Looking for the best remote work tools for your team? Then keep on reading.
With organizations shifting to hybrid and remote work cultures in recent years, employees have greater freedom to work anywhere. It can be from a cafe, a co-working space, or the comfort of their homes.
Nevertheless, working remotely has challenges, including data privacy, data security, fatigue with multiple apps, and reduced productivity. But knowing which remote work tools go well with your teams and workflow makes the process much easier.
Considering all the remote work requirements, I’ve compiled a list of the best tools to help remote teams collaborate and work effectively. Let’s get started!
Contents
Project & Task Management Tools
1. SmartTask
SmartTask is an all-in-one cloud-based project management platform built for teams of all sizes. It comes with project management, task management, time tracking, team collaboration, reporting, and CRM capabilities.
As one of the best remote work tools, it provides multiple project views such as List, Kanban, Calendar, Gantt, and Timeline to help you organize your tasks effectively. The tool integrates everything from sales to operations, task management to reporting, making it an all-in-one platform.
With its time and expense tracking feature, you can never miss a deadline or overrun your project budget with SmartTask. It also offers inbuilt communication features that make collaborating with teams and clients easier than ever.
Key Features
- Multiple project views.
- Task creation & assignment.
- Recurring tasks and reminders.
- Portfolios to handle multiple projects.
- Project dashboards.
- Chat, VoIP, video conferencing, comments, and mentions.
- Newsfeed and automated check-ins.
- Workload management.
- Time tracking.
- Advanced reporting.
- 1000+ integrations.
Pricing
A generous free plan includes almost every feature, whereas the paid plan starts at $5 per user/month when billed yearly.
2. Nifty
Nifty is the all-in-one collaboration solution that encompasses every phase of a project or workflow’s lifecycle. Nifty is fully featured from a project management standpoint, including a customizable taskboard, phase-based Roadmaps with automated reporting, and at-scale insights of project progress and teammate productivity across the workspace.
Where many project management solutions focus solely on the Task portion of project management, Nifty’s robust suite of collaboration tools, such as a built-in direct messenger, project chats, video calls, collaborative docs, and more, make it a particularly popular Asana alternative.
Key Features
- Share files, create threads, and turn discussions into actions.
- Track your task assignments and never miss a deadline.
- Get feedback, reviews, and comments in a single place.
- Create forms to capture requests, feedback, and more.
- Get detailed reports of your team members’ usage and logged in time.
Pricing
Nifty offers a free-forever plan with unlimited members, including essential features. Pricing starts at $39/mo.
3. Asana
If task organization and meeting deadlines are your top priorities, Asana can be a good option for you. Although famous for task management, Asana is also extensively used for workload management.
Asana organizes and tracks your projects and activities from start to finish, thanks to a plethora of powerful features and connectors. You can configure four different views, create tasks and subtasks, set up milestones, and assign tasks to other team members.
It is great for marketing and management organizations who are looking to track company-level initiatives and which easily trickle down to individual teams, projects, and tasks. However, if you are looking to manage a remote software development team and require strong, agile project management features, you should go for Jira instead of Asana.
Key Features
- Multiple project views and customizable dashboard.
- Task management and tracking.
- Manage projects.
- Reporting on team progress.
- Portfolios, workload management, and goals.
- Admin controls.
- Task commenting, messaging, and team conversations.
- Multiple integrations.
Pricing
Asana offers a free plan with limitations, whereas the paid plan starts at $10.99 per user/month when billed annually.
4. Trello
As one of the best remote working tools, Trello is a collaborative project management software that was the first to implement kanban boards. It is easy to use and has a simple interface making it suitable for beginners and startups.
It lets you streamline your project workflow with the help of custom lists, boards, and task cards. You can also upload files, assign cards to members, and add comments, ensuring everyone is on the same page.
However, it misses out on some advanced project management features such as time tracking or project portfolio. But for tracking time in Trello, you can install third-party integrations, aka Power-Ups.
Key Features
- Multiple views, including Kanban, Calendar, Table, Map, etc.
- Trello cards.
- Advanced checklists.
- Dashboard customization.
- Document management.
- Butler for automation.
