Freedom251 › Text Analysis Software
Quirkos
What Quirkos is
Quirkos is qualitative analysis software for exploring and understanding text data. It imports Word documents, plain text, PDFs, Excel spreadsheets, and text pasted from websites or other programs. As users work, it displays codes visually and supports code groups, hierarchies, color coding, overlap views, and word clouds. Query View can search text, filter by data criteria, and compare groups of data side by side. Quirkos Cloud adds live synchronization, editing, and chat, with unlimited collaborators and collaborations at no extra fee. Projects can be exported to Excel for analysis in SPSS or R, or in REFI-QDA format for other qualitative programs. Quirkos Transcribe converts audio and video into transcripts, accepts files up to 2 GB, and includes 100 free minutes for Cloud users. Transcribe runs in the web app; its five best-supported selectable languages are English, Italian, German, Spanish, and Portuguese. Cloud plans start at $5 a month for students, billed annually. Offline licences start at $69, paid once for one computer, billed lifetime.
Who it suits
Quirkos suits researchers across disciplines who need to code, query, compare, or share qualitative material. Cloud plans include collaboration, while offline licences are available for local projects without registration or internet access.
What it does well
- Imports documents, spreadsheets, PDFs, and pasted text.
- Visualizes codes with groups, hierarchies, and overlap views.
- Cloud supports unlimited collaborators at no extra fee.
- Exports to Excel and REFI-QDA format.
- Offline licences support local projects without internet access.
What to know first
- No free plan is listed.
- Transcribe works in the web browser app.
- Transcribe’s five best-supported languages are specified.
- Transcribe requires Quirkos Cloud for its paid plan.
Limits
The free trial lasts 14 days, and there is no free plan. The Transcribe plan allows up to 50 hours of audio per month and requires Quirkos Cloud; Cloud users receive 100 free transcription minutes.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Offline Licence — 2 computers | lifetime · Quirkos 3 · offline local projects · no registration or internet access required | $110, paid once |
| Quirkos Cloud — Academic and Nonprofit | paid annually · unlimited cloud storage · live collaboration and project sharing · 100 free transcription minutes | $13 a month |
| Quirkos Transcribe | paid quarterly · up to 50 hours of audio per month · requires Quirkos Cloud | $15 a month |
| Quirkos Cloud — Public Sector | paid annually · unlimited cloud storage · live collaboration and project sharing · 100 free transcription minutes | $17 a month |
| Quirkos Cloud — Commercial | paid annually · unlimited cloud storage · live collaboration and project sharing · 100 free transcription minutes | $23 a month |
| Quirkos Cloud — Student | paid annually · unlimited cloud storage · live collaboration and project sharing · 100 free transcription minutes | $5 a month |
| Offline Licence — 1 computer | lifetime · Quirkos 3 · offline local projects · no registration or internet access required | $69, paid once |
| Quirkos Cloud | paid quarterly · unlimited cloud storage · live collaboration and project sharing · access to Quirkos Web and Quirkos 2 | $8 a month |
As quirkos.com lists them, read 29 Sept 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Getting started
- Visit the Quirkos website.
- Start the 14-day trial or choose a plan, such as a Cloud subscription or offline licence.
- Use the web app or a listed platform to access Quirkos.
- Import Word, plain text, PDF, Excel, or pasted text to begin working with material.
- For audio or video transcription, use Quirkos Transcribe in the web browser app; Cloud users receive 100 free minutes.
Verdict
Quirkos offers a visual coding and query workflow, with cloud collaboration and several export options. Its plans range from student Cloud subscriptions to lifetime offline licences, while transcription has a browser-app and language scope to consider.
Questions
How much does Quirkos cost?
Cloud — Student is $5 a month, billed annually. Cloud plans also include options at $8.00 monthly billed quarterly, $13.00, $17.00, or $23.00 monthly billed annually; the one-time lifetime offline licences cost $69.00 for one computer or $110.00 for two.
Does Quirkos have a free plan or trial?
It has no free plan, but offers a 14-day trial.
Which platforms does Quirkos support?
The listed platforms are Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, web, and Windows.
Can Quirkos be used offline?
Yes. Its offline licences include local projects and do not require registration or internet access.
What does Quirkos Transcribe include?
The Transcribe plan supports up to 50 hours of audio per month and requires Quirkos Cloud. Cloud users receive 100 free transcription minutes; Transcribe works in the web browser app and supports files up to 2 GB.
Who makes Quirkos?
Quirkos was founded in 2013, launched in October 2014, and is headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
Facts from Quirkos's own pages
- Audience and history
- Quirkos says it serves researchers across disciplines and was founded in 2013 before launching in October 2014. · quirkos.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Collaboration
- Quirkos Cloud supports live synchronization, editing, chat, and an unlimited number of collaborators and collaborations at no extra fee. · quirkos.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Exports and interoperability
- Users can export project data to Excel for analysis in SPSS or R and export in REFI-QDA format for use in other qualitative programs. · quirkos.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Founded
- 2013 · quirkos.com, 28 Sept 2026
- Headquarters
- Edinburgh, Scotland, UK · quirkos.com, 28 Sept 2026
- Import formats
- It imports Word documents, plain text, PDFs, Excel spreadsheets, and text pasted from websites or other programs. · quirkos.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Privacy
- The privacy policy says offline mode sends no project or usage data, while Cloud stores account details and project data on its servers and uses regional hosting where possible. · quirkos.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Purpose
- Quirkos is qualitative analysis software designed to help users explore and understand qualitative text data. · quirkos.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Queries
- Query View supports text searches, filters by data criteria, and side-by-side comparisons of data groups. · quirkos.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Security
- Quirkos says Transcribe encrypts audio before upload and does not share or process its transcription data with third parties or make it accessible to staff. · quirkos.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Support
- Quirkos offers email and phone support, and says its support team has experience in technical support and qualitative analysis. · quirkos.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Transcription
- Quirkos Transcribe converts audio and video into transcripts, includes 100 free minutes for Cloud users, and supports files up to 2 GB. · quirkos.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Transcription limitation
- Transcribe works in the Quirkos Web browser app, and its five best-supported selectable languages are English, Italian, German, Spanish, and Portuguese. · quirkos.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Visual analysis
- The software visualizes codes as users work and supports code groups, hierarchies, color coding, overlap views, and word clouds. · quirkos.com, 29 Sept 2026
Where Quirkos stands on Freedom251
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