NVivo

Pros: I like the ability to organize the data. I have used this software with other researchers (we did interviews), and it allows us to efficiently and effectively organize our date.

Cons: I always feel like there could be more features, but there are plenty that help us to be able to create and organize codes. I also wish coding software was cheaper, especially for those who work at smaller institutions with not as many resources as large institutions. Still, I am thankful I have options.

Pros: Able to code and color code nodes throughout qualitative work. Able to duplicate code trees in empty projects for validity and multiple people working in the same coding tree. Able to merge similar projects. Also, printing a branch/nodes with all of the relevant excerpts direct from the software - it's a feature I have not found in any other qualitative application

Cons: The only drawback is the cost. For multi-person projects, each person needs to purchase a license. That can add up fast.

Pros: Once I understood the basics of NVivo, coding transcripts was intuitive and actually fun. I used my mouse to highlight and drop coded sections into the various coding folders or buckets. The feature that allows the user to view all the coded sections is color coded which allows for ease of review.

Cons: There were major issues when working on transcripts between a PC and MacBook. Some transcripts didn't transfer and a significant amount of time was spent trying to figure out how to troubleshoot. Additionally, it was difficult to get in-touch with customer support which prolonged the process. We also experience trouble between different versions of NVivo.

Pros: Nvivo runs on Windows, Mac. This is important for exchanging data on research teams whose members will be using both Windows and Mac computers.
Colleagues have often commented on how Nvivo is easy to use for content and thematic analysis.
By using Nvivo to define codes and tag documents with the codes as you move through the document. This grounded approach will allow users to build an understanding of the underlying themes in the data. Each coded segment in Nvivo called a "node", can have a set of custom properties that include instance-specific values can be either flat, or hierarchically arranged, each of which has certain advantages. Flat coding prevents imposing a structure on data while hierarchical coding can help researchers find patterns in the document, assists with analysis and building models.

Many tutorials can be found online and via the MaxqDA website. The user discussion forum is also a useful place for learning how to use the program and to apply the software to specific research needs. Because good tutorials can be found easily, users will have less trouble learning how to use this powerful program

Cons: It does not offer a portable version that users can use when travelling or in the field on someone else's computer. This is a drawback and restricts use to the user's computer only.
The student license, while cheaper than the other major QDA vendors, is only valid for 12 months. If you are doing a PhD (which could take many years), you'll have to purchase a full version of the software which is really rather pricey.

Nvivo may not be as good as MaxQDA for helping researchers build interrelationships among the data.

Overall: Nvivo is robustly designed and can handle very large projects that involve text, video and audio. I believe AtlasTI or MaxQDA offer better feature sets.

Pros: 1. best for qualitative interview documentation
2. can work with pictures and audio in addition to text
3. uses respondent characteristics (age, gender, employment and others) during the analysis
4. auto coding has minimize time of data coding. I have used the older version of Nvivo when coding was done manually and with auto coding life become easier

Cons: 1. More expensive for individual users
2. not much user group discussions and documentation
3. expensive training cost and very limited to some countries (USA, EU and south africa)

Overall: 1. saves time of qualitative data analysis and reporting
2. easy to use
3. helps to document interviews in different format
4. helps to document interviews in more organized way (including by thematic topics, respondent characteristics and geography)

Pros: The GUI is familiar to Windows users
Drag and drop coding
The word cloud function is great for illustrations

Cons: There are few options to customise the graphical output, in terms of fonts/colours etc
There is a lack of even basic quantitative assessment tools, though that is not the focus of the software