10 Communication Apps That Will Make Your Team Better Communicators

10 Communication Apps That Will Make Your gruppe Better Communicators Are you and your kollektiv suffering from the black hole of email? Do you receive mora emails than you can manage? Is your inbox overwhelming despite trying new strategies for email management? If this sounds like you, its time to start using a communication app. This way, all of the communication styles that play out in the workdistributions-mix will be easier.In the age of remote work, investing in a communication or chat app is a no-brainer. These apps enable kollektivs to collaborate through messaging, file sharing and other tools in one place whether youre in the bro, working from home or are on the go. Plus, theyre designed to decrease the number of emails you receive.There are a ton of communication apps available with different features and at all prices points. Your goal is to find the tool that will improve your teams communication and productivity without breaking the budget. Start by researching these 1 0 communication apps, which PCMag calls the Best Business Messaging Apps of 2018.1. SlackSlackwas the first mover in the single workplace app market. 500,000 organizations use Slack to collaborate. The Slack App Directory offers 1,000+ tools you can integrate into Slack, including Dropbox, Google Drive, Salesforce and mora essentials.You can try Slack for free for a limited time, although the voreingestellt plan gives you access to the tools full array of features for $8 per nutzer per month. Heres more on how to use Slack.PCMags ReviewPros Rich set of tools and options. Highly customizable notifications. Integrates with many other collaboration and office tools.Cons Expensive. Can be overwhelming for new users.Bottom Line Slack is an excellent and powerful team messaging app with a rich collection of settings and options. While its the best in the business, note that its also the most expensive.2. Microsoft TeamsMicrosoft Teamsis similar to Slack, but its only for organizations tha t use sekretariat 365. This is the app to try if youre immersed in the Microsoft Ecosystem as Microsoft Teams integrates with other tools youre probably using, such as SharePoint, OneNote and Yammer.The app is included in the Office 365 Business Premium plan, which costs $12.50 per user per month. So, Microsoft Teams is the budget-friendly option if youre subscribed to this plan.PCMags ReviewPros Plugs into the Microsoft Ecosystem for embedded application access. Allows for super-organized channel management.Cons Looks exactly like Slack. Can only be used as part of Office 365.Bottom Line Microsoft Teams is an excellent collaboration service, with the large caveat that its only available to Office 365 users.3. Glip by RingCentralForty-four percentof Glip by RingCentral users say they didnt collaborate enough before using the app. Its notable features are collaborative document editing, a team calendar and task management tools.Like Microsoft Teams, companies that subscribe to RingCe ntral Offices VoIP service are already paying for Glip. Although, Glip is available to any company starting for free. For $5 per user per month, the standard plan offers 24/7 support, advanced administration controls, data retention, compliance reports and additional video chat minutes. It turns employees into more effectivecommunicators.PCMags ReviewPros Includes collaborative document editing, a team calendar, and task management capabilities. Good image and PDF markup tools.Cons Users email account can only be used to join a single group as a full member. Not ideal for time-disparate teams. No keyword notifications.Bottom Line Glip by RingCentral adds a few special components to business messaging, such as collaborative document editing and team calendars.4. FlockLess emails, faster communication, easier project coordination, pretty much sums up Flock. Testimonials on Flocks website demonstrate how communication apps like this one are time savers by reducing emails by 40% and in- person meetings by 60%.Flock is free for small teams that dont need more than 5GB of file storage. Larger teams can purchase the service for a steal at just $3 per user per month.PCMags ReviewPros Offers read-only channels and integrated to-dos. Competitively priced. Attractive, professional design.Cons No keyword notifications. No threaded conversations option for distributed teams.Bottom Line Team messaging app Flock has a lot of similarities to Slack, though it looks very different. Flocks competitive pricing and strong features list make it an excellent alternative.5. Zoho CliqLike Flock, Zoho Cliq is affordable and is great for small teams.The free plan is pretty expansive in terms of features and allows an unlimited number of users. Though, the unlimited plan, which starts at $3 per user per month, can support multiple teams and has infinite integrations.PCMags ReviewPros Shows more than one chat at a time. Forking option for branching discussions. Innovative broadcasting tool . Inexpensive.Cons Cant edit messages. No keyword notifications. Better options needed in Do Not Disturb mode. No screen sharing.Bottom Line Zoho Cliq borrows many of the best features from team messaging apps like Slack, and adds the ability to see multiple channels in one window, all for a very low price.6. RyverUnlike its competitors, Ryver has a charitable component in its revenue model. 