Creating 'Google Docs' for qualitative analysis
Qualitative analysis software should be just like using Google Docs. That means it should be easy to create a document or project. It should just work in your browser without needing to install anything. That you should be able to access your work anywhere. That it should have all the same features
My main mantra when we were designing Quirkos Web was that it should be just like using Google Docs. That means it should be easy to create a document or project. It should just work in your browser without needing to install anything. You should be able to access your work anywhere. It should have all the features of full qualitative analysis software. But most importantly, it should make collaboration really simple and interactive - so that many people can work on a project at the same time.
That last part is of course one of the things that makes Google Docs so great – when you are working on a document, a paper or spreadsheet, it's great to be able to share so easily. Just allow sharing with someone, send the link and they can view, collaborate or comment as you wish. And I really wanted to be able to work like this with qualitative analysis!
For some projects, this is so important – when you want to code with other people, get feedback and suggestions, or teach by showing how things work in an example project. This last one is really important to me, and breaking the mystique of coding qualitative data – if you can show someone what coding looks like while it's done, it can give people the confidence to start qualitative analysis, or try different coding approaches.
With Quirkos Web, that's now what we've got! A fully collaborative qualitative analysis platform, where Quirkos Cloud users can share projects with each other, work together and explore data without any limitations or extra costs.
Comparison with collaboration features in other qualitative software
Other qualitative data analysis software like NVivo and MAXQDA still doesn't let you collaborate this easily, even in 2026. NVivo still charges a $99 USD annual add-on fee* just to collaborate in real-time, rather than it being included in their basic subscription plan. With MAXQDA's only current collaboration option, you can't work on projects at the same time, and it's again a $200 USD** add-on top of an existing licence. This add-on covers a limited team of 5, and still has storage limits. Dedoose used to allow this type of browser based collaboration, but as it is Flash based, it no longer runs in the browser and needs to be installed. Atlas.ti has a browser based version with live collaboration, but it still lags behind the main version in features. Taguette is a really promising open source qualitative analysis tool, but you need to install the server version at your institution to be able to collaborate.
Quirkos Web is identical in interface to the desktop version of Quirkos, allowing you creative options to move, group, colour and re-arrange your codes as your themes and thinking develop. If you're using Quirkos Web, there is no need to update software when we add features – the version in your browser is always the most recent one. It also has a dedicated tablet and phone mode, so you can work on your projects (even coding and exploring data) in a dedicated touchscreen interface.
However, there was one thing we didn't want to copy from Google, and that's questionable data privacy. When working with confidential qualitative research, we wanted to also offer end-to-end encryption, so that no-one except you has access to the data. We don't share the data with anyone, or use any other platforms to store the data and might take a peek. There's also no tracking or analytics data on our users (even on our website), we don't share data with Facebook, Google, Amazon or anyone else. Read our privacy policy to find out more.
Anyone can try Quirkos Web and Quirkos Cloud (the subscription that powers it) for free for 14 days, and cancel at anytime. It's also probably the cheapest option for qualitative analysis software, with great student prices and extra discounts for researchers in 'developing' countries. So give it a try today, and get all the convenience and finesse of Google Docs for your qualitative analysis.
*Prices checked on 20 March 2026, and may have changed since then.
** Prices checked on 8 April 2026, and may have changed since then.