7 best online team collaboration tools for small businesses With remote working on the rise, we pick out seven of the best collaboration tools and software for business to help your team work better together online. Written by Helena Young Updated on 5 September 2023 Our Research Our expert team of writers and researchers rates team collaboration software against the factors small businesses care about most - value for money; ease of use; and the features we know are important for remote working such as customisation, communication, and document sharing. Written and reviewed by: Helena Young Lead Writer Startups.co.uk is reader supported – we may earn a commission from our recommendations, at no extra cost to you and without impacting our editorial impartiality. Team collaboration tools boost productivity and enable success for business users. An estimated 78% of UK employees now work fully remotely or use a hybrid working pattern, making software for collaboration an essential cog in modern operations.These systems help to keep colleagues on track with tasks, setting effective KPIs, and working towards a shared goal. But which is the best option for your small business? Here’s a rundown of the top options available, based on extensive user testing and research carried out by Startups in July 2023: Swipe right to see more 0 out of 0 backward forward BEST FREE TIER BEST OVERALL ClickUp monday.com Teamwork Asana Wrike Zoho Projects Basecamp Best for Freemium version Best for Creative tools Best for Collaborating on tasks at a granular level Best for Real-time collaboration Best for Progress tracking Best for Manging resources for efficient working Best for Managing large teams Price per user: When billed annually $7 per member (around £5.49) Price per user: When billed annually £7 per month, billed annually Price per user: When billed annually £5.99 per month, per user, billed annually Price per user: When billed annually £9.49 per month, billed annually Price per user: When billed annually $9.80 per user, billed annually (around £8.14) Price per user: When billed annually £3.20 per month, billed annually Price per user: When billed annually £11.94 per user, per month Free trial? Free trial? Free trial? Free trial? Free trial? Free trial? Free trial? Rating (/5) 4.3 Rating (/5) 3.9 Rating (/5) 4.6 Rating (/5) 3.6 Rating (/5) 3.6 Rating (/5) 4.5 Rating (/5) 2.8 Verdict ClickUp is an outstanding budget choice, even for advanced communication features – and there’s a great free tier, too. Verdict Monday.com is our top collaboration platform for ease-of-use, ideal for creative teams. It has some top value plans and deals, too. Verdict Teamwork is the ideal tool for small teams that need to manage resources and share workload equally Verdict Asana excels at offering real-time updates for larger teams working to high-pressure deadlines. Verdict Wrike’s generous guest allowances are perfect for SMEs needing to share regular project updates with external stakeholders. Verdict Zoho Projects may be feature-light, but its resource management tools make it ideal for team working Verdict Basecamp is our top collaboration tool for managing large teams thanks to impressive communication tools and limitless user allowance At Startups, we’ve been working with small businesses for over two decades. In that time, we’ve carried out multiple research and testing rounds to locate the best collaboration software choices based on the top concerns of SMEs.Read through the full reviews below to see the results of our findings, and work out which brand best matches your unique business requirements. Or, for a quick overview, have a look at the below list. Best Collaboration Tools and Software for 2024 ClickUp – best overall collaboration tool for startups, with communication features available at low-costmonday.com – best for its simple UX to keep teams working smoothly with new deadlines and prioritiesTeamwork – best for staying on top of deadlines thanks to unparalleled time tracking featuresAsana – best for teams with a lot of dependent tasks that need instant, real-time updatesWrike – best for teams working with lots of external stakeholders to whom they regularly present dataZoho Projects – best for managing team resources to determine the critical path to successBasecamp – best for manging multiple freelancers thanks to an emphasis on communication What is collaboration software?Collaboration software (sometimes known as “collabware”) refers to any digital tool that helps teams to improve communication, idea-sharing, and project collaboration. It is particularly crucial in today’s workplace, where remote and hybrid work is common, to bridge geographical gaps between team members.Core features in collaboration software include messaging boards, task assigning, and task comments. They also support document sharing and co-editing, allowing multiple users to collaborate on files simultaneously.Many also include task and project management tools to track progress, assign responsibilities, and set deadlines. Because they have become so crucial in today’s workplace, most collaboration tools also integrate with essential business apps like calendars, email, and file storage; streamlining workflows to keep employees on the same page. Click to jump to a section of your choice: ClickUp monday.com Teamwork Asana Wrike Zoho Projects Basecamp How much does collaboration software cost? How did we find the best collaboration software for small businesses? Conclusion Collaboration software FAQs ClickUp: best budget option for startups, featuring plenty of internal communication tools 