MAXQDA
MAXQDA is desktop software for qualitative and mixed methods research, including literature reviews, content analysis, interviews, questionnaires, and focus …
What MAXQDA is
MAXQDA is desktop software for qualitative and mixed methods research, including literature reviews, content analysis, interviews, questionnaires, and focus groups. It combines qualitative and mixed methods tools with quantitative text analysis through MAXDictio and statistical analysis through Stats. Analytics Pro can import and connect Excel or SPSS data and includes descriptive statistics, crosstabs, ANOVA, independent-samples t-tests, cluster analysis, Pearson and Spearman correlations, and scale calculations. MAXQDA Transcription can transcribe audio and video in over 50 languages without a MAXQDA license, but analyzing those transcripts in MAXQDA requires a valid MAXQDA or Analytics Pro license. TeamCloud provides a protected workspace with 25GB of storage for one team lead and up to four team members per license. The desktop product runs on Windows and Mac with the same interface and functions on both. A 14-day free trial is offered for either system; there is no free plan. MAXQDA is distributed by VERBI GmbH, which describes its focus on qualitative data analysis as dating to 1989.
Good
- Qualitative and mixed methods analysis tools
- Analytics Pro connects Excel or SPSS data
- Transcription supports over 50 languages
- TeamCloud includes 25GB of storage
- Same desktop interface on Windows and Mac
Watch out
- No free plan
- Trial lasts 14 days
- Transcript analysis requires a valid MAXQDA or Analytics Pro license
- AI Assist capacity is limited
Who it suits
MAXQDA suits researchers working with documents, interviews, questionnaires, or focus groups. Teams needing shared project storage or statistical analysis can consider TeamCloud or Analytics Pro.
Verdict
MAXQDA covers several research workflows, from text analysis to statistics and transcription. Check which license is needed for transcript analysis and whether its limited AI Assist capacity fits your usage.
Plans and prices
From MAXQDA's own pricing page, checked 15 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| MAXQDA Tailwind Free Trial | Free | 7 days · 1 project · 5 documents · 20 topics per project · unlimited summary tables · 5 chat conversations · 5 reports |
| AI Assist Free | Free | Single prompts · Limited capacity for occasional use · Free add-on; page does not expose a price |
| MAXQDA Tailwind Pro | $41 a month | unlimited projects · 50 documents per project · 20 topics per project · unlimited summary tables · 100 chat conversations · 100 reports · automatic renewal; cancel anytime |
| MAXQDA | Priced on request | 1 to 20 licenses · More than 20: personalized quote · Annual subscription, 3-year license, or 5-year license; page does not expose a price |
| MAXQDA Analytics Pro | Priced on request | 1 to 20 licenses · More than 20: personalized quote · Annual subscription, 3-year license, or 5-year license; page does not expose a price |
| MAXQDA Tailwind Enterprise | Priced on request | custom license bundle for organizations |
| MAXQDA TeamCloud | — | 25GB cloud storage · 1 team lead and up to 4 team members per license · Annual subscription; page does not expose a price |
| AI Assist Premium (12 months) | Priced on request | Frequent prompts · Limited capacity for extensive use · 12 months; price not exposed on page |
| AI Assist Premium (6 months) | Priced on request | Frequent prompts · Limited capacity for extensive use · 6 months; price not exposed on page |
The facts
Each one read from MAXQDA's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- AI add-on limit
- AI Assist is available as Free or Premium; the maker says capacity is limited and unusually high or automated usage may be capacity-controlled.checked 3 Oct 2026
- AI Assist
- AI Assist provides summaries, paraphrases, code and subcode suggestions, AI coding, reports, explanations, translations and data chat.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Analysis tools
- MAXQDA supports qualitative and mixed methods analysis, quantitative text analysis with MAXDictio, and statistical analysis with Stats.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Analytics Pro
- MAXQDA Analytics Pro adds a Stats module with descriptive and inferential statistics and Excel/SPSS dataset support.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Coding
- Users can code by drag and drop, search-word autocoding, colors, symbols, emojis, keyboard shortcuts, weights and comments.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Data types
- It imports text, PDFs, transcripts, audio, video, images, spreadsheets, SPSS surveys, websites, emails, YouTube comments and bibliographic records.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Documentation
- MAXQDA publishes an online manual, a 30-page getting-started guide, videos, specialized analysis chapters, trainer network and user forum.checked 15 Oct 2026
- File-based extensibility
- Official documentation describes project, codebook, REFI-QDA, Excel, SPSS, HTML, Word, PDF and other import/export formats rather than a public programming SDK.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- Documented integrations include EndNote, Mendeley, Citavi, Zotero, SurveyMonkey, SPSS, Excel, YouTube and REFI-QDA exchange files.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Licence
