Multicollab – Google Doc-Style Editorial Collaboration in WordPress

Description

Power up your editorial workflow

Collaborating with people online can be tricky without the right tools. Something as simple as giving feedback on content should be really easy to do! Unfortunately, WordPress isn’t well set up by default for this: there’s no real way to leave comments on a piece of content directly and empower collaboration. We understand how frustrating that is for teams of all sizes seeking to improve their collaborative output!

That’s why we created Multicollab: a plugin which enables you to share editorial feedback directly within WordPress itself, including commenting, tagging, replying and much more!

Multicollab works out of the box to insert collaborative tools which will transform your editorial workflow: install and you’ll instantly unlock collaboration functionality you’re familiar with from applications such as Google Docs in just a few simple clicks!

This plugin works by adding inline commenting functionality to Gutenberg directly, making commenting a single click of a button away:

This an easy-to-use plugin—the best one I’m aware of—for those who have an editorial process. My wife is a blogger and I’m her editor. We’ve only begun taking advantage of it but I wanted to offer a positive shout out.
– Mario T. Lanza – Sr. Web Developer

Content collaboration in Gutenberg made simple

Whether your editorial workflow consists of just two people or fifty, gathering feedback and recommending changes to WordPress content has so far always meant you needing to take that content elsewhere, such as Google Docs or any other editing suite. This complicates your way of work unnecessarily, makes collaboration difficult, and can even lead to pretty serious errors going live because of things falling through the cracks between applications. It’s also greatly inefficient and wastes a lot of your editorial time!

Multicollab solves it all with a simple plugin designed specifically to solve this problem once and for all. Installing the plugin enables the following key editorial features instantly:

  • Inline Commenting – add a comment directly to all content in posts and pages with a single click
  • Tag and mention multiple colleagues – just pick the persons you need to highlight your feedback to directly within your comment
  • Assign comments directly – tag a colleague who needs to take action and let them know clearly what the task request is
  • Reply and Resolve – get back to your colleagues on previous comments, and close off comment threads which have been fully resolved with one click

Awesome plugin! This is exactly what I was looking for. This plugin works flawlessly. Great job.
– Ivan Ružević – WordPress Team Lead

Built specifically for Gutenberg

Multicollab was designed to work with Gutenberg natively, so there’s no need to change your workflow! By adding commentary functionality directly to the Gutenberg interface, this plugin makes collaboration easy right within the same editing interface you’re already familiar with. Fully compatible with Gutenberg versions 8.6 to 10.7, it works right out of the box!

Need support? You’ve got it!

Multicollab is built to work effortlessly the minute you install it, with zero setup time: just add it, and start commenting on your pages or posts within Gutenberg within seconds. If you do have specific questions about the plugin, our extensive support centre documentation is available here and should help you in most cases.

If you do need more help or have a specific question, we’re always happy to support! Simply open a ticket directly on the WordPress.org forum here, and we’ll get back to you within as short a time as possible.

The plug-in is awesome! It works fantastically.
– Charudatta Mondale Co-Founder at QuickDraft LLP

📣 Collaborate even more effectively with Premium

The free version of Multicollab is easy to use and gives you all the commenting functionality to power up your editorial collaboration out of the box. But if you’re looking to take your team’s collaboration even further, we offer a Premium version which takes things to the next level. Here’s what you can unlock by upgrading today:

👉🏻 Comment on media directly

Want to tell someone on the team to choose a better image? Perhaps you had a comment on the video they embedded, or even a suggestion to add a photo to a gallery. Multicollab Premium enables you to leave comments exactly where they’re needed: be it audio, video, image, or gallery, you can use the full collaborative editing functionality of the tool and tag, assign and comment as necessary to take your editorial workflow a step further.

👉🏻 Enable email notifications

Make sure that everyone gets the editorial edits and tasks at the right time. By enabling email notifications with Multicollab Premium, your workflows become more efficient and collaboration even more effective: tag or assign a comment to a user, and they’ll get an instant email to alert them about the feedback. A single click will take them back to WordPress, where they can take instant action and resolve the comment immediately. It really is as simple as that!

