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Research · head to head

Condens vs NVivo

Condens logo

Condens

Research

UX research repository for storing, tagging and sharing qualitative study findings

From
€15/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
NVivo logo

NVivo

Research

Easy-to-use, collaborative qualitative analysis software

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Condens the gap between the 15 euro Lite plan and the 500 euro Business plan has nothing in it, so a team adding a second and third researcher jumps roughly thirtyfold in cost at exactly the point budget scrutiny arrives.; NVivo base plan pricing not displayed on shop page; requires adding to cart or contacting sales
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Condens and NVivo actually diverge.

Attributes where Condens and NVivo differ
AttributeCondensNVivo
Starting price€15/monthOn request
Pricing modelPer contributor per monthquote

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Research).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Condens

  • Automatic transcription
  • Highlight and tag
  • Theme clustering
  • Insight pages
  • Participant profiles
  • Search across studies
  • Viewer seats
  • Video clip reels

Only in NVivo

Nothing recorded that Condens does not also cover.

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Condens

  • A solo researcher at a 40-person product company building a searchable evidence base for 15 euros a monthnot NVivo
  • A European enterprise research team that needs GDPR-oriented data handling to clear internal procurementnot NVivo
  • A team wanting product managers to click from a stated insight straight to the participant clip that supports itnot NVivo
  • A researcher inheriting years of interview recordings and needing them transcribed, tagged and searchable in one placenot NVivo

NVivo

  • Qualitative data analysis for researchnot Condens
  • Document and interview coding and analysisnot Condens
  • Transcription and collaborative research projectsnot Condens

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Condens

  • The gap between the 15 euro Lite plan and the 500 euro Business plan has nothing in it, so a team adding a second and third researcher jumps roughly thirtyfold in cost at exactly the point budget scrutiny arrives.
  • Lite includes no viewer seats at all, which defeats the main purpose of a repository: anyone outside the research team who wants to read a finding has to be paid for as a contributor or sent a static export.
  • Cross-project participant profiles are capped at 25 on Lite, so a solo researcher doing longitudinal work with a recurring panel outgrows the entry tier on that limit rather than on seats.
  • As a bootstrapped fifteen-person company it ships AI synthesis, automatic theme extraction and moderated-interview features more slowly than venture-funded rivals, so teams that want the repository to do the analysis rather than organise it will find it behind.
  • It is a repository, not a research platform: recruitment, panel management, unmoderated testing and survey fielding all live elsewhere, so it adds a subscription rather than consolidating one.

NVivo

  • Base plan pricing not displayed on shop page; requires adding to cart or contacting sales
  • Volume licensing (10+ seats) requires sales contact only
  • No free version available, only trials without specified duration

Pricing, plan by plan

Condens

€15/month
  • Lite$15/month
    • 1 contributor included, additional contributors 15 euros each
    • No viewer seats
    • Unlimited projects, transcription hours and storage
  • Business$500/month
    • 5 contributors included, additional contributors 85 euros each
    • Unlimited viewers
    • Unlimited participant profiles and folders
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Minimum 5 contributors
    • Custom contributor rates
    • Unlimited viewers

NVivo

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the NVivo review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Condens if

  • You need automatic transcription.
  • You also want highlight and tag.
Condens review

Choose NVivo if

Nothing in the data separates NVivo from Condens on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

NVivo review

Questions people ask

Is Condens or NVivo better?
Neither clearly leads. Condens starts at €15/month and NVivo at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Condens or NVivo?
Condens starts at €15/month and NVivo at On request.
Does Condens or NVivo run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Condens best used for?
Condens is most often used for a solo researcher at a 40-person product company building a searchable evidence base for 15 euros a month, a european enterprise research team that needs gdpr-oriented data handling to clear internal procurement, a team wanting product managers to click from a stated insight straight to the participant clip that supports it, a researcher inheriting years of interview recordings and needing them transcribed, tagged and searchable in one place. Of those, a solo researcher at a 40-person product company building a searchable evidence base for 15 euros a month and a european enterprise research team that needs gdpr-oriented data handling to clear internal procurement are not what NVivo is typically brought in for.
What can Condens do that NVivo cannot?
Condens covers Automatic transcription, Highlight and tag, Theme clustering, Insight pages.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Condens: Is there a free plan?

No, only a 15-day trial on any tier with no card required.

NVivo: How much does NVivo cost?

NVivo pricing is not displayed on the public website. Base plan pricing varies by subscription type and region. Individual/small teams can purchase directly through shop.lumivero.com, while organizations with 10+ licenses must contact sales for quotes.

Source
Condens: Can stakeholders read findings without a licence?

Only on Business and above, where viewer seats are unlimited. Lite has none.

NVivo: What are NVivo add-on costs?

NVivo AI Assistant costs $250 per year. Transcription costs $499 per year (50 hours annually) or $30 one-time (60 minutes). Collaboration Cloud for team sharing costs $99 per year.

Source
Condens: Is transcription metered?

No. Transcription hours, storage and project count are unlimited on every plan; participant profiles and folders are what the tiers restrict.

NVivo: Does NVivo offer a free version?

No free version of NVivo is available. Free trials are available at the product website, though trial duration is not specified. Individual users can purchase licenses directly through lumivero.com.

Source
Condens: Where is data hosted?

Condens is a German company with an explicitly GDPR-oriented setup, which is a common reason European enterprises shortlist it.

NVivo: Is NVivo AI Assistant included in subscription?

No, NVivo AI Assistant is a paid add-on costing $250 per year. However, through August 18-September 15, 2026, AI Assistant is free with annual NVivo + AI subscriptions using code BTSAI100.

Source
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