- Wix.com
- wework
- Fiverr
Price: Standard plans start at $26 / month for unlimited activity.
Jira
Jira is an agile project management tool that helps teams track and manage agile and software development projects. The simple project boards allow teams to allocate product issues, assign tasks and track activities to make sure they meet deadlines. It’s also mobile-friendly, so it’s easy to keep track of projects even when you’re away from your desk.
Key Features
- User Reports & Feedback
- Tester Reports & Feedback
- Team Reports & Comments
- Wiki Documentation
- Community Forum
Notable Clients
- Square
- eBay
- Spotify
- Airbnb
- Cisco
Price: Starts at $10 / month
Trello
Trello is perfect for project management if you prefer kanban-style lists.
The visual organization of projects makes it easier for teams to collaborate and see where projects are at. At its core, Trello is a digital version of sticky notes on a wall. Under each note, team members can post comments and attach cards to keep tasks grouped together.
The beauty of Trello is its versatility. Whether you need a tool to onboard new team members or plan an event launch, you can create to-do lists for just about anything.
Key Features
- Task Creation/Prioritization
- Due Dates
- To-Do Lists
- Collaborative Project Planning
- Comments
Notable Clients
- Kickstarter
- National Geographic
- Fender
Price: Free plan available. Premium plans start at $9.99 / user / month
6. Software Collaboration Tools
GitHub
GitHub is a hosting tool built for software developers to manage software development version control for public code.
Millions of users trust GitHub as a place to discover, share, and contribute to software. It’s not just for developers, though. Project managers can use GitHub to coordinate and track projects, so they stay transparent and on schedule.
Every time a change is made or a tool is updated, team members will be notified.
Key Features
- Bug tracking
- Feature requests
- Task management
- Issue tracking
- Wikis
- Pull requests with code review and comment
Notable Clients
- Stripe
- Nubank
- Decathlon
- American Airlines
- Coinbase
Price: Free plan available. Premium plans start at $7 / user / month
Bitbucket
Bitbucket (also owned by Atlassian) is a version control solution that makes it easier for teams to collaborate and manage versioning for private coding projects.
If you have a software team, Bitbucket gives them a place to collaborate on their source code, and it can become a base to implement development workflows. It also integrates with JIRA Software, so it’s even easier to track a project from ideation all the way through its deployment.
Key Features
- Code review
- Branch/Deployment permissions
- Pipelines
- Jira software integration
Notable Clients
- Sotheby’s
- TriNet
- SourceOne
- Splunk
Price: Plans start at $15 / month
CodePen
CodePen has grown enormously in the online development community as the go-to place for testing user-created HTML, CSS and JavaScript code snippets.
It works as an online code editor as well as being a place where developers can go to learn code in an open-source. Developers can create code snippets and then use CodePen to test them. It’s for both front-end designers and developers, and it’s a perfect tool for your team to use to sharpen its coding skills.
Key Features
- Syntax highlighting
- Autocompletion
- Code folding
- Collaborative editing
- Language Support
Notable Clients
- Microsoft
- IBM
- Adobe
- Grubhub
- Netflix
Price: Free plan available. Premium plans start at $8 / user / month
SourceForge
SourceForge is for developers who need to control and manage open-source software projects.
This one is a simple web-based tool developers can use to develop, download, review, and publish open-source software. SourceForge’s dashboard also has a ton of impressive features like download statistics and free analytics, so developers can track how popular their software is.
The tool tracks whether the software is being downloaded by Windows, Mac, or Linux users, so developers can see what platform is the most popular.
Key Features
- Unlimited bandwidth for Open Source projects
- Download statistics over time, by platform, and by region
- Free analytics
- Automatic platform detection
Notable Clients
Price: Free
7. Knowledge Base Tools
Bitrix24
Bitrix24 is an entire collaboration suite.
Gantt charts, visual project management, and customizable KanBan boards are some of Bitrix’s best features for teams needing to boost their workflows.
It is a house of collaboration tools including CRM, files sharing, time management, calendars, and a ton more. It’s based in the cloud, however, if you prefer an on-prem solution, there is source code access for that as well.
Key Features
- Device Syncing
- Web Interface
- Search Ability
- Mobile App
- Status Updates
Notable Clients
- Properters
- Domrnr.ru
- FRoSTA
Price: Free plan available. Premium plans start at $55.20 for 6 users
Confluence
Confluence is a tool that helps bring all your teams together in a welcoming space. Think of it as a digital coffee room.
