Boost Your Efficiency with the Right Tools for Remote Work
Choosing tools takes time, especially when a virtual assistant works with several clients. This 2025 directory groups options by the work they support. Compare each tool with your team’s needs, budget, security requirements, and current product availability.
Avila prepared this list for virtual assistants and the teams they support. Features, plans, and product availability can change, so check the provider before selecting a tool.
Communication Tools
Slack: Organize team conversations in topic channels. Slack also connects with tools such as Google Drive, Trello, and Zoom.
Microsoft Teams: Combine chat, video meetings, and file sharing. Teams works with Microsoft 365 apps including Word, Excel, and OneDrive.
Zoom: Host video meetings or webinars, with features such as recordings, breakout rooms, and virtual backgrounds.
Google Meet: Schedule video calls through Google Workspace and Calendar. Meet also offers screen sharing and live captions.
Skype for Business: The 2025 list included voice calls, video chat, and messaging through Skype for Business. Check current Microsoft availability before choosing it.
Discord: Use servers and voice channels for team conversations or communities. Its flexible format can suit informal collaboration.
RingCentral: Bring phone calls, video meetings, and messages together when a team needs several communication channels.
GoToMeeting: Hold video meetings and use recording or transcription features when the team needs a record of a conversation.
Twist: Organize asynchronous conversations in threads, giving remote colleagues a way to respond without constant notifications.
Chanty: Combine team messaging and task management with threaded conversations, search, and connections to other work tools.
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Project and Task Management Tools
Trello: Use Kanban boards and cards to assign tasks, set deadlines, and track work with labels and checklists.
Asana: Assign responsibilities and track projects through boards or timelines. Teams can also record task dependencies and deadlines.
Monday.com: Organize workflows through boards, calendars, or Gantt views. Teams can adapt the workspace to different projects.
Basecamp: Keep to-do lists, files, schedules, and message boards together so the team can follow project conversations.
ClickUp: Plan projects with task priorities, time tracking, and different views. ClickUp also connects with tools such as Slack and Google Drive.
Wrike: Manage workloads and reports alongside project collaboration. Wrike can be considered by larger marketing and creative teams.
Jira: Track bugs, plan sprints, and manage Scrum or Kanban workflows. Jira is often used by software teams.
Smartsheet: Work in a spreadsheet-style grid while tracking resources, Gantt charts, and automated project workflows.
Teamwork: Track time, billing, and resources on client projects, with features designed for agency and creative teams.
ProofHub: Keep tasks, shared files, and project discussions in one place for teams managing work together.
Accounting and Invoicing Tools
QuickBooks: Manage expenses, invoices, sales, and financial reports. Payroll, inventory, and tax reporting features may also be relevant, depending on the plan and location. Gross totals may require a reverse sales tax calculation.
FreshBooks: Use invoicing, time tracking, expense tracking, and payment tools for freelance or small business work. Project features can help when managing several clients.
Xero: Reconcile bank transactions and track inventory and financial reports. The 2025 list also noted payroll, project collaboration, and tax calculation features, subject to availability.
Wave: Use accounting and invoicing features for a small business. Check current pricing for receipt scanning, payroll, payment processing, and other features before choosing a plan.
PayPal: Send invoices and receive payments, with recurring billing and transaction records. Check transfer options and transaction fees when budgeting.
File Storage and Sharing Tools
Google Drive: Store and share files alongside Google Docs, Sheets, and other Workspace tools. Storage allowances depend on the account and plan.
Dropbox Business: Share files through team folders and control access with permissions. Dropbox also connects with other business apps.
OneDrive for Business: Store and share files through Microsoft 365, with device synchronization and collaboration on supported documents.
Box: Share business files, manage content, and use workflow tools. Box connects with apps including Slack and Microsoft Teams.
SharePoint: Manage documents and team files within Microsoft 365, including permissions and collaboration features.
Citrix ShareFile: Share sensitive files using features such as encrypted storage, workflows, and electronic signature connections. Configure access for each assignment.
Egnyte: Combine cloud file sharing with on-premises storage options when a business needs both environments.
Tresorit: Share files with access controls and end-to-end encryption features. Check the configuration and applicable obligations for your data.
Amazon WorkDocs: The 2025 list included this AWS file storage and collaboration service. Check current service availability before planning a migration.
Zoho WorkDrive: Organize team files and documents, collaborate on work, and connect with other Zoho apps.
Productivity Tools
Evernote Teams: Capture and share notes with templates, task connections, and search features for team discussions.
Notion: Combine notes, documents, project tracking, and databases. A team can organize its workspace around the information it needs.
Microsoft OneNote: Use digital notebooks for meeting notes and ideas, with collaboration through Microsoft 365.
Coda: Build documents with tables, charts, and automation, combining writing with spreadsheet-like functions.
Obsidian: Connect notes and view their relationships in a graph, which can help organize a personal or team knowledge base.
Zenkit: Organize information and tasks using lists, Kanban boards, or Gantt views according to the work.
Airtable: Use a database with spreadsheet-like views to organize records and build workflows for projects.
Google Keep: Capture notes, lists, and reminders in the Google ecosystem, with synchronization across devices.
ClickUp Docs: Create shared documents and wikis within ClickUp, and connect the documentation to project work.
Quip: Collaborate on documents and spreadsheets with task and communication features connected to Salesforce.
Time Management Tools
Hubstaff: Track time and generate invoices. Depending on configuration, Hubstaff can also capture activity and screenshots.
Toggl: Use time reports to understand how hours are spent and identify work that takes longer than expected.
Clockify: Log hours, track billable time, and produce reports. Check the current plan and pricing for needed features.
Harvest: Track time and expenses alongside invoicing, and use reports to review project costs.
Time Doctor: Track time and review reports, with optional monitoring such as screenshots and activity levels.
Timely: Use automated time tracking to record work activities and prepare reports. Review its settings and the client’s privacy expectations.
Paymo: Combine time tracking with task scheduling, invoicing, and team collaboration for projects.
MyHours: Track time, assign tasks, and create reports for freelance or small-team work.
RescueTime for Teams: Review how work time is spent to identify distractions or patterns that need attention.
Everhour: Track time and review reports alongside project tools such as Asana and Trello.
Electronic Signature Tools
DocuSign: Send documents for electronic signature and manage signing workflows. Legal effect depends on the document and applicable law.
HelloSign: Send, sign, and store documents with Dropbox integration. Check the current product name and features before selecting it.
Adobe Sign: Track documents and automate signing workflows with Adobe Acrobat integration.
SignNow: Prepare signature templates, manage a team, and connect signing workflows with other tools.
PandaDoc: Create and track proposals or contracts with built-in electronic signature features.
SignEasy: Send and sign documents from a mobile device. Review security settings and access before sharing sensitive files.
RightSignature: Use templates and audit trails when sending business agreements for signature.
Eversign: Prepare templates and use in-person signing or integrations where those features fit the process.
Formstack Sign: Connect signature requests with Formstack forms to support document completion.
Sertifi: Send documents for signature and combine contract execution with payment collection where appropriate.
The Right Tools Can Redefine Your Remote Work
Choose tools around the work you need to do. A simple process for communication, files, and task ownership often matters as much as the software itself. Agree on access and expectations before adding a new tool.
To discuss virtual assistant support, learn about Avila or book a Discovery Call.