25 Work-from-Home Tools (Plus Why They’re Important)

By Indeed Editorial Team

Working from home can allow you to create an adaptable digital environment that encourages productivity. This can also include collaborative efforts with team members, all working from various distances and time zones. By learning about various software and internet-based resources, you can better organize project tasks, schedule meetings and communicate with team members. In this article, we discuss what work-from-home tools are, explain why they’re important and include 25 options to consider.

What are work-from-home tools?

Work-from-home tools are various online tools that facilitate remote work for various purposes. Some examples include:

Project management: There are online tools you can use for project management tasks, like listing a team’s current goals, tracking deliverables and monitoring each individual’s day-to-day progress.
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Communication efforts: There are online tools that can help you interact with other remote staff effectively. Some examples include group messaging services or audio and video-chatting programs.
Document sharing: There are online tools that you can use to send files to a colleague or supervisor. These platforms also allow you to upload these documents to a remote server system, make changes and add comments with feedback.
Scheduling software: This type of program allows you to automate scheduling tasks, like employee shifts, supervisor appointments, weekly meetings or specialized conferences.
Remote technical support: Remote support programs can allow you to take direct control of another individual’s computer in a different location. As a result, you can troubleshoot technical issues more efficiently.

Why are work-from-home tools important?

Work-from-home tools are important because they can help a team stay accountable during collaborative projects. They can allow you to communicate quickly with other team members to ask questions, provide status updates or educate them on important workplace topics. Work-from-home tools can also help teams build trust and positive rapport, which can encourage organization and boost a department’s overall productivity.

25 work-from-home tools

Here are 25 work-from-home tools that can help you succeed:

1. 10to8

10to8 is an online appointment scheduling platform that can help you automate staff organization tasks. For example, it can allow you to schedule appointments with multiple team members and set automatic reminders for upcoming meetings. 10to8 can also provide integration for a variety of online calendars and communication platforms to create one dashboard. As a result, you can provide any links for virtual meet-ups in one location and provide consistent scheduling updates.

2. AnyDesk

AnyDesk is a remote desktop application that can provide remote access for multiple devices running the same software programs. You can run this program on a variety of operating systems, meaning it allows cross-platform remote connections. Professionals often use AnyDesk to control a team member’s computer system to help troubleshoot technology issues or perform technical tasks for a project.

3. Bit.ai

Bit.ai is an online workplace and document collaboration platform. It can allow you to create a database of notes, research and documents that multiple team members can access or download at the same time. You can also add trackable links to your documents that have extended security features like password protection, automatic destruction protocols and website embedding processes.

4. Chanty

Chanty is an online platform that helps facilitate online collaboration and communication. This program allows you to send direct and group messages, plus make audio or video calls. You can often run it on multiple devices, including desktop computers and cell phones. Chanty can also allow you to create a to-do list of tasks that your team can use to keep track of project deadlines.

5. ClickUp

ClickUp is an online platform that focuses on team project management tasks, including goal-tracking and scheduling. For example, its interface allows you to organize workflows using task lists, whiteboards and calendars. The platform also provides a dashboard of real-time reports on how much time each task takes to complete, which can allow you to organize the team’s priorities more easily.

6. Dropbox

Dropbox is a cloud-based file hosting service that offers features like personal online storage and folder synchronization. This service includes a desktop or mobile application for automatic uploads of folders. The application also syncs the data across any device signed into the same account. It also offers team collaboration features like sharable links and folders that allow files from multiple accounts.

7. GitHub

GitHub is a platform that offers team collaboration features for programmers working on coding projects. Its dashboard allows multiple team members to work on the same project while keeping track of changes or updates. You can use its commenting feature to provide a colleague with personalized feedback or share critical information about a project step. GithHub can allow you to host projects in various coding languages, including C, C++, Java, JavaScript, PHP and Python.

8. Hubstaff

Hubstaff is a time-tracking tool and productivity management platform. It provides multiple workforce management tools, including workflow monitoring, timesheet processing and payroll administration. It also offers a dashboard that provides information about shift schedules and an employee’s availability. Hubstaff’s dashboard also allows you to clock in or out of a shift efficiently.

9. Krisp

Krisp is an application that allows you to customize audio and video settings for virtual meetings. This includes auto processing tools like noise cancellation and echo removal, and video processing tools like virtual backgrounds that don’t require green screen technology. It can also allow you to record any virtual meetings for future reference.

