Top Internal Communication Tools for High-Performing Teams

Any team that wants to launch an effective internal communication strategy today will be faced with dozens of options. These range from tools that enable collaboration among remote team members, to those that can rapidly deploy company-wide updates. The problem is in finding the most important internal communications tools that solve employee problems as they exist in your organization.

Which tools do your teams need to perform effectively? Which tools can you do without? And possibly most importantly, which tools are you paying for, but underutilizing?

Lets find out...

1. Unily

Unily transforms internal communication by acting as a central hub for everything from resource sharing to employee engagement. Its intuitive design supports multimedia content and advanced search features, helping employees easily access the information they need. Unily is also mobile-friendly , making it a powerful tool for hybrid team members who work on the go. With integrations like Microsoft 365 and Salesforce, Unily can fit seamlessly into existing workflows and simplifying internal communication.

Category: Intranet

Pricing: Unily's pricing depends on your organization's size and is available upon request

Website: Unily

2. FirstUp

FirstUp is an intranet solution focused on simplifying internal communication for large teams. It features tools that can create and distribute targeted messages, ensuring that employees only receive relevant updates based on their roles, locations, or preferences. FirstUp also offers analytics to measure message engagement and identify communication gaps. Its user-friendly interface, mobile-first design, and integrations with apps like Microsoft Teams and Slack make it a go-to choice for organizations aiming to keep employees connected and informed.

Category: Intranet

Pricing: FirstUp is priced per user per month, and specific figures are available upon request

Website: FirstUp

3. Workvivo

Workvivo is an intranet platform that feels like a social network, making communication and engagement natural and intuitive. It stands out by blending traditional functions, like document sharing and company updates, with features like activity feeds, peer recognition, and community spaces. It supports integrations like Microsoft 365, Slack, and Zoom.

Category: Intranet

Pricing: Recommended for 250-2,000 employees and typically starts at $20,000

Website: Workvivo

4. Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Outlook is a widely used tool that goes beyond basic email. It integrates seamlessly with Microsoft 365 apps, offers advanced calendar functionality, and includes productivity features like focused inboxes and meeting scheduling.

Category: Email communications

Pricing: Microsoft Outlook is bundled with other Microsoft 365 plans and starts at $9.99/month.

Website: Microsoft Outlook

5. Gmail and Google Workspace

Gmail is a versatile option for businesses of all sizes, and is the most widely used email platform for a reason. Some of its biggest features include search options, integrations with Google Drive and Calendar, and collaboration features like Google Meet for team meetings.

Category: Email communications

Pricing: Starts at $7.20/user/month

Website: Gmail

6. Slack

Slack is a leading instant messaging tool with powerful features like customizable channels, file sharing, individual/group calls (called huddles) and over 2,000 third-party app integrations. Slack’s search function is particularly useful for long-term collaboration because it lets you quickly find archived messages.

Category: Instant messaging and chat

Pricing: Slack starts at $7.25/user/month

Website: Slack

7. Microsoft Teams 

Microsoft Teams combines instant messaging, video conferencing, and file sharing into one cohesive tool that facilitates team communication, among other things. One great feature is that it directly integrates with Microsoft 365, allowing users to edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files directly within the app. 

Beyond instant messaging, Teams is an excellent virtual meeting platform. It supports video calls with up to 1,000 participants, including live events for up to 10,000 viewers. Features like advanced scheduling options, recurring meetings and integration with Outlook make it easier to keep schedules organized.

Category: Instant messaging and virtual meeting

Pricing: Teams starts at $4/user/month

Website: Microsoft Teams

8. Zoom

Zoom is a widely recognized virtual meeting tool that’s known for high-quality video and audio capabilities. The app supports one-on-one meetings, group sessions, and large-scale webinars with up to 1,000 participants. It also has features like virtual backgrounds, breakout rooms, and live transcription that make the meeting experience perfect for collaborations.

Category: Virtual meeting

Pricing: Zoom starts at $15.00/user/month

Website: Zoom

9. ScreenCloud

With ScreenCloud you can share any content you like to your digital screens, through schedules and playlists. This allows you to take the most important information and give it an office-wide view.  ScreenCloud also supports 80+ apps and integrations, comes with an easy-to-use content editor, a post generator that lets you create content in minutes, and enterprise-grade security.