- MAXQDA is proprietary commercial software rather than open-source software.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: data collection
- A GetApp reviewer says cleaning Twitter data after using the integrated import tool is difficult.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: performance and security complaints
- Trustpilot review text mentions performance problems in older versions and asks for reconsideration of security features.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: subscription change
- A G2 reviewer criticizes the end of perpetual licensing after MAXQDA 22 and prefers a permanent licence option.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: usability
- Reviewers report that the many options can feel overwhelming and that some advanced functions require substantial tutorial time.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Local AI
- AI Assist Premium can use a model running on the user's computer or organization's server, including OpenAI-compatible endpoints such as Ollama, llama.cpp or LM Studio.checked 15 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- Browser extension
- The free MAXQDA Web Collector Chrome extension saves whole pages or selections as PDFs, images or text for MAXQDA import.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: platform coverage
- A Software Advice reviewer says MAXQDA lacks Linux support and a web version, while collaboration is precarious.checked 15 Oct 2026
The company
- Company
- MAXQDA is distributed by VERBI GmbH, and the maker describes VERBI as focused on qualitative data analysis innovation since 1989.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Company history
- VERBI says the first MAX version for personal computers was released in spring 1989 and that the business remains family-owned.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Founded
- 1989checked 28 Sep 2026
- Headquarters
- Berlin, Germanychecked 28 Sep 2026
- Maker headquarters
- VERBI lists Invalidenstraße 74, 10557 Berlin, Germany as its address.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Maker legal name
- The maker is VERBI Software. Consult. Sozialforschung. GmbH, registered in Berlin as HRB 78781.checked 15 Oct 2026
Money
- Limit: price and licensing
- Software Advice reviews call the product expensive, cite restrictive licensing and object to student licences expiring after graduation.checked 15 Oct 2026
The full review of MAXQDA
MAXQDA is desktop software for qualitative and mixed methods research, best suited to researchers working with documents, interviews, questionnaires, or focus groups. Its core appeal is a broad analysis toolkit, with optional statistics and team collaboration; the trade-off is that some workflows require a higher-tier license or add-on.
Overview
MAXQDA covers literature reviews, content analysis, and qualitative analysis of interviews, questionnaires, and focus groups. It also supports quantitative text analysis through MAXDictio. That breadth makes it a strong fit when a project moves between qualitative interpretation and structured text analysis, rather than a narrow tool for one kind of research material.
Analysis is document-based, with sentiment and topic analysis supported. Entity extraction and intent detection are not. MAXQDA is an on-premise desktop product from VERBI GmbH, whose stated focus on qualitative data analysis dates to 1989.
Key features
Analysis and statistics
The MAXQDA product supports qualitative and mixed methods analysis, while MAXDictio provides quantitative text analysis. Analytics Pro adds statistical analysis and can import and connect Excel or SPSS data sets. Its tools include descriptive statistics, crosstabs, ANOVA, independent-samples t-tests, cluster analysis, Pearson and Spearman correlations, and scale calculations. This is useful for projects that combine qualitative work with statistical examination; buyers who need those methods should account for the Analytics Pro license rather than assume they are part of the core package.
Transcription
MAXQDA Transcription automatically transcribes audio and video in more than 50 languages and can be used without a MAXQDA license. Analyzing those transcripts in MAXQDA does require a valid MAXQDA or Analytics Pro license, so transcription alone does not unlock the analysis workflow.
Team collaboration and AI
TeamCloud provides a protected cloud workspace with 25GB of storage and supports one team lead plus up to four team members per license. It gives small research teams a defined collaboration option, but its seat allocation is a constraint for larger groups.
AI Assist comes in Free and Premium options. Free is positioned for occasional single prompts; Premium is for frequent prompts, but both have limited capacity, and unusually high or automated usage may be capacity-controlled. It is not a sound choice for workflows that depend on unrestricted automated prompting.
Pricing
MAXQDA has no free plan, but offers a 14-day free trial for Windows and Mac. The trial is a useful way to evaluate the desktop workflow before committing.
- AI Assist Free: free, for occasional single prompts with limited capacity.
