Revised August 12, 2021
Though project management tools are nothing new, today’s best apps add innovative features to support remote, distributed workforces. They go beyond task management and scheduling, with video conferencing features that enable team members to collaborate effectively whether working from home, at the office, or any place else.
As more and more simple, repetitive tasks are automated by technology, the uniquely human skill of collaboration will increasingly define work. Optimizing team efforts is difficult even when all members are physically in the same location. When employees are mostly dispersed and working remotely, the challenges are even greater.
Technology has been playing a vital role in managing projects and teams for decades, since before the early days of email and Microsoft Project to more modern tools like Monday.com, Zenkit, and Teamwork.
But the tools below go even further, combining real-time, face-to-face online interaction with traditional tools to help team members communicate and coordinate as if they were in the same room, even when they are miles apart.
Here are six project management and team collaboration tools with video conferencing capabilities worth checking out.
Project Management and Team Collaboration Tools
1. Samepage
Total reviews: 2,573
Average user rating: 9.54 (out of 10)
Per their website, “Samepage facilitates communication, project management, running meetings, online collaboration and more by combining team chat, video conferencing, screen sharing, task management, file sharing, and real-time team document collaboration in a single cloud-based collaborative workspace.” The highest-rated tool in this group, users praised it for it’s ease of use, customer service, extensive integrations, and overall value.
Pricing: free; $7.50/$9 per license per month
2. TeamViewer
Total reviews: 22,666
Average user rating: 9.15
Host secure online meetings for team collaboration with TeamViewer blizz videoconferencing, VoIP calls, instant chat, and screen sharing on any device, from anywhere. Among the features are HD video, integration with Microsoft Outlook, end-to-end encryption, session recording, and attendee activity reporting. Like Zoho Remotely (see below), TeamViewer also offers (separately priced) remote access capability for managing and repairing computers and mobile devices.
Pricing: $9/$13/$20 per host per month
3. Microsoft Teams
Total reviews: 12,114
Average user rating: 8.53
Microsoft Teams enables groups of workers to chat (Slack-like); call’ video conference; and collaborate by accessing, sharing, and editing Word docs, PowerPoint, and Excel files in real time. It supports teams of any size (up to 10,000 people; that’s a big team). Though it is one of the most widely used tool in this group, it scores on the low end in user ratings. Users note issues with the interface and chat functionality.
Pricing: free; $5/$12.50/$20 per user per month
4. Flock
Total reviews: 943
Average user rating: 8.97
A team chat platform with videoconferencing, Flock is a bit like Slack + video (the company even compares its tool directly to Slack here). Powerful search helps you find anything shared in Flock, whether it’s a message, file, or link. Project management / productivity features include to-do lists, polls, and reminders. Flock also offers file sharing, the ability to add “guests” (vendors, prospects, influencers, etc.) from outside your company to conversations, and message bookmarking.
Pricing: free; $4.50/$8 per user per month
5. RingCentral Meetings
Total reviews: 648
Average user rating: 8.59
Chat, file sharing, video, and web meetings for team messaging and collaboration. Features include HD video; integration with Google Drive, Box, and Dropbox for file sharing; task management; single sign-on; and mobile device support. Hosts can record meetings, and the platform integrates with with Microsoft Outlook, Google, and iCal calendars for scheduling. Both admins and users can view meeting usage reports.
Pricing: free; $15/$20 per user per month
6. 8×8
Total reviews: 980
Average user rating: 7.76
A unified platform for contact center, business phone, video meetings, team chat, and embeddable apps for rich messaging and video conferencing. The 8×8 platform provides end-to-end encryption, five-nines uptime, journey analytics across every interaction, and integration with popular enterprise systems like Microsoft Teams and Salesforce.
Pricing: $12/$24/$44 per user per month
Zoho Remotely is a suite of apps for remote meetings and team collaboration, including file sharing; the ability to convert messages to tasks; project planning and monitoring; task assignment and prioritization; the ability to take remote control of a participant’s system for troubleshooting and patch application; and the ability to create, share, and edit documents, slide decks, and spreadsheets. Ratings aren’t provided due to the tool’s limited market presence, but it looks worth checking out.
Pricing: free until September 2020, then TBA
This was the last in a series of four posts focused on remote work technologies. The previous three covered online meeting / video conferencing tools, webinar / webcasting software, and virtual event platforms.