Guide
Best Collaboration Tools for Agencies (2026)
By Red Kite Search Agency Created Updated 10 min read
Summary
Google Workspace is the best suite for email, files, and meetings; Slack is the best for shared client channels; Miro is the best for client workshops; Loom is the best for async walkthroughs; Notion is the best for knowledge and projects. Prices and ratings were checked in October 2026 and change often.
What are the best collaboration tools for agencies in 2026?
Agencies collaborate in many ways: shared documents, chat, whiteboards, recorded walkthroughs, and project wikis. Each job has a leading tool, and most agencies end up with a small stack.
We compared five tools agencies use most. They are not direct rivals, so read the labels and pick one for each job you actually do.
Our shortlist, in order: Google Workspace, Slack, Miro, Loom, Notion. The table puts them side by side.
| Tool | Best for | Editorial score | Review-site ratings | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Workspace | Best suite for email, files, and meetings | 4.4 / 5 | G2 4.6 | 14-day free trial. Business Starter $7, Standard $14 and Plus $22 per user per month with annual commitment (save 16%); Enterprise is quoted. |
| Slack | Best for shared client channels | 4.4 / 5 | G2 4.5 | Free plan. Pro $7.25 and Business+ $15 per user per month billed annually ($8.75 and $18 monthly); Enterprise+ is quoted at about $45 annually. |
| Miro | Best for client workshops | 4.3 / 5 | G2 4.6 | Free plan. Starter $8 and Business $20 per member per month billed yearly (save 20%); Enterprise is quoted from 30 members. |
| Loom | Best for async walkthroughs | 4.3 / 5 | G2 4.7 | Free Starter plan. Business $18 and Business + AI $24 per user per month on monthly billing; Enterprise is quoted. |
| Notion | Best for knowledge and projects | 4.2 / 5 | G2 4.6 | Free plan. Plus $10 and Business $20 per member per month on yearly billing; Enterprise is custom. |
How did we choose the best collaboration tools?
We included tools with public pricing, substantial review-site evidence, and common use among agencies and their clients. Pricing and features come from each vendor page, and ratings come from G2.
We looked at how clients and guests join, since that decides how well a tool works for agencies. Scores reflect fit for agencies serving several clients.
What we looked for
- Job: documents, chat, workshops, video, or knowledge.
- Pricing model: per user, per member, or free guests.
- How clients join and what they can do.
- Published security and support evidence.
- Free plan or trial availability.
- Public evidence: review-site ratings and review counts.
Is Google Workspace a good collaboration tool for agencies?
Best suite for email, files, and meetings: Google Workspace combines custom email, Drive, Docs, Meet, and Gemini with a 14-day trial and 2-step verification on every plan. Prices shown include promotions and several security details were not stated.
Google Workspace combines custom business email, Drive storage, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet, Chat, Calendar and Gemini AI. It sells Business Starter, Standard and Plus plans per user, with an Enterprise plan quoted, and a 14-day trial.
Who it suits: Agencies that want email, documents, calendars and video in one familiar suite with client-friendly sharing.
Google Workspace pros
- Business Starter costs $7 per user per month with an annual commitment, including custom email and 30 GB of pooled storage.
- Standard adds 2 TB of storage, Meet recording, booking pages, eSignature and Gemini in Workspace apps.
- 2-step verification, group policies and Advanced Protection Program on every plan.
- A free 14-day trial with a promotional 50% off for the first three months for new customers.
Google Workspace cons
- Business Starter has limited Gemini features and no Meet recording.
- Starter, Standard and Plus are limited to 300 users each.
- Plus costs $22 per user per month; Vault, DLP and Secure LDAP start on higher plans.
- SOC 2, GDPR, SSO and client guest access details were not stated on the pages checked.
Is Slack a good collaboration tool for agencies?
Best for shared client channels: Slack offers Slack Connect with up to 250 outside organizations on paid plans, with SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001. The free plan keeps only 90 days of history.
Slack is a team messaging platform with channels, huddles, workflows, canvases and Slack AI, plus Slack Connect for working in shared channels with up to 250 outside organizations. It has a free plan and Pro, Business+ and Enterprise+ plans priced per user.
Who it suits: Agencies that want a chat hub for internal work and shared channels with clients and contractors.
Slack pros
- Slack Connect lets paid plans work with up to 250 external organizations in DMs, group chats and channels.
- Pro from $7.25 per user per month billed annually, with unlimited history and apps.
- More than 2,600 apps, AI summaries and search, and 24/7 support on paid plans.
- SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, HIPAA support and data residency options.
Slack cons
- Free keeps 90 days of history, 10 apps and only one-to-one external messages.
