Introduction
Team productivity is hard to achieve when employees are working in silos. Whether communication between team members is difficult or departments don’t have access and insights into what other teams are working on, disjointed teams often struggle to do meaningful work.
The key to building productive teams is equipping them with the right tools to do their job as efficiently as possible. And for hybrid, remote or dispersed teams, which often includes collaboration tools.
But what collaboration tools are worth investing in for team productivity? Keep reading to find out.
TL;DR: Best collaboration tools in 2024
What are collaboration tools?
Collaboration tools are software, apps or programs that help businesses and teams work together more efficiently. Although collaboration tools cover a wide range of tool types, they are designed to encourage cross departmental collaboration and help teams connect, share ideas, and join forces to achieve a larger goal (such as completing a project or delivering a service to a customer).
Top 11 collaboration tools in 2024
Here are our top 11 collaboration tools for productive teams in 2024.
1. Scribe
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G2 Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars
Capterra Rating: 4.9 out of 5 stars
Pricing: Free plans available
Scribe creates step-by-step guides with just the click of a button. Simply capture your screen as you complete a task and Scribe automatically generates your how-to guide, complete with text and visuals.
Quickly get insight from busy subject matter experts and create onboarding and training guides that are actually useful. Then add context, annotate images or use Scribe Pages to combine multiple Scribes with videos, images, GIFs and more. You can even ask the AI to write the documents for you.
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Scribe makes it easy to show team members how to complete a specific task when you’re unable to offer hands-on support.
As a collaboration tool, Scribe can also:
- Create a single source of truth for how teams should be completing processes.
- Share comprehensive feedback without requiring extensive time investment.
- Prevent team members from needing to answer the same questions again and again.
- Integrate with your other favorite tools to create better documentation.
2. Slack
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G2 Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Capterra Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars
Pricing: Free plan available
Slack is the “digital HQ” that brings your people, tools and communication together in one place. Slack's team collaboration software keeps conversations organized in channels, making it easy for your teams to hold multiple conversations at once. Share files, media, audio clips, or even chat with live video, all without needing to switch tools.
Slack is your go-to platform for watercooler conversations, team happy hours and even to make your next important business decision. Integrate the apps you use every day, including Google Docs or your favorite calendar app, to create an all-in-one productivity hub.
Other Slack features that can boost in-person and remote collaboration and team productivity include:
- Mobile app for connecting or checking in on the go.
- Permission and privacy for joining channels and conversations.
- Direct messaging for easy one-on-one collaboration.
- Built-in automation tools to build workflows.
💡 Scribe tip: Integrating your favorite apps with Slack can take your team’s productivity to the next level! Learn more about the best Slack apps for productivity.
3. Zoom
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G2 Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Capterra Rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars
Pricing: Free personal plans
Zoom is a unified collaboration tool that provides video meetings, team chat, online whiteboards and more all in one place. Zoom is designed to make meetings more productive, especially when connecting with teams or clients around the world.
Zoom also provides conference room systems, online webinars and community event tools to give your team even more flexibility when connecting with clients or encouraging remote team collaboration. Use Zoom Rooms to break out into smaller groups, or host hybrid or virtual events featuring multiple speakers.
You can also use Zoom to:
- Quickly switch between chat and call to keep conversations moving forward.
- Join meetings and phone calls from any device.
- Integrate with popular tools like Slack or Asana to stay on top of projects and tasks.
4. Asana
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G2 Rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars
Capterra Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Pricing: Free basic plans available
Asana manages team projects and tasks so your team can stay on track to hit your goals. Map out project steps, assign tasks and build timelines that make it easy for your team to see what needs to get done and when.
Improve your workflows with automation and built-in analytics. Automate repetitive tasks to save your team time and identify weak points in your processes with in-depth reporting. Keep an eye on team workloads to prevent team members from being overwhelmed or overbooked while still keeping your projects on track.
Asana can also improve collaboration and team productivity by:
- Integrating with the apps your team knows and love.
