Well-established communications are a prerequisite for the stable development of modern business. PMI statics indicate that the use of project collaboration tools helps an average office worker save 498 working hours per year or almost 24% of all working time!
It is possible due to the constant information exchange, competent management of digital assets, tracking task statuses, and analyzing workflows to improve their efficiency. All these features are available in specialized collaboration tools for project managers.
We'll take a look at the features of such software and the key requirements for it. In today's review, you will also find a ranking of the best collaboration tools for group projects in 2024.
What to Look for in Project Management Collaboration Tools
Project collaboration apps ensure continuous communication between all team members during the workflow. Basic features of such tools include:
- text messaging and chat;
- organization of video conferences with video streaming from the screen;
- automatic notification of workflow participants when the status of a task changes;
- features for real-time communication during project work and post-project feedback;
- approval processes for using certain digital assets or features;
- file distribution;
- creating task lists and marking completed stages;
- creating project schedules for the team;
- file sharing;
- visualizing projects using graphs, charts, tables, etc.
Project management collaboration tools can also be used to store a knowledge base — project documentation, instructions, and introductory materials for beginners. In addition, they are often used to analyze the effectiveness of certain tasks. For example, when making employment decisions or optimizing workflows.
To choose the right platform, you first need to answer a few vital questions:
- What exactly is slowing down your workflows?
Is it a long pause when moving to the next project stage or a lack of information from managers? Or do you need to create better presentations for investors or get new hires up to speed faster? The answer to this question will help you identify the key features of the software.
- What features does your team need?
It's essential to focus on the needs of those who will be doing the work. You can compare certain software solutions endlessly in terms of functionality, but this will not have any effect without considering the specifics of their implementation.
- Who will use the project collaboration tool?
First of all, we are talking about responsibility levels. If you choose a platform for ordinary employees only, focus on work functions; if managers will use it, be sure to add control and visualization functions. Another crucial question is which divisions and departments will use the software. Make sure the tool will cover all their needs and accommodate all the features of their workflows.
- What other applications and web services do you use?
The higher the degree of integration of project management and collaboration tools into the existing software package, the better. This will increase the level of automation, reduce the amount of resources spent on manual tasks, and increase the speed of information exchange between all company departments.
You should also pay attention to the UX/UI features of the service. The simpler its interface and the better its functions are structured, the less time and effort you will spend on the onboarding process and the more efficiently you will be able to use all the tools in the future.
Top Project Management Collaboration Tools for 2024
Remember that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for everyone. Collaborative project management tools are developed for different workflows and business models. Therefore, do not choose a particular platform just because it works well for your partner or competitor. Focus on the functionality and usability of the service, and remember to pay attention to reviews and feedback from real users.
1. ClickUp
It is one of the most convenient platforms for online project management collaboration. It has a simple interface that employees with minimal technical knowledge - accountants, HR managers, administrators, etc. — can easily understand. ClickUp allows you to create a customized workspace for each project, enabling only vital functions, changing the graphical shell design, and choosing the optimal order of functional elements. This makes the platform intuitive and significantly reduces the amount of unproductive time.
Subscription fees start at $7 per month for each user. There is a free version for freelancers and independent professionals with limited functionality.
Capterra rating — 4.6/5.0
G2 rating — 4.7/5.0
2. AdaptiveWork (formerly Clarizen)
The strong point of this project collaboration software is the visualization of workflows. A few seconds, a couple of clicks — and detailed Gantt charts, workload graphs for each user account, and percentages of certain tasks are displayed to the management. This solution allows you to quickly reallocate available resources for maximum business efficiency. Most elements on the dashboards are interactive — by clicking on them, you get detailed statistics. This ensures that small but crucial tasks do not get lost in the chaos.
The subscription price starts at $45 per month. A free demo is available — there is no trial version.
Capterra rating — 4.2/5.0
G2 rating — 4.1/5.0
3. Proofhub
If Kanban is your preferred method of organizing processes, choose this collaborative project platform. It allows managers to create task boards in minutes and fill them with content, instantly distribute responsibility and authority among departments, teams, and individual employees. Proofhub allows you to get feedback in real time. Each employee can click the contact button and send a message related to the active stage of the workflow. Another valuable feature is the audit of past projects, which allows you to identify bottlenecks and mistakes to avoid them in the future.
