ATLAS.ti vs. Dedoose vs. Delve: Comparing Top Qualitative Coding Tools
Qualitative data analysis (QDA) software helps organize your data, streamline your coding, simplify pattern recognition, and help you weave those patterns into coherent research results. It’s like having your own personal research assistant.
But choosing the best QDA software for you can be a daunting process.
ATLAS.ti, Dedoose, and Delve are three popular QDA coding tools often used by researchers in the field. This article breaks down their pros, cons, pricing, and helps you decide which option is right for you.
What is Qualitative Data Analysis Software?
Qualitative data analysis software helps you organize and analyze qualitative data like interviews, focus groups, and open-ended responses. It lets you categorize information (qualitative coding), see how that information connects, and make sense of these patterns that are hard to see by just reading alone.
Think of QDA software like a powerful search engine for words and phrases, but instead of finding websites, it reveals deeper insights within your data.
Why Use Qualitative Data Analysis Software?
Qualitative research tends to rely on large, complex datasets. Making sense of that information can be intimidating and time-consuming. QDA tools help you tackle the messy side of organizing, coding, and analyzing your materials. They also aid qualitative collaborative analysis, peer-debriefing, and reflexivity.
Choosing the Best QDA Tool For You
No two QDA tools are the same. It is important to find the right option for your project needs, scope, budget. Here are a few ways to organize that decision process:
Coding Tools: Consider what functionalities you need. Do you just need a simple coding assistant or advanced features like intercoder reliability scores and data visualization?
Learning Curve: Are you a seasoned researcher or a newcomer to qualitative analysis? Opt for a tool that matches your expertise level. And that doesn’t require a huge amount of time to learn.
Collaboration Features: For team projects, find a tool that simplifies collaboration. It should adapt to different devices and simplify the rising demands of remote research.
Budget: Budget tends to be particularly important for students. You need a tool that meets all your coding requirements without burning a hole in your pocket.
Now, let's take a closer look at ATLAS.ti, Dedoose, and Delve.
Dedoose vs ATLAS.ti vs. Delve
While Dedoose, ATLAS.ti, and Delve offer some common functions, they differ in terms of user-friendliness, feature set, price, and other ways. Here’s a little background on each option:
Dedoose Overview
Founded in 2006, Dedoose is a web-based QDA platform known for its powerful coding tools and ability to handle large datasets. While manageable for most beginners, some users report finding its interface less intuitive than some competitors.
Dedoose scores average in streamlining tedious project and data management tasks. It does come with collaborative tools functionality but is prone to errors when updating shared project files.
Being web-based, Dedoose requires an internet connection, which is ideal for remote collaboration. There is no offline desktop option available but this isn’t a deal breaker for most users.
Best For
Mixed multimedia research projects, particularly those involving video or photo datasets.
Researchers who are willing to invest time in learning robust coding tools.
Licensing Model
Web-version only.
Price
Base $220/year (various plans with different features).
Student pricing available.
ATLAS.ti Overview
An old-timer in the QDA field, ATLAS.ti has been around for over 20 years. It offers powerful features catering to various qualitative research methods like grounded theory, thematic analysis, and discourse analysis. While it is a fairly reliable QDA tool, ATLAS.ti's web version offers limited features compared to its desktop counterpart.
Its sophisticated functionality outshines many competitors but comes with a caveat: learning the ropes can be time-consuming and confusing. The process can be downright overwhelming for novice researchers who may not need all the bells and whistles in the first place.
Best For
In-depth research projects: ATLAS.ti's power and sophistication shine in complex studies. It caters best to experienced researchers with a firm grasp of qualitative analysis.
Licensing Model
Desktop (device-specific): Requires updates and upgrades for full functionality.
Web (limited functionality): A more affordable option, but lacks some features and doesn't sync with the desktop version, limiting mixed-team projects.
