20 Apps and Tools to Help Managers Track Remote Work Productivity

Remote work has become the norm for many businesses, offering flexibility and access to a wider, more global talent pool. However, managers may face unique challenges when leading a remote team, including maintaining productivity and accountability.

However, managing a productive remote team can be overwhelming for any leader. Without the close proximity to coworkers that the traditional office setting brings, monitoring progress and performance requires the right tools and approach. Fortunately, technology has made it possible to track remote work productivity, enhance communication, and lead your team to new heights.

Let’s explore 20 of the top apps and tools to help managers track remote work productivity. Whether you need to track task management to virtual collaboration or enhance your communication channels, this list has got you covered.

Our picks: 20 apps and tools to help managers track remote work productivity

Task and Project Management

Making sure every member of the team knows the latest on each project is a must. A good project management tool has essential features that help assign tasks, track progress, and streamline workflows. Keep your team organized and projects on track with these powerful tools:

• Trello

What It Is: A web-based workflow management system teams use to organize tasks and track progress.

Key features:

• Kanban-style user interface
• Drag-and-drop functionality
• Task classification and prioritization
• Unlimited storage (10MB/file for the free version)
• Automation
• Real-time progress tracking
• Atlassian Intelligence (AI)
• Admin and Security features
• Data export

Pricing: Trello has a free version that allows up to 10 collaborators per Workspace. The Premium version offers more features, including Unlimited Workspace command runs and data export functions.

• Asana

What It Is: This is a project and task management tool where teams can assign tasks, monitor progress, and track deadlines. According to its website, Asana is used by 85% of the Fortune 100 companies.

Key features:

• Multiple Project Views like List, Board (Kanban), and Calendar
• Integration capabilities with over 200+ apps, such as Slack, Google Drive, and Microsoft Teams
• iOS and Android mobile apps
• Asana AI for Starter and Advanced users
• Workflow Builder for Starter and Advanced users

Pricing: Teams of up to ten users can enjoy Asana’s basic version for free. When your organization starts to grow, you can opt to subscribe to Asana’s paid plans which start at $10/month.   

• Monday.com

What It Is: Monday.com is a work platform where teams can manage workflows, monitor task progress, and collaborate with teammates in one platform.

Key features:

• Dashboards and reporting
• Multiple project structures, such as boards, columns, and automation
• File-sharing
• Integration capabilities
• User-friendly interface

Pricing: The free plan is limited to only 2 users making it a good option for solo entrepreneurs or small teams that are just getting started with project management. Growing businesses that require more seats and collaboration features can upgrade to the Basic, Standard, Pro, or Enterprise plans that start at $8 per seat.

• ClickUp

What It Is: It is a project management and productivity tool for teams that want to plan, organize, and track their progress efficiently. Its versatility and flexibility make it the tool of choice of over two million teams worldwide.

Key features:

• List, Kanban, Calendar, and other views
• Document sharing
• Customizable workflows (subtask assignment, automation, status updates, etc.)
• Dashboards and report generation
• Track work hours
• Integration with communication apps like Slack and Zoom

Pricing: ClickUp’s free version allows unlimited users per team. This makes it a great option for bigger teams who want to try out a powerful project management tool. When you’re ready to enjoy the rest of ClickUp’s features, you can opt for the Unlimited ($7/user per month) or the Business ($12/user per month) plan.

• Teamwork

Teamwork is great for distributed teams and client-facing businesses like marketing agencies, contractors, and consulting firms.

Key features:

• Multiple project views (list, Kanban boards, Gantt chart, Calendar)
• Internal chat and commenting function
• Workflow automation and customization
• Integration with business tools like Slack, Google Drive, and Quickbooks
• Research and workload management
• Reporting and analytics
• Time tracking to log billable and non-billable hours

Pricing: Teamwork’s paid plans start at $10.99/user per month. However, if you need help with more complex projects and upgrade your customer management efforts, you may want to consider subscribing to the Scale plan at $54.99/user per month. 

• Basecamp

Basecamp prides itself on being a no-nonsense, simple project management tool. This tool is great for small to mid-sized teams that prefer an easy-to-use and clutter-free platform for project collaboration and communication.

Key features:

• Personal home screen per user to see their own to-do lists
• Message boards
• Automatic check-ins
• Limited client access

Pricing: You can try Basecamp FREE which can be used to run one project at a time. When you’re ready to scale up, you can use Basecamp PLUS allows teams to track unlimited projects at USD15 per month.

• GoodDay

GoodDay is good for interdepartmental collaboration. It helps team plan and optimize workflows through its various project management features.

Key features:

• Project hierarchy for better structure
• Request forms for cross-departmental collaboration
• Task management customization (subtasks, priority tags, recurring tasks, etc.)
• Calendar sync with Google
• Time tracking and work scheduling
• Custom status creation
• Priority management

Pricing: Teams with up to 15 members can use the Free version. Bigger organizations that need more advanced features and aftersales support can subscribe to GoodDay’s Professional and Business plans at $4/user per month and $7/user per month respectively. Those who prefer unlimited users and more advanced security and compliance features can get in touch with GoodDay to request for a quote.

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Communication

Seamless team communication is a must for all teams, especially those who work remotely. Below are some of the top apps you need to add in your remote team toolkit to keep the collaboration flowing smoothly.