Subscription starts at $45 per month with no limit on the number of users. There's a 14-day trial period without linking a bank card.
Capterra rating — 4.6/5.0
G2 rating — 4.7/5.0
4. Pics.io
It is a comprehensive digital asset management platform that improves communication between employees, provides convenient collaboration tools, and allows you to set access rules for both files and folders. It has an analytics and reporting that helps evaluate the productivity of each user account, determine the employee's contribution to the project, and get statistics on the use of certain materials.
Pics.io simplifies task collaboration with its version control feature. It allows you to view the history of changes to digital assets and select the options you need in a few clicks. You can also perform quick file comparison to identify their differences instantly. Another useful feature is diverse user permissions, which help management control workflows and reduce the number of critical errors, such as publishing incorrect versions.
Among key Pics.io features is fast file sharing and receiving with both company employees and external contractors, partners, or clients. For this purpose, customized portals, websites and inboxes, are used. In addition, the platform allows you to effectively sort digital assets using metadata, including creating custom fields and tagging files.
Subscriptions start at $50 per month and a 7-day trial version is available.
Capterra rating — 4.8/5.0
G2 rating — 4.6/5.0
5. Height
This web service is perfect for scaling small and medium-sized businesses. If you're used to working with spreadsheets for planning, no problem. Just enter the necessary data and click the process button — the collaborative project management tool will automatically create all the necessary graphs and Gantt charts, find employees in the database, and create a new project card. Height also allows you to create guest accounts with limited permissions for external participants in workflows and integrate these profiles into the enterprise ecosystem without compromising confidentiality.
The subscription pricing starts at $6.99 per month. There is a free plan with a limit on the number of automated tasks.
Capterra rating — unavailable
G2 rating — 5.0/5.0
6. Miro
Miro is a kind of whiteboard for project collaboration. The service allows you to decompose any complex workflow into an algorithm consisting of the simplest elements. Moreover, it provides a huge library of ready-made templates that simplify the design of such algorithms. Integrations with popular applications like Slack, Jira, and Trello increase the level of automation by allowing you to send out notifications about changes in task status or receive feedback from employees. Built-in artificial AI also enables users to convert handwritten notes and voice messages into text and immediately incorporate them into project materials.
Subscription costs start at $10 per month. There is a free subscription that provides access to 3 whiteboards for visualization.
Capterra rating — 4.7/5.0
G2 rating — 4.8/5.0
7. Freedcamp
It is versatile project management collaboration software suitable for companies of all scales, including international corporations. It has many features activated with premium subscriptions, including a built-in CRM, a payment acceptance module, and a separate messenger for confidential communication with clients. This approach allows you to find the perfect functionality and price for each user. Moreover, even the basic version is worthy of attention — it has a knowledge base, a time tracker, and a quick problem-reporting service.
Subscription costs start at $2.49 per user per month. There is a free subscription with minimal functionality and no limit on the number of projects and users.
Capterra rating — 4.6/5.0
G2 rating — 4.5/5.0
8. Flock
It is one of the most popular online project collaboration tools that promises to solve a critical problem in the digital segment — employee sensory overload. Its minimalist interface and a limited list of carefully selected features help you focus on a specific task and not get distracted by other issues. Flock will be especially useful in marketing, where employees are constantly dealing with huge volumes of diverse content. At the same time, you won't have to worry about limitations — if certain features are missing in the standard app, you can get them due to ready-made integrations with other platforms.
The subscription price starts from $4.50 per user per month. The free plan has a limit on the number of messages and channels.
Capterra rating — 4.5/5.0
G2 rating — 4.4/5.0
9. Slack
It is one of the most widely used collaboration tools for project managers worldwide. Slack is a corporate messenger for creating public and private channels for discussions, forming project teams, and automating certain tasks with built-in bots. It integrates with hundreds of third-party services, allowing you to use it as a hub for exchanging information with contractors, clients, partners, outsourcers, and remote employees. Slack also offers an intelligent search to look for essential correspondence in seconds or minutes.
The subscription cost starts at $4.38 per user per month. The trial version has limitations in terms of functionality and message storing time.
