Zoho wants to take on Microsoft and Google with its own collaboration platform

Zoho has launched a new online collaboration and communication software suite designed to take on the likes of Microsoft Teams and Google Meet.

The launch includes Trident, which combines email, messages, audio and video calls, calendar, and tasks in a package that’s worryingly (for Microsoft at least) similar to Teams.

Power users will also likely enjoy making use of a number of integrations and widgets from Zoho’s own catalog (like CRM, Desk, and Projects), as well as third-party tools (like Asana and HubSpot). 

Zoho Trident

The company says Trident will appeal to the growing number of workers who find themselves fed up with having to open several different apps to communicate with colleagues and external clients, with a more unified approach.

Trident is now generally available to Zoho’s customers, but they’ll need a fairly up-to-date OS to handle the software. Trident operates on newer builds of Windows 10 and Windows 11, and macOS High Sierra 10.13 and above.

Alongside Trident, the company also announced details of a handful of other new products, including the self-explanatory Webinar, the expansion of its Zoho Voice platform across more apps, an AI-powered grammar tool called BluePencil, a universal drag-and-drop experience, and a handful of other refinements. 

The entire Zoho Workplace package is available in two tiers: Standard ($3/£2.40 per month), and Professional ($6/£4.80 per month).

Zoho says it client base has now reached 16 million, representing a 30% year-on-year growth. Going on the offensive, the company claims that Google, Microsoft, and GoDaddy migrations to Zoho Workplace almost doubled last year.