When you’re working with a DevOps team, a good project plan and agile methodology can take you far. But those aren’t the only things your software development team needs to do their best work. The other key ingredient is teamwork—and that requires collaboration. ?
Online collaboration tools for software development are critical for any team—especially for remote teams. Sure, they keep your programmers on track with their tasks, but their power extends far beyond that.
Let’s explore how collaboration tools for software development can boost your DevOps team’s effectiveness and what to look for in a collaboration platform. You’ll also discover the top tools to take your team to the next level. ✨
10 Best Collaboration Tools for Software Development in 2024
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhat is a Collaboration Tool for Software Development?
A collaboration tool for software development is an application that streamlines workflow and facilitates communication and collaboration between distributed DevOps team members. It ensures everyone’s on the same page and pulling together in the right direction.
A project management collaboration tool makes it easy to share ideas and give constructive feedback. Scrum Masters and other managers might use them to keep the team motivated, whether they’re in the same office or not. And when both office-based and remote developers feel like they’re an important part of the team, the result is greater buy-in, creativity, and innovation—all of which lead to a happier and more effective team. ?
Software development collaboration tools also make it easier to work with external departments and to share feedback with stakeholders, from the project development stage to completion. ✅
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhat Should You Look for in a Collaboration Tool for Software Development?
The best collaboration tools for software development combine project management tools and communication tools with collaboration features. Depending on your business’s needs, you’ll probably want some or all of this functionality:
- Process mapping tools to create a roadmap of every stage of the project management lifecycle ?️
- Work breakdown structure (WBS) software to divide goals into milestones and individual tasks
- Task management tools that make it easy to create and assign tasks to the right team members
- Workflow optimization tools to streamline workflows
- Cloud-based software development tools that let your team create frameworks and applications, manage code reviews and bug tracking, and then maintain the system ?
- A blend of real-time and asynchronous communication tools like group chat, individual messaging, and video calls
- Collaboration tools that make remote work simple, like file sharing, screen sharing, and whiteboards
- Notifications to keep everyone on top of to-do lists and other checklists ?
- Automation of routine processes to free up your resources
- Customizable project monitoring tools that display analytics like task completion rates and time tracking, so it’s easy to identify red flags ?
- Integration capabilities with tools like Zoom, Skype, Trello, Confluence, Dropbox, and other plugins
Summarize this article for me pleaseThe 10 Best Collaboration Tools for Software Development to Use
Now that you have an idea of what kinds of features and functionality are available, consider which of these your team needs. Let’s narrow down your options with this review of some of the best collaboration tools for software development available today.
1. ClickUp
ClickUp is an all-in-one project management and productivity tool that helps you manage every aspect of your business. With its strong focus on teamwork, it’s a popular collaboration tool for software development.
ClickUp offers not just collaboration but secure collaboration. After all, there’s no point in working hard only to see a competitor launch your product before you. With its data security center, risk management framework, 256-bit SSL encryption, and advanced security settings, you’ll work together without worrying about data breaches. ?
Share ideas and collaboratively brainstorm workflows with your team using ClickUp Whiteboards. Then turn those ideas directly into tasks and allocate them to team members. ClickUp Collaboration Detection keeps everyone on the same page, letting you know when someone on your team is viewing, editing, or commenting on a task.
Collaborate in real time on project documents using ClickUp Docs and convert text directly into trackable tasks there too. Categorize your Docs then connect them to your workflows, so everyone always has access to the information they need.
ClickUp Chat View lets your team chat in real time on the platform, helps you format all your messages for much greater impact, and pulls all your conversations, resources, documents, and updates together in one place. ?
ClickUp best features
- Outline the scope of your project upfront with the ClickUp Project Charter Template ?