- Business+ costs $15 and Enterprise+ about $45 per user per month billed annually.
- SAML SSO starts on Business+, and Enterprise key management is an Enterprise+ add-on.
- Mobile apps were not stated on the pages checked, and guest account limits were not detailed.
Is Miro a good collaboration tool for agencies?
Best for client workshops: Miro offers boards, templates, free guests on Business, and SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001. The free plan allows three boards.
Miro is an online whiteboard with boards, templates, diagrams, data tables, AI credits and an MCP server. It has a free plan and Starter, Business and Enterprise plans priced per member, with unlimited guests on Business.
Who it suits: Agencies that run discovery workshops, journey mapping and planning sessions with clients.
Miro pros
- A free plan with unlimited team members and 3 editable boards.
- Starter costs $8 per member per month billed yearly, with unlimited boards and visitor editing.
- Business costs $20 per member per month and adds unlimited guests, workspaces, SSO and 50 AI credits per member.
- SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001:2022, GDPR and EU data residency on every plan.
Miro cons
- Free allows only 3 boards and has no guest or visitor roles.
- Prices are shown billed yearly (save 20%); monthly prices were not displayed.
- SCIM, US, Australia and Japan data residency and premium 24/7 support are Enterprise only.
- Enterprise starts from 30 members and AI credits are limited per member.
Is Loom a good collaboration tool for agencies?
Best for async walkthroughs: Loom replaces calls with short videos, with viewer insights on every plan. Starter is limited and security detail for the product itself was not stated.
Loom lets people record their screen and camera and share the video with a link, with transcripts, viewer insights and AI summaries, chapters and meeting notes on higher plans. It is part of Atlassian and sells Starter, Business, Business + AI and Enterprise plans.
Who it suits: Agencies that explain work, give feedback and run walkthroughs for clients without scheduling a call.
Loom pros
- A free Starter plan with 25 videos and unlimited meeting length.
- Business costs $18 per user per month for unlimited videos and recording time, with password protection and custom branding.
- Business + AI adds auto-meeting notes and recaps, video-to-text automation and advanced editing at $24 per user per month.
- Viewer insights on every plan, desktop, mobile and Chrome extension apps, and integrations with Slack, Jira, Confluence, GitHub, Gmail and Notion.
Loom cons
- Starter caps videos at 25 and screen recordings at 5 minutes.
- Prices shown are monthly billing; yearly billing saves up to 17% but the price was not displayed.
- SSO, SCIM and EBA compliance are Enterprise only, and SOC 2 and GDPR were not explicitly stated for Loom itself.
- Starter has no stated support, and password protection starts on Business.
Is Notion a good collaboration tool for agencies?
Best for knowledge and projects: Notion offers a connected workspace for wikis, databases, and projects. It does not replace email, chat, or live video.
Notion combines documents, wikis, databases, and project tracking in one workspace, with an AI assistant, forms, sites, and calendar. It is flexible rather than agency-specific, and plans are priced per member.
Who it suits: Small and mid-size agencies that want a flexible workspace for docs, wikis, and light project tracking.
Notion pros
- Very flexible databases, wikis, and docs in one place.
- Free plan, with unlimited guests from the Plus plan.
- Granular database permissions let guests work on assigned rows.
- Strong G2 reviews from a very large base.
Notion cons
- No native time tracking, invoicing, or resource planning.
- No dedicated client portal; client access runs through guests and published pages.
- Free plan limits guests to 10 and file uploads to 5 MB.
- Support hours and response times by plan are not stated.
How much do the best collaboration tools cost?
Pricing models differ. Google Workspace and Slack charge per user, Miro charges per member with free guests on Business, and Loom charges per user with a free plan. Add the plans you need to the number of people who actually use each tool.