• Slack

Slack is a communication tool that businesses use for real-time collaboration. Teams can chat and share files through the app. Slack is ideal for remote and hybrid teams for quick communications and updates throughout the day.

Pricing: Teams on a budget can use Slack’s free forever plan that enables 1:1 audio and video meetings and view 90 days of your message history. But for more powerful communication, you can opt to get the Pro version at $8.75/user per month. This paid plan allows for unlimited message history and group and video meetings.

• Zoom

Zoom is a tool that most modern businesses use for virtual meetings, town halls, online events, and even training sessions. The app has breakout room features that divide participants into smaller discussion groups within a larger meeting, making it perfect for team collaborations and brainstorming sessions.

Pricing: Zoom’s free plan has a 40-minute time limit on group meetings and unlimited one-on-one calls. The Pro plan offers more collaboration support in the form of extended meeting durations and an increased capacity of up to 100 participants per meeting.

• Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams can be integrated with Microsoft 365, making it a good choice for teams that want to streamline work. With Teams, your business can communicate through chat and video meetings. Teams can enable you to move your work to other platforms within the Microsoft Suite, such as Outlook, SharePoint, and OneDrive.

Pricing: Microsoft Teams has three paid options: Microsoft Teams Essentials, Microsoft 365 Business Basic, and Microsoft 365 Business Standard.

If your business has less than 300 employees, Microsoft Business Basic is your best bet. With this plan, you can get custom business emails and secure cloud services.

• Discord

Discord is a communication platform for voice calls, video meetings, and text communication. This is a good option for real-time collaboration and community building. The app was originally popular among gamers but has expanded its user base to include businesses, communities, and even educators.

Pricing: You can choose from Discord’s three plans: Free, Nitro Basic, and Nitro. If you want to test out the app before committing to a paid subscription, it’s best to try the Free version. This option provides access to Discord’s core functions and file sharing of up to 25MB.

• Flock

Flock is a communication tool with a video and voice calling system that team members can use to collaborate and share updates on the tasks they’re working on. Flock also has features like file sharing and task management to ensure team productivity.

Pricing: Flock’s Starter Plan is completely free. This option is best for teams with up to 20 members who want to stick to the basics, such as unlimited real-time messaging and 1-on-1 video call features. Group video calls and round-the-clock Priority Support is available with the Pro plan which starts at $4/user per month.

Time tracking

Businesses are always looking to improve efficiency and boost productivity. Time tracking can provide not just a way to track billable hours but gain better insight on how remote team members use their time.

• Clockify

Clockify is a time-tracking app that allows individuals to monitor their work hours and attribute each period to a specific task or project. You can ask team members to use the timer function to track each activity or manually log the hours online.

• Time Doctor

If you want to track work productivity, you can use Time Doctor. This app allows businesses to monitor work hours and analyze team performance through the app’s detailed reports. If you want to improve accountability, you can use the screen monitoring feature.

• Toggl Track

Toggl Track’s simple and intuitive user interface makes the tedious task of time tracking easier, encouraging higher adoption rates. Users can choose how to track remote work productivity, whether through starting a timer with a single click or manually logging work sessions. The app’s detailed reports provide insights that business owners can review and use for better workload management and staffing approaches.

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Virtual collaboration

Remote teams don’t have the luxury of passing physical documents and reports from floor to floor. Luckily, today’s collaboration tools can help recreate this part of the business virtually.

• Google Workspace

Google Workspace is one of the more popular online tools in the market. This cloud-based suite makes it easy for teams to collaborate whether through email (Gmail) or virtual meetings (Meet).

Google Workspace also houses other apps that enable teams from all over the world to collaborate. Google Drive enables secure file sharing while Docs, Sheets, and Slides allows teams to simultaneously work on a document even if they’re in different parts of the world.

• Dropbox

Make sure to use a secure file-sharing and storage solution like Dropbox. Its features include file versioning, automatic backup creation, and folder-sharing capabilities.

The tool has a Free plan, but it only includes 2GB of storage space. To find the best solution and pricing for your business, it’s best to contact the Dropbox team.

• Notion

Notion is an all-in-one Workspace where teams can try out various collaboration tools, including note-taking, task management, and create customizable workflow templates. It offers a centralized workspace that can be integrated to other remote team essentials like Slack and Trello.

Notion’s Free version is only for individuals who prefer to stay organized on personal projects. However, you and your team can collaborate through Notion at $10 per seat/month.

• Evernote

If you want to take note-taking to the next level, your team can use Evernote. Your business can subscribe to Evernote’s Professional plan, where you can co-edit up to 500,000 notes, add comments, and share knowledge across departments.

• Miro

Miro is an AI-powered collaboration platform where teams can brainstorm and plan in real-time. It’s a good tool that can be a substitute for the physical whiteboard in face-to-face brainstorming sessions, allowing remote teams to effectively collaborate.

If you want to give Miro a try before committing to a paid plan, you can sign up for the Free option. The free version includes up to three (3) editable boards, 10 Miro AI credits/month per team, plus up to 5 Talktracks for interactive video walkthroughs of online boards.

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Choosing the right remote tools

The right remote work tools can make managing a remote team more efficient and organized. You need to ensure your virtual toolkit includes apps that allow you to keep clear communication channels, improve collaboration, and ultimately boost overall productivity.

By choosing the right combination of these tools, you can lead your team to success. You can streamline workflows and enhance team accountability when you invest in the technology that empowers and enables every individual on your remote team.