- Using templates to quickly build common processes or project maps.
- Keeping comments, questions and action items all in one place.
📌 Looking for tools to automate business processes? Check out our list of the best workflow management software!
5. Notion
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Capterra Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars
Pricing: Free individual plans
Notion is a flexible workspace for teams and individuals to create documents, databases, tables and more. Notion organizes everything from meeting notes to company OKRs to help you build workflows and systems that make your team more productive. And because it’s so flexible, your team can create just about any kind of content in Notion.
Use comments and discussions to ask questions, give feedback, or check in on project status. Real-time collaboration tools make it easy for multiple team members to work together on a page or document, and embeds can help you bring your pages to life by pulling graphics, images, and other visuals into your Notion pages.
Other Notion features worth mentioning include:
- Powerful search bar to jump directly to the pages or content you need.
- Multiple database views to keep work organized and to visualize progress or requirements.
- Notification hub to keep track of changes or updates.
🎓 Related resource: How to Use Notion for Project Management: The Ultimate Guide
6. Confluence
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G2 Rating: 4.1 out of 5 stars
Capterra Rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars
Pricing: Free basic plan
Confluence is the team workspace brought to you by the team at Atlassian. It brings knowledge and collaboration together to help teams build, organize and work together virtually. Confluence is flexible enough to be used as a knowledge base, social intranet or project management tool.
Pre-made Confluence templates help your team get started quickly. Build custom project or page templates to keep your team working productively and maintain consistency. Your team can also work and engage in Confluence from whatever device they want, making it easy to work on the go.
Use Confluence to further team collaboration by:
- Providing regular business updates to leaders and supervisors to keep them in the loop
- Building actionable business strategies and plans with input from team members
- Encouraging team members to share instant feedback, conversations and announcements on Confluence pages
🎓 Related resource: Everything You Need for Confluence Documentation
7. Google Workspace
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G2 Rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars
Capterra Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars
Pricing: Starting at $6/user/month
Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) isn’t just one app — it’s a suite of tools designed to help people and organizations achieve more. Included in Google Workspace, you’ll get access to collaboration tools like Gmail, Calendar, Meet, Chat, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides and more. It’s a great low-cost option for managing all the collaboration tools your team might need.
With Google Workspace, you can host video calls, share documents and files, and work together to create the products and services your customers love. Docs, Google Sheets and Slides all allow you to view real-time edits and changes, and Calendar, Chat and Drive can help you stay organized and on top of your meetings and projects.
Google Workspace can also:
- Reduce the number of tools or apps your team uses by consolidating everything under one platform
- Give your team the flexibility to work on whatever devices they want
- Tag team members in comments or assign tasks right within your documents or pages
- Start a chat or video call from the documents your teams are building
📌 Create comprehensive Google Sheets training guides effortlessly —capture, customize and share step-by-step training in minutes.
8. Jira
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G2 Rating: 4.2 out of 5 stars
Capterra Rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars
Pricing: Free plans available
Jira (another tool created by the Atlassian team) is designed with agile development teams in mind. Jira helps teams plan and manage development projects, including issues and tasks. Boards give users a quick overview of project progress and what still needs to be accomplished so they can stay focused and on track.
Jira has drag-and-drop automation features to help you reduce manual work so your team can focus on more difficult and important tasks. And because it’s also created by Atlassian, it connects perfectly with Confluence to further build out collaborative processes.
Other notable Jira features include:
- Customization features that allow your team to streamline business processes that work for them as they grow
- Integrations with Atlassian Marketplace and other popular tools and apps
- Ability to assign and update tasks
9. ClickUp
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G2 Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars
Capterra Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars
Pricing: Free personal plans
ClickUp is an all-in-one app with chat, tasks, docs, goals, and more. It’s customizable but structured so your team can build the collaboration tool of their dreams without feeling confused or overwhelmed.
