Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about buying and using MAXQDA in South Africa and Africa.
1. Why buy MAXQDA through Quantec?
Quantec is an authorised MAXQDA distributor for South Africa and Africa. We offer invoicing in ZAR (as well as USD, GBP and EUR), local payment methods including EFT, and support in your time zone. No need to deal with international orders or foreign currency hassles.
2. What editions of MAXQDA are available?
MAXQDA is available in two editions: MAXQDA Standard and MAXQDA Analytics Pro. Analytics Pro adds a built-in Stats module and extended mixed methods tools. Optional add-ons include AI Assist, MAXQDA Transcription and TeamCloud.
3. Is there academic or student pricing?
Yes. Discounted academic licences are available for students, lecturers and universities. Student licences are significantly discounted. Contact us for a quotation.
4. What licence types are available?
MAXQDA is sold as a subscription of 6 months, 1 year (auto-renewing), 3 years or 5 years. Single-user and network licences are available. All updates released during the subscription are included. Contact us for institutional and volume pricing.
5. Does MAXQDA run on Mac?
Yes. MAXQDA runs natively on both Windows 11 and macOS (10.14 Mojave or later), including Apple Silicon Macs. A single licence key works on both platforms.
6. Is there a free trial?
Yes. MAXQDA offers a free 14-day trial with full functionality, including AI Assist and 60 free minutes of transcription. Download it from maxqda.com/trial.
7. What are the AI Assist, Transcription and TeamCloud add-ons?
AI Assist adds AI coding, summaries, chat with your data, AI reports, translation and AI code grouping. It comes in a Free tier (limited prompts, single-document coding) and a Premium tier (higher limits, multi-document coding, Local AI). MAXQDA Transcription provides automatic speech-to-text transcription in 50+ languages, sold in hour packs. TeamCloud enables cloud-based collaboration for a team lead and up to four team members. All are optional add-ons available with either MAXQDA edition.
8. What is Local AI?
Local AI, introduced in MAXQDA 27, lets AI Assist Premium run against a language model installed on your own computer or server instead of the cloud. No project data leaves your machine, which makes it suitable for projects with ethics restrictions or sensitive data. Speed and accuracy depend on your hardware and the model you choose.
9. Can I upgrade from MAXQDA Standard to Analytics Pro?
Yes. You can upgrade from Standard to Analytics Pro at any time. Contact us for upgrade pricing.
10. Can I upgrade from an older version of MAXQDA?
MAXQDA 24 licence holders (including 3- and 5-year subscriptions) can move to the current release free of charge — simply install the latest version and your existing licence is recognised. If you own MAXQDA 2022 or older, contact Quantec for a new subscription quotation.
11. I currently use NVivo / Atlas.ti. Can I switch to MAXQDA?
Yes. MAXQDA can import projects from NVivo and Atlas.ti via the REFI-QDA standard, making it straightforward to migrate your existing coded data. MAXQDA also imports data from SPSS, Excel, CSV, PDF, plain text and many more formats.
12. What data formats does MAXQDA support?
MAXQDA supports text documents (DOCX, PDF, RTF, TXT, Markdown), spreadsheets (XLSX, CSV), images (JPG, PNG), audio (MP3, WAV, M4A), video (MP4, MOV, AVI), YouTube videos and Shorts (with transcripts and comments), web pages, focus group transcripts, and bibliographic data (RIS). Analytics Pro additionally supports statistical datasets from SPSS and Excel.
13. What payment methods does Quantec accept?
We accept electronic funds transfers (EFT), PayPal and credit card payments. We can issue invoices in ZAR, USD, GBP or EUR.
14. How do I get support after purchasing?
MAXQDA includes free technical support from the VERBI team. You also have access to the extensive training and documentation resources. For sales and licence queries, contact Quantec directly.