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The 10 best online tools for remote collaboration

The future of work is remote. A growing list of companies large and small are encouraging employees to work remotely full or part-time and for good reason. Organizations are reaping the benefits that come from embracing remote work in a job market that is changing rapidly in key ways:

  • Basing some employees offsite leads to substantial savings
  • Today’s prospective employees increasingly seek out flexible arrangements that allow work from home. 
  • Research shows that remote workers are happier, more productive, and more likely to stick around
  • Employees save so much money working remotely versus commuting that it’s often akin to getting a raise without additional cost to the employer.

Luckily, there are a lot of tools out there that can make remote work a breeze. These ten apps and platforms are among the best online tools for remote collaboration. 

Online Tools for Remote Collaboration

1. Notion

Notion is a collaboration application that keeps a team’s documents, databases, tasks, and projects all in the same place. When members can quickly share changes, keep an eye on task lists, and collaborate on shared resources, remote teams can stay on track and avoid duplicating their efforts.

2. Slack

Slack is an industry-leading business messaging app that allows users to exchange messages in private and public chat rooms, make video calls, run polls and so much more. The app integrates with other apps to simplify your everyday workflows.

3. Zoom

Zoom is a popular tool used for remote video and audio communications, collaboration, and educational webinars. Some of the features include video calling, chat rooms, and contacts. Zoom search makes it easy to find files and conversations. You can also set custom background photos for your calls to make every remote meeting more special.

4. Miro

Miro is a web-based whiteboarding platform that remote teams can use to collaborate. It’s a lot like the whiteboards used during in-person team meetings. Remote workers can brainstorm together, create digital sticky notes, and plot workflows, among many other tasks. 

5. YAC

YAC is a desktop voice messaging platform that allows team members to leave voice messages for one another. Team members can send quick messages instead of trying to arrange a meeting to communicate. 

6. Loom

Loom is a video recording tool that allows teams to share short videos instantly. Because users can record their camera, microphone, and desktop simultaneously, this tool is especially useful for training or demonstrating something remotely. 

7. Tandem

Tandem is a virtual office for remote teams. It allows team members to chat without having to schedule meetings or dialing numbers. Just click a button and start talking. Tandem features meeting rooms like Water cooler, Daily standup and Help needed. Everyone on the team is notified when you join a room – pretty handy when you need urgent help. Want to focus and get work done? Tandem also supports Focus mode.

8. Figma

Figma is a cloud-based design tool remote teams use for digital projects and prototyping. Users can join in from anywhere to collaborate on projects in real-time in a team environment. Figma makes it easy to prototype, design and create design systems while simplifying handoff from Design to Engineering.

9. Zeplin

Zeplin is a collaboration tool created to improve collaboration between frontend developers and UI designers. Developers and designers can both access the tool at any time, making the design and coding process more efficient. 

10. Gmelius

Gmelius is a tool that helps teams manage shared inboxes. It turns email into a collaborative and flexible channel to ensure all teammates stay in sync while working from their favorite tools. Gmelius allows users to assign emails to each other and add notes.