Note the date of these sites, as software changes frequently!
All the major Qualitative software packages have implemented an exchange file format allowing you to transfer your project from one software to another. We highly recommend using a software that supports the project exchange format OR that is open-source.
Free/Open Source
Convenient
Online: These make it easier to collaborate with others and offer per-month pricing, (~$10-15/month), good for shorter projects
Windows-Only
These do not seem to have any advantages over the above at this time, unless simplicity is the primary goal.
Mason does not have a site license for any Qualitative software.
It is important to distinguish between full-featured Qualitative packages and basic code-and-retrieve software. Although it is good for students to be exposed to full-featured software, the basic packages can be far easier to learn.
Among the full-featured software, NVivo is the most flexible and familiar of all the options and thus is a good choice for teaching. Thus, the Digital Scholarship Center Computer Lab has installed NVivo on all the computers in the lab and hosts classes for hands-on workshops when possible. DiSC maintains at least one license for each of the other major full-featured packages (MAXQDA, Atlas.ti, and QDA Miner), as each has special features that make it best for certain tasks.
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