8 Top Asynchronous Communication Tools (Free & Paid)

Working with remote teams can be rewarding and challenging. Sure, you get access to a global talent pool. But different time zones can lead to miscommunication and lack of collaboration.

So, how can you bridge the gap? With the right tech stack, your teams can share resources, brainstorm ideas, and work on projects without being limited by real-time communication barriers. In this article, we'll explore some of the best asynchronous communication tools and how they help your distributed teams stay productive.

7 Types of asynchronous communication tools

Asynchronous (or “async”) communication tools allow your team to collaborate instantly without carving out time to meet face-to-face. Here’s a quick overview of different types of async communication tools:

1. Video
2. Email
3. Project management platforms
4. Instant messaging apps
5. Knowledge bases
6. Calendar and scheduling apps
7. Workflow automation tools

1. Video conferencing tools for asynchronous communication

While video conferencing is primarily designed for real-time communication, it can be used asynchronously. For example, your team can record training sessions or presentations and share them with team members for asynchronous viewing. Some popular video communication tools include:

• Livestorm
• Zoom
• Loom

2. Asynchronous communication tools for email

Email is ideal for sending announcements, reminders, feedback, or files. It’s a widely-used method of internal and external communication. Some popular email tools for asynchronous collaborations include:

• Gmail
• Outlook

3. Asynchronous communication tools for project management

Project management tools help your team stay organized and on track with their tasks. Team members can assign roles and responsibilities, create tasks, set timelines, and receive notifications when tasks are completed. Some popular project management tools include:

• ClickUp
• Asana
• Trello

4. Asynchronous communication tools for instant messaging

Instant messaging tools make it easy for team members to quickly share files and have conversations. They’re great for internal communication, as they provide a sense of immediate feedback. Some popular instant messaging tools include:

• Slack
• Twist
• Microsoft Teams

5. Asynchronous communication tools for building a knowledge base

A knowledge base is like a wiki. Your remote workers can easily access information and resources, such as document templates, workflows, and answers to frequently Some popular knowledge base tools include:

• Notion
• Slite
• Zendesk
• Confluence

6. Asynchronous communication tools for calendar management and scheduling

Calendar and scheduling tools make it easy for remote teams to set reminders, share their availability with others, and schedule meetings at a time that works for everyone. Popular calendar and scheduling tools include:

• Calendly
• Google Calendar

7. Asynchronous communication tools for workflow automation

Workflow automation tools are designed to minimize errors and increase team productivity. For example, a marketing team can add new leads from an online form into their customer relationship management system (CRM), nurture the lead, and then notify the sales team when they're ready to be converted. Popular workflow automation tools include:

• Zapier
• HubSpot

8 Asynchronous communication tools for efficient remote teams

You need the right combination of tools to support activities like managing a distributed workforce, remote customer onboarding, or even collaborating as a virtual marketing team. Here’s a list of some popular asynchronous communication tools:

1. Livestorm: Best for creating on-demand video resources
2. Gmail: Best async email app
3. Asana: Best for async project management
4. Slack: Best instant messaging app
5. Notion: Best async knowledge base
6. Miro: Best digital whiteboard
7. Calendly: Best calendar management tool
8. Zapier: Best workflow automation tool

1. Livestorm: Best for creating on-demand video resources

Livestorm is a video engagement platform for both synchronous and asynchronous communications. You can use it to host any internal (or external!) meeting, but it’s also ideal for recording content and making it available on demand. So, next time you host a killer training session or promotional event, set Livestorm to automatically record and add the video link to your onboarding or website.

Livestorm’s key features

• Automatic recordings make it easy to create asynchronous video resources like on-demand training, deminars, and walkthroughs.
• Events automation means you can set a pre-recorded event, like a webinar, to start and end at a specific time. This imitates a live event experience for the audience without intervention from your team.
• Simple project management and collaboration using integrations with apps like Slack, Miro, and Zapier. This means you can automate your workflows and let your team follow up on action items at their own pace.
• Quick scheduling using integrations with Google Calendar, Calendly, and Outlook. This means you can schedule meetings directly from your calendar, find a time that suits all attendees, and schedule recurring meetings in just a few clicks.
• Email automation means sharing recordings, sending reminders, and following up with your team can all happen async.