1% of all revenues are donated to Kids at Hope, which is a non-profit that organizes programs that empower children ages 3 to 18.Its pricing structure is also unique. Teams up to six users use Ryver for free. For all other team sizes, the cost is $99 per month, which could be attractive for large corporations.PCMags ReviewPros Unlimited users and guests. Unlimited message search. Organized interface. Free. Supports Zapier. Administrators can delete messages.Cons Lacks notification options for keywords. No visual customizations. Direct messages are one-to-one only. No voice or video calls. No scr een sharing.Bottom Line Team chat app Ryver is a great free alternative for those who find competitor Slacks interface too busy. But Ryver lacks Slacks rich notification options.7. TwistDoes your team work across multiple time zones? Do you find it harder to communicate andbuild relationships with coworkers who are out of the office? Twist is an app that was built for international companies in mind. Companies that use Twist say its calmer and more organized than the other apps theyve tried.The pricing options are a forever free plan, and an unlimited plan starting at $5 per user per month that includes two free months.PCMags ReviewPros Good for conversations within organizations. Excellent time-off feature. Helpful Inbox collects unread messages across Channels. Solid editing tools. Reasonable price.Cons No audio or video calls, screen sharing, keyword alerts. Cant pin a message to the top of a thread.Bottom Line Twist by Doist takes on team messaging by making it better for distri buted teams. It has a few standout features, but also some room to grow.8. Workplace by FacebookFor teams that love Facebook, Workplace by Facebook has a recognizable look and feel for group chats, video calls and other messaging tools.The standard plan is free. The premium plan starts at $3 per user per month and goes down (not up) when you add more users.PCMags ReviewPros Familiar Facebook interface. Easy for new members to join. Text, audio, and video chat are supported. Inexpensive.Cons Doesnt encourage brief interactions. Weak support for third-party integrations.Bottom Line Workplace by Facebook is a fine private social network for your business, but it doesnt offer much from a productivity perspective.9. StrideStrideby Atlassian is one of the newer communication apps. It replaces the companys previous collaborative app, Hipchat Cloud.The free plan provides a lot of services compared to others. The standard plan is cost-competitive starting at $3 per user per month.PCMags Revi ewPros Good support for video conferencing, audio calls, and screen sharing. Competitive price.Cons Lacks customization options and other settings. Doesnt solve the problem of buried posts.Bottom Line Atlassian Stride, which is poised to replace HipChat Cloud, offers decent online team messaging, but the services youth shows in its lack of customizability and group direct messages.10. SpiderOak SemaphorIn todays age, every technology company needs to make security a priority. Though, SpiderOak Semaphor is the only app in this group with a No Knowledge policy. The No Knowledge policy means the company doesnt have access to your encrypted data.Semaphor is pricey, starting at $10 per user per month. The first five users are free.PCMags ReviewPros Free for small teams. Secure messaging. Consistent, attractive design across platforms.Cons Expensive. No integrations. Lacks audio or video call capabilities. Few customization options. No web interface. No push notifications on mobile. Occas ional stutters on desktop in testing.Bottom Line SpiderOaks Semaphor offers snappy, secure messaging capabilities for teams, but it does not support integrations, audio or video calls, nor does it offer much in the way of customization options.Communication apps are not meant to completely replace email, but they will help your team communicate more efficiently.--Kristen Farrell is a professional communicator who previously worked inhuman resources. She shares career lessons and everyday experiences on herblogkristen-farrell.com. When shes not writing, youll find her running, crafting, or spending time with her husband, Jonathan and cat, Trotsky.