| Tool | Plan | Price | What stands out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Workspace | Business Starter | $7 per user per month (annual billing) | 30 GB pooled storage, custom email, Meet for 100 participants, limited Gemini |
| Google Workspace | Business Standard | $14 per user per month (annual billing) | 2 TB storage, Meet for 150 with recording, booking pages, eSignature, Gemini in Workspace apps |
| Google Workspace | Business Plus | $22 per user per month (annual billing) | 5 TB storage, Meet for 500 with attendance tracking, Vault, Secure LDAP, advanced endpoint management |
| Google Workspace | Enterprise | Contact sales | Meet for 1,000, DLP, context-aware access, data regions, Cloud Identity Premium, enhanced support |
| Slack | Free | $0 | 90 days of history, up to 10 apps, 1:1 huddles, 1:1 external messages |
| Slack | Pro | $7.25 per user per month (annual billing); $8.75 monthly | Unlimited history and apps, group huddles, Slack Connect with up to 250 organizations, 24/7 support |
| Slack | Business+ | $15 per user per month (annual billing); $18 monthly | Pro plus SAML SSO, data residency, advanced AI, 4-hour first response |
| Slack | Enterprise+ | Talk to sales | About $45 per user per month billed annually; unlimited workspaces, HIPAA support, multi-SAML, priority support |
| Miro | Free | $0 | 3 boards, templates, 10 AI credits a month, 250+ integrations |
| Miro | Starter | $8 per member per month (annual billing) | Unlimited boards, visitor editing, high-resolution exports, timer and voting, 25 AI credits per member |
| Miro | Business | $20 per member per month (annual billing) | Unlimited workspaces and guests, SSO, interactive prototypes, data tables, 50 AI credits per member, user groups |
| Miro | Enterprise | Custom | From 30 members; SCIM, regional hosting, audit trails, domain control, sandbox, customer success program |
| Loom | Starter | $0 per user per month (monthly billing) | 25 videos, 5-minute screen recordings, unlimited meeting length, transcripts in 50+ languages |
| Loom | Business | $18 per user per month (monthly billing) | Unlimited videos and recording time, basic editing, remove Loom branding, password protection, upload and download |
| Loom | Business + AI | $24 per user per month (monthly billing) | Business plus auto-video enhancement, advanced editing, video-to-text automation, auto-meeting notes and recaps, admin insights |
| Loom | Enterprise | Custom | SSO (SAML), SCIM, Salesforce integration, 99.95% uptime SLA, EBA compliance, dedicated account manager |
| Notion | Free | $0 | Databases, basic forms and sites, 10 guests, 5 MB uploads, 7-day page history |
| Notion | Plus | $10 per member/month (annual billing) | Unlimited guests, charts and file uploads, custom forms and sites, 30-day page history |
| Notion | Business | $20 per member/month (annual billing) | Notion Agent, AI meeting notes, enterprise search, SAML SSO, private teamspaces, 90-day page history |
| Notion | Enterprise | Custom | SCIM, audit log, advanced security, zero data retention, customer success manager |
What do reviewers say about these collaboration tools?
G2 evidence is strong for all five. Google Workspace and Slack have the largest bases, Miro and Loom have thousands of reviews, and scores are close. Choose by job rather than by rating.
| Tool | Source | Rating | Number of reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Workspace | G2 | 4.6 / 5 | 48,232 |
| Slack | G2 | 4.5 / 5 | 39,960 |
| Miro | G2 | 4.6 / 5 | 13,636 |
| Loom | G2 | 4.7 / 5 | 2,415 |
| Notion | G2 | 4.6 / 5 | 13,876 |
Reviewer themes for Google Workspace
- G2 shows Google Workspace at 4.6 from 48,232 reviews.
- Reviewers value the easy core apps for email, documents and meetings.
Reviewer themes for Slack
- G2 shows Slack at 4.5 from 39,960 reviews.
- Reviewers value fast, organized communication in channels.
Reviewer themes for Miro
- G2 shows Miro at 4.6 from 13,636 reviews.
- Reviewers value flexible boards for workshops.
Reviewer themes for Loom
- G2 shows Loom at 4.7 from 2,415 reviews.
- Reviewers value how quickly they can record and share a clear explanation.
Reviewer themes for Notion
- G2 shows Notion at 4.6 from 13,876 reviews.
- G2 reviewers praise its versatility, balancing a database and a wiki.
How do you choose the right collaboration tool for your agency?
Start with the jobs your clients actually need. Most agencies need email and files, chat, and a way to explain work, then add workshops and a knowledge base as they grow.
Whichever you shortlist, test the client side, since the way clients join and what they can change decides how smooth collaboration feels.
A quick decision guide
- Email, files, and meetings: Google Workspace.
- Shared client channels: Slack.
- Client workshops: Miro.
- Async walkthroughs: Loom.
- Knowledge and projects: Notion.
Frequently asked questions
- What are the best collaboration tools for agencies?
- Google Workspace for email and files, Slack for chat, Miro for workshops, Loom for walkthroughs, and Notion for knowledge.
- Which tools have free plans?
- Slack, Miro, Loom, and Notion all have free plans, and Google Workspace has a 14-day trial.
- Which tool lets clients join for free?
- Miro Business includes unlimited guests, and Slack Connect works on paid plans.
- Which tool is best for async updates?
- Loom.
- How were the tools rated?
- Ratings come from G2, and the editorial scores are our own judgement of fit for agencies.
Sources
Prices, plan limits, and ratings were gathered in October 2026 from:
- Google Workspace pricing page
- Slack pricing page
- Miro pricing page
- Loom pricing page
- Notion review
- G2