- MAXQDA: custom pricing, with annual subscription, 3-year license, or 5-year license terms. It covers 1 to 20 licenses; more than 20 requires a personalized quote.
- MAXQDA Analytics Pro: custom pricing, with annual subscription, 3-year license, or 5-year license terms. Choose it when statistical analysis is part of the workflow.
- AI Assist Premium (6 months): custom pricing, billed for 6 months, for frequent prompts with limited capacity.
- AI Assist Premium (12 months): custom pricing, billed for 12 months, for frequent prompts with limited capacity.
- MAXQDA TeamCloud: custom pricing, billed annually, with 25GB storage and one team lead plus up to four team members per license.
Because the main product and add-on prices are custom, buyers should compare the required license term, statistics access, collaboration seats, and AI capacity before choosing a package. The free AI Assist option does not replace a MAXQDA license for transcript analysis.
Platforms
The desktop product runs on Windows and Mac, with an identical interface and functions on both systems. Deployment is on-premise. Online support, tutorials, guides, webinars, workshops, courses, and a live product demo provide ways to get help and learn the software.
Who it's for
MAXQDA is a good match for researchers who need document-based qualitative or mixed methods analysis and may also want quantitative text analysis, statistical tools, transcription, or collaboration. It is less suitable for buyers who need entity extraction or intent detection, teams larger than the TeamCloud license allocation, or users seeking a free full-featured research product.
Pros and cons
- Pro: Supports literature reviews, content analysis, interviews, questionnaires, and focus groups, making it adaptable across common research materials.
- Pro: Analytics Pro adds a substantial set of statistical methods and Excel or SPSS data connections for mixed-methods projects.
- Pro: Transcription works in more than 50 languages and does not require a MAXQDA license to use.
- Con: A MAXQDA or Analytics Pro license is still required to analyze transcripts in MAXQDA.
- Con: TeamCloud is capped at one lead and four members per license, which may not cover larger teams.
- Con: AI Assist capacity is limited, including for Premium use, and high or automated usage may be controlled.
- Con: There is no free MAXQDA plan, and the main product and most add-ons use custom pricing.
Alternatives
- Quirkos is worth comparing for buyers who want a paid research tool with a free trial and broad platform support; its Student cloud plan is $5 a month, billed paid annually.
- ATLAS.ti is another paid option with a free trial, available for Mac, web, and Windows.
- WordStat is a paid alternative with a free trial for readers considering another text-analysis product.
- Dovetail is a freemium web and API option; its Free plan includes one channel, one project, basic chat, and AI summaries.
- DiscoverText offers a free plan and trial, while its Professional plan is $99 a month and includes 100,000 Units, 25 Live Data Feeds, and one Professional Seat.
- Brandwatch Listen is a paid web and API alternative.
- CallMiner Eureka is a paid web and API alternative.
- Relative Insight is a web-based paid alternative with a free trial.
- Browse Text Analytics Software for more options in that category.
- Browse Academic Research Databases for tools focused on research literature.
- Browse Video Annotation Software for tools centered on video annotation.
Verdict
Choose MAXQDA if your research needs flexible document-based qualitative analysis and you value a path to text statistics, dedicated statistical methods, transcription, and small-team collaboration. Look elsewhere if your budget requires a free full product, your team exceeds TeamCloud’s allocation, or your workflow depends on entity extraction, intent detection, or high-volume AI prompting.
Getting started
- Open the MAXQDA website
- Choose Windows or macOS
- Start the 14-day free trial
- Install the desktop application
- Select MAXQDA, Analytics Pro, AI Assist, or TeamCloud according to your needs
Limits worth knowing
There is no free MAXQDA plan, and the trial lasts 14 days. AI Assist Free is limited to single prompts and occasional use, while TeamCloud provides 25GB for one lead and up to four members per license.
Questions
Is MAXQDA free?
No. MAXQDA is paid, with a 14-day free trial for Windows and Mac.
Which platforms does it support?
The desktop product runs on Windows and macOS with the same interface and functions.
Can it analyze statistics?
Analytics Pro adds statistics, including descriptive statistics, crosstabs, ANOVA, t-tests, cluster analysis, correlations, and scale calculations.
Can transcription work without MAXQDA?
MAXQDA Transcription can transcribe audio and video without a MAXQDA license. Analyzing those transcripts in MAXQDA requires a valid MAXQDA or Analytics Pro license.
What does TeamCloud include?
TeamCloud provides a protected cloud workspace with 25GB storage, one team lead, and up to four team members per license.