4.3 out of 5 Ease of use 3.9 Pricing 4.4 Collaboration 4.7 Try for free ClickUp project feedback featureClickUp has already made a name for itself due to a generous list of features and budget-friendly pricing plan. It is structured using a company hierarchy, meaning different departments can work alongside each other virtually without stepping on each other’s toes.We awarded it a massive 4.7 out of 5 for collaboration which puts it more than a mark head of second-place platform, monday.com.This is because the platform gave us access to various communication tools, which combine to make an effective team working tool that means you won’t have to spend hundreds on third-party messaging apps.Is ClickUp right for my business?ClickUp is designed with lots of smart features that make it the best project management platform we reviewed for real-time collaboration.When someone else is editing, you can see their live cursor, as well as who else is viewing a task. ClickUp also allows users to add comments to specific tasks and share files like videos and images, which are stored alongside projects for ease of access.If you’re looking for the best free collaboration tool, you’ll be hard pressed to find a more bountiful feature list than ClickUp. Its free plan includes:Multiple assigneesAbility to tag other users in commentsGantt chartsEmail100+ integrationsProofingCloud-based file sharingPre-made templates for collaborative sessionsOne area we could not score ClickUp highly was ease-of-use. While some of our independent testers reported that the platform was smooth and user-friendly, others experienced issues with freezing and were unable to find specific tools in ClickUp’s huge library of features.As a result, we gave it a slightly below-average score of 3.9 out of 5 for ease-of-use. Difficulties using the platform could create barriers for adoption if teams don’t immediately fall in love with the software.ClickUp pricingClickUp’s free tier might be its biggest USP but there are drawbacks to this low cost. The majority of ClickUp’s features having monthly limits. It also only allows just five spaces for your business (which essentially represent a project). That will put larger teams at a major disadvantage.At around £5.49 per user, per month (pricing is only available in US$), Clickup Unlimited is the platform’s lowest paid-for tier and withdraws most of these restrictions, making it a prime upgrade option for those wanting a long-term solution. For more information, read our ClickUp pricing guide. Swipe right to see more 0 out of 0 backward forward ClickUp Free ClickUp Unlimited ClickUp Business ClickUp Enterprise Price Per Month (billed annually) You can typically save by paying for a year or more in advance Free Price Per Month (billed annually) You can typically save by paying for a year or more in advance $7 per member (around £5.49) Price Per Month (billed annually) You can typically save by paying for a year or more in advance $12 per member (around £9.99) Price Per Month (billed annually) You can typically save by paying for a year or more in advance Contact sales Price Per Month (billed monthly) Paying monthly is usually the more expensive option Free Price Per Month (billed monthly) Paying monthly is usually the more expensive option $10 per member (around £7.84) Price Per Month (billed monthly) Paying monthly is usually the more expensive option $19 per member (around £15.80) Price Per Month (billed monthly) Paying monthly is usually the more expensive option Contact sales Users The total number of users for this plan level Unlimited – but only 5 spaces Users The total number of users for this plan level Unlimited Users The total number of users for this plan level Unlimited Users The total number of users for this plan level Unlimited ClickUp verdict: Budget-conscious teams will appreciate ClickUp’s low cost and generous features list – particularly for internal communication – although freemium users should be aware of the limitations within the plan. monday.com: best for creative teams needing a clear, easy-to-understand software 3.9 out of 5 Ease of use 4.5 Pricing 3.9 Collaboration 3.3 Try for free monday.com budget tracking workaroundBecause monday.com is chiefly a project management tool, it puts equal emphasis on communication, reporting, and planning.As an unparalleled resource for companies with in creative industries like design or marketing, who need constant oversight over how the team is progressing on a deliverable, we gave it a huge 3.3 out of 5 for collaboration.Conducive to its collaboration score, we also gave monday.com a score of 4.5 out of 5 for ease-of-use, as its smart and intuitive user interface makes it easy for teams to quickly adopt and understand. What do monday.com users say? Aaron Rudman-Hawkins is managing director of The Evergreen Agency, a digital marketing agency. Rudman-Hawkins said: “As an SEO agency that is growing rapidly we needed a team collaboration tool that was easy-to-use, intuitive to pick up and visually appealing.