👉🏻 Track changes with Suggestion mode

Sometimes, a comment isn’t quite enough, and it’s best to suggest the rewording of a sentence or phrase directly. Similar to Google Docs, with Suggestion mode enabled on Multicollab Premium, you can add edits directly as suggestions to the content to enable the author or other user to accept, reject or collaborate in more detail. Paired with mentions, tagging and notifications, this makes collaborative editing within WordPress itself a breeze!

👉🏻 Share a link to your comment directly

Need something actioned urgently, or a particular comment highlighted in a conversation you’re having on another medium? Generate a link to the comment directly and share that with your team so everyone can easily know what you’re referring to, fast!

👉🏻 Advanced Dashboard and Activity Centre with reporting

Track progress and get clear visibility on what’s going on with your content, and what activity is happening across the team. With our Advanced Dashboard, you’ll get a report of all the actions being taken across your content, enabling you to clearly identify opportunities for improving your editorial workflow. Powered up by timestamps and advanced filtering by user and content categories, you’ll easily be able to find information which can help you take your editorial process to the next level and make your team collaboration even more efficient. Or, create a Quick Snapshot Report in just one click to get a simple view of where things are in a few seconds!

👉🏻 Manage Users and Permissions

The larger your organisation or the team you collaborate with, the more specific your access needs and rights need to be. Multicollab Premium makes permission management as simple as selecting clear options from a list in one click: decide which users can comment, which users can access and resolve, and which ones can disable commentary in a few seconds for the ultimate editorial workflow management across teams of all sizes!

Additionally, if a member of your team leaves, that doesn’t mean their comments and activity needs to disappear. When you delete a WordPress user, Multicollab gives you the option to assign their comments and tags to another one instead, enabling your team to seamlessly hand over and continue where it left off.

👉🏻 Powerful features, unbeatable support

Your team’s setup may have specific requirements and need attention to solve a workflow problem, fast. That’s why Multicollab premium users get email support within 24 hours, to ensure everything keeps moving smoothly and there’s nothing which can delay your content editorial calendar and team collaboration.

The team behind Multicollab is Multidots – a full-service WordPress development agency and WordPress VIP Gold Agency Partner, so you can rest assured that our support is truly second to none!

Great Solution. Fantastic Support! We were using the free version and it was already very helpful. We were very interested in the new features but concerned about price and the complexity of our specific needs. After upgrading we worked with support to customize the plugin so we can successfully support 50 contributors that use WordPress as our core editorial management system. I fully expect it to transform our editorial process. We’re very happy with the product and the company’s support.
– Charles Araujo – Co-Founder – The MAPS Institute

🔥 Try out the full features of Multicollab Premium in our demo here! 🔥
For a full list of differences between versions, please visit this link.

Screenshots

FAQ

Who is Multicollab for?

Multicollab is great for content teams of all sizes: whether it’s just two people or a team of hundreds, Multicollab ensures editorial workflows are made easier by enabling collaborative editing directly on the WordPress Gutenberg interface. If your content requires a second opinion and collaboration, Multicollab will be perfect for your needs!

Does this work with Gutenberg?

Yes! Multicollab is built to work perfectly with Gutenberg versions 8.6 to 10.7 and is consistently being updated to work with the latest versions of Gutenberg as they roll out.

Does this work with the Classic Editor?

Unfortunately, the WordPress Classic Editor isn’t as versatile as Gutenberg and isn’t as good at handling collaboration and editing. That means that Multicollab doesn’t work on the classic editor – we recommend switching to Gutenberg instead.

What is Multicollab compatible with?

We’re constantly working to improve Multicollab and make it more widely available. The plugin is currently fully compatible with Gutenberg versions 8.6 to 10.7, WordPress versions 5.6 and above, and PHP versions 7.0 or 8.0.

Which browsers does Multicollab work with?

Multicollab works seamlessly with Google Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari. We’re constantly working to add more features, so if your browser isn’t compatible, let us know!

Can I add comments in custom post types?

