10 Best Apps for Remote Teams in 2022

by Adarsh Raj Bhatt
macbook pro displaying woman in black shirt

Photo credit: Unsplash

Top video conferencing apps for remote teams in 2022

Video conferencing apps provide platforms to conduct online audio and video meetings for employees/attendees across the globe. With an expanding work-from-home culture resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, remote teams have been gaining ground. 

Video conferencing apps help remote teams to function efficiently as they: 

  • Do not require physical attendance
  • Do away with employee travel
  • Include features such as Screen sharing and recording

Criteria to be evaluated when choosing video conferencing apps

  • Useful features
  • Maximum number of participants that can be hosted 
  • Are unlimited 1:1 meetings available?
  • Is cloud video conferencing an option?
  • Recording/transcription capabilities
  • Cloud storage 
  • Noise cancellation
  • File storage

Video conferencing apps for remote teams in 2022

Zoom

Description: Video conferencing app that eases remote work by seamlessly bringing together people globally

Best for: Individuals, enterprises, and startups of all sizes.

Pricing: The pricing range is as follows.

Zoom meetings 

Basic: Free

Pro: $149/year/ license

Business: $199/year/ licence

Enterprise: $240/year/license 

Zoom phone

US & Canada Metered (Pay as you go): $120/year/user

US & Canada Unlimited (Unlimited Regional Calling): $180/year/user

Pro Global Select: $240/year/user

Option to choose from 40+ countries and territories

Zoom Events and Webinar

Zoom Webinar: $690/year/license

Zoom Events: $890/year/license

Zoom United

Pro: $300/year/user

Business: $350/year/user

Enterprise: $420/year/user

Useful features:

  • Automatic call distribution
  • Optional add-on plans
  • Ability to make and receive calls from various devices or apps
  • Unlimited calling with the US and Canada (the US and Canada Unlimited) 
  • Social media streaming, unlimited calling in 18 other countries with select plans.

Evaluation of critical criteria:

  • The maximum number of participants can be hosted: 100-500 participants depending on the plan you choose (Zoom meetings) and up to 1000 video participants or 10,000 webinar viewers (Zoom Rooms).
  • Are unlimited 1:1 meetings available? Yes
  • Is cloud video conferencing an option? Yes, compatible with Android 5.0 and above.
  • Recording/transcription: Yes.
  • Cloud storage: Yes, unlimited cloud storage with the Enterprise Plan (Zoom meetings) and 1 GB cloud storage recording (per license) with the Zoom United Pro plan.
  • Noise cancellation: Yes, a noise suppression filter is available to maintain consistent audio quality devoid of disturbances caused by microphones.
  • File storage: 1 GB/licensed user for most plans. Check the Zoom website for more information.

Pros:

  • Ease of use
  • Supports integration with several apps via Zapier
  • Global connection with minimal bandwidth consumption

Cons:

  • An automatic conference connection on schedule is not available.
  • Audio quality fluctuates with internet speed.

Google Meet

Description: A re-engineered platform for secure business meetings available for all, with the freedom of access from any device that allows orgs to collaborate and work efficiently with AI enhancements for quality calls, for hosting large events, or for broadcasting internal events.

Best for: Individuals and growing and prominent startups

Pricing: The pricing range is as follows.

Google Meet: Always free

Google Workspace Individual: Free trial available. $9.99 per month from January 2022.

Google Workspace Enterprise: Custom pricing. Standard pricing is not disclosed publicly.

Useful features:

  • 24/7 priority support with Google Workspace Enterprise
  • Encryption in transit and when static 
  • Advanced Protection Program enrollment
  • Ability to share your screen and present
  • Adjustable layouts
  • Live closed captions in multiple languages

Evaluation of critical criteria:

  • The maximum number of participants that can be hosted: 100 participants for Google Meet and Google Workspace Individual. 250 participants for Google Workspace Enterprise.
  • Are unlimited 1:1 meetings available? Yes, with a maximum length of 24 hours.
  • Is cloud video conferencing an option? Yes
  • Recording/transcription: Yes, Google Meet’s recordings allow you to listen to the recorded session slowly for the ease of transcription. While Meet provides live closed captions, it does not offer a full-length transcript of a meeting. There are specific Chrome extensions (e.g., Fireflies) that offer to transcribe meetings on Google Meet.
  • Cloud storage: Available
  • Noise cancellation: Intelligent noise cancellation available with Google Workspace Individual and Google Workspace Enterprise
  • File storage: Google Drive storage up to 15 GB per user for Google Meet and Google Workspace Individual. Unlimited Google Drive storage for Google Workspace Enterprise.

