QualiTaTi vs Skimle: research workflow and costs

QualiTaTi: Universities and research firms seeking self-serve text or voice interviews and researcher-controlled coding. Skimle: Analysis of documents, transcripts and survey responses into editable, source-linked themes, plus Skimle Ask text-chat interviews.

Updated: 2026-10-11

Published by QualiTaTi, one of the vendors compared. This is a dated review of public product documentation, not independent testing. Vendor descriptions are advertised capabilities; missing information is not evidence that a feature is absent.

At a glance

Choose by study workflow, evidence access, and total cost. There is no universal winner. Skimle: REFI-QDA export to NVivo, ATLAS.ti and MAXQDA, document anonymisation, and data stated to stay in the EU.

Qualitati is best for

Universities and research firms seeking self-serve text or voice interviews and researcher-controlled coding.

Skimle is best for

Analysis of documents, transcripts and survey responses into editable, source-linked themes, plus Skimle Ask text-chat interviews.

Qualitati vs Skimle: feature-by-feature

Feature	Qualitati	Skimle
AI interviews Checked: 2026-10-11 qualitati.com Skimle Ask launch post (2 March 2026)	AI-moderated text and voice interviews, and live AI-moderated focus groups with real participants, shared by link.	Skimle Ask: asynchronous text-chat interviews by shareable link, no respondent login. The launch post states there is no voice or avatar.
Analysing existing data Checked: 2026-10-11 qualitati.com skimle.com skimle.com/faq	Upload transcripts and documents to the QDA Workspace for manual and AI-assisted coding with source-linked references.	Analysis of documents, transcripts and survey responses into editable themes linked to quotes; transcription of audio and video uploads; 100+ languages stated.
Handoff to NVivo, ATLAS.ti, MAXQDA Checked: 2026-10-11 qualitati.com Skimle: export to REFI-QDA skimle.com/faq	REFI-QDA (.qdpx) export with codebook, cases and coded segments since 9 October 2026; CSV and Word exports.	REFI-QDA export with the code tree and quotes at exact positions; Word, PowerPoint and Excel exports.
Coder agreement Checked: 2026-10-11 qualitati.com skimle.com/faq	Optional dual-AI coding reports Cohen's kappa between two AI coders; human agreement checks can be run on the export.	The FAQ describes exporting the coding matrix, having a second coder review a sample, and calculating agreement (for example Cohen's kappa) yourself.
Anonymisation Checked: 2026-10-11 qualitati.com Skimle: anonymising documents	Option to anonymise personal information when exporting interview data.	Skimle Anonymise: pseudonymisation and anonymisation consistent across files, with an audit report.
Price and trial Checked: 2026-10-11 qualitati.com/pricing skimle.com/pricing	Free: 30 credits every month. Student €9, Researchers €19, Team €99 per month (up to 15 seats). Text interviews use 1 credit per minute, voice interviews 5.	Trial: 2 months with 200 credits. Starter €25, Expert €50, Professional €100 per month; enterprise from €80 per user. One credit is about one page, one minute of transcription or one page of anonymisation; credit use for interviews is not published.
Data location and documents Checked: 2026-10-11 qualitati.com/trust skimle.com/faq	Data stored in the EU (Amsterdam). Global AI is the default and includes US providers under Standard Contractual Clauses; EU Assurance keeps AI processing in the EU on every plan, using more credits. Public DPA and ethics kit.	The FAQ states that all data is stored in EU regions and never leaves the EU, that DPAs are provided for institutional customers, and that single-tenant and on-premises options exist for enterprise.
Evidence and exports Checked: 2026-10-11 qualitati.com/accuracy	Run the same pilot in both tools. Check transcript fidelity, source references, editable codes, and export completeness; these have not been benchmarked here.	Run the same pilot in both tools. Check transcript fidelity, source references, editable codes, and export completeness; these have not been benchmarked here.

Choose Qualitati when…

You want voice interviews or live AI-moderated focus groups, not only text chat.
You want a lower entry price, a free monthly allowance, and interviews and surveys in one workspace.

Choose Skimle when…

Your main task is analysing large volumes of existing documents or transcripts in many languages.
You need EU-only AI processing by default, or document anonymisation with an audit report.

Frequently asked questions

How should we compare study costs?

Global pricing: 30 free credits each month, non-cumulative. Team: €99/month or €990/year, up to 15 seats and 9,000 shared monthly credits. Add software, recruitment, participant incentives, analysis usage, seats, exports, taxes, and billing period. Request a written quote for anything not included in the published plan.

What should we verify before choosing?

Run the same pilot in both tools. Check transcript fidelity, source references, editable codes, and export completeness; these have not been benchmarked here. Review the privacy policy, DPA, subprocessors, retention, deletion, and data residency for your study. A feature listing does not establish certification or compliance.