Popular Document Collaboration Tools in the Market
Best for Google Workspace users: Google Docs
Everyone who’s already familiar with Google and uses it daily must already be familiar with its document collaboration tool, Google Docs. It’s a free and secure document collaboration software that comes with an auto-save feature and smart editing options. You can use a link to share it with other Google users and offer them edit, view, and comment permissions.
Pricing: Free up to 15GB. Pay $6 per user per month for extra functionality and added storage.
Best for Microsoft users: Microsoft OneDrive
If you’re already using Microsoft Suite, then signing up for OneDrive gives your team access to cloud storage and real-time collaboration features. Documents have version controls with review and feedback collection features. It’s compatible with iOS, Mac, Android, and Chromium. You can use it even if you’re offline and sync any changes to the cloud once you get an internet connection.
Pricing: Free up to 5GB. $5 per user per month for added storage.
Best for knowledge management: Document360
Knowledge-based articles are documents where different individuals from various teams collaborate to publish the latest and most accurate information. Document360 offers seamless real-time collaboration so multiple team members can contribute, edit, and review documents simultaneously. It also provides advanced analytics so you can understand which articles were most viewed and identify gaps in documentation.
Pricing: Starts at $119 monthly
Best for tracking changes: Microsoft Word
MS Word is widely used for document creation and features great collaboration features. With an MS Office Suite account, you can enjoy real-time collaboration with various team members. There’s also a comprehensive tracking tool so you can see changes, comments, notes, and other revisions. To prevent unauthorized access, you can password-protect your document.
Pricing: Starts at $6.99 per month
Most versatile tool: Notion
Notion is an all-in-one collaborative workspace where you can create notes, tasks, and databases. It has several customizable templates that let you turn the tool into a wiki, a project management app, or a comprehensive database. Its collaborative workspace lets you work together on documents and access an AI writing tool to speed up your writing process.
Pricing: Free version available. Paid plans start at $10 monthly.
Key Features to Look for in a Document Collaboration Tool
The best document collaboration tools allow teams to simultaneously view, edit, and work on a document. Here are the key features these solutions share:
User access permission
To increase document security, you want to grant document permissions only to authorized team members. You also want to prevent accidental edits by limiting the people who can edit the document. Look for a solution with role-based access permissions so you can create view, comment, and edit access.
Built-in editing tools
If you work with documents that require editing, you should look for a tool with built-in editing tools and real-time comments to promote speed and accuracy. You should also ensure you can track edits and revert to older versions as necessary.
Cloud storage
With cloud storage, you can manage large volumes of files without investing in additional hard drives or servers. Anyone with an internet connection can also access documents stored in the cloud, making cloud storage a must for remote teams.
Facilitated communication
You can enhance your collaboration sessions with built-in communication systems like real-time chat tools that appear within the document window. Team members can quickly chat with each other to discuss ideas and revisions. Real-time chat features promote accuracy and speed.
External party collaboration
Sometimes, you may want to collaborate with your clients or an external party, either to showcase progress or ask for expert advice. A good document collaboration tool should be able to provide different access levels to external parties while maintaining the security of your other files.
Benefits of Document Collaboration Tools
Document collaboration promotes coordinated teamwork, which results in the following benefits:
- Increased productivity since teams can work faster to complete their tasks
- Better quality of work since more experts can share their ideas to create a complete and accurate document
- Faster editing process since everyone is working on the document in one centralized place
- Connects remote teams and improves their communication
- Promotes better team coordination since all messaging is done within the tool
- Achieves greater document organization, which saves time searching for the right document
- Higher efficiency since the work can be accomplished in one document
Use Cases
Document collaboration is helpful in multiple instances. Some of the instances include:
- Remote team members working on training materials for onboarding new employees
- Project management professionals who need to create deliverables for clients
- Marketing and design teams collaborating on the latest ad campaigns
- Operations teams making flyers to promote an upcoming event
- Technical teams working on a product documentation guide for end-users
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