QualBuddyFor qualitative researchers
Local interview
transcription.
From a recording to a transcript you can work with. On your computer, with your analysis close at hand.
Keep the conversation close
Your recording
stays with you.
QualBuddy processes interview audio on your own machine. It does not upload your interviews for transcription. The Mac and Windows installers include the transcription and speaker-labelling models, ready for local processing.
How QualBuddy handles research data ↗Recording → review → analysis
Stay with
the participant.
Automatic transcription gives you a starting point. Listening, checking and interpretation remain part of your research.
- 01
Transcribe locally
Bring your interview recording into the desktop app. Local speech recognition produces a draft transcript. Optional speaker labelling helps distinguish turns and is best suited to an interviewer and one participant.
- 02
Listen and review
Play the recording alongside the transcript. Correct words and speaker labels, and check passages where a small change could alter the meaning.
- 03
Work with your method
Develop source-linked notes, experiential statements and themes in IPA, or move between codes, themes and writing in reflexive thematic analysis. Keep the supporting extracts close as your interpretation develops.
Explore the IPA workspace ↗Explore reflexive thematic analysis ↗ - 04
Bring the analysis into Word
Export DOCX analysis tables with extracts, exploratory notes and experiential statements. See an actual app export and an editable worksheet in the worked example.
Open the Word resources ↗
Listening, with context
Keep the person
in view.
Chosen speaker avatars and the recording’s coloured timeline help you follow whose turn is playing. With timing information available, spoken words and their linked annotations gently light up as you listen.
Come back to the moment.
Again returns to the sentence. Note a moment keeps an observation linked to its place in the recording. In the analysis workspace, Focus mode and a quieter listening view let you decide how much of the surrounding work stays visible.
Explore the listening and focus features ↗Before you begin
A few useful answers.
Can I transcribe interviews offline?
Transcription runs on your computer using the models included with the app. Once installed, the app can process interview audio locally without uploading it to a transcription service. Getting the app and future updates requires internet access.
Does local transcription use AI?
Yes. Automatic speech recognition uses a machine-learning model to turn speech into text. “Local” describes where that processing happens. It does not mean AI-free, and producing a transcript is different from interpreting a participant’s experience.
What do speaker labels tell me?
Optional speaker labelling helps separate turns and is best suited to recordings of an interviewer and one participant. It does not establish a person’s identity. Overlapping voices and additional speakers need particular care; review and correct labels against the recording before using them in your analysis.
Do I still need to check the transcript?
Yes. Listen back and correct the draft, including names, specialist terms and unclear passages. Decide how to represent pauses, unfinished sentences and other details in line with your research approach. QualBuddy does not promise a fixed accuracy rate.
Is a local transcript automatically anonymous?
No. Names and identifying details can still appear in the words and audio. Keeping processing local and reviewing material for disclosure are different tasks. QualBuddy supports pseudonymisation; review outputs before sharing them. Read the data and privacy information.
How do I get QualBuddy for my computer?
Choose Mac or Windows on the download page. The Mac version needs Apple silicon and macOS 26.4.1 or later. The Windows version is for 64-bit Intel or AMD PCs; Windows on ARM has not been tested.
Help shape QualBuddy
A little space
for your next study.
Try QualBuddy free for 14 days on Mac or Windows.
No card, no automatic charges.