Pricing
$895+/year (varying plans with different features)
Delve Overview
Delve shines as a user-friendly CAQDAS tool ideal for beginners and budget-conscious researchers. Its intuitive interface, web-based platform (like a QDA-focused Google Drive!), and collaborative features make it a top choice for those new to qualitative data analysis. Plus, affordability is a key advantage, with academic discounts and flexible pricing options.
Delve's strengths lie in its user-friendliness, collaboration features, and convenient analysis tools like intercoder reliability scores. However, advanced data visualization like word clouds is limited. This shouldn't deter most novice users, as Delve prioritizes core functionalities and continuously updates based on user feedback.
Best For
Students and researchers new to qualitative data analysis
Teams seeking collaborative analysis capabilities
Budget-conscious researchers
Anyone who values ease of use and affordability
Licensing Model
100% web-based (no installations or updates needed)
Annual or monthly subscriptions
Academic discounts available
Price
$432/year (with annual discount)
$50/month (commercial pricing)
$18 / month or $200 / year (with academic discount)
Here’s a table for quick reference:
| Feature | ATLAS.ti | Dedoose | Delve |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ease of Use | Sophisticated | Less intuitive than some competitors | Intuitive for beginners |
| Base Pricing | $895+/year | $220/year | $432/year (with annual discount) |
| Education Pricing | $120+/year (web-app with limited features) | $156/year | $200/year |
| Upgrades | $1397+/year (full features with collaboration) | No upgrade required | No upgrade required |
| Customer Support | Poor | Poor | Excellent |
| Best For | Experienced researchers who need a sophisticated coding tool | Mixed multimedia research projects | Students and researchers new to qualitative data analysis |
| Flexible Contracts | No | No | Yes |
User Reviews: Dedoose vs. ATLAS.ti vs. Delve
Now let’s see how real users talk about their experiences with each of these QDA tools. You can find
Pricing
❌ What Customers Say About Dedoose
“If you are looking to commit to a project, for longer periods of time, there are other, more affordable options.” Read more.
❌ What Customers Say About ATLAS.ti
“Student licenses are valid for only 2 year and will expire. If you are a grad student who expends hundreds of hours on coding and analyzing your data with AtlasIT, you'll find that you are unable to continue to work on your project after you graduate unless you buy a commercial license. The expenses will add up rapidly. Student licenses should not expire and prevent users from continuing to work with their data using their purchased version of the software.” Read more.
✅ What Customers Say About Delve
“Delve is less expensive than other options and easier to use.” Read more.
“Very reasonably priced.” Read more.
“The education pricing is so inexpensive that Delve would be highly appropriate for students just learning how to code as well as seasoned researchers. It's also flexible enough that you only pay for the time that you're using the program - in my case I used it all the time at first, then paused my membership and reopened it when I had new data and analysis to do.” Read more.
Collaboration
❌ What Customers Say About ATLAS.ti
“The functionality for teams is CLUNKY! Not easy to work together at all in my opinion.” Read more.
✅ What Customers Say About Dedoose
“Dedoose allows you to work together on a project simultaneously.” Read more.
✅ What Customers Say About Delve
“Delve is very easy to learn and use individually or as a team. Using Delve has shortened our time to process text for coding and organizing for presentations. Used with time codes, it can also shorten video editing times. We've used several other products and found Delve to be a perfect complement to our workflow.” Read more.
“We were up and running with Delve within minutes. It was very intuitive to use, with very quick setup. We were able to easily collaborate and facilitate our thematic analysis process without a steep learning curve and at a very reasonable price.” Read more.
“Wonderful user interface and coding process, loved how easy it is to collaborate with others.” Read more.
User Interface
❌ What Customers Say About Dedoose
“I do not like how the home page of Dedoose is actually quite hard to navigate when you first start using it. There are a lot of components, features, and things going on with the home page dashboard. And there are multiple tabs as well. This setup makes it a bit hard for someone who is new to using Dedoose and needs to figure out how to navigate through the tabs.” Read more.