Category: Digital signage

Pricing: ScreenCloud offers a 14-day free trial. Pricing starts at $20/screen/month

Website: ScreenCloud

10. Miro

Miro is a popular digital whiteboard platform that allows teams to brainstorm, collaborate, and visualize ideas in real-time. It comes with a range of pre-built templates for everything from mind maps to project timelines, saving teams time and effort. It also includes integrations such as Slack, Trello, and Microsoft Teams.

Category: Brainstorming and collaboration

Pricing: Miro starts at $10/user/month

Website: Miro

11. Notion

More than just a note-taking app, Notion serves as an all-in-one workspace for brainstorming, planning, and collaboration. Teams can create shared databases, Kanban boards, and to-do lists that help them organize and track projects effortlessly. Notion also allows collaborative editing which means everyone can literally be on the same page during brainstorming sessions.

Category: Brainstorming and collaboration

Pricing: Starts at $12/seat/month

Website: Notion

12. Qualtrics

Qualtrics is a robust employee engagement platform that helps organizations capture real-time feedback with customizable surveys and pulse checks. One of its key features is an advanced analytics program that identifies engagement drivers and areas for improvement, and in addition to its seamless integration with existing HR systems, Qualtrics helps create a unified approach to employee engagement. 

Category: Employee engagement and analytics

Pricing: Pricing is available upon request on the Qualtrics website

Website: Qualtrics

13. 15Five

15Five is a holistic platform that combines employee feedback, performance reviews, and engagement tools into one highly useful tool. With 15Five, managers can conduct weekly check-ins, run anonymous surveys, and track team goals effectively. Its science-backed templates also make creating impactful surveys easy, and the reporting tools provide actionable insights.

Category: Employee engagement and feedback

Pricing: Starts at $4/user/month, billed annually

Website: 15Five

14. Bonusly

Bonusly is a peer-to-peer recognition platform that allows employees to give and receive micro-bonuses for great work. It integrates with tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams, making it easy to celebrate achievements within daily workflows. The platform also offers a rewards marketplace where employees can redeem points for gift cards, donations, or custom perks, ensuring everyone feels valued. 

Category: Employee recognition and reward

Pricing: Bonusly starts at $2/seat/month, billed annually

Website: Bonusly

15. WorkTango

WorkTango is a comprehensive platform that combines recognition, rewards, and engagement tools. It allows managers and employees to recognize contributions, align rewards with company values, and run incentive programs all from a centralized point. It also has gamified features like leaderboards and a wide range of integrations that encourage participation and adoption.

Category: Employee recognition and reward

Pricing: WorkTango pricing is available upon request on the company website

Website: WorkTango

16. Donut

Donut is a Slack-integrated tool that facilitates bonding among virtual team members by pairing them for coffee chats, lunch breaks, or mentoring sessions. The platform encourages cross-team interactions and helps remote teams build personal connections. It also supports customizable templates for recurring introductions and themed conversations.

Category: Team bonding

Pricing: Donut starts at $59/month and a free tier is available.

Website: Donut

17. Kahoot! 

Kahoot! is a gamified learning and bonding platform that allows teams to create interactive quizzes, trivia games, and challenges. With Kahoot!, teams can customize their content, create games tailored to company culture or industry topics, and even includes a scoring system for some friendly competition.

Category: Team bonding

Pricing: Starts at $10/user/month

Website: Kahoot!

18. ClickUp

ClickUp is a task management tool that allows all departments to transparently showcase their tasks, progress, and upcoming work duties across the company. It is known for its flexibility, making it suitable for various industries and team sizes. 

Whether managing a remote team, organizing personal tasks, or overseeing a complex project, ClickUp can adapt to multiple workflows, making it a top choice for task management.

Category: Task management

Pricing: ClickUp starts at $7/user/month

Website: ClickUp

19. Asana

Asana is a versatile task management tool that allows teams to plan, organize, and track their work. With features like boards, timelines, and workload views, Asana makes it easy to visualize progress and prioritize tasks. It also integrates with tools like Slack, Google Drive, and Microsoft Teams, to create seamless communication systems.

Category: Task management

Pricing: Starts at $13.49/user/month

Website: Asana

20. Mailchimp

Mailchimp has been around for a while and has become something of a household name when it comes to professional-looking newsletters for businesses. With customizable templates, automation options, and detailed analytics, Mailchimp allows companies to design engaging newsletters and measure their effectiveness.