Yes you can! Multicollab works perfectly in posts and pages of all types, enabling you to implement an editorial workflow and collaborative editing to all types of updates you need to give your website over time.

How about user roles and permissions? How do they work?

By default, all Super Admin, Administrator, and Editor roles can view, edit, delete, reply, and resolve comments on any posts and page. Authors and Contributors can only add, edit, delete, reply, and resolve their own posts’ comments. For full control over users’ permissions, consider upgrading to Multicollab Premium.

Which Gutenberg Blocks does Multicollab work with?

Multicollab is built to work out of the box with the following Gutenberg blocks:

  • Paragraph Block
  • List Block
  • Table Block
  • Headings Block
  • Quote Block
  • Pullquote Block
  • Verse Block
  • Button Block

The following blocks are also enabled for collaboration with Multicollab Premium:

  • Image Block
  • Gallery Block
  • Cover Block
  • Audio Block
  • File Block
  • Video Block
  • Media & Text

Can I remove all comments across all articles at one go?

Multicollab is built to work exactly like you expect it to as part of your editorial workflow. This means that no, comments cannot be removed at one go, as we understand that attention needs to be given to each and every one individually during collaborative editing. Comments can only be removed by resolving the thread directly, or by deleting the individual comment, directly on the single page or post.

Similar to Google Docs, deleting all the text highlighted on which comments are added will remove all comments of that particular section of text.

I have another question. How can I get support?

Have you had a look at our documentation? We’ve covered a lot of common questions in our repository available freely here. If you’d still like help, simply open up a ticket on WordPress.org directly here and we’ll get back to you as fast as we can!

Reviews

October 4, 2022
It's hard to identify what the precise problems are when virtually everything seems not to work correctly. This program is buggier than a cheap motel, so that it's borderline unusable. Almost everything I try to do prompts multiple error messages or produces some strange effect in the text. For instance: - Multicollab prominently interferes with saving your work, so if you just love redoing work that didn't save correctly, this is the tool for you! - All the buttons are broken and will simply stop working until you refresh the page. Better hope it actually managed to save before you hit that refresh button. - There's other weird design oversights, like how it's impossible to suggest edits on lists or captions. Who doesn't love a tool that won't work on large categories of content? Believe me, I could go on. All in all, the experience is intensely frustrating, and I know it's not just me. After just a couple days of using this product in my work (at a tech company, so yeah, we understand computer programs), my whole team unanimously agreed that continuing to use Multicollab is out of the question. We're going back to Google Docs with a great sense of relief. Even if it is extra steps, at least the steps work. This is far from a market-ready product. Judging from my experience, I'd say it's barely in the user testing phase. If it were me, I'd be embarrassed to ask people to pay for such utter junk.
August 9, 2021
The plug-in an awesome. It works fantastic. It is one of the great features of our platform.
April 3, 2021 1 reply
This plugin is something I've been looking for. But sadly it's not that good yet. After a few comments, I can't mention another member again, also suddenly I can't do copy paste inside the editor. So, I chose to deactivate the plugin for now. Hopefully it gets better.
March 26, 2021 3 replies
This an easy-to-use plugin—the best one I'm aware of—for those who have an editorial process. My wife is a blogger and I'm her editor. We've only begun taking advantage of it but I wanted to offer a positive shout out.
December 9, 2020 1 reply
I added more than 10 comments and then I can't view any of it. There are many issues that need fixing. While writing the comment, the comment box keeps "flickering".
Read all 7 reviews

Contributors & Developers

“Multicollab – Google Doc-Style Editorial Collaboration in WordPress” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.

Contributors

“Multicollab – Google Doc-Style Editorial Collaboration in WordPress” has been translated into 2 locales. Thank you to the translators for their contributions.

Translate “Multicollab – Google Doc-Style Editorial Collaboration in WordPress” into your language.

Interested in development?

Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.

Changelog

3.4 – 16.05.2023

  • [Enhancement] Maintenance Release.

3.3 – 16.02.2023

  • [Enhancement] Maintenance Release.

3.2 – 03.01.2023

  • [New] Onboarding Tour when activating the plugin.
  • [Bug Fix] Activity panel and board position issue fixed.
  • [Bug Fix] Minor Fixes for notification.