- Use ClickUp’s software development templates to save time and effort as your project progresses
- Kanban boards, like the ClickUp Kanban for Software Development Template, improve collaboration and efficiency, and let you track the entire process
- Speed up your workflow with ClickUp AI
- Integrate with a multitude of other collaboration tools, like Asana, Trello, Slack, and GitHub, as well as video conferencing tools such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet
ClickUp limitations
- ClickUp’s mobile app isn’t quite up to speed with the functionality of the desktop app, but the team is working on it
- AI tools aren’t available on the free plan
ClickUp pricing
- Free Forever
- Unlimited: $7/month per user
- Business: $12/month per user
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
- ClickUp Brain: Available on all paid plans for $5/Workspace member/month
ClickUp ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (9,000+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (3,800+ reviews)
2. Asana
Asana is a project management platform designed to help cross-functional teams work together. Its many features mean it works well as a collaboration tool for software development.
Asana makes it easy to clarify your goals and link them to the goals of your team and company. Identify how you’ll measure progress, define your timeline and team, and align tasks with these parameters. ?
Stay up to speed on progress and spot any issues early on with real-time updates on your goal, both from underlying tasks and from linked apps. Keep track of everything on customizable dashboards that tell you what you need to know using charts and insights.
Asana best features
- Asana sets up quickly and easily, so you’ll get going fast
- Manage the viewing and editing access different team members have
- Use the free Basic plan for teams of up to 15 people, which includes many useful features like unlimited tasks, calendar view, mobile apps, and integrations with other tools
- Non-profit organizations get 50% off Premium and Business plans, with potential discounts on the Enterprise plan too
Asana limitations
- Some users feel that the price for paid packages is high for small businesses
- If you don’t have some project management knowledge and experience, the learning curve may feel a bit steep
Asana pricing
- Basic: Free
- Premium: $10.99/month per user
- Business: $24.99/month per user
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
Asana ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.3/5 (9,500+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (12,200+ reviews)
3. Jira
Jira is an Atlassian product specifically designed as a collaboration tool for software development. Using agile methodology and the Scrum framework, Jira lets you break big goals down into manageable chunks, assign tasks, and customize your workflow to get things done most effectively.
Communication and collaboration tools keep you in touch with your entire team so everyone’s in the loop and working together. Drag-and-drop automation saves you time all around, and you get all the analytics and reporting you need, plus powerful insights for decision-making. ?
Jira best features
- Keep everyone up to date with built-in software development plan templates for many different aspects of software development, including bug tracking, Scrum boards, and Kanban boards
- Manage complex projects and track their progress with ease
- Scale as you grow, starting simply and then customizing as you need to
- Enhance collaboration via integrations with other Atlassian tools, like Trello, Confluence, and Compass, as well as external platforms like Google Workspace, Zoom, and Microsoft 365
Jira limitations
- The user interface is quite complex and can be a bit overwhelming for new users
- Not surprisingly, Jira integrates most smoothly with other Atlassian tools
Jira pricing
- Free: Free/month per user
- Standard: $8.15/month per user
- Premium: $16/month per user
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
Jira ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.3/5 (5,500+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.4/5 (13,500+ reviews)
4. Smartsheet
Smartsheet is a collaboration platform built for IT professionals and displayed in a spreadsheet-style format. It works for both small-scale and large-scale projects.
Forms make it easy to gather data and feedback from other team members or external stakeholders. Link to relevant files and have conversations within the Smartsheet platform so all your content is in one place. Everyone on the collaboration team has the ability to view content and add feedback, as well as track progress in real time.
Smartsheet best features
- Use drag-and-drop automation to save time and streamline your workflow
- Choose your view from Grid, Gantt, Card, or Calendar options ?️
- See your analytics and reporting in visual form for a quick overview, then drill down into detail if you need to
- Integrate with other collaboration tools like Slack, Skype, and Dropbox
Smartsheet limitations
- If you’re not a fan of spreadsheets, the Smartsheet format might not work for you
- Updates might lag at times, and you may need to manually refresh to see the latest information
Smartsheet pricing
- Free
- Pro: $7/month per user
- Business: $25/month per user
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
Smartsheet ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.4/5 (14,700+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (3,000+ reviews)
5. Rocket.Chat
At its heart, Rocket.Chat is an open-source chat platform that can be used as a collaboration tool for software development. Ideal for remote, asynchronous, or hybrid collaboration, it has a strong focus on privacy and high-level security so you know your data is safe.