While ClickUp is primarily a project management tool, it also has robust chat and documentation features that can replace Slack or Google Docs. Put all your collaboration and team correspondence under one platform so everything stays clean and organized.
ClickUp can also improve team collaboration by:
- Creating shared goals and objectives teams can work toward achieving.
- Allowing users to create their own personalized dashboards that fit their personal productivity needs.
- Integrating with your favorite tools and apps for an easier transition.
🎓 Related resource: How to Use ClickUp for Project Management
10. Canva
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Capterra Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars
Pricing: Free plans available
Canva uses design tools to enable teams to collaborate visually. Teams can work together to craft beautiful slideshows, headers, social media posts and more. Teams can also use Canva to build digital whiteboards or visual workflows to make brainstorming processes more interactive.
Canva can also make it easier to create collaborative design processes. In Canva, you can assign tasks, invite team members, or share designs for approval and feedback. Set up branded templates that make it easier for non-designer team members to build beautiful documents and allow your designers to focus on bigger projects.
Canva can also be used to:
- Build brand consistency across visual platforms.
- Keep users and audiences more engaged.
- Create simple, visual content to share in onboarding, training, or employee documents.
11. ProofHub
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G2 Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Capterra Rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars
Pricing: 14-day free trial
ProofHub is an all-in-one project management and team collaboration tool that ensures all team members are on the same page, when working on a project. You can plan, schedule, delegate tasks, and monitor progress from the centralized dashboard. Team members can have Discussions, share Notes, and use comments with @mention for quick and effective collaboration to ensure a smooth progression of the project.
Additionally, this platform offers 1:1 as well as group chats for quickly sharing important project updates and documents. This minimizes the need for switching between multiple apps and keeps all project-related information easily accessible at all times.
Other features that improve team collaboration include:
- Multiple task list views to get a wide perspective of the individual workload of various team members.
- Centralized repository for storing and organizing project files that come in handy for team members to access files remotely.
- Continuous and timely feedback to identify and rectify areas for improvement.
- Custom field reporting and analytics to understand the overall performance and productivity of various team members.
Types of collaboration tools to boost team productivity
Here are the main types of collaboration tools designed to boost team productivity:
- File sharing tools. File sharing tools give your teams access to documents, images, and other files wherever they need them.
- Calendar tools. Calendar sharing tools make it easier to schedule meetings or see when team members are busy or out of office.
- Instant messaging and video tools. Instant messaging and video tools let teams connect from all over the world.
- Whiteboard and drawing tools. Digital whiteboard or drawing tools are designed to mimic the tools used in real-life brainstorming or collaboration sessions.
- Document management tools. Document management tools allow teams to quickly and easily document and share ideas with one another.
- Project management tools. A project management tool provides a high-level look at project status and allows teams to assign tasks to team members.
📌 Related resource: Productivity Hacks for Busy Professionals
Why you need collaboration tools for productive teams
While each employee may have their own systems and processes for working productively on their own, they need to be able to work together if you want to master team efficiency. This is why collaboration tools are an essential element of your team productivity strategies.
Collaboration tools can improve team productivity by:
- Reducing the amount of time employees spend waiting for a response from a team member or supervisor.
- Making it easier to schedule meetings and team calls and cutting down on time-consuming back-and-forth messaging.
- Providing real-time views into how projects are progressing or where tasks may be stuck.
- Making files, data and other important information readily available regardless of where the employee is logging in.
💡 Looking for more productivity tips? Check our out list of the top productivity podcasts!
Build more productive teams with collaboration tools
Collaboration tools help your team unlock new levels of productivity. When it’s easy to work together and share ideas, they can get more done and do better work.
Use collaboration tools to fill in gaps in your team's productivity. Identify where they’re struggling or could use the most support, and implement a collaboration tool that gives them the boost they need.
Scribe is a great tool to start with. With Scribe, you can make it easier than ever to educate and train your team, and as you start to introduce new tools, you can use Scribe to get them up to speed even faster. If you’re ready to see for yourself, get started for free today!
