As of fall, 2024, UO Libraries does not subscribe to any qualitative software. However, several new free, open source qualitative software programs have reached a level of maturity that make them a great solution for many qualitative researchers. Free and open source software projects support interoperability, prioritize community, support equity (researchers without access to funding deserve CAQDAS), and help you avoid lock-in (you can take the software with you wherever). Below is a comparison matrix to these software, followed by links to videos introducing each one.
| QualCoder | Taguette | ReQual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloud or desktop based? | Installs on your individual computer | Installs on a server or individual computer | Installs on a server or individual computer |
|
Operating System(s) |
Windows 10, 11 |
Windows |
Windows |
| File Formats (import) | Text/PDF/docx, graphic, multimedia, surveys/spreadsheet, bibliographic |
Text/PDF/doc/docx |
Plain text or copy/paste |
| File Formats (export) | csv, refqda | DOCX, PDF, HTML, Excel, CSV, sqlite | |
|
Coding |
Coding hierarchy, merge codes, autocode, auto-assign text to case, AI coding, Code co-occurrence |
Coding hierarchy, merge codes |
Code hierarchy, merge codes |
|
Searching & Filtering |
Advanced search, SQL querying |
SQL querying |
|
| Subsetting & Reporting | Several report formats, cases, attributes to subset data | Export to Excel for subsetting and reporting | |
| Analysis & Visualization | Many chart types, Graph, Code Organizer, Word cloud |
Export to Excel for pivot tables, graphs, joins to demographic data or mixed methods | Export to Excel for pivot tables, graphs, joins to demographic data or mixed methods |
| AI Integration | Via third party (Free Blablador) |
No | No |
| Data security | Data remains local (but check AI integration data security) | Data remains local if installed on a laptop/desktop | Data remains local if installed on a laptop/desktop |
| Collaboration | Not real-time, coder comparison with Kappa |
If installed on a server, you can collaborate in real-time | If installed on a server, you can collaborate |
This table draws in part from Tran, V. B. (2025, May 2). How does QualCoder compare with NVivo, ATLAS.ti, MAXQDA?. The 2025 IASSIST Workshop Series: Tools for Qualitative Research, Online. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15363745
Presented by Van Bich Tran
Webinar slides and demonstration files on Zenodo
Vicky Rampin
Webinar slides on Zenodo
Martin Hájek
This webinar is upcoming June 12th, 2025. Register at this link.
1501 Kincaid Street
Eugene, OR 97403
P: 541-346-3053
F: 541-346-3485