Flowdock is a collaboration tool built around a chat and team inbox interface. Flowdock is available via app or as a browser-based solution.
It was originally offered by Rally Software Development, which was acquired by CA Technologies, which was acquired by Broadcom in 2018.
N/A
Google Keep
Score 9.1 out of 10
N/A
Google Keep is a note-taking app launched by Google in 2013 and available free, providing a tool to capture text, images, video, etc.
Flowdock is well suited for small teams and to environments that doesn't need too much reliability. I think it has some management problems that can make your life difficult if you have to manage a big amount of users. If you want just a tool communication with basic features (without using any integration or robust features) it can be suitable for you. You should try Flowdock using its free version for a small team and compare with others similar products. Flowdock delivers team chat and collaboration features, but is not necessarily the best product. Maybe some usability problems that disturb me won't be so relevant to you.
It is the perfect companion for storing all those little bits of information you need to do your job well, the best thing is getting it all out of your head and in to Google Keep. You can trust it to hold that information for you, and you know you can go back and use its excellent search functionality to find that information at a later date. It can also work really well for your personal life as well. I have two accounts, my work account and my personal account - I use them both in different contexts but I have always found Google Keep is great for both.
One thing a little bit annoying is that a lot of links to others Flowdock sections (preferences, external services, etc) will open a new window/tab. Each click may take you to a new window and you can get lost easily.
There isn't a quick access list to members of your organization to start a private chat. I took a while to find how to do that. The interface and usability could be better.
There isn't an app for Windows Phone.
Sometimes you try to load some conversation and it doesn't show anything. It is not frequently but happens sometimes.
The iOS app sometimes gets into a state and doesn't update your notes (won't show new notes from other devices / computer), needs to be re-installed to resolve
Your notes take up space in your Google account's quota, though this is not very apparent at first - you have to keep an eye on what you are storing - huge pictures better not go in there
I go with the flow because I'm a newer employee and Flowdock works as advertised. If it were my decision to choose a team communciator for the organization, I'd recommend we go with Slack for its robust features and ever-changing/evolving software integrations. Slack is the outright innovator in the space and will continue to hold that role for some time.
Google Keep is very easy to use. Currently, the company I work for has employees from different age brackets, and this is one of the easiest apps on G-Suite to explain. Not a lot of people use it, but it is due to personal choice since a lot of people still prefer pen and paper to keep their notes.
I gave this rating based on the ease of use, the simple functionality and how well it does at keeping my attention and helping me continue to use it and stay on track. The functionality mentioned before alongside the reminder functions and how it utilizes Google's powerful machine learning tech to better its software is remarkable.
Private chat or channels are well implemented in both softwares and both are also very easy to setup.
Besides of some usability problemas I think Flowdock is still better than Slack in this user experience and design.
The second point is the price. Flowdock is half price of Slack ($3/month). If you are a student or a non-profit organization, you are able to get some special license.
The main differential of Google Keep is its simplicity and efficiency for quick notes. I can draw on the card, put a photo, record audio if I can't write at the moment, in short, for everyday tasks, simple things, it is superior.
