Zoho Vani Is the One Tool That Finally Gets How Small Business Teams Actually Work

Meet Zoho Vani.

At Zoho’s SMZ25 event, I sat in a room with more than 60 small business owners and watched something rare happen: a software demo that didn’t just pitch us—it involved us. We weren’t talked at. We were handed a tool and invited to help build it. That tool? Vani — Zoho’s brand-new intelligent visual collaboration platform. And after using it in real time while they gathered our feedback, I can confidently say this:

Vani is what happens when visual thinking, real collaboration, and artificial intelligence finally meet in one canvas.

This isn’t another task manager with sticky notes. It’s a complete reimagining of how small business teams brainstorm, plan, and execute—without bouncing between Slack, Zoom, Trello, and Docs.

Zoho Vani a Brand-New Tool Just for This

This isn’t a feature baked into an old Zoho app. Vani is an entirely new division of Zoho Corporation. Launched October 1, 2025, Vani was designed to help small and mid-sized teams ditch fragmented tools in favor of what Zoho calls shared visual intelligence.

That means your entire team can think, design, strategize, and talk—all inside one infinite canvas.

Why “Vani”?

When I asked about the name, Zoho’s Aarthi Elizabeth Anbu smiled. “Vani is another name for Saraswati, the Indian goddess of knowledge,” she explained. “It’s where knowledge begins. Where brainstorming starts.”

Fitting. Because the second you log into Vani, it feels like a space where smart ideas can finally take shape.

The Three Core Pillars of Vani

Vani is built around three intuitive pillars:

1. Visualize

This is the “think out loud” space. Use mind maps, sticky notes, diagrams, or just type freely. Whether you’re mapping out a social campaign or wireframing a client project, it’s all on one screen.

2. Collaborate

Comment on anything. Drop a voice note. Pin a reaction. Or hit “Start Catchup” to instantly jump into a video call right where the work is happening. It’s like being in the same room—without the overhead.

3. Execute

Turn plans into action. Assign tasks, connect databases, build structured workflows, and link to your drives—Zoho or otherwise. It’s where ideas go to become deliverables.

What Makes Vani Different?

Spaces and Zones

Spaces are like digital war rooms for your projects. Inside each Space, you create Zones — sub-canvases for different departments, phases, or collaborators. Everyone can work in parallel without stepping on toes.

AI That Works With You

Let’s talk about Zia, Zoho’s built-in AI. During our live focus group, we entered feedback as Zoho team members asked us questions. But here’s the magic: Zia instantly analyzed that feedback, grouped themes, and created summaries—live.

You can ask Zia to:

• Create a flowchart based on sticky notes
• Summarize all team comments in a Zone
• Suggest next steps based on what’s on the canvas

Vani isn’t just a workspace. It’s a thinking partner.

Small Business Use Cases You’ll Love

Plan a Product Launch

Use Zoho Vani templates and kits to lay out your timeline, assets, tasks, and email campaigns. Build workflows, assign deadlines, and discuss progress—all on the canvas.

Run Client Strategy Sessions

No more sending over 7 files and 3 links. Just invite clients to their own Zone. Brainstorm, map funnels, write copy, and even record your call—right there.

Organize Content Creation

Start with a mind map, drop in blog post ideas, assign social captions to your VA, and request reviews. Zia can auto-summarize the strategy for your next planning call.

Build SOPs and Onboarding

Drag in your tools and links. Use templates to visualize the onboarding path. Add voice walkthroughs for context. You’ll never explain it twice.

Comparison: Zoho Vani vs. Other Whiteboarding Tools

Let’s not pretend you haven’t tried Miro, Mural, or LucidSpark. But Vani isn’t just different; it’s built for how SMBs actually collaborate.

Vani vs Miro

Miro is great for enterprise-level whiteboarding, but it can get overwhelming fast. Its free plan limits canvases, and AI tools are capped unless you upgrade. Vani offers unlimited shared canvases even in the free plan and provides integrated AI with no credit limits. Plus, Vani includes native video meetings—no toggling between apps.

Zoho Vani vs Mural

Mural is strong in UX and design thinking workflows but lacks tiered canvases. Vani’s Spaces and Zones offer far better organization, especially for teams working across departments. Mural’s AI capabilities only come in higher plans, whereas Vani builds AI right into the base model.

Zoho Vani vs Lucidspark

Lucidspark is solid for diagramming and has a trusted brand, but it doesn’t include native video meetings or structured workflow tools. Vani, on the other hand, merges brainstorming with execution and adds native video + task capabilities.

Zoho Vani vs Creately

Creately comes close with its data linking and basic visual tools, but it limits elements in its free plan and lacks a strong AI partner. Vani provides unlimited access to its AI and richer templates and kits tailored for sales, marketing, and operations.

Overall Verdict

If you’re a small team or solopreneur who wants to collaborate without the chaos of juggling five different tools, Vani offers the best combination of power, simplicity, and pricing. Especially for those looking for AI-enhanced whiteboarding tools, Vani is not only more flexible—it’s smarter.

Pricing That Doesn’t Punish Small Teams

• Free Plan: Ideal for freelancers or solopreneurs
• Team Plan: $5/user/month for growing teams
• Business Plan: $10/user/month for full power

You won’t need a 90-day onboarding or a systems integrator to make this work. Just log in and start collaborating.

Final Verdict: A Canvas for Real Collaboration

Vani is the tool you’ve wanted but didn’t think existed. It replaces half your tech stack, saves hours of email ping-pong, and brings ideas to life faster than anything else I’ve seen.

If you’re running a business with even one other person—get Vani. If you’re juggling tools and getting nowhere—get Vani. If you want a shared brain for your team that doesn’t cost a fortune or require a PhD to use—get Vani.

It’s live now at vanihq.com. You’ll be amazed at what your team can do with one canvas, one tool, and zero friction.

Unlock unbeatable value with Zoho One—all-in-one marketing, sales, and collaboration tools built for small business growth. Start smarter, scale faster.