Quirkos
Don’t want to install Quirkos? Drop the file here.
The first 20 minutes of any recording are transcribed free: a recording up to 20 minutes transcribes in full, a longer one is previewed, and a pack from $6 (500 minutes) transcribes the rest and opens every export, and credits never expire.
Visual qualitative coding for thematic analysis, with transcript import.
Best for phD students and small research teams that need an affordable, visual alternative to NVivo / ATLAS.ti. Pricing: subscription.
What it is
Quirkos is a UK-built visual qualitative-coding tool from a former University of Stirling researcher. Researchers import transcripts and code them with a bubble-cluster UI; no ASR is built in.
Watch out for: No native transcription; relies on imported transcripts.
What people actually do with Quirkos-style transcription
The tool is the means. These are the jobs — each one priced at published rates, each one wired up on its own page.
Features
| Speaker diarization | No |
| Word-level timestamps | No |
| Streaming / real-time | No |
| Languages supported | None |
| HIPAA eligible | No |
Quirkos vs Whipscribe
| Feature | Quirkos | Whipscribe |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Desktop apps | Transcription APIs |
| Pricing | subscription | $6–$24 one-time packs (credits never expire) · first 20 minutes free |
| Speaker identification | — | Named in the summary, key quotes and chapters |
| Word timestamps | — | Yes |
| Streaming | — | No |
| Languages | — | 99 |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | Web, API, MCP |
Alternatives to Quirkos
Frequently asked about Quirkos
How much does Quirkos cost?
Quirkos is a paid product. Pricing changes; verify on the vendor's own page before budgeting.
Does Quirkos work on Mac, Windows and Linux?
Quirkos runs on Windows, macOS and Linux.
How do I get started with Quirkos?
There is nothing to install — Quirkos is used in the browser. Create an account on the vendor's site and upload or connect your audio.
Does Quirkos identify different speakers?
No. Quirkos does not label speakers; a conversation comes back as one continuous text. If you need speaker labels, that is a separate tool or a different service.
Does Quirkos give word-level timestamps?
No — Quirkos produces segment or sentence timing only, so subtitle cues can land mid-word.
Can Quirkos transcribe live audio?
No — Quirkos works on finished files, not a live stream.
Is Quirkos HIPAA compliant?
Quirkos does not claim HIPAA compliance. For PHI, run it on infrastructure you control or choose a service that will sign a BAA.
What are the limitations of Quirkos?
No native transcription; relies on imported transcripts.
Who is Quirkos best for?
PhD students and small research teams that need an affordable, visual alternative to NVivo / ATLAS.ti.
Does Quirkos run offline?
Quirkos runs on your own machine as a desktop app. Check whether the model runs locally or calls a cloud service — some desktop tools do both.
Can I use Quirkos in the browser?
No — Quirkos is a Windows, macOS and Linux application, not a web app. You install it rather than sign in to it.
What kind of tool is Quirkos?
In this directory Quirkos is filed under qual research as a desktop app.
What are the alternatives to Quirkos?
There is a side-by-side page at /tools/quirkos-alternatives comparing Quirkos with the closest tools in the same category on price, platform and features.
Can I automate Quirkos-style transcription without running it myself?
Yes. If what you want is transcripts rather than the tool itself, Whipscribe does the same job as a hosted API: submit a file or URL, poll a job id, pull the result as txt, json, srt, vtt or docx. $0.012 a minute — about $0.72 an audio hour — bought as credits that never expire. The automation recipes on this site show it wired to Drive folders, Zoom recordings, S3 buckets and no-code platforms.
How is Whipscribe different from Quirkos?
Quirkos is something you run; Whipscribe is something you call. Recordings are transcribed on our own servers and never used for training, and every job returns five formats plus an AI summary, quotes and topics. The first 20 minutes of any recording are transcribed free, and a pack from $6 (500 minutes) transcribes the rest and opens every export.
Whipscribe is a hosted transcription service. If you want transcripts without running infrastructure, paste a URL or drop a file in the form below — you'll have a transcript in seconds.
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Long recording to get through?
One file up to 10 hours, as an upload or a link: see how to transcribe an MP3 of any length, how to transcribe a podcast and an SRT subtitle file from any recording.
Rather have it done for you?
Free tools cost setup time. When you want a finished transcript instead: see an honest roundup of the best transcription services, cheap transcription services and the real cost per hour and how our transcription services work.