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Research · head to head

NVivo vs Terra

NVivo logo

NVivo

Research

Easy-to-use, collaborative qualitative analysis software

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Terra logo

Terra

Research

Open biomedical research platform for genomic analysis, priced only by the cloud you consume

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Terra has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: NVivo base plan pricing not displayed on shop page; requires adding to cart or contacting sales; Terra the absence of a licence fee hides the real cost driver: an idle notebook virtual machine left running overnight, or a workspace bucket full of intermediate workflow outputs, quietly consumes grant money with no vendor invoice to prompt a review.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which NVivo and Terra actually diverge.

Attributes where NVivo and Terra differ
AttributeNVivoTerra
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure

Identical on both: 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 NVivo

Nothing recorded that Terra does not also cover.

Only in Terra

  • No platform licence fee
  • Cloud pass-through billing
  • WDL workflow execution
  • Notebook environments
  • Controlled-access data
  • Workspace sharing
  • Compliance posture
  • Multi-cloud

What people use each for

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

NVivo

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

Terra

  • A genomics lab running whole-genome alignment and variant calling pipelines without provisioning or maintaining a local clusternot NVivo
  • A consortium sharing controlled-access human data across institutions where the data cannot be copied to each sitenot NVivo
  • A health system analysing patient genomic data under a HIPAA business associate agreementnot NVivo
  • A federal or federally funded project needing FedRAMP Moderate authorisation for its analysis environmentnot NVivo

Where each one falls short

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

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

Terra

  • The absence of a licence fee hides the real cost driver: an idle notebook virtual machine left running overnight, or a workspace bucket full of intermediate workflow outputs, quietly consumes grant money with no vendor invoice to prompt a review.
  • Cost governance is entirely the customer responsibility, and grant-funded groups without a cloud engineer routinely overspend before anyone reads the Google or Azure bill in enough detail to find the cause.
  • It assumes genuine bioinformatics competence: writing or adapting WDL workflows, managing data tables and debugging failed tasks are all on you, so a wet lab without computational staff cannot use it productively.
  • Feature parity between the Google Cloud and Azure deployments is not identical, so a decision on cloud provider constrains which capabilities and datasets you can reach and is expensive to reverse later.
  • It is a research platform rather than a regulated clinical system: it is not a validated GxP environment and does not carry the qualification package a diagnostic or submission workflow would require, so clinical use needs additional infrastructure and validation you provide yourself.

Pricing, plan by plan

NVivo

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the NVivo review.

Terra

Free
  • Terra platformFree
    • No charge for the platform, administration, security controls or frontline support
    • Workspaces, workflow execution and notebook environments included
    • Available on Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure
  • Cloud consumption$undefined/month
    • Google Cloud or Azure charges passed through at cost with no markup
    • Running notebook virtual machines around 0.22 USD per hour, roughly 0.027 USD per hour when paused
    • Storage billed continuously on workspace buckets and intermediate workflow outputs

Which should you pick?

Choose NVivo if

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

NVivo review

Choose Terra if

  • You need no platform licence fee.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure.
  • You also want cloud pass-through billing.
Terra review

Questions people ask

Is NVivo or Terra better?
Neither clearly leads. NVivo starts at On request and Terra at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, NVivo or Terra?
Terra has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for NVivo and Free for Terra.
Does NVivo or Terra run on more platforms?
NVivo runs on Web. Terra runs on Web, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure.
Can I use Terra for free?
Yes. Terra has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. NVivo starts at On request.
What is NVivo best used for?
NVivo is most often used for qualitative data analysis for research, document and interview coding and analysis, transcription and collaborative research projects. Of those, qualitative data analysis for research and document and interview coding and analysis are not what Terra is typically brought in for.
What can NVivo do that Terra cannot?
Terra covers No platform licence fee, Cloud pass-through billing, WDL workflow execution, Notebook environments.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
Terra: Is Terra really free?

The platform is. There is no licence fee. Everything you pay is Google Cloud or Azure compute, storage and egress, passed through at cost.

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
Terra: What actually drives the bill?

Running virtual machines and stored data. Pausing notebooks drops a virtual machine from about 0.22 to about 0.027 dollars an hour, and deleting intermediate workflow outputs is the other main saving.

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
Terra: Can I use it with protected health information?

Yes. Terra signs HIPAA business associate agreements and GDPR data processing agreements, and the Azure deployment holds FedRAMP Moderate authorisation.

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
Terra: Is it validated for clinical or GxP use?

No. It is a research platform. Regulated clinical or submission workflows need validation and controls you build yourself.

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