Creative teams depend on the free and easy flow of ideas to collaborate and inspire new thoughts. When you have to work digitally, these free apps help encourage creativity and generate new ideas.
The most obvious starting point for creative brainstorming is to use a mind mapping tool. This article won’t go into that because we’ve already reviewed the best free mind mapping apps for individual users or teams.
Instead, we will focus on tools that facilitate creative collaboration in a variety of fields, such as design, writing, music, and more.
one) Red pen (Web): the fastest way to collaborate on images, designs, and models
Red Pen is the fastest and easiest way to collaborate on images, designs, and mockups. Create an account, upload an image, give it a name and description, and you’re ready to go. Click anywhere in the image to start a new comment. Then share the link with collaborators.
Anyone with the link can now see all the comments on it. You can mention other users in the comments by adding @username. Press Ctrl + C to see all comments as a list.
You can also create projects, which are essentially folders into which you add as many images as you like. Red Pen offers unlimited images and unlimited collaborators.
The website has a “14-day trial” sign at all times, but don’t worry, Red Pen is still free after that period of time. Then you will be in the basic plan, which allows you to upload individual images (without projects) that last 20 days before being automatically deleted. For projects and images that last forever, check out plans starting at $ 5 per month.
2. Dextra (Android, iOS): a Social Network to find free creative collaborators
Where do you go to find creative people looking to collaborate on your ideas? Try Dextra, a social network for painters, designers, writers, musicians, filmmakers, and all kinds of artists to discover like-minded contributors.
The first step is to create your own profile and add “dexes” which is the social network term for your skills. Add as many as appropriate and choose your level of proficiency in each. Based on these skills, Dextra will show you a source of open projects from others looking for collaborators. It covers a variety of project fields; For example, if you are a writer, you will see everything from blogging to writing movie scripts.
You can also create your own project, fill in your details, and wait for others to sign up for it. The next step is for collaborators to talk and see if they are suitable for a creative team. Once you check all the boxes, add the project to your ongoing portfolio. In the meantime, keep browsing other projects to find something cool to get your creative juices flowing.
To download: Dextra for Android The | iOS (Free)
3) Chantey (Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS): chat application with task management
In layman’s terms, Chanty is a chat app like Slack, but with robust task management and built-in to-do list features. The free version allows up to 10 people in a team and has everything you need from a chat application to collaborate.
Any line that is said in the chat can become a chore. That task can be reassigned to any member of the team. You can view all tasks in the practical “Tasks” room and interact with each task to mark it done, comment on it to create the task discussion thread or delete it forever. Oddly, there is no simple way to set a deadline for any task.
In addition to tasks, Chanty does most of the things that any chat app like Slack would do. You can create rooms, search the chat history, leave voice messages, share files (up to 20 GB), integrate other applications, and speak as you would in any chat room.
To download: Chanty Desktop for Windows The | Mac OS The | Linux Deb The | Linux RPM (Free)
To download: Chanty Mobile for Android The | iOS (Free)
4) CryptPad (Web): Collaborative online office suite focused on privacy with chat
CryptPad is a privacy protection alternative for Google Docs, Microsoft Office Online, and other online office suites. And while protecting privacy, it still enables real-time collaboration between creative partners.
The suite includes rich text (such as a word processor), presentation, spreadsheet, encoding, kanban board, whiteboard, online surveys, and cloud storage. Registered users get 1GB of free storage, and you’ll need to register to share files with others. However, those users do not need a CryptPad account to open or download the files you send them.
Apps look and behave like any office suite, so you’ll feel right at home while using them. In a nice move, CryptPad adds a chat room to apps, so aside from comments, you can chat with contributors for a more free discussion. It’s a feature you won’t find in Google Docs or Microsoft Office, and it could change the game.
Stuck in a creative routine? Brainsparker’s free online cards help generate new ideas and provide creative inspiration. Use it yourself or as a team to start the brainstorming process.
It is a great but simple process. Once you are trapped, open the deck of cards and play. The animation runs through all the Brainsparker cards at a fast pace. Pause or screenshot the video to find a card and write or discuss all the thoughts the card inspires. Use the best free screen sharing apps
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turn the card game into a collaborative experience with creative partners.
There are five free card packs on the website, as well as on the iPhone app: launcher, vision, journal, kids, and kickstart. Each has its own set of inspiring ideas to change their perspective, such as “challenge the viewer” or “trust your intuition” or “create a limitation”, etc. Do the exercise several times and you will surely break your mental block.
To download: Brainsparker for iOS (Free)
The best free blackboard apps
If none of these apps is what you are looking for, then maybe you just need a blank space where you and your collaborators can brainstorm. The Internet Has Some Free Whiteboard Alternatives.
She is a freelance blogger, writer, and speaker, and writes for various entertainment magazines.