Remote teams need tools for four things: talking in real time, sharing updates without a meeting, working on the same thing together and handling time zones. Most teams get far with a chat app, a video app and one async tool. Add more only when a real problem shows up.
Remote work goes wrong in quiet ways. Nobody knows who's free, decisions get made in a call half the team missed, and someone in another time zone wakes up to forty messages. The right tools fix most of that, but only if everyone agrees how to use them.
This list covers chat, calls, async updates, whiteboards and the small tools that make distributed work easier. If you're building a remote team, my guide to building a remote workforce covers the people side, and my async standup template is a quick place to start.
Remote work tools compared at a glance
Here's what each tool is, what it's good for and whether its own site shows a free plan, a trial or neither. The list is alphabetical and in no particular order.
| Tool | Type | Good for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donut | Team connection | Random coffee chats between colleagues | Trial only |
| Gather | Virtual office | Seeing who's free to talk | Trial only |
| Geekbot | Async stand-ups | Daily updates without a meeting | Yes |
| Loom | Async video | Walkthroughs instead of meetings | Yes |
| Miro | Whiteboard | Workshops and planning sessions | Yes |
| Slack | Team chat | Everyday team messaging | Yes |
| Tuple | Pair programming | Developers working together remotely | Trial only |
| Twist | Threaded chat | Calmer, slower team communication | Yes |
| World Time Buddy | Time zones | Finding a time that works everywhere | Yes |
| Zoom | Video calls | Client and team video calls | Yes |
Remote work tools for distributed teams
Donut
Best for: Managers of fully remote teams who want colleagues who never meet in person paired up for short chats, without organising each one.
Gather
Best for: Teams that miss being able to turn round and ask a quick question, and want a shared virtual office instead.
Geekbot
Best for: Groups spread across time zones who want daily stand-up answers collected in chat rather than another video call.
Loom
Best for: Remote teams replacing short meetings with recorded walkthroughs that colleagues can watch whenever their day starts.
Miro
Best for: Workshops, retros and planning sessions where everyone needs a shared board to add sticky notes to at the same time.
Slack
Best for: Most remote teams, as the place where quick questions, channels by project and updates from other apps all land.
Tuple
Best for: Developers who pair on code every day and want sharp screen sharing with remote control that doesn't lag.
Twist
Best for: Distributed teams who feel chat is too noisy and want organised threads that can be answered on their own time.
World Time Buddy
Best for: Anyone scheduling across several time zones who wants to see everyone's working hours side by side before proposing a time.
Zoom
Best for: Freelancers and teams who meet clients on video and want a link that almost everyone already knows how to join.
Sync or async: pick the right channel
Synchronous tools, like video calls and live chat, are for decisions that need a quick back and forth. Async tools, like threads, recorded walkthroughs and written stand-ups, are for updates people can read when their day starts. Most remote teams overuse meetings, so a simple rule helps: if nobody needs to reply in the next hour, send it async.
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Write a team agreement for your tools
- Which tool is for urgent messages and which is for everything else.
- How quickly people are expected to reply, by tool.
- Which hours overlap across time zones, and which meetings must happen inside them.
- Where decisions are written down so people who missed the call can catch up.
- When it's fine to switch notifications off.
Put the agreement somewhere everyone can find it and review it every few months. New starters will thank you for it.
The legal side of remote and hybrid work
GOV.UK says employees have the legal right to ask for flexible working from their first day in a job, and employers must deal with requests in a reasonable manner. That makes remote and hybrid requests a normal part of hiring, so it pays to have tools, habits and secure access in place before someone asks. My guide to securing a remote working business covers the access side.
Onboarding someone you've never met
Remote onboarding works best when it's written down. Give new starters a checklist for their first week: which tools to install, which channels to join, who to meet and what to read. Pair them with a buddy who isn't their manager, so they've got someone to ask the questions they'd feel silly asking in a team channel.
Book short video intros with the people they'll work with most, spread over the first fortnight rather than crammed into day one. Check in at the end of each week and ask what's confusing. You'll spot gaps in your tools and habits that everyone else has stopped noticing.
It's worth repeating the check-ins after three months, too.
Do you make a remote work tool? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My advice on building a remote work toolkit
Start with one tool for chat, one for video and one for async updates, and make sure everyone uses them the same way. Most remote frustration comes from mixed habits, not missing features, so agree the rules before you add anything new.
Then watch for the problem that keeps coming back, like time zone confusion or meetings that could have been messages, and add one tool that fixes exactly that.
Frequently asked questions
What tools do remote teams need?
Most need a chat app, a video calling app, an async update or recording tool and a shared whiteboard or document space. Time zone tools help teams spread across countries.
What are the best free remote work tools?
Several tools here have free plans for small teams, including chat, whiteboards, async stand-ups and time zone converters.
How do remote teams handle time zones?
They agree core overlap hours, use async updates for everything else and check everyone's working hours side by side before booking a meeting.
How can remote teams have fewer meetings?
Swap status meetings for written stand-ups or short recorded walkthroughs, and keep live calls for decisions that need discussion.
Can employees in the UK ask to work remotely?
GOV.UK says employees can ask for flexible working, which includes remote or hybrid arrangements, from their first day in a job.
