One of the most important breakthroughs in computerized business is definitely the emergence of collaboration software, as the variety of omnichannel communication apps on the market is securely replacing email services, both when it comes to group project work and casual messaging. Developing collaboration systems is only gaining momentum with the growing number of decentralized and delocalized teams, where the availability of quality communication is a leading factor for both failure and success.
In its current, competitive state, however, the software market is unable to guarantee 100% reliability, and that’s how most businesses end up moving down a dead end street. It is now easier than ever before to make the wrong choice, not because we were promised accountability we’d not been served with, but because we rarely approach software with a clear list of needs and priorities.
In order to help you skip the cost of choosing an unsuitable collaboration app, we prepared a list of top business picks you should consider in 2025. As you read on, you will also discover our tip section that underlines the features you should expect from your new collaboration system. For more alternatives and handy solutions, visit our collaboration software category.
Fully aware of the fact it is difficult to speak of a one-size-fits-all collaboration platform, our experts extracted what they believe to be the basics of collaboration software, and listed the systems that have those and are therefore usable in every corporate environment. The five apps discussed in this section are the leaders of our Collaboration Software category and winners of our most prominent quality awards.
Wrike
Wrike is a top market solution for online collaboration and project management that was designed with a single goal: to boost the speed and efficiency of operations conducted in both co-located and decentralized groups. The flexibility provided by Wrike enables multifunctional teams to collaborate and get things done effectively from a single platform, regardless of where they’re working, and what their main assignments may be.
Wrike
Try out Wrike with their free trial
As a result, Wrike appears in the toolkit of both Fortune 500 businesses and startups, which enjoy a flexible pricing scheme, and just enough integration capabilities to skip adjusting their current ecosystem to push Wrike inside. The system is also fully mobile optimized, and offers a very user-friendly interface where even the least-savvy users find their way within minutes. Prominent features include 3-pane project views, live activity feeds, engaging mentions, progress tracking, and many more. The vendor offers a great free trial plan for the software that allows you to try out all the key features first. You can easily sign up for Wrike free trial here.
Why is Wrike suitable for every company?
It engages your team with live activity updates and mentions. There is much to Wrike that reminds of a social network interface, and that’s what users like the most about it. There is a live Activity Stream that shows the activities of each team member on the dashboard, and arranges shared activities in chronological order. Mentions help engage involved users whose attention is required, and the progress of their activities is fully and easily traceable.
It inspires creative teams to make the most of their collaboration. The truth is, corporate communication is more dull than interesting, and that’s all because of tight deadlines and the administrative burden related to working in a group. How does Wrike eliminate this problem? The system is perfect for creative groups, as it gives them enough customization to collaborate in the desired environment, and its requests are available via URL so that even non-Wrike users can access them easily and rapidly.
It clarifies team priorities, and relates each task to the company’s long-term mission. The point where most large teams get stuck is evaluating whether their joint efforts will contribute to the company’s established goals and priorities. Wrike reduces the risk of making wrong choices by shortening the time needed to complete a project, reducing costly errors, miscommunication, and rework, and improving progress visibility for their main stakeholders. There are many advanced and easy-to-customize requests, such as New Project Requests, Issue/Change Requests, Proposals, Creative Briefs, etc.
Pricing info: Teams up to 5 users can obtain most of Wrike’s functionality for free, while larger ones get to choose between four pricing plans (starting from $9.80/user and moving up to $34.60/user). Large teams should consider the quote-based Enterprise plans tailored to their specific needs and expectations.
Asana
Asana is another award-winning app listed in our Collaboration Software category which certainly has what it takes to improve the state of any business. Our experts recommend it because it eliminates the need to use email and third-party apps for corporate communication, and nevertheless secures sensitive data with encryption and restricted access. Sharing notes, uploading several formats of attachments’, and organizing tasks is made easy, and eventually reflects on streamlined workflows and time-efficient delivery.
Asana developers are proud to suggest task relating, following and searching public tasks, prioritizing completion, and change management. From the team’s perspective, the best thing about Asana is how it lets employees manage their working space, prioritize and organize tasks the way they deem necessary, upload files, delegate duties, and finally report in a clean and accurate way. Satisfied users will also recommend it for improving customer support, and delivering an enjoyable experience.
Why is Asana suitable for every company?
It keeps everyone involved. With Asana, users get a single Dashboard where all improvements are displayed in an activity bar, and all conversations get a dedicated Team Page to ensure no update is neglected. Asana is also perfect for storing and recalling information and integrates with Harvest to follow the progress of each activity. For the purpose of timely and easy viewing, team members can discuss the project’s progress while it is happening, share it, comment on it, upload a file, or simply let everybody know that they like the change.