“monday.com ticks all of these boxes. For the value we get from it, the time saved, the intuitive nature of how it works – it is a no-brainer. I would encourage any firm that needs to streamline their processes to look into the tool.” Is monday.com right for my business?Everything about monday.com is designed to give a first-class visual on projects so that coworkers can easily understand each other’s tasks. We particularly liked a feature available in monday’s Standard plan: the calendar view, into which users can plug task deadlines against a longer business timeline.Making so many edits and changes can sometimes confuse teams. However, another advantage of monday.com is its comprehensible traffic-light design. Clever visuals mean you can track where your team members are up to at a glance – also handy for communicating project progress using reports and dashboards.Both Kanban boards and Gantt charts can also be used with real-time collaboration – great for brainstorming sessions. Users will also get:Custom fields200+ dashboard templatesCloud-based file sharingCustom appsUnlimited usersKanban boardsGantt chartsTimelinesThe most significant drawback to monday.com for team working is its lack of internal communication tools. There is no instant team messenger feature on any paid-for plan, as is available with rivals like Teamwork and Zoho Projects.However, monday.com users can send files to each other via task comments and a project message board, so there are ways to work around this limitation if needed.monday.com pricingmonday.com has a distinctive payment structure that is based on a set number of seats, which could be a pain point for teams with fluctuating sizes. Unlike rival software ClickUp, monday.com does not permit single users or teams of two, making it unsuitable for microbusinesses.There is no freemium option, however users can choose to trial monday.com’s Pro plan for 14 days before they spend a penny. For more information, read our monday.com pricing guide. Swipe right to see more 0 out of 0 backward forward monday.com Free monday.com Basic monday.com Standard monday.com Pro monday.com Enterprise Price Per Month (billed annually) You can typically save by paying for a year or more in advance Free Price Per Month (billed annually) You can typically save by paying for a year or more in advance £8 seat/month Price Per Month (billed annually) You can typically save by paying for a year or more in advance £11 seat/month Price Per Month (billed annually) You can typically save by paying for a year or more in advance £17 seat/month Price Per Month (billed annually) You can typically save by paying for a year or more in advance Contact sales Price Per Month (billed monthly) Paying monthly is usually the more expensive option Free Price Per Month (billed monthly) Paying monthly is usually the more expensive option £11 seat/month Price Per Month (billed monthly) Paying monthly is usually the more expensive option £13 seat/month Price Per Month (billed monthly) Paying monthly is usually the more expensive option £21 seat/month Price Per Month (billed monthly) Paying monthly is usually the more expensive option Contact sales Users The total number of users for this plan level Max 2 Users The total number of users for this plan level Minimum of 3 Users The total number of users for this plan level Unlimited Users The total number of users for this plan level Unlimited Users The total number of users for this plan level Unlimited monday.com verdict: It’s not strictly a collaboration tool, but an attractive, easy-to-use interface mean monday.com is an excellent choice for teams needing constant overview of colleagues’ progress on a project deliverable. Teamwork: best for companies with multiple departments sharing tasks 3.9 out of 5 Ease of use 4.3 Pricing 4.2 Collaboration 3.2 Try for free The Kanban-board layout meant we were able to get clear visual on where coworkers were up to on a task.Sometimes, particularly in resource-stretched startups, multiple people need to hop onto a task to ensure it can be completed on time, such as if you’re a customer service team fixing a ticket.In this scenario, Teamwork is the best choice. As the name suggests, the platform’s USP is teamworking, with every feature enabling teams to stay connected and share updates with colleagues, so the entire team can keep track of where each task is up to in the overall action plan.It’s also a very customisable software, which means users can tailor the platform to their unique ways of working. We gave Teamwork an overall ease-of-use score of 4.3 out of 5, reflecting how easily our testers took to the software. Many said they found it the most intuitive system to edit in this list.Is Teamwork right for my business?Teamwork’s Kanban-style interface gives users a simple column system to help them track tasks based on their billing amount, status, and deadline. This also allows other team members to get a clear view of project progress, and step in if a bottleneck is likely to occur.During testing, we found Teamwork a superior product for time tracking. Advanced features mean users can track and estimate the amount of time spent on a task, making the manager’s job much simpler. Users can even assign a billing amount to any time spent, so you can know exactly how long a project will cost to complete and adapt accordingly.Teamwork’s integration offering is also fairly strong. Eight communication apps are available to add-on, as well as marketing, finance, and data reporting integrations. Other collaboration features include:Annotate documents and imagesAssign comments to other usersProject message boardTask commentsTeam viewOne serious limitation is the inability to allow guest permissions. Users will have to fork out for Teamwork Deliver to allow external collaborators to view their workflow – a serious drawback if you need to share progress with clients. Wrike, meanwhile, has this feature available with its free trial.Teamwork pricingFor pricing, we gave Teamwork an overall score of 4.2 out of 5, which means it has had a 20% uplift in this area since 2022 – the biggest increase of any brand on this list.Teamwork is one of only a few collaboration