Category: Company newsletter

Pricing: Free for up to 500 contacts; paid plans start at $20/month

Website: Mailchimp

21. Sociabble

Sociabble is a modern intranet platform created to improve internal communication, boost employee engagement, and support knowledge sharing across organizations. It brings together social intranet features, structured content management, and employee advocacy tools, enabling companies to centralize their communications while reinforcing company culture.

With tools such as a unified company news feed, knowledge centers for internal documents, and role-based content personalization, employees can quickly find information that matters to them.

Its mobile-first approach makes it ideal for frontline, deskless, and remote teams, and integrations with Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and HR systems ensure smooth adoption within existing workflows.

Category: Intranet

Pricing: Sociabble offers custom pricing based on organization size and selected features

Website: Sociabble

Why do organizations need internal communication tools?

Todays organizations are more dynamic and complex than ever before, with teams distributed across multiple locations and working in different time zones. This set up makes effective internal communication a challenge, especially if you only rely on traditional methods like emails or in-person meetings.

Great workplace communication skills are necessary, but internal communication tools complement them, ensuring that updates, announcements, or important changes can be shared instantly with all employees, no matter where they are. This keeps everyone aligned and reduces the risk of misunderstandings or outdated information circulating within teams.

Another key factor is the way people now consume and engage with information, especially when you're managing global workforce communication. Visual and interactive content is far more engaging than static text, and the most effective internal communication tools leverage this by using everything from videos and images to dynamic sales dashboards.

Without proper internal communication tools, your teams will find it challenging to coordinate efforts and operate effectively. At best, this will affect productivity. At worst, you could be dealing with shadow IT in your organization.

Read more: The best apps for corporate communication

Types of internal communication tools 

When it comes to planning an internal communication strategy, there are many tools to choose from.

Digital signage

Digital signage is a powerful communication tool that uses electronic displays to broadcast information, updates, and announcements across an organization. These screens can showcase everything from real-time data to motivational content, keeping teams informed and engaged.

The dynamic nature of digital signage makes it an effective tool for large and small teams alike, since it can be used for:

• Company news and updates
• Team specific information sharing
• Remote presentations and meeting management
• Employee recognition
• Team bonding
• Brainstorming and collaboration
• Employee engagement

Digital signage screens can also integrate with various tools, offering rapid content updates, interactive features, and even the option to schedule content. This can reduce the effort required while increasing the quality of communication in the company.

Why teams need digital signage:

• Information can be updated and immediately deployed - no waiting for printouts or design.
• Easily upload information from sales dashboards and other sources to screens, hassle-free.
• Potentially higher content engagement since people process visual information faster than text.

Intranets

An intranet is a private, web-connected network for internal communication where employees can share, access, and collaborate on information. Modern intranets have evolved from simple information storage and are now interactive platforms with features like document sharing, project notes, and even company social media updates.

Why teams need intranets:

• Intranets can be split into dedicated sections and channels, making it easier to arrange information.
• They can host files like documents and spreadsheets, centralizing a lot of the tools teams need to work.
• Within an intranet all conversations are public, so information is available to all teams across projects.

Email communication tools

Email has evolved beyond just a type of employee communication software, and in many ways, it has become the backbone of internal and external communication in business today. These tools let us do everything from communicate to share files, and coordinate tasks efficiently. Beyond just sending emails, modern tools also integrate features like scheduling and analytics, turning email platforms into powerful productivity hubs.

Why teams need email communication tools:

• Streamlines communication by offering organized inboxes, threaded conversations, and filters to help employees focus on important messages and reduce miscommunication.
• Supports collaboration by integrating with project management tools/clients.
• Can save time and improve productivity, with features like automated responses, email scheduling, and priority tagging.

Instant messaging and chat tools

An instant messaging tool is important for fast-paced workplaces because it allows you to communicate instantly, sending text, photos, videos, or web links to other people within your company. These tools help streamline communication within teams, and can eliminate a lot of back and forth and the delay you get with emails.

Why teams need instant messaging tools:

• Messages can be sent and received quickly, eliminating delays common in email communication.
• Easily share files, links, and updates with individuals or groups without switching platforms.
• Ensures everyone, including remote team members, stays connected and informed in real-time.

Virtual meeting tools

Virtual meeting tools improve internal communication by enabling face-to-face interactions, regardless of everyone’s physical locations. These video services allow teams to hold meetings, discussions, and presentations in real-time, and allow employees to brainstorm more effectively.