What can you use Livestorm for?

Livestorm can be used for all live and asynchronous video communications, including:

• Onboarding remote employees
• Internal training and development
• Webinars
• Product demos
• Customer success events

Livestorm’s pricing

You can test Livestorm for free for 20 up to minutes duration per event. And once you're ready to use Livestorm for your team, opt for the Pro plan at $88 per month or get a custom quote based on your budget and business needs.

2. Gmail: Best async email app

Gmail is a cloud-based communication platform that allows team members to send and receive messages, documents, and other files at their own pace. It's a widely used tool for asynchronous communications, as it supports threaded conversations and the ability to label and prioritize messages to action them later.

Gmail’s key features

• Filters and labels mean easy organization and sorting of messages and keep your inbox clutter-free.
• Offline access lets you access emails and collaborate on documents with limited internet access.
• Integration with Google services like Google Drive, Google Docs, and Google Calendar makes it easy to collaborate and communicate with remote teams.
• Search functionality helps search for emails with specific keywords, dates, and sender information, so you don‘t need to manually scroll through the inbox.
• Spam protection automatically identifies and filters unwanted emails warning your team of phishing scams and other malicious attacks.

What can you use Gmail for?

Gmail is ideal for:

• Email communication with remote team members, clients, and vendors
• Sharing and collaborating on documents and files
• Scheduling and managing calendar events and meetings
• Managing contacts and mailing lists

Gmail’s pricing

Gmail is a free email service by Google with up to 15 GB storage space for attachments and files. However, if you want to use Gmail for business, you need to sign up for Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) which starts at $6 per user per month.

3. Asana: Best for async project management

Asana makes it easy to assign tasks, manage and collaborate on project boards. At Livestorm, we use Asana to create automated to-do lists to introduce new hires to their responsibilities. Its intuitive interface helps you plan projects, track progress, and measure results with easy-to-understand dashboards.

Asana’s key features

• Visual timeline view helps track all tasks and their dependencies in a single view, making it easy to spot bottlenecks.
• Comments and tagging enable effective team collaboration and eliminate the need for back-and-forth messaging.
• Integration with Google Drive, Dropbox, and Slack allows for seamless collaboration and sharing of files.
• Automated notifications alert your team members about task updates and changes in deadlines, keeping them accountable.
• Customizable fields and forms help collect information on tasks, projects, and team members, so you can keep track of important details and find information quickly.

What can you use Asana for?

Asana is ideal for team collaboration on projects like:

• Marketing campaigns
• Content creation — from ideation to publication
• Sales processes from lead generation to closing deals
• Onboarding new employees

Asana’s pricing

Asana’s free plan allows up to 15 members in a team and essential features like task creation, comments, tagging, and dashboards. If you have a large team and want advanced features like timeline view and automated workflows, opt for the Pro plan at $10.99 per user per month.

4. Slack: Best instant messaging app

Slack is a widely used tool for internal communication that allows users to create dedicated channels for organized discussions and collaborations. These channels can be used to share documents and files with team members. Slack also supports voice and video calls and integration with third-party apps like Google Drive.

Slack’s key features

• Direct messaging allows for one-on-one private conversations or small groups.
• Channels keep your conversations organized by topics, projects, or clients.
• Search engines help you easily find conversations, documents, and people across channels.
• Integration with Google Drive, Livestorm, Trello, and Salesforce allows you to streamline your workflow without jumping between platforms.
• Customization of themes, notifications, and workflows lets you create a personalized Slack experience for your team.
• Status updates can be customized to communicate your availability or if you’re feeling stressed, allowing your team to offer support and understanding.

What can you use Slack for?

Slack is ideal for communication like:

• Instant messaging between internal teams
• Connecting with external partners, clients, or guests
• Replacing meetings with clips that can be watched at any time
• Sharing progress updates for projects
• Internal announcements or company news

Slack’s pricing

Slack offers a free plan with only 90 days of message history and 10 integrations. But if you want unlimited access to message history and collaboration with guests outside your organization, opt for the pro plan at $7.25 per user per month.