software brands that has not upped its prices in the last 12 months. Costing just £5.99 per user, per month (billed annually), Teamwork is now one of the most affordable brands on this list, priced just 50p more per user, per month than its budget rival, ClickUp.Still, this cheap thrill does (ironically) come at a cost. You’ll need at least three users to access the lowest-priced tier, Teamwork Basic. Teams with fewer than three should instead use Teamwork Free, which permits a maximum of three users. Swipe right to see more 0 out of 0 backward forward Teamwork Free Forever Teamwork Starter Teamwork Deliver Teamwork Grow Teamwork Scale Price Per Month (billed annually) You can typically save by paying for a year or more in advance £0 Price Per Month (billed annually) You can typically save by paying for a year or more in advance £5.99 per user Price Per Month (billed annually) You can typically save by paying for a year or more in advance £9.99 per user Price Per Month (billed annually) You can typically save by paying for a year or more in advance £19.99 per user Price Per Month (billed annually) You can typically save by paying for a year or more in advance Bespoke Price Per Month (billed monthly) Paying monthly is usually the more expensive option £0 Price Per Month (billed monthly) Paying monthly is usually the more expensive option £8.99 per user Price Per Month (billed monthly) Paying monthly is usually the more expensive option £13.99 per user Price Per Month (billed monthly) Paying monthly is usually the more expensive option £25.99 per user Price Per Month (billed monthly) Paying monthly is usually the more expensive option Bespoke Users The total number of users for this plan level Max 5 Users The total number of users for this plan level Unlimited Users The total number of users for this plan level Unlimited Users The total number of users for this plan level Unlimited Users The total number of users for this plan level Unlimited Teamwork verdict: Sophisticated time tracking features and a Kanban-style interface combine to make the ideal collaboration tool for sharing tasks between resource-stretched small teams. Asana: best for remote working teams who need real-time collaboration 3.6 out of 5 Ease of use 4.2 Pricing 3.7 Collaboration 3 Compare costs Asana automatic notification feature for real-time updatesWe gave Asana an overall score of 3 out of 5 for collaboration for testing, as it lacks many core communication tools. Nonetheless, real-time collaboration is important for team working – particularly in today’s remote working world – and Asana scores highly in this area.Users can add automated notifications for immediate team updates (this took us less than three minutes to do with Asana, compared to five minutes with monday.com). This feature means the app will automatically send you a notification when a team member completes a task, so you can start on any dependent tasks immediately.Because it has more sophisticated features than the other tools in this list, Asana does not have a quick onboarding process. Still, the platform is much more user-friendly post-setup, and we gave it an overall score of 4.1 out of 5 for ease-of-use. What do Asana users say? Oliver Bradley is client director at Words+Pixels, a tech consultancy firm. Bradley commented: “Asana helps us cut back on notification overload and helped teams manage their time more efficiently.“As we work in the office two days a week, these boards support cross-team collaboration more efficiently. It provides perspective and context on how our individual tasks support the whole team and help them meet project goals.” Is Asana right for my business?The first thing to say about Asana is that it is an excellent collaboration software solution for small businesses with larger teams or lots of external collaborators, as unlimited assignees are permitted to work on every task.The platform’s Kanban boards allow you to visualise workflow and iron out any issues. During testing, the timeline view also allowed us to coordinate our work more easily using task dependencies and milestones, so that team members could identify when they are reliant on another colleague to complete a task.Projects team members can also use Asana’s native time tracking feature to estimate the time needed to complete a task, as well as record the actual time spent, so your colleagues can spot exactly how long they have to work on a deliverable.Project message boardUnlimited activity logsUnlimited assigneesInboxTask commentsCloud-based file sharingThe worst aspect about Asana that we uncovered during our testing was its creative suite. Unlike monday.com or ClickUp, Asana doesn’t offer much scope for document editing. You also can’t annotate files, which will be a real pain for those working with lots of contracts, such as legal teams.Luckily there are hundreds of integrations available with Asana which you can use to fulfil any requirement your team has. But the lack of internal, dedicated document tools does mean we had to mark the software down.Asana pricingAsana has a solid freemium tier but, unlike ClickUp, it’s lacking a lot of the core team collaboration tools. SMEs should use it for a free sample of the platform, before committing to Asana Premium.In terms of affordability, it’s a choice solution for small businesses at £9.49 per user, per month when billed annually. Compared to the other tools in this list it is also a bit of a splurge, but in our opinion the benefits are worth the added cost. Swipe right to see more 0 out of 0 backward forward Asana Basic Asana Premium Asana Business Asana Enterprise