The last few years have permanently altered the nature of work, particularly in terms of remote work. According to our own remote work survey, which was completed at the end of 2020, 72% of respondents work entirely remotely, and 21% work remotely at least occasionally. Furthermore, it is anticipated that more teams will stick to this hybrid team model—which divides work between in-person and remote labor—as the pandemic health concerns decrease.

This implies that the need for remote work tools is greater than ever. And fortunately, technologically speaking, we’re in the finest position ever to make work from home experiences successful. Do you need further evidence that the technologies used for remote work are cutting edge in the workplace? Take a look at venture capital investment over the past ten years. Almost $1 billion in VC funding has been allocated to this software and technology sector.

The difficulty here is that there is an abundance of remote work software available, and it can be difficult to determine which tools are actually necessary. Our poll helped us determine which tools are most commonly utilized, and the results showed that 62% of project management tools, 61% of instant messaging tools, and 91% of remote workers presently use video conferencing software.

These figures highlight some of the most crucial requirements for working from home, including a location for team collaboration, technology that centralizes tasks, and a means of communication.

To assist you in meeting those demands, we have included our essential remote work tools below.

1. Hive

Hive is the flexible PM tool and one of the best remote working tools because it powers fast moving teams at places like Google, Starbucks and Toyota. We’re an all-in-one solution that has everything you need to work together remotely: projects, action cards, an email integration, file sharing, and meeting notes. With Hive, you can open up the app in the morning and get everything done in one window. You can even start a Zoom meeting from Hive.

Imagine this: someone can start a video meeting in California, someone can simultaneously take meeting notes in NYC, and next steps can be assigned to someone in Austin.

2. Zoom

Zoom has become one of the most popular video, audio-conferencing, and remote work tools, for good reason. With Zoom, you can create a recurring digital meeting room, host up to 100 participants for free, and enjoy collaborative features like screen-sharing, a whiteboard, and the opportunity to call in via phone (or just utilize Zoom’s mobile apps for iPhone and Android devices).

Zoom provides HD voice and video for free, as well as private messages and breakout rooms for periods of individual collaboration among team members – ideal for any remote work software.

3. Dialpad

Dialpad is a business communications platform powered by AI to help you get more out of every conversation, which makes it one of the most important remote work tools. Dialpad’s video conferencing solution helps take virtual meetings to the next level.

With the power of Voice Intelligence, your remote team no longer has to worry about taking meeting notes or forgetting about action items. Instead, your team can focus on conversations and collaboration. Those who couldn’t attend the meeting can easily pull up a transcription to catch up on what was discussed, which is ideal for teams distributed around the world.

For teams that need remote work tools to regularly hop on calls with customers, Dialpad lets you do that from anywhere without being tied to call center software or a traditional desk phone. There are also various integrations to automatically synchronize your customer and call data with tools like Salesforce and Zendesk for a better, more productive calling experience.

4. TeamViewer

TeamViewer is an application that introduces users to the world of remote desktop access. Employees can use TeamViewer as a remote work tool to access their own office computer while they work remote, while attending a meeting from afar, utilize it during meetings to demonstrate technical details to other attendees, and even navigate a presentation while dictating via video and audio. This could be one of the most critical remote work tools and remote work softwares of them all.

5. CloudApp

CloudApp is another great tool for remote work. It lets you collaborate with coworkers using GIFs, HD videos, screen recordings, and annotated screenshots, all with a link. With this tool, you can customize your work with your own branding. Additionally, with the ability to send your views, and visual edits to people who have internet access, CloudApp is the perfect tool for all remote workers.

6. Slack

Slack is the chat application we all know and love and one of the top remote work tools by user volume. Slack is real-time messaging, file sharing and collaboration that can be used across an organization for simplified communication. Slack can be broken out into channels for team work, or utilized to send individual messages where you can chat with specific co-workers. Voice and video calls are also easily enabled from Slack itself, which makes face-to-face collaboration a breeze.

7. RemoteWokr

In an era defined by the rise of remote work, finding the perfect job that aligns with your skills and preferences can be daunting. RemoteWokr is a revolutionary remote job board that has taken the job-seeking world by storm. Boasting an extensive array of categories, including software engineering, HR, and recruitment, RemoteWokr caters to prfessionals from all walks of life. The platform’s unique focus on location-based remote jobs sets it apart from the competition, allowing job seekers to refine their searches based on their preferred work location or time zone.

Read Also: The Ultimate Guide to Business Services for Small Businesses

Unlike other platforms, RemoteWokr is completely free for remote workers, providing unrestricted access to a wealth of job opportunities. Moreover, it reassures users that their data is safe, as it neither collects nor sells any database. Whether you are a tech enthusiast seeking exciting coding challenges or an HR expert pursuing talent acquisition opportunities, RemoteWokr is your one-stop destination for finding remote jobs tailored to your needs.

8. Google Drive

Google Drive is a centralized location where teams can share, edit and collaborate on documents, slideshows, spreadsheets and more. It’s one of the top file sharing and storage tools on the market. The beauty of Google Drive is that it can be accessed from anywhere, including a mobile phone, which makes collaboration seamless — this is what makes it one of the most essential remote work tools on the market.

You might not think of this as one of the best remote work softwares, but there’s also a specialized Business version of Google Drive specifically made for organizations storing large volumes of materials and files. Plus, privacy settings ensure that only the people you’ve invited and given permissions to edit the document can actually see them. Google Drive can also be easily integrated with Hive for seamless file-sharing.

9. Every Time Zone

Are you working with teams across the globe and want a better handle on everyone’s working hours? Look no further than Every Time Zone. This tool gives you perfect visibility into current times around the world, and you can set specific time zones you’d like to view based on team members.