❌ What Customers Say About ATLAS.ti
“It is difficult to use because of the multiple buttons on its entrance platform. In addition, making interpretations can be complicated if you do not handle it frequently.” Read more.
✅ What Customers Say About Delve
“The UI is very straightforward and simple to use. Coding text is very easy and tags are automatically compiled into a list for easy access. You can navigate/sort your transcripts by code, meaning it's easy to cross reference.” Read more.
“I continue to be impressed by the ease of use and the many ways I can integrate the coding and quotes into my dissertation.” Read more.
“Feature set is very intuitive to learn and start using right away. Interface makes it very easy to construct codes, highlight and code text and view excerpts in different ways. Being able to code as little as a word or as much as a paragraph (or multiple paragraphs) results in more robust coding. Knowing that I can focus solely on coding and let the platform categorize the data for me means coding takes much less time than doing it by hand. Once I have coded everything, I can then view the data in different ways, start my analysis and find the story.” Read more.
“Other tools that I have used can be pretty elaborate, but they are clunky and don't follow an intuitive design. Delve was definitely built with the end user in mind.” Read more.
“It is easy to use, doesn't take a long time to pick up on how to use it, there are handy videos also to help you and it is a well thought out and efficient piece of software well worth using as a student or researcher.” Read more.
Training & Tutorials
❌ What Customers Say About ATLAS.ti
“The YouTube videos explaining how to use Atlas.ti are TERRIBLE.” Read more.
❌ What Customers Say About Dedoose
“Needs a better training system. It is very hard to learn how to use, having an example project is not enough training.” Read more.
✅ What Customers Say About Delve
“The easy step-by-step tutorials are a wonderful resource.” Read more.
“The webinars Delve offers on coding were invaluable to my own coding process.” Read more.
“It has very good tutorials that explain in detail how to use the product. Also, the tutorials are short so you don't have to spend lots of time to understand how the tool works. This aspect was very important for me, as I didn't had lots of time to work with the data.” Read more.
“Delve offers a training course and a follow along training to help beginners who are coding for the first time.” Read more.
“I liked the tutorial videos about research methods, very accessible!” Read more.
“I love the educational videos and pages complete with references!” Read more.
Lost Work vs. Reliability
❌ What Customers Say About Dedoose
“More often than not, you get some very slow system to work with. It is as if the software itself is slow and 'heavy.' I have lost some progress because of not having a save button.” Read more.
“I always get user errors and sometimes that software does not work well in general. I find it more frustrating to use as compared to other qualitative software. ” Read more.
“I've lost all of my codes. 748 qualitative responses from a recent survey, GONE in the blink of an eye.” Read more.
❌ What Customers Say About ATLAS.ti
“Crashes and loses data! After reporting, the problem has not been fixed…” Read more.
✅ What Customers Say About Delve
“Since I use the software to analyze my data directly through the website, I don't need to worry about losing my progress when my computer breaks down. It happened several times during my dissertation, but the work on Delve was always perfectly saved.” Read more.
Customer Support
❌ What Customers Say About Dedoose
“I have had a lot of trouble with customer service. They do not answer the phone so you can not talk to a live person. It takes them days to respond to emails. Frankly, it has disrupted my research.” Read more.
❌ What Customers Say About ATLAS.ti
"Worst customer support I've ever experienced!" Read more.
✅ What Customers Say About Delve
“The customer support is superb! Support from Delve was so responsive, I was extremely pleased with the level of services I received.” Read more.
“There is an extensive resource library for questions/how to's but also highly responsive customer service if you need help.” Read more.
“One of the things that I like most about this software is that the support team is incredibly responsive and helpful. They answer questions quickly.” Read more.
Learning Curve
❌ What Customers Say About ATLAS.ti
“This software requires specific training and a learning curve to assimilate its features and get the most out of it.” Read more.
❌ What Customers Say About Dedoose
“Setting up a project is a massive time sink. The onerous process has catalyzed many many many moments of procrastination and frustration and searching for an alternative.” Read more.
