Free and low-cost online collaboration tools for your business

Canvanizer is a collaborative online tool that helps entrepreneurs identify key elements of their business plan such as their core value proposition, their target market, key resources and activities, and revenue streams. It is a bit like playing with virtual post-it notes to structure and share your ideas with teams. You can create your own canvas for free or upgrade to the premium version. The Links section outlines resources like books, related websites and other online tools to help you get started.

Coggle is an online collaborative tool that enables you to easily create and share mindmaps and flow charts. It works directly in your web browser, so there is nothing to download or install. Coggle lets you comment on branches and chat with collaborators without leaving your diagram workspace.

Evernote is a digital workspace for capturing, storing, and centralizing a wide variety of information, including text notes, web clippings and document attachments across devices. It is ideal for entrepreneurs who need to maintain a highly searchable knowledge base across multiple devises. The free plan offers basic functionality while paid plans unlock additional devices, storage and notebooks.

Feng Sky is the cloud-based version of Feng Office, an open-source collaboration platform that combines all the features necessary to manage projects, tasks, documents, communication, collaboration with co-workers, clients and vendors, and much more. Data can be stored in a Canadian data centre upon request. If you prefer, you can also host the solution on your own server or request the assistance of a system integrator. Feng Sky can be accessed via a web browser from any computer or mobile phone.

Google Workspace is a collection of professional tools that lets your team handle emails, host video meetings and work on the same documents at the same time from any device. The primary value is the integrated Gemini AI, which acts as a virtual assistant that automates routine tasks such as taking meeting notes, summarizing long email threads and drafting reports to save hours of manual work. Business pricing is structured to grow with your company.

GoTo Meeting provides secure virtual meetings on any device, with automatic bandwidth adjustments for optimal audio and video. Easy to use and easy to set up, GoTo Meeting includes built-in drawing tools, automated transcriptions and meeting recordings to capture key details. It integrates with many of the apps people already use, such as Microsoft Office 365, Zendesk, Slack and Google Suite.

Microsoft Teams brings together calls, instant messaging and video conferencing with collaboration tools, including co-authoring and real-time editing. Team meetings can be recorded with transcripts and live captions. Microsoft 365 Copilot, available as an add-on, boosts productivity with automated tasks. Available as a standalone application or as part of Microsoft 365, Teams makes it easy for all kinds of groups to communicate and collaborate.

MindMeister is a collaborative mind mapping tools that helps your team brainstorm and manage project. With MindMeister, you can not only revert to prior versions but also assign tasks and track progress. It integrates with tools like Microsoft Teams and Slack to streamline your workflow.

Miro is an online collaborative whiteboard platform that enables your teams to lead engaging workshops and meetings, design products, brainstorm ideas, and more. It offers AI-powered features such as instant summaries and diagram generation through a credit system. You can start with the free version and choose one of the paid plans as you need more editable boards and advanced features.

Notion is an all-in-one workspace where you can collaborate on documentation, wikis, databases and projects. You can build searchable knowledge bases, custom client databases and workflows tailored to your business. AI features on paid plans help generate content, summarize information and search across your workspace. While it requires time to set up and learn, it consolidates multiple tools into one platform. A free version is available for solopreneurs and small teams.

Panorama is an online solution designed to automate board governance processes and recommend best practices. Easy to use, it reduces the workload of board members by helping them prepare meetings, draft minutes and centralize all the necessary information to make better decisions. This Canadian company is based in Montreal, Quebec.

Redbooth is an all-in-one collaboration and communications platform that gives you real-time visibility into group projects. Shared virtual workspace makes it easy to organize everything in one place, from discussions to documents and files. Teams can communicate through HD video conferencing or business chat and even use their Apple TV app to run more efficient meetings in the board room. Integrations include Evernote, Microsoft Outlook, Box, Google Drive, Dropbox and Zendesk.

Slack reduces email overload by organizing team conversations into searchable channels for projects, topics, or clients. It keeps your communication, files, and decisions in one place where you can easily find them later. Teams use it to stay connected without constant meetings, through quick messages, video calls, and file sharing. It integrates with common business tools like Google Drive and Dropbox. Paid plans add AI features to summarize conversations and automate routine tasks.

Stormboard is a digital whiteboard for teams conducting brainstorming sessions, strategic planning, and problem-solving workshops. Teams collaborate using virtual sticky notes and organize ideas into structured plans. It provides templates for common business activities like SWOT analysis, process mapping, and quarterly planning. Developed by an Edmonton-based company, it provides templates for common business activities like SWOT analysis, process mapping, and quarterly planning.

STS is a collaborative workspace where teams tackle strategic planning together with AI assistance. You can work through business plans, revenue strategies, and project assessments as a group, with AI asking questions to guide your thinking and help organize ideas. Each team member can contribute in their own way while the platform keeps everything structured and accessible. This Montreal-based company offers a free version to get started.