5. Notion: Best async knowledge base

Notion is a knowledge base tool that enables you to create and organize notes, documents, wikis, and task lists. It's ideal for teams that need a centralized location to store and share resources. At Livestorm, we use Notion for our internal knowledge base, document notes, meeting actions, and task progress tracking.

Notion’s key features

• Customizable templates like project management, meeting notes, and personal to-do lists help you save time in setting up new pages and ensure consistent formats across tasks.
• Collaborative editing on pages, databases, and notes allows your remote team to work on the same document.
• Page linking makes it easy to navigate between related content and helps your team organize information in an interconnected way.
• Database management allows you to create databases for customer relationship management, product management, and project tracking so you don’t need to switch between different apps.
• Integration with Google Drive, Trello, and Slack add to your existing workflow and make it easy to transfer information between apps.

What can you use Notion for?

Notion is ideal for knowledge management like:

• Creating a company wiki
• Storing product information and customer service FAQs
• Maintaining an employee directory
• Building out process playbooks
• Formulating data-driven marketing strategies.

Notion’s pricing

Notion offers a free plan with unlimited workspaces but limited blocks for teams and access to only 7 days of page history. The Plus plan starts at $8 per user per month, which offers unlimited blocks and advanced features like 30-day page history, unlimited blocks, and file uploads.

But if you want more features like PDF export and guest invites, opt for the Business plan at $15 per user per month or request a custom quote.

6. Miro: Best digital whiteboard

Miro is best for visualizing ideas, mapping out processes, and user personas, and creating interactive presentations. So if you're brainstorming asynchronously, you can set up blank canvases for projects and let your team drop ideas, drawings, and sticky notes at their leisure. This fosters virtual team building, encourages collaboration, and promotes creativity.

Plus, Miro integrates with Livestorm, so you can also use it in live meetings to workshop with your remote team and get instant feedback.

Miro’s key features

• Templates library of 300+ customizable boards for daily meetings, ice breakers, brainstorming, and team meetings to help jumpstart your projects.
• Version control keeps track of changes made to your boards and prevents accidental deletions or edits.
• Permission settings control who can view, edit or comment on boards so unauthorized parties can’t access sensitive information.
• Translator plugin supports 100+ languages so you can collaborate with clients, customers, or vendors without communication barriers.
• Integration with 100+ apps like Airtable, Zoom, Livestorm, Slack, and ClickUp ensure seamless collaboration across platforms.

What can you use Miro for?

Miro is ideal for whiteboard collaborations like:

• Developing customer journey maps
• Design thinking and agile development
• User story and customer journey mapping
• UX/UI design and prototyping

Miro’s pricing

Miro offers a free plan with a single workspace and 3 editable boards. But if you need unlimited boards, opt for the Starter plan at $8 per user per month or a business plan at $16 per user per month with single sign-on and unlimited workspaces.

7. Calendly: Best calendar management tool

Calendly lets you sync with other calendars to quickly set up meetings and send invites. It's easy for teams to coordinate meetings in different timezones, whether they’re setting up one-on-one calls or online events.

Caledly’s key features

• Automatic timezone detection makes it easy for your invitees to schedule meetings in their local time, and eliminates time zone confusion.
• Customizable scheduling enables you to set availability windows, meeting duration, and buffer time between meetings so you can create a schedule that works best for you.
• Multiple events types feature allows you to schedule one on one meetings, group meetings, and webinars with ease.
• Integrations with popular tools like Livestorm, Salesforce, Zaiper, and Slack help you capture leads, automate tasks and set up notifications for a seamless scheduling experience.

What can you use Calendly for?

Calendly is ideal for calendar management like:

• Scheduling customer discovery calls
• Setting up internal meetings between teams and departments
• Product demos and showcases

Calendly’s pricing

The free version lets you connect to only one calendar and some basic integrations. Opt for the Starter plan at $8 per user per month for scheduling automation and unlimited event types. Their most popular Professional plan gives you customization options, while the team's plan lets you connect to Salesforce at $12 per user per month and $15 per user per month, respectively.

