1. Bitrix24

Bitrix24 is a new generation of team management and teamwork tools known as ’social intranet’. Imagine if you combined Facebook with Google Docs, Skype, SalesForce, WhatsApp, Wunderlist, SharePoint and Basecamp – that’s the best I can describe what Bitrix24 is. Bitrix24 is appealing for teams for three reasons. First, it’s available for free and you can’t beat free. Second, it has most if not all tools a typical team needs for working in a single place, so you don’t have to worry that your CRM doesn’t want to work with Dropbox or other file hosting service you are using for teamwork. Third, unlike most team management tools that are available exclusively in the cloud, Bitrix24 has a self-hosted version that comes with API and sourcecode, so you can modify it as you want, provided you have someone with adequate coding skills in your team.

Uses – private social network, collaboration, file sharing, group chat, project management, tasks, checklists, group calendars, document management, CRM, invoicing, work reports, company portal, human resources management system, helpdesk, time tracking, wiki, mobile intranet, videoconferencing and much more. Bitrix24 is perfect for managing distributed teams.

2. Asana

Asana is a cloud project management that shares the same social ideology as Bitrix24, except they want to do one thing and one thing only – project managment that is. Asana is free for teams of up to 15 users has one of the best interfaces among all PM vendors – clean, intuitive and dynamic – you can move things around to suit your needs better.

3. MindMeister

Most teams I know of don’t use mind maps, but if you do, MindMeister is online mind mapping service and mobile app that, unlike numerous competitors, actually has team in mind when it comes to mind mapping (yes, I just incerted a pun). The feature that I like the most is real time ‘thinking sessions’ that let your team create collaborative mind maps. The free version of MindMeister let you have three mind maps.

4. FreshDesk

FreshDesk is a ZenDesk clone – team help desk SaaS. Why should you go for the clone rather than the original? You should not and I can’t recommend ZenDesk enough. However, ZenDesk doesn’t offer any free plan, while FreshDesk let’s you have up to 3 users in the free plan. Good thing about FreshDesk is that it’s not just a helpdesk solution – it has a built-in Knowledge base, support forums and other features that help customer support make a lasting impression.

5. GroupMe

GroupMe, as you might guess from the name, is a group messaging app. While it’s not business centric and doesn’t have nearly as many chat and communication options as Bitrix24, it comes with WindowsPhone and Blackberry support, both of which are popular in the business world and none of which Bitrix24 supports (at least when this list was compiled).

Did I miss any other good free or freemium team management tools, apps and services? Use comments to share the ones you use and love.

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