- Alerts and notifications for task activities.
- Ready-made templates.
- Power-ups.
Pricing
Trello offers a basic free version, whereas the paid plan starts at $5 per user/month when billed annually.
5. WebWork Time Tracker
WebWork is a time tracking, employee monitoring, and project management tool specifically built for remote teams. As a time tracker, it lets users see what exactly their time is spent on and how productive they are.
Remote teams can organize their whole work on WebWork. They can create and assign tasks, track the time spent on them and collaborate. Employers can track the attendance of remote employees and see how many hours each of them works.
WebWork also has a team chat feature where team members can discuss the tasks or chat informally.
Key Features
- Time tracking with screenshots.
- Project and task management.
- Attendance monitoring.
- Productivity tracking.
- Reporting.
Pricing
WebWork provides a 14-day free trial followed by $2.99 per user/month.
Communication Tools
1. Slack
Slack is one of the best remote work tools for communication, excellent in many ways. It is a good messaging app for hybrid and fully remote work situations because it can operate in real-time and asynchronously. It helps you forget emailing and instead turn your business communication with coworkers into shorter messages with easy sharing of files, images, and more.
Additionally, Slack fosters a more lively environment than many other workplace communication tools, and the flexibility to finely tailor your app is a major selling point. You can also easily integrate Slack with your favorite tools.
Key Features
- Slack Channels as a central space for conversation.
- Slack Connect for connecting with people.
- Instant messaging (personal & group).
- File sharing.
- Slack polls.
- Hurdles and clips.
- Customizable theme.
- Apps and Integrations.
Pricing
Slack offers a decent free plan, whereas the paid plan starts at $6.67 per user/month when billed annually.
2. Troop Messenger
Troop Messenger is a tool for team collaboration that facilitates communication, meetings, and calls among office teams. You can communicate across its Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and web apps from anywhere globally and at any time.
It works best with low-speed Internet, so the remote workforce could easily connect to their daily office work routines even from the most isolated locations. Troop Messenger is suitable for startups, SMEs, Governments, Defense, Healthcare, and remote teams from different industries.
Key Features
- Group audio-video conference.
- Remote screen share and control.
- Schedule Meetings.
- Extensive Search Filters.
- Works across on-premise servers and Air-Gap networks.
Pricing
Alongside its Enterprise free trial for 7 days, Troop Messenger offers a premium plan at $2.50 per user/month.
Video Conferencing Tools
1. Zoom
Zoom Meetings (also known as Zoom) is one of the most extensively used video conferencing platforms in the world. It has excellent features, is easy to use, and is extremely stable as a remote work tool.
You can use Zoom for meetings, screen sharing, chat, phone, and webinars, as well as conference room systems, video calls, and online events. So, if you want a reliable way to video conference with your remote team, Zoom is, without a doubt, the best option to pick.
Key Features
- Host up to 100 participants for free.
- Unlimited one-to-one and group meetings.
- Whiteboard and screen sharing tools.
- Record meetings and transcripts.
- Meeting and calendar scheduling.
- Event reminders on mobile.
- Password protection.
- End-to-end encryption.
Pricing
Zoom offers a basic free version, whereas the paid plan starts at $149.90 per user/year.
2. Google Meet
Google Meet is another popular and trusted video conferencing tool among remote teams. It contains every essential feature a video conferencing program may want, such as increased privacy for professional meetings, an intuitive user interface, video recording, and more. Google Meet stands out from the crowd because of its live captioning feature.
The drawback with Google Meet is that it prevents participants from joining a meeting via an interoperability service. Furthermore, screen sharing limits only allow for the sharing of one screen at a time.
Key Features
- Video recording.
- Screen sharing.
- Background noise cancellation.
- Canvas project connection.
- High-quality, low bandwidth.
- Low light mode.
- App integrations.
Pricing
Google Meet offers a generous free plan, whereas the paid plan starts at $6 per user/month. It’s a part of the Google Workspace, which I’ll discuss below.
Also, check out our list of the best video conferencing software.