8. Zapier: Best workflow automation tool

Zapier lets you connect different apps with automated workflows called "Zaps," saving time and reducing manual work. For example, if you're using Livestorm's event registration pages to generate leads, you can use the Zapier integration to trigger a Zap that sends the lead to your mailing platforms like Mailchimp or Mailjet. This way, you can automatically add new leads without having to import or export them manually.

Zapier’s key features

• Customize workflows and use pre-built templates to deploy unique workflows and automate tasks quickly.
• Scheduled triggers let you run Zaps at set intervals or specific dates and times for time-sensitive tasks like regular reports, reminders, and notifications.
• Dashboard and reporting features track and analyze your automated workflows and identify issues that need attention.
• Integration with 5000+ apps like Livestorm, Gmail, Slack, and HubSpot means that you can use Zapier to help complete tasks across all your most-used apps.

What can you use Zapier for?

Zapier is ideal for workflow automation like:

• Automating messages on Slack when someone follows you on social media
• Set up alerts for specific events like customer inquiries
• Sending notifications to team members when a new file is added to a shared folder on cloud storage services
• Creating and updating customer support tickets based on form submissions or email inquiries

Zapier’s pricing

Zapier offers four pricing plans based on the number of tasks you need to automate in a month. The free plan lets you run 100 tasks, while the Starter plan is $19.99 per month for 750 tasks per month. Professional, Team, and Company plans range from $49, $399 to $799 per user per month for 2K, 50K, and 100K tasks, respectively.

Tips for building your asynchronous communication tech-stack

Asynchronous communication should be used strategically. Be sure to choose async tools that suit your team’s communication style and support the completion of your most important tasks. Here’s how to build your tech stack:

1. Choose apps that integrate. Opt for apps that become a part of your existing workflow. For example, Livestorm integrates with 1000+ widely used business tools like Slack, Google Calendar, and Miro.
2. Regularly review and optimize your tech stack. As your team grows, ensure that your tech stack still meets your needs. Remove apps that are no longer useful and add new ones that can better support your workflows and communication needs.
3. Prioritize security and privacy. You're dealing with sensitive information and data, so ensure the collaboration tools you use have strong security measures. At Livestorm, we implement Transport Layer Security (TLS), and we're ISO 27001 certified.
4. Align apps to your communication guidelines. Provide clear instructions and establish guidelines for different types of communication. For example, your team can use Gmail for formal messages, and Slack for quick questions or updates.

Supercharge your team with asynchronous communication tools

Async communication tools are an essential part of any collaborative workflow. But you need the perfect complementary tools in your tech stack to create a streamlined process. For example, you can use Calendly to schedule a client meeting and set up a Zap that triggers a message to the relevant Slack channel. Easy.

Remember: just because you’re going async, it doesn’t mean you can’t personalize your comms with video. Livestorm is a great tool for both live and async video communications and integrates with 1000+ widely used apps like Slack, Zapier, Calendly, and Google Calendar. So, you can create a super slick tech stack to customize your async workflows, automate repetitive tasks, and simplify your processes.

Frequently asked questions about asynchronous communication tools

What is an asynchronous communication tool?

An asynchronous communication tool enables team members to communicate, collaborate and share information without the need for in-person meetings. They’re very important for remote teams or distributed work - but even in-person teams need some level of async communication. Examples of asynchronous communication tools include instant messaging apps, video conferencing tools, knowledge base software, and workflow automation tools.

What are the benefits of asynchronous communication?

The benefits of asynchronous communication are:

• Increased flexibility as team members can work at their own pace.
• Improved work-life balance since teams can have better control over their schedule and avoid burnout.
• Reduced communication overload as team members can respond to messages when they have the bandwidth
• Enhanced collaboration across time zones and locations, making it easier to work with global teams.

What are examples of asynchronous communication?

Examples of asynchronous communication include:

• Email
• Video messages, recordings or clips
• Instant messaging
• Collaborative and shared documents
• Discussion boards and forums
• Voice messages

What tools are used for asynchronous vs. synchronous communication?

The tools used for asynchronous communication include email, project management software, messaging apps, and discussion forums. These allow for collaboration without the need for real-time interaction. And synchronous communication tools include video conferencing, phone calls, and instant messaging. These facilitate real-time communication, enabling team members to collaborate in real-time and make decisions quickly.