Pros

  • Works in sync with other Google applications.
  • Call recording is available.
  • Ease of use and seamless screen sharing

Cons

  • Not optimally intuitive when setting up a meeting
  • A PIN protection feature is desired for more private meetings
  • Weak internet signals compromise video quality.

Top instant communication tools for remote teams in 2022

Getting remote employees on the same page can be difficult, mainly when urgency demands an instant answer. Instant messaging tools allow you to send quick messages to get your team together for prompt discussions. Instant communication tools generally come with software integrations and video calls to set the work in motion.

Criteria to be evaluated when choosing instant communication tools

  • Useful features
  • App integrations
  • Video calls
  • Voice calls
  • Advanced Identity Management through SAML - based SSO.
  • 24/7 support
  • Voice/Video/text chat enhancement

Slack

Description: Instant messaging tool for remote teams that brings together various advanced features like call recording, real-time chat, and third-party integrations to ensure that workflow is not hindered because of diverse locations.

Best for Small startups as well as large-sized businesses.

Pricing: Four plans are available.

Free

Pro: $2.67 per month

Business+: $5 per month.

Enterprise Grid: Contact Slack.

Useful features:

  • Automation of routine actions and communication
  • An additional security measure with the Enterprise Grid plan allows you to use your encryption keys, so you get perfect visibility into how your data is accessed in Slack. 
  • Two-way audio and video.
  • Presentation streaming
  • The robust searching algorithm lets you browse texts and files that people have shared.

Evaluation of key criteria:

  • App integrations: Yes, over 2400 tools are available in the Slack App Directory, such as Zoom, Salesforce, Atlassian, Google Drive, Office 365, etc.
  • Video calls: Yes
  • Voice calls: Yes
  • Advanced Identity Management through SAML-based SSO: Yes, available with the Business+ and Enterprise Grid plans
  • 24/7 support: Yes, available with the Business+ and Enterprise Grid plans
  • Video/voice/text chat enhancement: Not available

Pros:

  • A user-friendly and robust instant communication tool
  • The addition of the Scheduled Message Feature allows you to send messages within working hours even if someone is working beyond typical hours (e.g., in the case of teams working in other time zones).
  • Ability to stay in touch with your users from any device.

Cons:

  • The pricing needs to be based on the number of features used by each member.
  • Keeping track of different threads/channels can be complex because a separate email and password are required for every Slack channel you join.

Discord

Description: Instant communication platform that stands out for its excellent audio quality and allows users to maintain public or private communities where conversations can be moderated, and user settings can be customized.

Best for: Startups with team members who are willing to exchange ideas on a common platform

Pricing: The basic plan is free. Contact Discord for more details. The Nitro plan is priced at $9.99 per month and $99.99 per year.

Useful features:

  • Real-time notifications
  • Topic-based channels

Evaluation of key criteria:

  • App integrations: Yes, the Integrations page allows you to manage the bots, webhooks, and other apps added to your server.
  • Video calls: Yes
  • Voice calls: Yes
  • Advanced Identity Management through SAML-based SSO: No
  • 24/7 support: Yes
  • Voice/Video/Text Chat Enhancement: Yes

Pros:

  • Discord allows you to create interest and hobby groups with different access to each user.
  • Good quality voice calls
  • Chat rooms are available for inter-team communication.

Cons:

  • Transferring large files can be a problem.
  • Discord’s primary use by the gamer community leads it to earn no serious consideration to be used by a startup or business community.

Top collaboration tools for remote teams in 2022

Collaboration tools assist diverse teams in achieving stronger cohesion. These tools enable remote teams to function efficiently by allowing a fundamental tracking of the functioning of each member and a follow-up of the same so that the result in terms of work is not compromised as a result of geographical disparity.

Criteria to be evaluated when choosing collaboration tools:

  • Useful features
  • Editable boards
  • Premade templates
  • Revision and snapshot history
  • Single sign-on
  • Advanced security
  • App integrations

Miro

Description: Leading visual collaboration platform that acts as a single source for conducting meetings, exchanging ideas, and interacting with multiple participants.

Best for: Fast-growing startups (especially software companies) and larger businesses.