3.1 – 16.11.2022

  • [Enhancement] Maintenance Release.

3.0 – 17.10.2022

  • [Enhancement] Improved @mention user experience and performance.
  • [Enhancement] Improved performance and design enhancement for floating add comment and suggestion buttons.
  • [Enhancement] Updated add comment button design.
  • [Bug Fix] Compatible with PHPCS and PHP8.

2.0.4.5 – 26.08.2022

  • [Enhancement] User can add comments using a keyboard shortcut — For Windows ctrl + alt + m && For Mac ⌘ Cmd + ⌥ Option + m
  • [Enhancement] Optimize code for @mention Feature.
  • [Bug Fix] PHP8 compatibilities warnings

2.0.4.4 – 29.07.2022

  • [Enhancement] Improvement on General Settings – User can enable/disable editorial comment column on post/page list.
  • [Enhancement] Maintenance Release.

2.0.4.3 – 27.05.2022

  • [Bug Fix] Compatible with WordPress 6.0.
  • [Enhancement] Fixed minor issues related to @mention.

2.0.4.2 – 13.05.2022

  • [Enhancement] Maintenance Release.

2.0.4.1 – 04.04.2022

  • [Enhancement] Admin can set permission for info board from the settings panel.
  • [Enhancement] Optimize AJAX request.
  • [Bug Fix] Minor fixes related to the comment board and formatting.

2.0.4 – 07.03.2022

  • [Enhancement] Security Release.

2.0.3 – 07.02.2022

  • [Enhancement] Performances improvements.
  • [Enhancement] Compatible with Table Block.
  • [Enhancement] UI improvement on comment board.
  • [Bug Fix] Github issue #45 Multicolab breaks when used with plugin HTML Editor Syntax Highlighter is fixed.
  • [Bug Fix] Github issue #40 WP-CLI plugin activation breaks due to redirect are fixed.
  • [Bug Fix] Compatible with WordPress 5.9.x.
  • [Bug Fix] Compatible with PHP 8.0

2.0.2 – 10.12.2021

  • [Enhancement] Maintenance Release.

2.0 – 26.10.2021

  • [Enhancement] Show comment icon in the main toolbar.
  • [Enhancement] User-friendly Board design.
  • [New Feature] View Summary of comments in Activity Centre.
  • [New Feature] Mention and Assign self in Comment.

1.3.8 – 12.08.2021

  • [Enhancement] Maintenance Release.
  • [Enhancement] Fixed minor issues related to email notification.

1.3.7 – 2.08.2021

  • [Enhancement] Maintenance Release.
  • [Enhancement] Fixed minor issues related to activity and settings panel.
  • [Enhancement] Made few enhancements for compatibility with Safari and Firefox browsers.
  • [Bug Fix] Compatible with WordPress 5.8.x.

1.3.6 – 24.06.2021

  • [Bug Fix] Maintenance Release and Made few enhancements.

1.3.5 – 08.06.2021

  • [Bug Fix] This Github issue #24 Block editor has encountered an unexpected error is fixed.
  • [Bug Fix] This Github issue #23 Can’t use the Enter Key to add a new paragraph is fixed.
  • [Enhancement] Maintaince Release.

1.3.4 – 03.06.2021

  • [Enhancement] Made few enhancements for compatibility with Safari Browser.

1.3.3 – 02.06.2021

  • [New Feature] Generate a link to a particular comment and share it with other team members.
  • [New Feature] Team members can see recently edited time on the comments and activity center.
  • [New Feature] Restricted multiple comments on the same word.
  • [Enhancement] If there is no comment on Page/Post, then Gutenberg editor will be center aligned.
  • [Bug Fix] This Github issue #6 related to Gutenberg Comments Panel always visible is fixed.
  • [Bug Fix] Copy & Paste issue with @mention in a comment is fixed.
  • [Bug Fix] Issue related to “Link to a comment box from activity center” on a tablet device is fixed.
  • [Bug Fix] Fixed issues related to comment formatting.
  • [Bug Fix] Old Comments not showing up on some Pages issue fixed.
  • [Bug Fix] Issue related to Deleted comments visibility in the activity center is fixed.
  • [Bug Fix] Compatible with WordPress 5.7.x.
  • [Bug Fix] Other minor fixes.