✅ What Customers Say About Delve
“Delve has made coding qualitative data so simple and fast. The user-friendliness makes it a must-have for any qualitative researcher.” Read more.
“Delve was very easy to use and it was quick to pick up. All of the functions I used were user-friendly and perfect for my research project.” Read more.
“There is no steep learning curve involved. You simply upload or paste your transcripts and start coding.” Read more.
What You Get with Delve QDA Coding Software
Delve is an ideal alternative to Dedoose, ATLAS.ti, and other QDA coding tools. Let’s refer back to the section on how to assess a QDA tool to show why it stands out from the pack.
User-Friendly Interface for Quick Start
Delve users appreciate its intuitively user-friendly nature, avoiding the need for weeks of learning required by other QDA software. Design-wise, you won’t find a simpler interface.
Easy-to-Follow Educational Videos
Delve also has easy-to-follow videos and a free online course that teaches you how to do qualitative methodologies while using Delve. These are great for beginners to qualitative research and students embarking on these methods for the first time.
Effortless Project Sharing
Collaborative qualitative research demands efficient tools that make it easy to work as part of a team. Delve's sharing function simplifies project sharing with co-researchers and peer-reviewers. You can manage users and roles with ease to put you in total control of who sees your work.
Can Edit: Full project access for content addition, coding, memos, and inviting others, requiring an active subscription.
Can View: Project viewing without editing rights, free without a subscription.
Memos Made Simple
Analytical memos are a great way to organize your work and engage with your data. Delve’s memo feature lets you record brief notes during data gathering, coding, or data analysis.
Reliable Intercoder Scores
Delve simplifies the coding process by providing reliable intercoder reliability scores. You save time from manual calculations but also enhance the accuracy and consistency of your qualitative analysis. With Delve, you can trust that your coding process is efficient and reliable.
Code Descriptions for Coding Alignment
Delve code descriptions let you jot down thoughts directly within the code detail page. Or share them with co-researchers. After that, each code description is within the context of all the quotes that led to it, tracing notes back to the moment in research that inspired you to write it down.
Side-By-Side Coding Comparisons
Delve coding comparisons foster collaborative coding on the same transcript, allowing users to compare coding approaches without initially seeing each other's work. You can code separately from your team and then view side-by-side comparisons of everyone’s coding decisions.
Help You Can Count On
Delve users give the highest marks for customer service. Whether by email or live chat, the responsive support team is there to help whenever you encounter questions or challenges. You get timely support with fewer delays so that your research proceeds on schedule.
Qualitative Analysis Learning Center
Qualitative analysis can be complicated. Delve makes it easy to learn about the process. Whether you need coding tips, Delve YouTube tutorials, or introductions to qualitative research methods, Delve's Learning Center provides the information you need to tackle your research project.
No-charge Account Pause
Delve recognizes the financial constraints faced by students and members of academia. Our budget-friendly policy lets you pause or cancel your account as needed. Research and student life is stressful enough so Delve provides peace of mind as you manage your time and expenses.
Made for Remote Research and Collaboration
Remote research is becoming the norm these days. Having research tools that facilitate this mode of work is essential. With Delve’s web-based software, you aren’t tethered to a single location. The tool meets the demands of modern research practices with features that improve remote collaboration.
Operates the Same On All Operating Systems
Delve ensures consistent performance on all operating systems, eliminating compatibility concerns. Whether on Windows, macOS, or Linux, Delve offers a seamless transition between devices. No matter where you are or what device you use, you can easily code with Delve.
Delve QDA Software for Better Research
For those in search of a user-friendly, collaborative, and budget-conscious QDA coding tool, Delve proves to be a top choice. It is practical, accessible, and efficient, largely because the founding team are former researchers themselves.
Take advantage of the 14-day free trial to see how Delve makes a difference in your research.
Qualitative analysis doesn't have to be overwhelming
Take Delve's free online course to learn how to find themes and patterns in your qualitative data. Get started here.