Confluence markets itself as a shared workspace that connects teams and helps build momentum behind their ideas. It’s not a file-sharing tool, but an open collaboration tool; teams can create projects and openly collaborate on them from a single dashboard.
Using the dashboard, team members can search for projects and collaborate on anything from product launches to marketing campaigns. It’s an Atlassian tool, so it integrates seamlessly with any of their apps in their product suite.
Key Features
- Templates
- In-Content Feedback
- Comments
- Version History
- Decision Trees
Notable Clients
- Twilio
- The New York Times
- GoPro
- NASA
Price: Starts at $10 / user / month
Zendesk Collaboration
Just one of many tools from the company, Zendesk Collaboration is an add-on feature that helps administrators and agents talk to each other about support ticket-related issues.
Using Zedndesk’s “side conversations” feature, teams can collaborate internally and externally on support tickets without interrupting the actual conversation happening with a customer.
It’s the easiest way to solve tickets collaboratively. And the best part about it is, your customer won’t know there was a whole team working on getting the issue solved.
Key Features
- Link Sharing
- Searchable Conversations
- Role-Based Permissions
Notable Clients
- Fossil Group
Price: Varies based on needs
Helpjuice
Helpjuice is a cloud-based knowledge management platform that makes it easier for teams to manage their knowledge bases.
Using Helpjuice, you can put all your information into a single knowledge base, so everybody in your company (as well as your customers) can access it. The knowledge bases are searchable, so your customers can find a solution to their problems without contacting your customer support teams.
It’s also customizable. You can add your logo and colors, and tag your documents with keywords to make them easier to find.
Key Features
- Tags & keywords
- Self-service portal
- Content library
- Custom branding
Notable Clients
- Hertz
- Philips
- Zoominfo
- Nginx
- Shipt
Price: Prices start at $189 / month
8. Time Tracking Tools
Toggl
Toggl helps you to track your time so it’s easier to bill your clients.
This tool is built for smaller businesses, as well as freelancers and consultants. You can track the time you spend on projects and break down each one to see how profitable they are per hour. At the end of the project, you can create invoices based on projects within the application, and get paid electronically.
Key Features
- Ease of Completing Timesheets
- Tracking Time to Project/Task
- Billable Time Rate Management
- Invoice Creation and Delivery
- Electronic Payments
Notable Clients
- Netguru
- HandHeld Ho
- CodeCraft
- CityLiv
- RentRocket
Price: Starts at $9 / user / month
Parakeeto
Parakeeto is new to the time-tacking scene.
This time tracking tool helps teams smartly bill projects. It tracks projects using flat, recurring, or hourly fees and then helps you quickly build budgets and import your time tracking data. It then gives you real-time insights into every client, project, and team member so you can easily see exactly where you’re making money.
Key Features
- Target Rate vs Actual Rate
- Hours Logged vs Estimate
- Breakdown by Deliverable/Service
- Real-Time Updates
Notable Clients
- Razor Creative
- Royal Jay
- Onboardly
Price: Currently in its early access stage, you can request access to Parakeeto here.
Harvest
Harvest describes itself as a tool that “makes time tracking easy”.
With clients like Vayner Media and Ashton, Harvest is one of the best time tracking apps on the market. All you have to do is start a timer from your desktop, phone, or browser, and Harvest will track your time to different clients and projects.
If you have a bunch of team members who are being paid per hour, you can see where they’re spending their time, and track it against their budgets.
When a project is completed, you can create an invoice, send it to your client, and get paid online from Harvest’s dashboard.
It integrates with a bunch of other collaboration tools like Asana, Basecamp, and Trello.
Key Features
- Standard Costs
- Ease of Completing Timesheets
- Tracking Time to Project/Task
- Billable Time Rate Management
Notable Clients
- Vayner Media
- Ashton
- Hyperakt
- Happy Cog
- Brightin
Price: Free plan available. Premium plans start at $12 / user / month
Which Online Collaboration Tools Are You Going to Try?
There you have it, folks. 38 of the best online collaboration tools on the market to get your team working smarter.
No matter if your team is spread out across different countries, or just separate office cubicles, online collaboration tools can be a great way to get everybody working on the same page.
Of course, every tool on the list has its own perks. Some are geared towards designers, and some are built for developers. But all of them have one thing in common: to make your life at work a lot easier.
So, what tool on our list are you looking forward to trying?