Pricing: Four plans are available.

Free

Team: $8 per member/month, billed annually

$10 per member/month, billed monthly

Business: $16 per member/month, billed annually

$20 per member/month, billed monthly

Enterprise: Custom pricing according to the needs of your business. Contact Miro.

Useful features:

  • Custom templates (available with the Team, Business, and Enterprise plans but not with Free plan)
  • SSO or Single Sign-On (Business plan and Enterprise plan)
  • SIEM integrations
  • Flexible licensing program (Enterprise plan)

Evaluation of key criteria:

  • Editable boards: Yes, three editable boards are available with the free plan, and unlimited editable boards are available with all other plans.
  • Premade templates: Yes, several premade templates are available with all plans.
  • Revision and snapshot history: Not available
  • Single Sign-On: Available with the Business and Enterprise plans
  • Advanced security: SOC 2-, GDPR-, and PCR-compliant
  • App integrations: Include Dropbox, Box, Google Suite, Slack, Jira, and Sketch

Pros:

  • Allows real-time collaboration
  • Simple and intuitive UX
  • Editing is simple compared to other tools.

Cons:

  • Additional updates are lacking for presenting and the mind mapping feature.
  • Miro could be potentially time-consuming.

Notion

Description: Notion is a collaboration tool allowing teams to share notes and keep everyone informed.

Best for: Individuals and startup teams of all sizes

Pricing: Four plans are available.

Personal: Free

Personal Pro: $4 per month, billed annually.

Team: $8 per user per month, billed annually.

Enterprise: Not disclosed publicly. Contact Notion.

Useful features:

  • Unlimited file uploads (Personal Pro)
  • Sharing permissions (Team)
  • User provisioning SCIM (Enterprise)

Evaluation of key criteria:

  • Editable boards: Yes
  • Premade templates: 50+ templates 
  • Revision and snapshot history: 30-day version history with all plans except for Personal Pro.
  • Single sign-on: SAML SSO available with the Enterprise plan
  • Advanced security: Available with the Enterprise plan
  • App integrations: Include Slack, Google Maps, Google Drive, and Twitter

Pros:

  • Customizable tool that helps in achieving team-wide transparency.
  • Efficient project and task management
  • Ease of communication across various departments so that employees can work more efficiently.

Cons:

  • The mobile app needs more improvement.
  • Steep learning curve

Airtable

Description: All-inclusive collaboration platform with features ranging from sharing simple file attachments and reporting to calendars and Kanban card stacks.

Best for: Early-stage startups and small businesses as well as smaller units/teams within larger businesses

Pricing: Four plans are available.

Free.

Plus: $10 per seat/month, billed annually; $12 per seat. billed monthly

Pro: $20 per seat/month, billed annually; 424 per seat. Billed monthly.

Enterprise: Contact Enterprise for more information.

Useful features:

  • Custom interfaces for every team member
  • Complete automation
  • Robust API

Evaluation of key criteria:

  • Editable boards: Yes
  • Premade templates: 200+ flexible built-in templates
  • Revision and snapshot history: 6-month revision and snapshot history with the Plus plan, 1 and 3 years revision, and snapshot history with the Pro and Enterprise plans, respectively.
  • Single sign-on: SAML-based SSO available with the Enterprise plan
  • Advanced security: 256-bit SSL/TLS encryption for content in transit, 256-bit AES encryption for static content.
  • App integrations: Include API, Zapier, Gmail, Google Drive, LinkedIn, Mailchimp, Meetup, Slack, WordPress, and YouTube.

Pros:

  • Advanced features of a database with the simplicity of a spreadsheet
  • Programs created for clients do not need coding
  • Team collaboration is effortless.

Cons:

  • Absence of offline access
  • Essential features like writing formulas from the same table are missing.

Top Project Management tools for remote teams in 2022

Project management tools work towards consolidating tasks assigned to team members spread across different locations and time zones. Virtual project management tools coordinate work among team members by tracking progress and ensuring that the tasks at hand are completed on time.

Criteria to be evaluated when choosing project management tools

  • Useful features
  • Unlimited personal boards
  • Unlimited cards
  • File attachments
  • Calendar and map view
  • Single sign-on
  • App integrations

Trello

Description: Project management tool coordinates team agendas, progress reports, and documentation while simultaneously enabling team communication.