Price Per Month (billed annually) You can typically save by paying for a year or more in advance Free Price Per Month (billed annually) You can typically save by paying for a year or more in advance £9.49 Price Per Month (billed annually) You can typically save by paying for a year or more in advance £20.99 Price Per Month (billed annually) You can typically save by paying for a year or more in advance Contact sales Price Per Month (billed monthly) Paying monthly is usually the more expensive option Free Price Per Month (billed monthly) Paying monthly is usually the more expensive option £11.59 Price Per Month (billed monthly) Paying monthly is usually the more expensive option £25.69 Price Per Month (billed monthly) Paying monthly is usually the more expensive option Contact sales Users The total number of users for this plan level Max 15 Users The total number of users for this plan level Unlimited Users The total number of users for this plan level Unlimited Users The total number of users for this plan level Unlimited Asana verdict: Asana would work well for larger teams of 15+ that are working on a lot of shared tasks and need a good organisational tool to keep the workflow up to date. Wrike: best for presenting project information to external stakeholders 3.6 out of 5 Ease of use 4.1 Pricing 4 Collaboration 2.7 Try for free Wrike dashboard displaying project progressWrike’s simple design makes for a smooth and intuitive user experience, and the platform scored highly in our testing for ease-of-use, achieving a monumental 4.1 out of 5 in this area.Our testers reported that the Wrike interface is clean, with visuals that focus on relaying information at a glance, making it useful for quickly updating guest viewers on the status of tasks and milestones.As a result, we awarded it a higher score overall score. Despite achieving just 2.7 out of 5 for team collaboration, Wrike makes up for this with its generous guest allowances, ideal for specifically collaborating with external stakeholders.Is Wrike right for my business?Time management is a big concern when it comes to collaborative working, as having multiple assignees on one project can lead to more time spent on admin and quality assurance.Wrike has a feature called Resources View which shows each team member’s workload capacity to spot bottlenecks early on. During user testing, we found this made it incredibly easy for managers to break down colleagues’ capacity by calendar, project view, and even by task backlog.Like Asana, Wrike is thin on the ground for core collaboration features. It is noticeably lacking in areas like documenting editing, and there is no team messaging tool (unlike with Zoho Projects).However, there is a project message board and the ability to add task comments. This means you’re more likely to stick to schedule – saving you both time and money. Other collaboration tools included in Wrike’s two lowest-tiered payment plans are:Cloud storage integrationCommunity forumKanban boardsGuest AccessGantt charts5 preset charts for data reportingData/reporting integration with TableauOne area Wrike has improved is automations. Having previously underperformed in this area, our July 2023 testing told us that Wrike has one of the best AI assistants on the market.Teams can record voice notes to ask Wrike to carry out an action, such as creating or assigning tasks – making it much easier for project members to manage their individual pipeline of work.Wrike pricingAt just over £8 per user for Wrike Professional, the platform is low-range on the cost spectrum for PM software and will suit most SME budgetary requirements.The app’s freemium tier, Wrike Free, is unusually generous for features and also permits an unlimited number of users, meaning that small businesses of any size can work collaboratively for zero charge. Higher tiers require a minimum of 5 users.Want to know more about Wrike pricing? Read our full guide to the platform’s top deals and discounts for small business users. Swipe right to see more 0 out of 0 backward forward Wrike Free Wrike Team Wrike Business Wrike Enterprise Price Per Month (billed annually) You can typically save by paying for a year or more in advance Free Price Per Month (billed annually) You can typically save by paying for a year or more in advance $9.80 per user (around £8.14) Price Per Month (billed annually) You can typically save by paying for a year or more in advance $24.80 per user (around £20.61) Price Per Month (billed annually) You can typically save by paying for a year or more in advance Contact sales Users The total number of users for this plan level Unlimited Users The total number of users for this plan level 5 to 200 Users The total number of users for this plan level 5 to 200 Users The total number of users for this plan level Unlimited Wrike verdict: Given Wrike’s clear emphasis on management features, and generous guest access, we recommend it for businesses that have lots of stakeholders involved in their projects, such as developer teams. Zoho Projects: best for resource management for efficient working 3.4 out of 5 Ease of use 3.2 Pricing 4.4 Collaboration 2.6 Compare costs Zoho’s dashboard (shown in list view above) gives you a clear understanding of who owns each taskAt just £3.20 per user, per month (billed annually) Zoho Projects provides a lot of value at a very low price. For collaboration, it’s not the strongest contender, scoring just 2.6 out of 5 in our results.Nonetheless, Zoho’s specialist resource management tool makes it ideal for those with departmental or time-bound targets, such as sales teams, as a way