1.3.2 – 23.04.2021

  • [Bug Fix] Compatible with WordPress 5.7.1
  • [Bug Fix] Resolved jQuery issue and normal bugs

1.3.1 – 22.04.2021

  • [Bug Fix] SEO Plugins and excerpts section, content copy and paste issue are resolved

1.3.0 – 19.04.2021

  • [Enhancement] New Design and Placement of Activity Center.
  • [New Feature] Threaded comments in the activity center.
  • [New Feature] Ability to Reply, Resolve, Edit, and Delete comment or thread from the activity center.
  • [Enhancement] New Settings tab in the sidebar for post-specific comment settings.
  • [Bug Fix] Copy/paste content in the comment box is fixed.
  • [Bug Fix] Firefox @mention multiple user issues are resolved.
  • [Bug Fix] Responsive device usability updated.
  • [Enhancement] Several performances, stability, and design improvements.

1.2.0 – 19.03.2021

  • [New Feature] When you delete a WordPress user, you can assign the deleted user’s comments to other WordPress users.
  • [Bug Fix] Edit and Delete operation from the activity center were not working for a few users.
  • [Bug Fix] Do not allow whitespace on edit reply.
  • [Bug Fix] Few issues related to @mention Editor in the comment.
  • [Bug Fix] When you copy and paste a web page URL in reply, the comment was not working as expected.
  • [Bug Fix] This Github issue related to the “register_rest_route” warning error on the WordPress dashboard fixed.
  • [Bug Fix] When the “Hide All Comments” option is selected, and you click on any comment from the activity center, it didn’t bring the related comment.
  • [Bug Fix] Fixed compatibility issues related to small screen resolution like 1024×768.
  • [Bug Fix] This Github issue related to ‘custom meta fields’ is fixed.
  • [Enhancement] Made few enhancements for compatibility with Safari Browser.
  • [Bug Fix] Compatible with WordPress 5.7.x

1.1.0 – 24.02.2021

  • [New Feature] Mention Team Members in Comment and invite them to collaborate by @mentioned user name
  • [New Feature] Assign comments thread to team members
  • [New Feature] See all Page & Post comments activities in the activity center
  • [New Feature] Send email to @mentioned users in the comment.New – Send email to all users involved in the current thread.
  • [New Feature] Send an email to the assigned user.
  • [New Feature] Check open comments on each page and posts in your posts list.
  • [New Feature] Admin settings panel.
  • [New Feature] Send email notification to admin if notification enabled.
  • [New Feature] All major browser supports (Chrome, EDGE, Firefox) Note: Safari browser is not compatible with this plugin)
  • [Bug Fix] Compatible with WordPress version 5.3.6 to 5.6.2
  • [Bug Fix] Few other fixes and improvements.
  • [Bug Fix] Improve performance of the plugin
  • [Bug Fix] Checked WordPress Accessibility
  • [Bug Fix] Checked Standard WordPress security

1.0.4 – 18.12.2020

  • [Bug Fix] Compatible with WordPress 5.6.
  • [Enhancement] Characters limited for the “Comment Resolved Email” Subject.
  • [Bug Fix] HTML tags filter issue for Authors and Contributors in Multisite.
  • [Bug Fix] Few other fixes and improvements.

1.0.3 – 14.12.2020

  • [Enhancement] New Activity centre icon
  • [Enhancement] Removed Hide icon from the top bar and put it inside the Activity centre with ” Show Comment / Hide Comment”
  • [Bug Fix] Compatible with WordPress 5.6.x

1.0.2 – 09.12.2020

  • [Bug Fix] Avatars are removed from comments if disabled from WordPress settings.
  • [Bug Fix] Removed link from Comment Activity area.

1.0.1 – 05.11.2020

  • No comments popup removed

1.0.0

  • Initial Release