10. OneDrive

OneDrive is Microsoft’s file hosting service that allows you to store professional and personal files on a cloud-based server, allowing you to access them from any device. For instance, it can allow registered users to synchronize their files across any OneDrive application by signing in to the same account. It can also allow you to share Microsoft Office documents in real-time, helping you collaborate with team members.

11. Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is a business communication application that allows companies to share text, audio and video messages between personnel. It also allows you to video or audio chat with specific individuals, plus set up separate channels on a single server to better organize conversations. Microsoft Teams can also integrate with the company’s other applications, including OneDrive and Skype.

12. Miro

Micro is an online platform that provides remote online collaboration features. For example, its interface imitates a physical whiteboard environment, allowing multiple people to add images and write notes. It allows you to conduct multiple tasks simultaneously, meaning you can video-conference team members while adding new items to the digital whiteboard. It also offers file integrations with other services like Dropbox, OneDrive, and Slack.

13. ProofHub

ProofHub is an online platform that provides multiple tools for team collaboration on a group dashboard. For example, you can create a discussion topic for colleagues, list goals for different individuals and share files. You can also assign project tasks using one list. ProofHub can also integrate with other communication software, allowing you to synchronize written conversations.

14. PukkaTeam

PukkaTeam is an online platform that can allow you to update your teammates on your current work status more easily. For example, its interface can take intermittent pictures using a webcam, then share these images with your colleagues. PukkaTeam can also allow you to connect with other applications directly, as it has multiple integration options.

15. Slack

Slack is an online business communication platform that includes private chat servers. It offers a variety of tools to help you organize conversations in a company, including text channels, private group chats and video or audio messaging. The platform allows you to schedule messages before events, which may especially benefit remote staff members working in different time zones who share files and project updates. It can also integrate with various third-party services like Trello, Dropbox and GitHub.

16. Hypercontext

Hypercontext is an online platform for team collaboration that allows you to customize a dashboard according to your specific work tasks. It includes tools like shared agenda lists, meeting notes and feedback collection systems. It allows you to track assignments and develop goals alongside other colleagues and supervisors. Hypercontext also has a collaborative scheduling system that provides automatic reminders and follow-ups according to your settings.

17. TeamViewer

TeamViewer is a remote-access software that can allow multiple devices with varied operating systems to connect devices, share data and perform technical actions. It provides in-depth security features to prevent unauthorized users from sharing files or printing remotely. TeamViewer also has communication tools like text, audio and video chat for virtual conferences.

18. Time Doctor

Time Doctor is an online scheduling platform that can help companies track a team’s productivity and workflow development. It includes various features for efficient monitoring like timesheets, payroll and notification alerts. You can access Time Doctor’s features from both desktop and mobile browser applications.

19. TimeCamp

TimeCamp is a remote tracking app that can allow a team to track their work hours. This can include various scheduling tasks, like shift requests, break records, meeting notes and task reports. It can run on various platforms, including a mobile application that provides users with personalized productivity reminders.

20. Toggl

Toggl has various productivity tools that focus on remote work tasks and recruitment processes for new staff members. This can include features for tracking workflow, planning project steps and preparing weekly schedules. It also has various platform options, including browser-based, desktop and mobile applications.

21. Trello

Trello is a visual work management tool that can help you organize each step of a collaborative project and facilitate communication between team members. It can allow teams to list various tasks, track project steps and discover who oversees each component. Trello can also integrate with other remote access apps like Dropbox, Slack and Microsoft Teams.

22. UnRemot

UnRemot is a remote work management platform that includes a variety of tools to help you prioritize tasks, prepare information for meetings and administer wages through a payroll process. It includes communication features like text chat, video chat and virtual meeting rooms. UnRemot can also offer integration with other tools, including mail, calendar and project management programs.

23. Wrike

Wrike is an online platform for team project management. It can allow you to create a shared calendar that organizes tasks in custom categories. For example, you can view who’s assigned to each task, which parts a team completed and whether they planned deadlines. Wrike also includes an inner-team text communication tool that can allow team members to share files, tasks and reports automatically.

24. Zapier

Zapier is an online platform that automates a company’s workflows. For example, you can automate repeated tasks to encourage increased work productivity. It can integrate with multiple work-from-home tools, including scheduling, communication and project management programs, meaning you can display information from them on a customized dashboard. It also allows you to configure its dashboard to display workflow information for multiple departments.

25. Zoom

Zoom is an online communications platform that includes text, audio and video conferencing options. It can allow you to create your own virtual meeting rooms with a link you can send to invited participants. Zoom also allows you to record a meeting, meaning you can share its contents with team members unable to attend or post them online.

Please note that none of the companies mentioned in this article are affiliated with Indeed.