Starting a business is hard. Starting a business without a large surplus of startup cash is harder. Making things easier are project collaboration programs. These programs come in all shapes and sizes ranging from online applications to downloadable software. The goal of any good project collaboration software is clear: to make your business life easier. Most of these programs can be purchased for a minimal one-time fee or some kind of yearly fee.

Basecamp -- $40 Per Month

Basecamp was once at the top of all business lists. In fact, Basecamp was one of the original group collaboration applications. Basecamp still provides a great service to businesses large and small, though membership fees have recently doubled. Fees aside, Basecamp provides a relatively easy to use interface, simple graphics, and a great virtual meeting place for everyone involved in a company project. If you’re looking for a basic collaboration application, Basecamp is worth a try.

CubeTree -- $3 Per Month

If you’re familiar with social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, then CubeTree will be a perfect fit. This project collaboration tool was created and fashioned after popular social networking sites, so that you can ease right into the CubeTree interface. Companies can create entire project collaboration webs complete with individuals “walls” and pages. CubeTree will work great with any company model, but it is especially useful for those companies that have project collaborators spread across continents or zip codes.

Socialtext -- $30 Per Month

Socialtext is a very specific project collaboration and project management tool. This program is ideal for marketing, brainstorming, keeping tabs on competitors, and strategizing. Socialtext also comes with a very appealing interface that makes learning how this tool ticks a snap. If you’re currently working on a large project that involves a few key experts, Socialtext is the collaboration tool you’ve been looking for. The one drawback to Socialtext is that this tool gets slightly confusing when too many people are involved. Then again, involving too many people in any project often results in disaster!

WizeHive -- $9 to $49 Per Month Depending On Plan

WizeHive is sets itself apart from all the other collaboration tools out there by incorporating a real-time chat tool into its interface. This tool allows project collaborators to work together on a project regardless of geographical location. WizeHive also presents a clean interface that anyone can easily and quickly adapt to. Customization options do exist, but these options won’t interfere with basic collaborations. For all that is included with WizeHive, this tool is one of the best project collaboration tools on the market.