Grounded is a coding workspace built around constructivist grounded theory. Initial coding, focused coding, memos and categories live in one place, in the order you actually do them.
10 days free, no card required. $20/month after that, cancel anytime.
I built Grounded during my Master's thesis. I had more than 16 hours of recorded interviews to code and nothing I tried fit the method.
The first tool I used was designed around a completely different methodology and every step felt like a translation. When I gave up on it, getting my own data back out was nearly impossible. A spreadsheet was more honest but ran out of road fast.
This is the workspace I wished I'd had. The thesis got finished with it.
The workflow follows Charmaz: initial codes, focused codes, memos as you go, categories that emerge from the codes rather than being decided in advance. You should never have to bend grounded theory to fit the software.
Export transcripts, codes, categories and memos at any time, in plain formats you can open without Grounded. If you cancel, your account goes read-only and export keeps working. Nothing is held hostage.
A spreadsheet works until you need a memo attached to a code, or a single category traced across a dozen transcripts. Grounded keeps the parts of a spreadsheet that helped and gives you structure where it didn't.
$20 a month for unlimited studies, transcripts and segments. No institutional license, no per-seat quote, no yearly commitment.
Free 10-day trial, no card required.
Then Grounded Unlimited for $20/month: unlimited studies, transcripts and segments.
Cancel anytime. Your data stays readable and exportable whether or not you're subscribed.