File Storage, Sharing & Collaboration Tools
1. Google Workspace
Google Workspace is a full suite of productivity and remote collaboration tools offered by Google. Most Gmail users choose Google Drive as their main cloud storage service due to its tight interaction with Google’s other products, such as Docs, Sheets (here’s a great collection of Google Sheets tutorials), and Slides.
These remote team tools work together seamlessly, enabling users to instantly edit and save Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents that they upload to Google Drive.
Besides allowing you to share files and folders via email or links, Google Drive can automatically sync offline folders.
Key Features
- Email communication.
- Docs & Sheets for office editing and collaborating.
- File storage and sharing using Drive.
- Calendar to keep a tab on important meetings and events.
- Video conferencing with Meet.
- Slides for an office presentation.
- Forms for collecting feedback/ attendance, etc.
- Access from anywhere, any device.
Pricing
The tools are free forever. However, you need to pay for some features/add-ons and storage upgrades. Premium plans start at $6 per user/month.
2. Dropbox
In 2008, Dropbox became one of the first standalone cloud storage apps that enabled users to share files and folders easily. Known for its intuitive interface, powerful file sharing capabilities, and collaboration features, it has become a cult favorite among users.
Dropbox allows you to save space and share and move files, such as images and video, from your computers and database to the cloud. You can also edit Word files inside Dropbox’s Paper app without downloading anything.
Key Features
- Store and access files across devices.
- Automatic backups.
- Add signatures to documents.
- Share documents and track activity.
- Screenshot sharing.
- Advanced software integration.
Pricing
Dropbox offers a limited free plan, whereas the paid plan starts at $9.99/month for individuals.
Note Taking Tools
1. Evernote
Evernote is one of the oldest and most popular note-taking apps today. With Evernote, you can keep track of every note, each uploaded file, and all the deadlines of your team members using optical character recognition (OCR), document scanning, and remote team management features.
It also has a web clipper, which is one of the most powerful additions to this remote work tool. It lets you clip web pages or parts of them and save them directly to Evernote.
Key Features
- User-friendly interface.
- Seamless syncing and organization of notes.
- Tasks & Calendar.
- Advanced search tools.
- File sharing.
- Rich text editing.
- Document scanning & OCR.
- Web Clipper.
- Voice recorder.
- Ink-to-text conversion.
Pricing
Evernote offers a free plan, whereas a paid plan starts at $7.99/month.
2. Notion
With a minimalistic interface and numerous customization options, Notion is an excellent digital note-taking app. You can easily take notes, create to-do lists, and organize them into calendars, kanban boards, or table-like formats.
Furthermore, Notion supports a wide range of content types and has many templates to get you started.
Key Features
- Blocks and pages.
- 40+ block content types.
- Wikis, docs, and notes.
- 50+ starter templates.
- Multiple views – list, board, table, gallery, timeline.
- Link sharing and real-time collaboration.
- Various admin and security features.
Pricing
Notion provides a basic free plan, whereas paid plans start at $5/month for personal use and $10/month for teams.
3. Fellow
Fellow is a meeting management tool that helps teams collaborate through their meeting agenda with real-time note-taking, tracking objectives, and action items.
The software integrates seamlessly with your favorite apps, including Google Calendar or Zoom, to boost your meeting productivity. This means you can access your meeting notes directly from Google Calendar events to stay further organized.
Key Features
- Build collaborative meeting agenda.
- Record notes and action items.
- Gather real-time feedback from your team.
- Track objectives (OKRs).
- Invite guest users.
- Workspace analytics.
Pricing
Up to 10 users can use Fellow for free. The Pro plan has a monthly cost of $5 per user, and there are also options for custom pricing.
Remote Desktop & Screen Sharing Tools
1. AnyDesk
AnyDesk is a free remote access software that runs in portable mode by default so that you can install it on your laptop like any other program. Suitable for personal or small-scale commercial IT support, it provides convenient remote access.
The system is reasonably priced, easy to configure, and supports both attended and unattended access. With AnyDesk, you can manage your connected devices and make address books.
Key Features
- Desktop sharing and interactive access.
- File management and remote printing.
- Unattended access.
- Administration and customization.
- Two-factor authentication.
- Privacy mode and whitelist.
- Text chat and whiteboard.