to delve into your results to identify improvements for success.Is Zoho Projects right for my business?Zoho’s resource allocation chart is probably the most useful collaborative tool that the platform provides. This feature acts as a lens for managers to view team workloads, which they then use to strategically distribute tasks based on who may be over or underworked.This chart can also be used to generate a comparative overview of each team member’s resource, broken down by month or week. This is genuinely helpful for employee performance evaluation. Managers can also use this information to produce detailed reports to see who closes the most sales or resolves the most issues.Zoho Projects is lacking the huge range of dashboard templates that rivals like monday.com offer, which makes it more difficult for teams to present data. However, teams can collaborate on time tracking sheets like Gantt charts to design a ‘critical path’ of tasks (the quickest path to an objective). Other features include:Calendar viewTask dependenciesTask commentsInstant messenger toolUnlimited integrations (mostly with other Zoho products)The Zoho Projects website waxes lyrical about its capabilities for file and document sharing. However, during testing our research team, we uncovered these are relatively thin. Teams cannot add comments to documents or edit documents (unlike with Teamwork, ClickUp, and monday.com).In general, functionality is not Zoho Projects strong point. Perhaps owing to its low price point, there are a lot of gaps in Zoho’s features library, including no AI assistant, something rival brands have already leapt on this year.Zoho Projects pricingZoho Projects scores a massive 4.4 out of 5 for pricing in our research, which is owed to its low starting costs and scalable tiers. That means it matches Clickup, which is similarly affordable (with around £2 between both brands’ Basic plans).That said, Zoho’s ease-of-use score does impact its overall ranking for value for money. While the software seems cheap and cheerful, it is lacking in terms of onboarding with no live chat or phone support available. Be wary that this could potentially leading to a slower adoption rate for teams which are new to the software. Swipe right to see more 0 out of 0 backward forward Zoho Free Zoho Premium Zoho Enterprise Price Per Month (billed annually) You can typically save by paying for a year or more in advance £0 Price Per Month (billed annually) You can typically save by paying for a year or more in advance £3.20 Price Per Month (billed annually) You can typically save by paying for a year or more in advance £7.20 Price Per Month (billed monthly) Paying monthly is usually the more expensive option £0 Price Per Month (billed monthly) Paying monthly is usually the more expensive option £4 Price Per Month (billed monthly) Paying monthly is usually the more expensive option £8 Users The total number of users for this plan level Max 2 Users The total number of users for this plan level Unlimited Users The total number of users for this plan level Unlimited Zoho Projects verdict: Zoho Projects is a cheap resource management tool for teams, in order to ensure that teams are not overloaded with work and kept working at their most efficient pace – although a poor ease-of-use score could hinder adoption. Basecamp: best for large teams, or those managing multiple sub-contractors 2.8 out of 5 Ease of use 2.5 Pricing 2.8 Collaboration 2.9 The Basecamp message board provided us with a centralised communication zone for managing large project teamsOne of the main ways that a team can go off course is by becoming too big. Large teams are much harder to organise because you’re more likely to miss mistakes being made, or accidentally leave someone out of the loop.Basecamp is our top collaboration tool for overseeing all members of a large team. Even if you’re contracted out 100 freelancers for your growing startup, Basecamp can keep everything in order – largely thanks to its impressive communication tools and limitless user allowance.Is Basecamp right for my business?Without doubt, Basecamp’s biggest incentive for teams is its team instant messenger feature, which is one of the most comprehensive on this list.Companies can use the campfire chat for real-time group conversations, while (like ClickUp and monday.com) message boards and comment threads can host discussions about any to-dos. Managers can use these features to ensure they maintain visibility of worker progress and outstanding tasks.Helpfully, Basecamp also makes it easy for companies to prioritise tasks. Managers can use drag and drop functionality to position tasks higher or lower in lists according to their importance. This is great for managers to gain a top-level understanding of where a task is up to.The cherry on top is Basecamp’s user permissions feature, which means you can control which employee has access to the overall dashboard – another ideal tool for those organising large teams of sub-contractors. Other collaboration features included with this brand are:Guest accessCalendar viewFile sharingBasecamp’s biggest flaw is that it does not get the best ease-of-use score, achieving just 2.5 out of 5 in our research. This is largely due to a lack of functionality outside of its USP for managing freelancers.By missing out several important core collaboration features (there is no resource management, task dependencies, or time-tracking) Basecamp could end up limiting users with long-term growth plans.Basecamp pricingThere is a significant catch when it comes to Basecamp. Its pricing is a flat rate, so while it’s great