Categorize survey comments in an Excel export, every comment
The comment box at the end of a survey is often the most useful column and the one nobody has time to read. Upload the Excel or CSV export, name the comment column, and every comment gets one to three categories in a new column, with a table counting how many comments fall under each. The first comments are free; up to 20,000 comments are $5, paid once.
- Works with exports from Google Forms, Microsoft Forms, SurveyMonkey, Typeform and Qualtrics
- Name the comment column so the multiple-choice columns are not coded
- One survey question per job; run one job per open question
- A Codes column added after your last column, with up to three categories per comment
- Up to 20,000 comments for $5
How to categorize survey comments
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1
Export the responses
Download the responses as .xlsx or .csv from your survey tool. One respondent per row is how these exports come.
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2
Name the comment column
Under "Columns to read", type the header of the open question, and paste the question itself so the categories fit it.
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3
Check, unlock, pivot
Look at the categories and the first comments free, unlock for $5, then pivot the Codes column against your other answers.
Why naming the column matters
A survey export has many columns: timestamps, ratings, multiple-choice answers and one or two comment boxes. By default the tool reads every column except IDs, links and images, which suits reviews but not surveys, where a rating of 3 would color the coding of the comment. Type the comment column's header, such as "Any other feedback?", and only that text is coded. The other columns are still copied back unchanged, ready for cross-tabs.
Empty and throwaway answers
Rows with an empty comment are skipped and keep an empty Codes cell. Answers such as "n/a", "nothing" or "no comment" are coded "Other", so they stay in the count without inflating a real category. If you want those separated, give your own codes and include one such as "No feedback".
How the tool works, what it costs and how your files are handled is on the Code Survey Responses page; prices for every tool are on the pricing page.
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Questions and answers
Can ChatGPT categorize survey comments from an Excel file?
It handles a short export well. With hundreds or thousands of comments it tends to summarize rather than categorize each one, and the categories change between batches. This tool codes every comment from one list.
My survey has three open questions. What do I do?
Run one job per question, naming that question's column each time, so each gets its own codebook.
Will my other columns survive?
Yes. Every column is copied back unchanged; the Codes column is added after the last one.
How many comments fit in one payment?
Up to 20,000 comments for $5. Unlimited, $19 a week, covers up to 100,000.
Is it free?
Files of up to 100 responses are free in full; for bigger files the categories and the first comments are free on screen.