Whether you're showing signs of Zoom fatigue or are still happy to be spared your daily commute, pandemic life means that group activities previously hosted in big meeting rooms are still taking place online. But there’s no reason why your virtual brainstorming session can’t be as dynamic and productive as the events you used to host in person. Just follow the tips we outlined in our blog post, The Brainstorming Mystery—5 Ways to do it Right, and make sure your session is supported by a great online collaboration platform.

Need help choosing the right tool? Here are our top picks:

• Mural.

• Described as “a digital workspace for visual collaboration,” Mural has quickly emerged as the gold standard for online group work. Intuitive and easy-to-use, Mural provides a range of ready-made templates and popular features, including sticky-notes, voting and diagramming. It allows for straightforward, real-time collaboration. Other features allow you to import sketches and sketch within the program. Mural maintains the intimacy that you’d get from an in-person setting. Membership starts at $16/month or $14/month if you subscribe annually.

• Miro.

• Marketed as a “collaborative whiteboard platform,” Miro sounds and looks a lot like Mural. It’s also fantastic for group brainstorming, with similar sticky-note and sketching features. Miro initially had the upper hand on integration with other digital productivity tools, such as Slack and G Suite, but Mural has since caught up. There’s a free basic option; otherwise pricing is comparable to Mural.

• Google JamBoard.

• Another virtual whiteboard, Google Jamboard offers a more basic collaboration experience, but the major perk is that it’s free for anyone with a Google account. Easy-to-use and effective, it’s more limited for space, with smaller post-it notes and structured as a series of pages rather than a continuous whiteboard. A good entry-level option.

• Trello.

• More than just a whiteboard and brainstorming platform, Trello offers various management tools for scheduling, content and documentation. With thousands of platform options, this software can be used for planning every aspect of your work. And, good news, Trello offers a free option. 

• Coggle.

• Marketed primarily as mind-mapping software, Coggle offers a variety of great features, including flow charts, brainstorming, notetaking and planning. It’s a great tool for visualizing new ideas and real-time collaboration. Coggle comes in a Freemium version.

Stormboard.

• Mind-mapping and brainstorming blended into one online platform, Stormboard provides a shared workspace with digital sticky notes, index cards and whiteboards. Allowing for seamless remote collaboration, this great tool is designed to help you refine and expand upon ideas, making for truly productive meetings. There’s a basic free option, then an upgraded version for $5/month.

For brainstorming tools, tips and best practices, be sure to check out our on-demand webinar: Brainstorming like a Pro!