Zoho launches Vani, a visual-first platform to challenge Google Workspace

Zoho Corporation has entered the visual collaboration market with the launch of Vani, a new intelligent platform designed to reshape how teams, particularly those in the small-to-midsize business (SMB) sector, brainstorm, plan, and execute projects. The platform is a direct competitor to products like Google Workspace and Miro, differentiating itself by integrating visual tools, native communication, and execution capabilities onto a single, infinite canvas.

Zoho built Vani on three core pillars: visualise, collaborate, and execute. The platform aims to move teams beyond fragmented, static tools like slide decks and spreadsheets into a dynamic workspace.

A structured approach to visual work

A key feature of Vani is its Space and Zone model, which provides structure to free-form visual thinking. Space acts as the overall folder or canvas for a project, while Zones are sub-canvases within that space. This allows different teams or phases of a project to work in parallel without interference, all while maintaining the context of the larger objective.

The primary visual tools include:

• Infinite Canvas: A workspace with no page limits, allowing teams to freely sketch, brainstorm, and build complex diagrams.
• Mind Maps and Flowcharts: Tools for connecting ideas, visualising dependencies, and mapping out customer journeys or complex workflows.
• Ready-Made Templates: A library of kits for strategy planning, social media campaigns, network diagrams, and product development helps teams start working immediately.

AI and execution capabilities

Vani moves past simple brainstorming tools by focusing on execution. The platform includes several features to streamline workflows:

• Integrated Video Meetings: Teams can launch video calls directly from the canvas, eliminating the need to switch to a third-party conferencing application like Zoom or Google Meet. This keeps the discussion rooted in the visual context.
• Asynchronous Collaboration: Features like contextual comments, voice notes, and a "Flow" function capture the journey of ideas, allowing globally distributed teams to review discussions and contribute at their own pace.
• AI-Powered Assistance: Generative AI is integrated to provide instant content creation, automatically generate structured visuals like flowcharts, and produce summaries of entire Spaces or specific elements.
• Data Integration: The platform includes DB tables to keep project tasks, metrics, and research data structured right next to the ideas they support. Deep integration with the broader Zoho ecosystem (like Zoho CRM, Zoho Projects, and Zoho Mail) and third-party apps allows teams to pull in live data and workflows directly onto the visual canvas.

For businesses, this single environment is designed to eliminate the friction of application-switching, often cited as a drag on productivity. Product teams can leave comments directly on wireframes, marketing teams can co-create campaigns with designers and copywriters, and sales teams can co-create proposals—all within one tool.

Here, Zoho's strategy seems clear: Vani's comprehensive, all-in-one approach, combined with Zoho's reputation for affordable SMB-focused pricing, positions it as a significant challenger to established global players in the workspace productivity sector.