The top 7 collaboration tools for software development teams

Sara Ana Cemazar
October 20, 2022
·
min read

Working remotely doesn’t have to decrease overall team productivity. . Teams can get on the same page to maximize business output with the help from reliable collaboration software.

This is especially true for software development teams whose work is highly collaborative. Collaboration tools can elevate the quality of developers’ work  by saving precious time and increasing productivity. 

However, picking the right collaboration tools for your software development teams may be challenging due to many options on the market. Here, we review the top seven tools to choose from

Best collaboration software for software development teams

1. Rocket.Chat

collaboration tools for software development teams

Rocket.Chat is a customizable collaboration platform that developers love to use. Being open-sourced, Rocket.Chat offers many customization options that development teams can build by themselves.

Since it also offers Matrix federation capabilities, developers can easily collaborate with external partners via Rocket.Chat without security concerns. Other security-oriented features make this a favourite tool for highly-regulated organizations in education, government & defense, technology, finance, and healthcare.

Key Features

1. Privacy: With Exchange to Exchange (E2E) encryption and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 27001 certification, Rocket.Chat guarantees 100% privacy and complete control of hosting cloud deployment.

2. Enterprise Edition: This advanced version offers extra support, scalability, and security. It facilitates better and more advanced team collaboration and administrative facilities.

3. Open-Source: Rocket.Chat is a flexible and reliable open-source chat platform. More than 1000 developers work to improve the same with better transparency and code access.

Pricing

You could start with a free starter package which includes one-on-one and group messaging, up to 10,000 notification pushes, basic user sync, etc. As you move over to the Enterprise add-ons, you could be charged $7 per user per month or $35 per agent per month.

With reliable customization and comfortable pricing options, Rocket.Chat is one of the most popular collaboration apps for developers out there.

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2. Pexip

collaboration tools for software development teams

Pexip offers video-conferencing solutions for all teams and organizations. Without complex integration processes, you can easily extend or improve your current video conferencing system.

You can subscribe to Pexip-as-a-Service to pick the licenses that determine your entitlement over the software. Likewise, Pexip Private Cloud helps your organization manage workflow and effectively deploy resources without purchasing new hardware.

Together with Rocket.Chat, Pexip makes a well-rounded collaboration software for privacy-consciuos software development teams.

Key Features

1. Self-hosted collaboration and service solutions for even multi-tenant cloud systems.

2. Deploy with your active Microsoft Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud Platform.

3. Infinitely scalable to manage thousands of video conferences simultaneously.

3. Krisp

collaboration tools for software development teams

True to its name, Krisp offers crisp conversational facilities with AI-powered solutions enabling smooth, background noise-free meetings. It can help you integrate over 800+ communication tools and eliminate background noise with one click!

This is a developers’ favourite since it allows them to work from their favourite — and potentially noisy — places without having to move for quick team calls.

Key Features

1. A more professional work environment with noise cancellation.

2. Only your device processes the audio data from your meetings; the cloud does not access them.

3. View after-call insights to understand areas that require performance improvement.

4. Jira

collaboration tools for software development teams

Atlassian's Jira is a software development tool that helps to break down complex tasks into manageable chunks by assigning tasks to team members. Ready-made project templates are another feature of Jira. With options like Scrum, Kanban, Bug Tracking, DevOps, Jira’s template options are extremely reliable and easy to customize.

Jira offers easy update options so that developers can focus on codes. It is used by more than 100,000 organizations and agile software development teams.

Key Features

1. Feasible for teams of 1-20,000 members.

2. Scalable with Premium versions of Jira Software that have suitable packages you can purchase according to your needs.

3. Brings your entire enterprise together under one roof.

5. Google Drive

collaboration tools for software development teams

Google Workspace offers a comprehensive solution for everything work-related. Google Drive gives you a customized interface that stores all files and makes access easy from any device. Your team can share files and folders on your device by syncing them with Google Drive, and it is also accessible on mobile devices.

Key Features

1. You can share files with people outside your organization as well

2. Mark folders and files for special tasks

3. Convert documents to editable Google Docs versions

4. Advanced searching options and research pane

6. TeamViewer

collaboration tools for software development teams

TeamViewer is an easy remote-access software that would helps everyone stay organized. It can be used over all mobile devices. TeamViewer is home to almost 130 mobile device manufacturers, OS, and IoT systems.

Key Features

1. End-to-end protection by 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard and two-factor authentication.

2. Workflow digitization is made easy with TeamViewer Frontline.

3. Dedicated Augmented Reality platform to translate processes easily.

4. Offers technical support, which includes individual service-level agreement plans

You can subscribe to TeamViewer at plans starting at ₹1499 per month.

7. Loom

collaboration tools for software development teams

With Loom, you can record quick and short videos that update your team without setting up meetings. Loom cuts down meetings by 29%. It can be used with desktops and mobile apps; all it takes is a shareable link!

For developers that love to work asynchronously, this is a great collaboration tool for situations that require a video explanation.

Key Features

1. Time-stamped comments.

2. Emoji reactions and interactive features that make responding faster.

3. Screen recording facility.

You can access Loom’s price plans here.

How to choose the best apps for developers? 

Here are a few features that the best collaboration tools need to have, especially if you want your software development teams to love them.

1. Easy-to-use

A reliable collaboration tool must be easy to work with, increasing usage and adoption. While picking the best tool, developers should not have to resort to other software for add-ons.

2. Security

Cyberattacks can potentially threaten sensitive information saved in your database. A perfect collaboration tool will safeguard this data at all costs without additional security initiatives.

3. Integrations

Collaboration tools need to be easily integrated with others when needed. The best tools would be compatible with the apps you are already using.

4. Industry-specific regulatory compliance

Certain industries demand higher security than others. They may require high-end security options and special measures to maintain compliance. Therefore, the tool of your choice must complement your industry’s security needs, be it HIPAA compliance, which is for sensitive data protection, or FEDRamp, a cybersecurity risk management program.

5. Flexibility

Collaboration tools must be flexible to work with and should adapt easily to your requirements. Open-source software would be more flexible and agile for industries with different needs. 

6. Fun to use

What’s work without a little fun? Developers who love technology usually like it when they can play around with the software they use. Choosing an open-source collaboration tool that allows them various customizations is therefore a great decision.

Conclusion: how to choose the best?

It’s easy, actually: let your development teams make their own choice!

Of course, it’s not that easy. You need to make sure that the tool they choose fits the organizations’ security and compliance standards. However, it’s best to give the final decision to the team that would be using it.

As Rocket.Chat is beloved by tech enthusiasts, we’re confident that we could make the top of your list. 

Reach out to us today and find out why software development teams love to use Rocket.Chat!

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Sara is an SEO Strategist at Rocket.Chat. She is passionate about topics around digital transformation, workplace experience, open source, and data privacy and security.
Sara Ana Cemazar
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