You can also set your team up in the app to view by time zone, so you know exactly who is working in which areas. Every Time Zone also allows you to select individuals by time zone and add them to meetings with ease via email or iCal file.

10. DropBox & DropBox Paper

Dropbox is a great option if you want a mixture of Google Drive’s capabilities with the benefits of a project management tool. DropBox can be used to store files, images, etc in the same way that Google Drive does.

However, DropBox Paper is a real-time collaborative document that lets you plan projects, collaborate on ideas, and take meeting notes in real-time with assigned next steps. DropBox can also seamlessly be connected to Hive, and there are Google Drive Dropbox integrations as well.

Want to learn more about similar tools on the market? Read more about the top alternatives to Dropbox and check out this deep dive comparison of Box vs Dropbox. There is also a free plan with limitations available for personal use.

11. Xtensio

Xtensio is a collaborative workspace and remote work tool where teams can easily create and share beautiful living documents — everything from PDFs, presentations, and web pages. Collaboration tools like Xtensio are ideal for remote work because it’s often hard to collaborate on creative documents when you’re not in the same room. With Xtensio, you don’t have to worry about accidentally deleting a colleagues changes or any other potential collaboration issues.

If you don’t want to start from scratch, Xtensio also has a great library of templates you can use to create these interactive documents.

12. Trello

Trello is a great option for small teams or individuals looking to utilize a simple project management tool. One of the simplest remote work tools on the market, the tool is Kanban board-based, which is a project management methodology started by an industrial engineer in the 40s. Cards are the basics of Trello, which you can organize into different phases on the board.

You can also color-code and attach images or files to the cards, and invite team members to collaborate on a board with you for a more interactive experience.

13. Asana

Asana is a visually appealing project management software created by one of Facebook’s founders, and easily ranks among the best remote work tools. Used by creatives and teams all over the world, Asana’s dynamic format and design keeps users engaged and active in the platform. Asana helps people and teams increase overall accountability and improve communication.

While Asana is one of the most well-known platforms in the project management category, there are many other tools with similar features and comparable (or even better) pricing.

14. Okta

Okta is a great tool for remote work as it stores passwords and authentication for different apps. With Okta’s powerful capabilities, you can protect and enable employees, contractors and partners. One of their most popular features is their single sign-on feature, that integrates with mobile and web apps and allows you to sign on with one password to all of your tools — this is ideal if you’re working from a remote location with a laptop, as you’ll be able to access all content and apps. Alternatively, you can make use of the NordPass password manager, which utilizes the latest XChaCha20 encryption protocol and provides you with an unbreakable password vault.

15. Nextiva

Nextiva is an all-in-one Unified Communications platform, also known as UCaaS, which is great for distributed remote teams. With Nextiva, you can combine your voice, video, team chat, and collaboration apps under a single platform and single user-interface.

UCaaS operates completely in the cloud, which enables your remote team to stay on the same page effortlessly. Let’s say you have sales reps that need to take their work from home and on the road. They can switch between their desktop app to the mobile app without missing a beat.

The advantage of using a UCaaS platform like Nextiva is that it integrates with your everyday tools, like your CRM or Help Desk software. This is a huge benefit for companies with remote contact centers and remote support agents.

16. Fyle

Fyle is a cloud-based expense management software that takes care of the mundane, repetitive tasks so that employees can focus on tasks that matter more. With Fyle, expense reporting tasks that traditionally take hours are drastically reduced. Employees and the accounting and finance team can access and view their business expenses under one dashboard. This is a great remote work asset, as it gives management a great bird’s eye view of financial operations.

17. Loom

Loom is a great tool for remote teams because it lets you record and share video messages from your computer. This is great if you need to give someone a step-by-step tutorial of how to complete a task, use a software, or finish a project. If you’re a fan of asynchronous communication, Loom is the way to go — you don’t have to schedule a meeting or write a long wordy message. You can just send the video!

Loom also has a great Chrome extension that you can easily integrate into your everyday workflow, and their starter plan is totally free.

18. Troop Messenger

If you’re interested in a tool that enables communication of all types, Troop Messenger could be the tool for you. With Troop, you can send individual or group messages, conduct video chats, and integrate with other tools like Google and Dropbox. Additionally, Troop allows you to remotely access and control your desktop, which is great for teams that have sensitive information on their computers that are stuck in the office.

As working remote becomes more and more popular in the midst of the pandemic, a variety of remote work tools are making it easier than ever to communicate and get work done. And one other thing is for sure — we’re beginning to see which meetings could’ve been emails all along.

19. Range

Range is an asynchronous communication tool that remote teams use to be more effective. At the core are Check-ins — asynchronous, insightful status updates that show what teams are doing, what they need, and how they’re feeling. Range relieves the burdens modern remote work places on teams so they can operate at their best. And managers get the ambient layer of context they need without spending hours in meetings, checking tons of tools, or urgent Slack messages.

Range is especially great for remote teams because its features actually help foster strong team culture. As part of a Check-in, you can answer an icebreaker question (more than 350 are built in) and share how you’re feeling with an emoji and a green/yellow/red mood indicator. By combining culture with work updates, Range helps remote teams build a foundation of trust and psychological safety, making work more fun and productive.

20. Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is, perhaps, the biggest pandemic hero second to Zoom. With Microsoft Teams, users can meet, chat, call and collaborate in one space. Teams is ideal for groups looking for an extremely secure platform to collaborate on, and it’s especially helpful for teams that are already inside the Microsoft ecosystem (that’s a lot of us).

A few of our favorite things about Teams? You can coauthor files in real time with teammates, which makes remote collaboration a whole lot easier. You can also share files with a few clicks, and instantly go from chat message to a meeting in seconds. You can also integrate other tools into your Teams experience, like Hive, Adobe CC, Sharepoint, InVision, and so many more.