Best for: Teams of all sizes

Pricing: Four plans are available.

Free

Standard: $5 per user per month, billed annually; $6 per user, billed monthly

Premium: $10 per user per month, billed annually; $12.50 per user, billed monthly

Enterprise: $17.50 per user per month, billed annually; $210 per user, billed annually

Evaluation of key criteria:

Useful features:

  • Custom backgrounds and stickers (Free)
  • 2-factor authentication (Free)
  • Single board guests (Standard)
  • Priority support and workspace-level templates (Premium)
  • Free SSO and user provisioning with Atlassian access (Enterprise).

Evaluation of key criteria:

  • Unlimited personal boards: Available with the Standard plan
  • Unlimited cards: Yes, available with all the plans
  • File attachment: Yes, file attachments from other apps like Jira, Slack, and Google Drive
  • Calendar and map view: Available with the Premium and Enterprise plans
  • Single sign-on: Free SSO available with the Enterprise plan
  • App integrations: Google Drive, Evernote, Slack, Confluence, Dropbox, etc.

Pros:

  • Very good for startups as Trello is free for a small team.
  • Fair pricing
  • Ease of adding and removing members

Cons:

  • Not very prompt customer service
  • Absence of a desktop app for Mac

ClickUp

Description: A one-of-its-kind project management tool that, along with task management, offers reminders, goals, and scheduling to organize teams through smart collaboration.

Best for: Small, medium-, and large-sized teams. 

Pricing: Five plans are available.

Free

Unlimited: $5 per member per month

Business: $9 per member per month

Business Plus: $19 per member per month

Enterprise: Contact ClickUp for more information.

Evaluation of key criteria:

Useful features: 

  • Two-factor authentication 
  • Kanban boards (Free)
  • Agile Reporting and Resource Management (Unlimited plan)
  • Advanced public sharing and automation (Business plan)
  • Increased API and custom permissions (Business plus)
  • White labeling, MSA, and HIPPA available (Enterprise)

Evaluation of key criteria:

  • Unlimited personal boards: Unlimited dashboards available with all plans except for the Free plan
  • Unlimited cards: Unlimited Gantt Charts available with all plans except for the Free plan
  • File attachment: Comments can be attached to files automatically, with the Paperclip option available.
  • Calendar and Map view: Calendar view available.
  • Single sign-on: Available with the Enterprise plan. Google SSO is available with the Business plan.
  • App integrations: Unlimited integrations available with all plans except for the Free plan

Pros:

  • Ease of setup and use for team members
  • Flexible customization is available according to the degree you need
  • Notifications can be received on your phone

Cons:

  • There are certain issues with the current UI.
  • Initial complexity was noticed in a few cases.

Asana

Description: Remote work tool that helps teams execute everything from daily tasks to ready-to-enforce business strategies.

Best for: All teams and startups

Pricing: Three plans are available.

Basic: Free

Premium: $10.99 per user per month, billed annually; $13.49 billed monthly

Business: $24.99 per user per month billed annually; $30.49 billed monthly

Useful features 

  • Backlog management
  • Activity news feed
  • Business process automation

Evaluation of key criteria:

  • Unlimited personal boards: Unlimited dashboards with the Premium and Business plans
  • Unlimited cards: Not known
  • File attachment: Files can be attached from Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, or Microsoft OneDrive/SharePoint.
  • Calendar and map view: Calendar view available
  • Single sign-on: Asana integrates with OneLogin and offers SSO via SAML 2.0.
  • App integrations: Time tracking with Integrations. 100+ free integrations, including advanced integrations with Salesforce and Adobe Creative Cloud (Business plan)

Pros:

  • Ease in making team members understand their obligations
  • Advance timeline setting is available

Cons:

  • Projects beyond relatively basic tasks cannot be managed smoothly.

Learn more with us

Access our Knowledge Base for Startups.

We can help!

At AbstractOps, we help early-stage founders streamline and automate regulatory and legal ops, HR, and finance so you can focus on what matters most — your business.

We can help you decide which remote apps to use at your startup! Learn more.

Like our content?

Subscribe to our blog to stay updated on new posts. Our blog covers advice, inspiration, and practical guides for early-stage founders to navigate their startup journeys. 

Note: Our content is for general information purposes only. AbstractOps does not provide legal, accounting, or certified expert advice. Consult a lawyer, CPA, or other professional for such services.

Your cart
    Checkout