It offers a dedicated smart inbox. Asana is another of the few collaboration systems that eliminate the need to use third-party software, as it makes sure users have a single inbox for all work-related updates, and no personal mail to distract them. All updates can be directly converted into actionable tasks or trigger a meeting, which is how teams get to solve problems in a more productive and time-efficient manner.
They are always there for you. Asana is best known for its dedicated and responsive support team, where professionals are always a message/phone call away from solving complex queries and answering important questions. What is really specific about this company is the Customer Success programs, where a group of project management experts develops specialized programs to help businesses improve real-time collaboration.
Pricing info: Asana is completely free for teams up to 15 users, while all other teams are invited to purchase the Premium Plan ($8.33/user) that includes all functionality.
Slack
Slack is definitely the most popular collaboration app out there, and there are many reasons for that. This cute and easy-to-use collaboration system comes packed with collaboration features needed to unite all communication channels, integrates with a large number of established and promising applications, and categorizes information and files in a way no other system can brag about.
What we appreciate the most about this system is how it creates a single unified archive accessible through powerful search, and perfectly optimized for mobile usage (with dedicated apps!). Slack is built around a channel format that allows you to quickly go from asynchronous to synchronous communication. When it matters, the real-time response cannot be undervalued, but Slack’s highly customizable notifications allow you to jump in and out when you’re needed. The lack of expensive and complex installations only reaffirms Slack’s reputation of being a reasonable investment for small businesses.
Why is Slack suitable for every company?
It makes messaging fast and powerful. More than anything else, Slack is used to turn business messaging into an enjoyable process, and it is enabled both for private and group conversations. You can also access all of your messages at any point in time, as Slack saves all of them in a centralized hub. In such a way, Slack also reduces dramatically onboarding times for new employees.
It synchronizes communication coming from several channels. With Slack, it is incredibly easy to turn asynchronous communication into synchronous and to save time. When it matters, the real-time response cannot be undervalued, but Slack’s highly customizable notifications allow you to jump in and out when you’re needed. This is how even the largest teams keep in line with what is happening in the company – communication is public, and accessible from any device.
It makes business more transparent. The need for status reports and daily stand-up meetings decreases. Now, marketing can see what challenges the sales team is facing, engineers get a glimpse of what designers are working on before it gets handed over, technical operations have insight into what’s in the customer support queue, etc.
Pricing info: Slack offers a free plan for up to 10k messages, where you can involve an unlimited number of users. Paid plans for several communication channels vary between $6.67 and $49.99 per user/month.
Podio
Podio’s developers like to think of their product as the tool that genuinely makes teamwork enjoyable, and over 400,000 current users agree with that. Podio is ideal for small and medium businesses, freelancers, nonprofits, professional services, and public administrations looking to streamline communication and get work done in a fast, efficient, and transparent manner.
Whether you need an urgent message from a member or simply want to share information, Podio puts all your conversations in one place for easy monitoring. Updates, comments, and changes are done in real time so your project is kept on track. You’ll also love that Podio is available in Android and iOS to access your project plan even when you’re mobile, and the number of integrations which help it work in line with the rest of your software tools.
Why is Podio suitable for every company?
It saves both time and money. Podio brings all communication channels in a single hubs, and puts operations into perspective giving users the whole picture of how progress is doing. All of your team’s conversations and file exchanges will now be available on a single platform, so that they can communicate rapidly, efficiently, and without the need to rely on third-party software.
It turns collaboration into an enjoyable experience. Podio is easy to customize and make more brand-specific, and has a simple interface that reminds of social networks. This is why employees enjoy working with it, and feel motivated to contribute and share their ideas.
It lowers transaction costs. The most important value delivered by this system is that it lowers transaction costs by storing and sharing files, deliverables, and milestones with staff and third-party clients. Basically, your teams get an internal network where they can get all of their work done, and don’t need to resort to third-party services to share that work.
Pricing info: The same as other apps we discussed in this article, Podio offers a free Lite version of the product for 5 employees and external teams. Core features remain the same in the paid plans (Teams and Business) available for $9/employee/month, or with an individual quote that meets the exact needs of the company.
HipChat
HipChat is referred to both as a collaboration and communication app, and it is well-known for providing one of the simplest and most customizable cooperation environments. Technically speaking, Atlassian’s HipChat is a live chat app designed exclusively for business teams, loaded with functionalities such as private/group conversations, video calling, file sharing, screen sharing, and many more.
On top of this, HipChat is very affordable and thus ideal for small teams and startups, and doesn’t involve unexpected and unpleasant fees or limitations. What you pay is what you get for, and in this case that’s an array of powerful features, full mobile optimization, and a large list of handy integrations (Airbrake, Bamboo, Capistrano, Confluence, Desk, JIRA, Pivotal Tracker, and many more).