- Contact address book.
- Responsive mobile app.
Pricing
AnyDesk offers a free version for personal use, whereas the paid plan starts at $9.90/month when billed yearly.
2. Chrome Remote Desktop
Chrome Remote Desktop is a Google tool available on the web, iOS, and Android. It is one of the most commonly used free remote desktop programs. It offers a steady connection between distant computers and is quick and simple to set up.
If all you need to do is sometimes log in to your own devices or assist a colleague with a minor computer issue, Chrome Remote Desktop is more than sufficient. However, it might not be the greatest option if your objective is to provide top-notch remote technical help.
Key Features
- Remote access.
- Remote support and screen sharing.
Pricing
Chrome Remote Desktop is completely free.
Other Best Remote Work Tools
1. EmailAnalytics
EmailAnalytics is an email analytics platform that helps you track and visualize your remote team’s email activity in Gmail and Outlook. You can view important KPIs like the typical email response time as well as how many emails they send and receive daily.
Key Features
- Track and visualize email activity.
- Track email response time.
- Get daily/weekly automated email reports.
Pricing
EmailAnalytics offers a 14-day free trial, then $15/mo/inbox.
2. Trivia
Do you want to keep the companionship and team spirit among your remote workers? With the help of entertaining games, Trivia enables remote teams to strengthen their bonds.
Having fun is great, but making a social connection between your employees is even better! With Trivia, you can create and launch virtual games and quizzes to engage your employees through friendly competition.
Key Features
- Virtual water cooler.
- Games.
- Pictionary.
- Internal branding quizzes.
- Virtual Coffee.
- Integrates with tools such as Slack and Microsoft Teams.
Pricing
Trivia offers a free plan, while its paid plan starts at $4 per user/month.
3. Insightful
Insightful is another innovative tool for remote teams that will change how you manage and monitor your workforce. Known as a powerful employee tracking tool, it has many other exceptional features and a user-friendly interface, which set a new standard in employee productivity and performance management.
From comprehensive tracking capabilities to advanced analytics functionality, seamless integration with other tools and the best approach to data security, Insightful offers many great features that a modern workplace needs. By integrating this tool for different business functions, you will better understand the areas for improvement, identify top performers and take your business to the next success level.
Key Features
- Automated Time & Attendance Tracking
- Screen Monitoring
- User Activity Monitoring
- Screenshots
- Reports
- Stealth Mode
Pricing
Insightful offers a 7-day trial with limitations, whereas the paid plan starts at $6.40 per user/month when billed annually.
What Are Remote Work Tools?
Remote work tools are basically software or applications that help you work from anywhere, as long as you have an internet connection. With the rise of remote work, these tools have become essential for collaboration, communication, and productivity.
Let’s start with the most obvious one: video conferencing tools. Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Skype are just a few examples. These tools allow you to meet face-to-face with colleagues or clients, no matter where you are.
Then there are collaboration tools, like Google Docs, Dropbox, Trello, and Asana. These help you work together on projects and documents without the need for emailing attachments back and forth.
Communication tools, such as Slack and Microsoft Teams, are also necessary. They allow you to chat with colleagues in real-time, share files, and create channels for different teams or projects.
And let’s not forget about time management tools like Toggl and RescueTime. These can help you track your productivity and manage your time more efficiently.
There are also tools for project management, file sharing, and virtual private networks (VPNs) to ensure your online security.
Remote work tools have become a lifeline for those who work from home or on the go. They make it easier to stay connected and productive and can even be a bit fun to use! Remember, no matter how many remote work tools you have, you still need to take breaks and step away from the screen occasionally. Trust me, I know a thing or two about being glued to a screen!
Best Remote Work Tools: Final Words
Remote work tools can be quite advantageous for remote teams and remote workers. They assist you with streamlining your business processes, including task delegation, data management, staff engagement, data security, and more.
However, transitioning to remote work is sometimes challenging. So you must trust your team members to produce the best results. Don’t overburden your employees or generate app fatigue by incorporating unneeded capabilities into your ecosystem.
Furthermore, when transitioning to remote work culture, don’t overlook the importance of data privacy.