Why teams need virtual meeting tools:

• They facilitate meeting scheduling and attendance, removing the logistical challenges of gathering people in one location.
• Screens and presentations can be shared in real time.
• Helps remote and on-site employees participate and contribute equally.

Read more: How to create presentations using digital signage

Brainstorming and collaboration tools

These are important employee communication tools that allow teams to generate ideas, plan projects, and work together in real time. These platforms often include features like digital whiteboards, shared documents, and task management to streamline the creative process.

Why teams need brainstorming and collaboration tools:

• Ideas can be captured and shared immediately, allowing teams to collaborate without waiting for in-person meetings.
• Visualize data and concepts easily with digital whiteboards and mind maps.
• Provide consistency across hybrid and remote teams.

Employee engagement and feedback tools

Employee engagement tools are designed to help businesses measure their team satisfaction, gather actionable insights, and generally improve the culture in their workplace. They use surveys, pulse checks, anonymous feedback, and analytics to help employees share their thoughts with business leadership.

Why teams need employee engagement and feedback tools:

• Feedback can be collected and analyzed seamlessly making it easier to act on employee concerns.
• They help businesses integrate data from surveys and pulse checks with HR dashboards for comprehensive insights.
• Provide a way to collect consistent feedback.

Employee recognition and reward tools

Employee recognition and rewards tools help organizations celebrate their workforce by acknowledging achievements, milestones, and contributions. These platforms create opportunities for managers and peers to recognize great work and can contribute to employee engagement and satisfaction, and improve internal PR.

Why teams need employee recognition and rewards tools:

• Drives engagement by giving employees visible acknowledgment for their contributions.
• Helps managers build a culture of recognition in the workplace.
• These tools easily tie recognition to specific achievements, making high performers easier to identify and reward.

Team bonding tools

Many companies view internal communication as something that’s top-down, from the company’s directors to the employees. However, the way employees communicate with each other is conducive to great work as well. Team bonding tools solve this problem by helping to foster stronger relationships and collaboration among employees. They may gamify the interaction process, facilitate engaging activities and challenges or simply make it easier for remote and on-site employees to connect. 

Why teams need team bonding tools:

• Easily track participation and progress through integrated dashboards, ensuring every team member stays involved.
• They help everyone feel like they belong, which can improve job satisfaction and employee retention.
• Team bonding tools reduce stress and create a more positive and enjoyable work environment.

Task management tools 

Task management tools are usually online databases where employees log tasks. As internal communication software platforms, these tools make it easy for colleagues to track the distribution of workloads and help managers oversee progress.

Why teams need task management tools:

• The streamline communication and provide a centralized platform where teams can see others’ tasks and project updates.
• They enable teams to work together on projects, assign tasks, and track progress in real-time.
• Helps employees focus on what matters most, leading to increased productivity and better outcomes.

Company newsletter tools

Internal communications tools, like company newsletter tools, make creating, distributing, and tracking internal updates easy, ensuring employees stay updated on what's happening within the company. In fast paced work environments, this can be very critical. Whether it’s sharing community feedback, celebrating milestones, or communicating policy updates, these platforms ensure the message reaches every employee effectively. 

Why teams need company newsletter tools:

• Newsletters offer a consistent and familiar way to keep employees updated on goals, changes, alignment and engagement.
• These tools simplify the creation and distribution of professional newsletters, often to the point where you don't need a ton of design expertise.
• Can be integrated with other platforms to include real-time data, announcements, or important visuals.

Read More: What are the best office communication systems?

Which internal communication tools do you actually need?

The communication tools your business needs will depend on everything from your team size, or business locations to the nature of work. If you have a small team of a dozen employees working remotely, instant messaging might be a better investment than an Intranet.

But, one tool that organizations across the board can use to level up their internal comms is corporate digital signage. Its versatility allows businesses to address multiple communication needs simultaneously, from enhancing employee engagement to improving company-wide messaging.

ScreenCloud offers best-in-class digital signage software, helping organizations transform how they communicate. Featuring seamless integration with existing tools, real-time content updates, and the ability to share visually engaging information across multiple locations, ScreenCloud ensures that your messages reach everyone, whether they’re on-site or remote.

As the ultimate internal communication tool, ScreenCloud brings the power of digital signage to businesses of all sizes.

Sign up for your 14 day free trial or book a demo.