for large teams – it’s also only great for large teams.Basecamp costs around £11.94 per user, per month for the starter plan, and £238 per month (regardless of how many users you have) for the Pro Unlimited plan. The big difference is the storage (you get 5TB on the Pro Unlimited plan, and 500GB on the standard Basecamp plan.However, we don’t think there is enough available with the Basecamp plan to justify the cheaper plan. For those with hundreds of freelancers on their books, however, the platform is ideal for building a virtual workspace where your team is provided with every resource it needs. Swipe right to see more 0 out of 0 backward forward Basecamp Basecamp Pro Unlimited Price Per Month (billed annually) You can typically save by paying for a year or more in advance N/A Price Per Month (billed annually) You can typically save by paying for a year or more in advance £238 per month (flat rate) Price Per Month (billed monthly) Paying monthly is usually the more expensive option £11.94 per user Price Per Month (billed monthly) Paying monthly is usually the more expensive option £277 (flat rate) Users The total number of users for this plan level Unlimited Users The total number of users for this plan level Unlimited Basecamp verdict: Basecamp is a brilliant tool for those managing large teams of sub-contractors. Those who don’t fit this specific audience niche won’t be able to justify its higher price point, however. How much does collaboration software cost?Pricing is perhaps the biggest concern for SMEs when it comes to investing in technology. Particularly in the current economy, you want to know you’ll be getting the best bang for your buck if you’re going to be spending hard-earned company cash on a new business tool.Here are five things to consider when it comes to finding the best collaboration tool for value-for-money:Billing period: software products charge more if you are paying monthly or annually. This means you can save a lot of money if you switch to an annual billing period – if you can commit to a twelve-month contract.User pricing: some brands, like monday.com, let you pay for a set number of seats (7) rather than on a per user basis. Depending on team size, this can impact how affordable your plan is.Integrations: some brands offer free integrations, but others make you pay for them as add-ons, which will naturally influence the overall cost of your software plan.Ease-of-use: this is hugely important for software adoption. If your team finds the software too difficult to use or learn, it will be a waste of money.Free trial: always check if a brand has a free trial. Using the software for a week or two weeks will help you to identify if it’s the right option for your business.Based on these concerns, we rank ClickUp as the best tool for value-for money. Costing just £5.50 per user, and with a free plan available, it has tonnes of integrations available and can be billed either monthly or annual. Swipe right to see more 0 out of 0 backward forward BEST FREE TIER BEST OVERALL ClickUp monday.com Teamwork Asana Wrike Zoho Projects Basecamp Free trial? Free trial? Free trial? Free trial? Free trial? Free trial? Free trial? Cheapest plan $7 per member, per month, billed annually (around £5.49) Cheapest plan £7 per seat, per month, billed annually Cheapest plan £5.99 per user, per month (billed annually) Cheapest plan £9.49 per user, per month (billed annually) Cheapest plan $9.80 (around £8.14) per user, per month, (billed annually) Cheapest plan £3.20 per user, per month (billed annually) Cheapest plan £11.94 per user, per month Billing period Annual and monthly Billing period Annual and monthly Billing period Monthly or annual Billing period Monthly and annual Billing period Only annual Billing period Monthly or annual Billing period Monthly Available integrations 1000+ Available integrations 250 Available integrations 2,000 Available integrations 350 Available integrations 400+ Available integrations 300 Available integrations 750 Ease-of-use score 3.9 Ease-of-use score 4.5 Ease-of-use score 4.3 Ease-of-use score 4.2 Ease-of-use score 4.1 Ease-of-use score 3.2 Ease-of-use score 2.5 User limitations Unlimited User limitations Unlimited User limitations 3 minimum User limitations 15 User limitations 25 User limitations Unlimited User limitations Unlimited How did we find the best collaboration software for small businesses?Our experts have been advising small businesses on their collaboration tools for over twenty years. In that time, we’ve learnt the most common pain points for SME operations managers when it comes to team working.To begin our survey into the top collaboration tools for UK small businesses, we first picked out seven specific metrics for communicating and collaborating with colleagues that small business owners need to consider in 2024:Customisation – will you have full creative control over your collaboration system?Pricing – what is the best low-budget or free collaboration software?Remote working – what features are available to support remote teams?Communication – what features are available for effective communication with colleagues?Document sharing – what secure features are available for sending files?Usability – is it something you can easily learn how to use?Time tracking – what features are available to keep the entire team meeting deadlines?We then matched each concern to the results of our project management software testing, which we carry out twice a year to ensure we are offering the most up-to-date and accurate collaboration tool recommendations for SMEs.Our project management testing: July 