Why is HipChat suitable for every company?
It is fully enabled for business collaboration. Unlike regular live chat apps, HipChat is packed with advanced features such as video calling, meetings, screen sharing, and file exchange, all offered at a handy price. It is also compatible with all operational systems (Linux included) to ensure all team members can use it on their private devices.
It works hand in hand with 1oo+ business systems and solutions. As we already mentioned, HipChat is extremely well connected and blends easily into every software infrastructure. Its most prominent integrations include other Atlassian products, Zendesk, Confluence, Pivotal Tracker, Asana, and many other apps.
It is absolutely secure. The thing companies are most worried about when sharing important information is whether access to it is fully protected. Alongside internal access controls, roles, and permissions, HipChat guarantees constant monitoring, regular backup, and what is most important bank-grade 256-bit SSL encryption of your data.
Pricing info: The Basic version of HipChat for IM and groups is free, and offers a limited storage of 5GB. Shifting to a paid plan is painless, as it costs $2/user/month, and includes all advanced features such as video calling and screen sharing.
Tips on how to choose the best collaboration software:
When buying collaboration software for your business, keep in mind the following:
- Efficient, fast, accurate, and smooth creation and sharing of data
- Well-coordinated projects
- Quick and easy to access your important data and other documents when you or your employees need them
- Better and more productive workflow
- Better handling of invoices
In order to make the right choice, we suggest you make a detailed list of features of collaboration software you’d like your program to have, its capacity to follow your development and blend into your software infrastructure, and only then compare its actual pricing to your payment capacity.
Tip #1: Look for a tool that will simplify collaboration, not one that will make it look fancier
According to Huffington Post, US employees waste more than the half of their daily working hours checking emails, replying, or deleting such. The very same post reveals that miscommunication is one of the leading reasons why companies fail to deliver projects on time.
This is why it is imperial to look for a system that will centralize communication, and bring together all channels and conversations. In the ideal scenario, this system will also store data, enable direct calls and show updates on live feeds, and track progress to make the work of managers at least a bit easier. The appearance comes second, but in case the app you’re considering is efficient and visually appealing you’ve found yourself a winner! Note that by appealing we don’t actually mean full of advanced whistles you may or may not use, but rather a comprehensive interface where workers find their way easily and without training.
Tip #2: A productive app is only the one that can be accessed from all devices.
Why are you looking for a collaboration system in the first place? The answer is fairly simple: you want to engage employees in the field at several locations, share data with them, and keep them in line with what is going on in the company. Thereof, you don’t need a system that can’t be used outside the office.
Instead, give your team a collaboration app they can access from their mobile devices, including Android and iOS devices, and all systems and browsers. In this way, they will be enabled to access data and contribute wherever they are, and managers will be able to track their progress.
Tip #3: Check customer support in advance
Many customers neglect customer support upon purchase and realize its importance only when the time comes to rely on that support. Unfortunately, it is not such a common practice in the collaboration software industry to be there for users 24/7, and tech advice is not always given by experienced experts.
How to make sure you can rely on customer support? Contact them in advance, and try out every communication channel they supposedly offer. In the ideal scenario, choose a system where tech support can be contacted 24/7 (in particular if the company is based in a different region), and in several different ways: live chat, phone, or email. Some operators give access to a large base of usable documentation, Q&As, and video tutorials, or allow you to engage with a large user community where you can find solutions and exchange experiences.
Tip #4: Skip any system that doesn’t guarantee your data’s security
It would be easy to send confidential information here and there if there weren’t as many threats and security issues to worry about. The last thing you need is an insecure communication portal where restricted access is not guaranteed, so check protection in advance, and consult experts before you make a final choice.
Most popular collaboration systems offer internal mechanisms to protect data, such as roles, permissions, and access controls set by the admin, but that will hardly be enough to stop data from going into the wrong hands. The best decision you can make is to buy a system where data movement is monitored, access is SSL encrypted, and backup is automated to prevent serious loss in case of a system failure. The best and most prominent companies usually store data on several servers around the world to ensure you can recover it at any point in time.
Tip #5: Save your money
The time when collaboration software used to be the gift of a few is now far behind us, as competition and cloud hosting took their toll, and the prices of these solutions became extremely low. As can be seen from our top 5 suggestions, advanced collaboration features are now available at notably low prices, and even for free.
Of course, certain collaboration apps are offered as modules in large BPM suites, in which case it makes sense for established corporations to pay higher subscriptions, but for purposes such as communicating in a small team, covering such amounts is absolutely unnecessary.
If you are interested to learn more about other business solutions suitable for your company, feel free to read our guide on the best CRM software program.
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