Send messages to individuals or groups, or use private channels for your team. Make audio or video calls when you need to have more detailed discussions, and safely share anything from your device or cloud storage. ?
Rocket.Chat best features
- Use the open-source code to customize the Rocket.Chat platform to your needs
- Create a searchable, central space to keep all your tasks, messages, and projects in one place
- Configure custom roles to control who has access to different levels of information
- Automate repetitive, manual tasks to free up time for more important work
Rocket.Chat limitations
- There are still some bugs and the mobile app is glitchy at times
- You’ll pay extra for add-ons like the white-label chat engine, dedicated cloud hosting, and professional services such as data migration and implementation consulting
Rocket.Chat pricing
- Community: Free
- Enterprise: $7/month per user
Rocket.Chat ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.2/5 (300+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.3/5 (149+ reviews)
6. TeamViewer
TeamViewer is remote access software that allows you to connect to any other device, anywhere in the world. Use it to access your own files remotely, offer support to customers or team members, identify issues that need to be resolved, and provide remote training.
This collaboration tool for software development offers excellent image quality and an extremely fast file transfer rate. It’s also capable of dealing with low-bandwidth issues, so you’ll get things done even if the connection isn’t high-speed. ?
TeamViewer best features
- Get up and running quickly with fast installation from a simple download
- Use TeamViewer on desktop or mobile devices, across multiple operating systems, and in more than 30 languages
- Rest easy with the high level of security, including 256-bit encryption and two-factor authentication
- Integrate with other platforms like Microsoft Teams, Freshworks, Salesforce, Jira, and SAP
TeamViewer limitations
- The Remote Access package only allows you to connect to up to three managed devices and doesn’t offer tech support via phone if you run into any issues
- Some users have experienced occasional connection issues that interfered with their ability to do their work
TeamViewer pricing
- TeamViewer Remote Access: $24.90/month for 1 user (up to 3 devices)
- TeamViewer Business: $50.90/month for 1 user (up to 200 devices)
- TeamViewer Premium: $112.90/month for 15 users
- TeamViewer Corporate: $229.90/month for 30 users
- TeamViewer Tensor: Contact for pricing
TeamViewer ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.4/5 (3,200+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.6/5 (11,200+ reviews)
7. Wooboard
Wooboard has a slightly different slant than many collaboration options. Billed as a “mental health and recognition platform,” it focuses on employee engagement and wellbeing. It’s a collaboration tool for software development in the sense that happy and healthy DevOps team members will always do their best work.
Wooboard uses social gamification and incentives to encourage team members to be mindful of their own mental health and that of their colleagues. It also makes it easy for managers to recognize and reward their team for great work. ?
Wooboard best features
- Raise morale and boost productivity by regularly acknowledging your team’s achievements
- Reward them with points redeemable for real-world rewards like days off, cash, or vouchers for Amazon, Starbucks, Fitbit, Spotify, or Whole Foods
- Integrate Wooboard with Slack and Teams or use the open API to integrate with your business’s software, so using the system becomes part of your daily routine
- Use the reporting features to manage and monitor recognition
Wooboard limitations
- There aren’t yet enough reviews to be sure how well Wooboard works
- The website doesn’t offer any pricing information—you need to contact their sales team for a quote
Wooboard pricing
- Contact for pricing
Wooboard ratings and reviews
- G2: 3.5/5 (1 review)
- Capterra: No reviews yet
8. GitHub
GitHub is a purpose-built developer platform that uses AI to speed up development processes. GitHub’s project management tools let you manage projects and issues, making this a highly effective collaboration tool for software development.
Collaboration is simplified with multiple features. Brainstorm with your team in the Discussions space on the platform. Code and build within Codespaces then review and test right there too.