2023In our latest round of testing, carried out in July 2023, we worked with an independent analyst to investigate the top collaboration software brands based specifically on how well they performed for collaboration. Using a combination of user testing, market research, and customer reviews, we marked each system across tens of areas including:Team communicationGuest accessUser limitationsDocument managementEmerging AI featuresThe results allowed us to gauge the best brand for each of the top collaboration concerns for today’s SMEs. We then pooled these scores with two other areas of investigation – pricing and ease-of-use – to come up with our overall ranking of the best collaboration tools overall for SMEs in 2024.How does collaboration software work?Collaboration software can take many different formats, which can make it difficult to understand which type your small business should buy. We usually categorise collaboration tools under three umbrellas to make things easier:Communication software (like Zoom or Slack)Task management software (like Trello)Document and content management software (like Proofhub or Google Docs)It doesn’t take a genius to spot that buying three different tools will be costly for SMEs. That’s why many instead choose to invest in a software that encompasses all three of these specialisms: project management software.The best tools like monday.com and ClickUp boast features that can perform well for communication, task management, and document management. Others excel in specific areas (like Asana for task management). That’s why it’s important to understand what you need from your collaboration software before you sign up with a brand.What types of businesses is collaboration software best for?Collaboration software is vital for team working, whether you’re delivering a project, brainstorming a new idea, or following due process. That’s because it encourages greater workflow visibility over and enhances communication channels, helping to ensure that all employees are free to work towards a common goal.That said, collaboration tools are especially valuable in remote work environments and for distributed teams. As the majority of companies go digital with either fully-remote or hybrid working models, collaboration software keeps everybody on the same page, even if you’re based hundreds of miles away from colleagues.Collaboration tools also keep the company working at optimum efficiency to reach an objective. Every team member is on the same platform; improving knowledge sharing and spotlighting any roadblocks that might occur. In short, firms should use collaboration software if they want to improve productivity (and who doesn’t?). ConclusionOnce we had the top seven considerations for SMEs when searching for the best software for collaboration, we carried out extensive research and user testing on eleven top PM market tools and apps to find the solution that caters directly to each of these needs. They are:ClickUp – best for startups looking for a free solution that doesn’t scrimp on communicationmonday.com – best for ease-of-use to help creative teams facing lots of changing deadlinesTeamwork – best for monitoring project team members progress to stay on trackAsana – best for remote working teams who need to update each other without constant callsWrike – best for teams working with external stakeholders, such as developersZoho Projects – best for tracking team workload to find the most efficient path to an objectiveBasecamp – best for managers needing a top-level oversight over large teams or freelancers Frequently Asked Questions What is the best team collaboration software? ClickUp is the best team collaboration tool. As a Work OS, its huge list of functions - from document sharing to automations - mean users can carry out all related project tasks on one platform. Plus, thanks to ClickUp's arsenal of communication features, users can instantly provide updates and feedback to colleagues without having to drop hundreds of pounds on third-party apps. Why is collaboration software important? Without collaboration software, teams have to share all information, files, and status updates relating to a project across multiple platforms. Collaboration software ensures an organised, cohesive approach to keep everyone on the same page and avoiding costly delays. What is team collaboration software? Team collaboration software is any tool used by the business that enables colleagues to work closely together - regardless of location. With the world now working remotely, it has become an important part of small company strategies. Startups.co.uk is reader-supported. If you make a purchase through the links on our site, we may earn a commission from the retailers of the products we have reviewed. This helps Startups.co.uk to provide free reviews for our readers. It has no additional cost to you, and never affects the editorial independence of our reviews. Share this post facebook twitter linkedin Written by: Helena Young Lead Writer Helena is Lead Writer at Startups. As resident people and premises expert, she's an authority on topics such as business energy, office and coworking spaces, and project management software. With a background in PR and marketing, Helena also manages the Startups 100 Index and is passionate about giving early-stage startups a platform to boost their brands. From interviewing Wetherspoon's boss Tim Martin to spotting data-led working from home trends, her insight has been featured by major trade publications including the ICAEW, and news outlets like the BBC, ITV News, Daily Express, and HuffPost UK.