Capterra rating — 4.7/5.0
G2 rating — 4.5/5.0
10. Podio
It is an all-in-one platform that includes a corporate messenger, calendar plans, visualization tools, basic CRM functions, and a time tracker. If that's not enough for you, you can connect additional services such as Zendesk, Google Workspace, Wrike, Evernote, and others for online project collaboration. Podio also has a high level of customization — you can develop separate web applications for each project, choosing the optimal interface design, task automation solutions, and access rules for digital assets.
The subscription price starts at $14 per month. There is a trial version with minimal functionality. Additional services such as large file sharing and digital signatures are charged separately.
Capterra rating — 4.3/5.0
G2 rating — 4.2/5.0
11. Bit.ai
It is a centralized repository for documents, correspondence, knowledge bases, contacts, projects, records, tasks, and all other materials necessary for planning. The service easily integrates with cloud storage, corporate messengers, CRM, CDP, and dozens of other types of software platforms. It serves not only as an information hub but also as a convenient notebook for project managers. Built-in AI in online project collaboration software provides a quick search for information. You can formulate queries in natural phrases, just like you write to your colleagues.
Subscription costs start at $12 per user per month. There is also a free subscription with restrictions on the number of users and documents.
Capterra rating — 5.0/5.0
G2 rating — 4.0/5.0
12. Notion
This project management online collaboration tool has become known for its built-in AI. It is used in almost all functions here — to convert spreadsheets into task lists, notify you when a project moves to a new stage, write messages, automatically create custom tags, and more. Notion monitors task status and automatically alerts responsible parties about upcoming deadlines.
Subscription costs start at $8 per user per month. The free version is limited in terms of functionality, number of users, and available integrations.
Capterra rating — 4.7/5.0
G2 rating — 4.7/5.0
13. Teamwork
It is project management and collaboration software with a special focus on task tracking. Teamwork allows you to break tasks into separate actions and build complex algorithms, set dependencies to automatically launch new stages, set reasonable deadlines, and assign responsible persons in a couple of clicks. The multifunctional platform also makes it possible to monitor payments, control the workload of each user, and keep track of working hours.
Subscription fees start at $9.99 per user per month. The free version has limited functionality.
Capterra rating — 4.5/5.0
G2 rating — 4.4/5.0
14. Asana
If you use many applications and web services to automate workflows, this project management collaboration tool is the perfect choice for you. It acts as an integration software, allowing you to create interconnections between other tools. And you don't need deep technical knowledge — thanks to many ready-made integrations, you can create algorithms using the drag-n-drop method, simply dragging the necessary elements with the mouse.
The subscription price starts at $10.99 per user per month. There is a free version with a limit on the number of automation for individual users.
Capterra rating — 4.5/5.0
G2 rating — 4.3/5.0
15. Basecamp
It is one of the simplest collaboration tools for project management which has extensive features. It allows you to view project status on various charts, create surveys to get instant feedback, and analyze user productivity. The service also offers flexible notification settings. For example, you can turn them off completely at certain times of the day or when using specific functions, such as studying the knowledge base.
Subscription fees start at $15 per user per month. A 30-day trial subscription is available without linking a bank card.
Capterra rating — 4.3/5.0
G2 rating — 4.1/5.0
16. Monday.com
It is a "sandbox" for project managers that allows them to organize workflows in any convenient way. It is a great collaboration tools example that sets almost no restrictions on visualization methods. You have access to Gantt charts, algorithms, roadmaps, tables, line and bar graphs, relationship graphs, and more. You can build them by consulting with all team members in real time and accepting their suggestions on a whiteboard.
Subscription costs start at $9 per user per month. A free subscription limits the functionality and number of users.
Capterra rating — 4.6/5.0
G2 rating — 4.7/5.0
Conclusion
Collaborative project management software can take your business productivity to a whole new level. According to the University of Missouri-St. Louis, its use increases the average return on investment by 10% and increases the likelihood of startup success by 41%. These results are impressive and allow you to gain serious advantages in the competition.
All you need to achieve such outcomes is to choose the right services for collaborative project management. Remember that there are no one-size-fits-all solutions in this area — each company has its specific workflows that will influence the choice of a software platform.
If you're looking for something more than just collaboration project management software, you should check out digital asset management platforms. Pics.io provides you with useful productivity tools like version control, file comparison, and advanced analytics. In addition, the platform allows you to flexibly customize access rights without restricting access to crucial materials or compromising privacy.
Did you enjoy this article? Give Pics.io a try — or book a demo with us, and we'll be happy to answer any of your questions.