Use pull requests to let the team know when new changes are uploaded and are ready to be checked. Version control ensures everyone’s on the same page and allows you to store all iterations for future reference.
GitHub best features
- Speed up task completion rates using natural language to prompt the AI to suggest relevant coding ?
- Automate your workflow to cut down time wasted on repetitive and mundane tasks
- Consult the open-source community for code snippets and other resources
- Stay on top of your work using the mobile app, even while you’re out and about
GitHub limitations
- There are many features and it may take some time for new users to learn to use the platform
- You need to pay extra for add-ons like large file storage capacity and advanced security
GitHub pricing
- Free
- Team: $4/month per user
- Enterprise: $21/month per user
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
GitHub ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (2,000+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.8/5 (5,800+ reviews)
9. Slack
Slack is a productivity platform that uses channels to manage communication and store all the resources you need to get your work done.
Set up channels for teams, departments, or topics. Limit channel access to just a few people or allow everyone at your company to access them. Channels for external clients or providers also make it easier to work together. ?
This collaboration tool for software development uses AI to automate routine tasks and streamline your workflow so you get more done in less time. The Workflow Builder doesn’t require any coding, instead using simple drag-and-drop functionality
Slack best features
- Chat in real time, use a Huddle to have a live voice conversation, or send audio or video clips for asynchronous communication
- Let the chatbot take notes for you during your meetings so you stay present
- Search the archive to quickly find past conversations and stored files you want to refer to
- Integrate with thousands of apps like Google Calendar, Dropbox, HubSpot, Microsoft Teams, and Salesforce
Slack limitations
- Slack is part of the Atlassian toolbox and works best if you use it with other Atlassian tools like Jira
- The free plan only allows you to see the last 90 days of messages, which is limiting for bigger projects
Slack pricing
- Free
- Pro: $7.25/month per user
- Business+: $12.50/month per user
- Enterprise Grid: Contact for pricing
Slack ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.5/5 (31,900+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (23,100+ reviews)
10. Google Workspace
The Google Workspace universe offers several collaboration tools for software development, including Google Calendar, Gmail, Google Drive, Google Meet, and Google Chat.
Use Google Docs or Google Sheets to collaborate with your team in real time and then store your project information—with its version history—within the platform. Use Google Meet to present your Google Slides to your team or other stakeholders.
All your files are easily organized within hierarchical folders so you always find what you need. And because the platform is cloud-based, it’s easy to share files with anyone, anywhere in the world. ?
Google Workspace best features
- Centralize everything on one platform so you never have to jump between apps again
- Get going quickly with the friendly and intuitive user interface
- Store and access Microsoft documents like Word or Excel within the workspace too
- Rest assured that your data is secure with security and management controls that are boosted even further on the Business Plus and Enterprise plans
Google Workspace limitations
- The functionality of Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides isn’t yet quite on par with the equivalent Microsoft products
- The Business Starter package only allows up to 30G of storage per user, which doesn’t take you very far
Google Workspace pricing
- Business Starter: $6/month per user
- Business Standard: $12/month per user
- BusinessPlus: $18/month per user
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
Google Workspace ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.6/5 (40,600+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (15,100+ reviews)
Summarize this article for me pleaseTake Your Team to the Next Level With Collaboration Tools for Software Development
The most effective software development requires a strong project plan, methodologies that work for your business, and—most importantly—great teamwork. So it makes sense to use the best collaboration tools for software development that you can get your hands on. ?
There are many of them out there, each with its pros and cons, and it’s worth doing your research to figure out which one is most suited to your business needs.
ClickUp offers you all the tools you need to make team collaboration easy, and its benefits extend far beyond teamwork. It’s a project management and productivity tool that supports every aspect of your business, making your life easier, and improving your team’s productivity and job satisfaction.
And a natural result of all of that? Boosting your bottom line. ?
Sign up for free today and get ready to take your team and your business to the next level.
Everything you need to stay organized and get work done.
