Qualitative analysis that lives on your computer.

Commercial qualitative tools like NVivo, MAXQDA, and Dedoose cost hundreds to thousands per seat per year, and your transcripts live on someone else's server. I built Fleuron because I needed neither of those things to be true.

Version 2.1.0 (2026-08-29)·All downloads & checksums·Install guide
Fleuron v2.1.0 — Qualitative Workspace
Fleuron transcript view showing a volunteer interview with open coding bubble over text about garden plot rules

Span-level and whole-turn coding in the dark-themed workspace with keyboard navigation and instant code assignment.

Designed for reflexive qualitative analysis

Span and whole-turn coding

Code precise word spans or entire speaker turns. Assign codes with one keystroke without lifting your hands from the keyboard.

Living codebook

Organize codes into hierarchies with explicit definitions, inclusion and exclusion criteria, and exemplar quotes directly attached.

Reflexive memos

Write analytic memos and methodological notes alongside your transcripts. Memos remain private to your local disk and never sync.

Multi-format import & rich export

Import plain text, Word documents, and timestamped transcripts. Export self-contained HTML reports, formatted PDFs, and CSV matrices.

Where your research data lives

Your raw transcript files, verbatim quotes, and personal notes stay on your local disk. Optional cloud sync coordinates study metadata and codebook definitions without transmitting your source transcripts.

Fleuron Local and Sync Data BoundaryArchitectural boundary diagram showing what data stays strictly local on this computer versus what metadata crosses to the optional sync server.THIS COMPUTER (LOCAL)Never leaves this device■ Transcript raw files and full text■ Verbatim quotes and passage text■ Original filenames and directory paths■ Analytic memos and coding memos■ Full local database (project.db)■ Interviewer names and diagnosis fields■ Auth refresh tokens and crash logsSTAYS ON LOCAL DISKHTTPS / WSSEncrypted in transitNEVERCROSSESTranscriptsQuotesMemosLocal DBPathsSYNC SERVER (OPTIONAL)Only when collaborating■ Account email and auth metadata■ De-identified study & participant labels■ Codebook structure, hierarchy & colors■ Definitions, criteria & examples■ Coded span character offsets (start/end)■ Coder display names and memberships■ Deterministic content hashes (SHA-256)ENCRYPTED SYNC METADATA

Data boundary explanation: On your computer, all transcript raw files and text, verbatim quotes, filenames, analytic and reflexive memos, and the local SQLite database remain stored locally and are never transmitted. When optional collaboration sync is used, only account email, de-identified study and participant labels, codebook structure and definitions, coded span character offsets, and study membership metadata are synced over encrypted HTTPS/WSS.

Architectural data boundary for reflexive thematic analysis.Read the complete privacy and permissions disclosure →
Read the complete data boundary and permissions disclosure →
Fleuron — Codebook Hierarchy
Fleuron codebook panel showing hierarchical codes and color swatches

Hierarchical codebook with color swatches and code counts.

Fleuron — Export Dialog
Fleuron export dialog with Reflexive Thematic Analysis preset selected

Methodology presets for Reflexive Thematic Analysis and Content Analysis.

What it costs

Offline coding is free forever. If you collaborate with a research team, cloud sync is optional and free during the beta. Founder pricing will be preserved for everyone who joins during the beta period. Self-hosting your own backend server is always free.

Honest limits

Unsigned installers

Fleuron is independent open-source software. It does not carry expensive corporate certificates, so macOS and Windows will show an unidentified developer warning on first launch.

Operating systems

Available for macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon universal build) and Windows 10/11 (x64). Linux packages are not currently built.

Single maintainer

Fleuron is built and maintained by one researcher who uses it for qualitative work.

Issue tracker support

Support is provided exclusively through public GitHub Issues. There is no private email support or chat helpdesk.