7 Effective Team Communication Tools for 2023

Ready to level up communication across your team? This article is your one-stop-read for all-things business and team communication. Because sometimes email, face-to-face meetings, and carrier pigeons just don’t cut it.

In this article, I’ll cover seven team communication tools you should consider adding to your toolkit. I’ve broken them down into a couple simple categories to make sure you get the type of tool you’re looking for.

1. 1. Slack
   2. Microsoft Teams
   3. Google Chat
   4. Basecamp
   5. Google Drive
   6. Confluence
   7. Troop Messenger

Also, if you’re looking for tips to help your remote team excel, check out our recent article about remote employee engagement.

Let’s jump in!

Team Communication Tools

Email isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. But it’s not the ideal communication tool for fast conversations between coworkers.

The following team communication tools streamline digital conversations to help everyone stay on task, get the information they need, and stay connected with what’s happening in the workplace.

1. Slack

Source: Slack

When you and your team members need a sleek communication app that lets you communicate fast, Slack is arguably the most well-known on the market. Slack gives you individual and group messaging that can be divided into categories of your choice.

That means you can have separate conversation channels for the Marketing team and the Finance team—and any other team, for that matter. Plus, Slack comes with a video conferencing tool that lets you host meetings on the platform.

And you can have fun with it: Use emojis and memes to bring a little fun to the workday. Plus, Slack has become a professional social channel that extends beyond the workplace. Many people participate in other Slack channels outside of work, like a chat-based social media platform for learning and networking.

Cost: Slack has a free version. Their premium prices start at $6.67 per user per month, billed annually.

Best for: Slack is used by small startups all the way up to enterprise companies.

2. Microsoft Teams

Source: Microsoft

Perhaps the biggest benefit of using a stand-alone digital team communication tool is versatility. In our increasingly digital world, tools like Microsoft Teams make it easier for team members to collaborate on a serious project one moment and engage in simple online water cooler talk the next.

Microsoft Teams is a collection of different communication channels—like chat, video, and phone—pulled into one tool for streamlined conferencing and quick chat. Like Slack, Microsoft Teams is one of the most widely-used team communication tools on the market. It’s especially popular among companies immersed in the Microsoft ecosystem. Word.

Cost: Microsoft Teams has a free version. Premium pricing starts at $5 per user per month.

Best for: Microsoft Teams is used by businesses large and small, especially those familiar with Microsoft products.

3. Google Chat

Source: G Suite

For teams already using G Suite to power their businesses, Google Chat might be the preferred option for internal communications. You can spark one-on-one chats or create individual Rooms for multiple people to communicate on the same topic.

No matter your work environment, team chat helps bring everyone together in a single conversation. If you’re a fan of G Suite, this might be the best way to keep your team moving toward your common goal without having to purchase an additional app.

Cost: G Suite starts at $6 per person per month, and includes dozens of tools beyond the chat feature.

Best for: Google Chat is best for teams already using the G Suite across their company.

Team Communication and Collaboration Tools

Sometimes you need your team communication tools to do a little more than just send quick messages. The following apps combine multiple features so that you can stay productive and communicative without jumping from tool to tool.

4. Basecamp

Source: Basecamp

Effective communication doesn’t end in your general team-wide chat app. It helps to have project management tools that empower you to collaborate and delegate in real-time. Basecamp is another popular project management tool. They prioritize simple communication across teams, projects, and even with clients through their client portal.

Basecamp brings your entire team into one platform. Built as an all-in-one tool, workplace communication of almost every form gets streamlined on this platform. From group chat to shared schedules, you can keep everyone on the same page.

Similar alternatives include Asana, Freedcamp, Plutio

Cost: $99 flat per month

Best for: Basecamp is great for teams wanting to combine all their communication, collaboration, and project management tools into one platform—at a fixed price.

5. Google Drive

Source: Google Drive

Yes, Google made it on our list twice. But don’t worry, this is the free version. Google Drive contains several of the most popular free collaboration tools: Docs, Sheets, and Slides.

All these tools within Google Drive enable some of the simplest team-wide collaboration available across paid options. Except, Google offers them for free. Simply navigate permissions to allow users to edit, leave comments, make suggested changes, and yes: even chat with other people in the doc.

If clarity and simplicity are the primary ingredients for good communication, Google Docs has made it easy to be clear across their numerous communication features.

Cost: Google Drive is free.

Best for: Google Drive is best for any team looking for an intuitive, collaborative online workspace.

6. Confluence

Source: Confluence

If Google Drive decided to grow a project management arm, it might look something like Confluence.

Launched and owned by Atlassian—the company behind Trello and Jira—Confluence is a creative and project management tool rolled into one. Confluence jumpstarts effective team communication much like Basecamp and Google Drive.

They offer multiple communication channels, helping you to streamline meetings, provide check-ins for virtual teams, and of course: make it easy for team collaboration. With comment features and various project management templates, it’s made to help you run your organization completely digitally. Plus, it blends with other Atlassian tools nicely, as you might expect.

Cost: Confluence has a free version. Premium pricing starts at $5 per user per month.

Best for: Confluence is best for distributed teams who need a creative and project management tool with collaboration features.

7. Troop Messenger

Source: Troop Messenger

Troop Messenger makes it easy for your team members to have quick and fast work communication. It’s one of the best platforms for engaging your team, with a collection of message-exchange facilities that help everyone get on the same page. Connect with direct messaging, group conversations, calling, conferencing features, and more!

Groups are where it gets poppin’. This feature provides team members with common access to any files shared and work conversations discussed internally.

As a simple office internal communication tool, Troop Messenger also features beautifully designed search filters for every section. Whether it’s the chat area, participants left window, unread messages feature, or advanced conversation search, you can navigate the platform with ease and retrieve what you need in no time.

Cost: Troop Messenger comes with a 7-day Enterprise Free Trial. For paid plans, Premium starts at $1 per user per month and scales to Enterprise at $5 per user per month.

Best For: SMBs and large enterprises looking to host their own private servers for secure team communication.

Level Up Your Team Communication Game

Did you find the team communication tool you’re looking for? Tell us about it in the comments!

And if you’re still in the market, try browsing some of the latest tools in the AppSumo store. We regularly publish new deals on powerful software. The next one might be the communication tool your team is looking for.