Survey coding
Code open-ended survey responses, every answer, with a codebook and counts
Upload the answers to an open question, such as "What could we do better?", and get a codebook of themes with descriptions, every answer coded with up to three of them in a new column, and a table that counts how many answers fall under each code, with example quotes. Bring your own codes or let the tool propose them from your data. The first answers are free with no sign-up; up to 20,000 answers are $5, paid once.
- Up to 100 answers free in full, first answers of a bigger file free
- Whole file $5, one payment: up to 20,000 answers
- A codebook built from your answers, or your own codes with descriptions
- Every answer coded with one to three codes, in a new column
- Counts, shares and two example quotes per code
- Optional translation of every answer into one of 81 languages
What you get back
A codebook, your file with a Codes column, and a summary table. The codebook and the first coded answers are shown on screen before you pay.
- The codebook: up to 14 codes, each with a one-sentence description of which answers belong to it, plus "Other". Or exactly the codes you gave.
- Your file with a Codes column (one to three codes per answer, most important first) added after the last column, and a translation column if you asked. Respondent IDs and other columns stay as they were.
- A codebook CSV with each code, its description, the number of answers, the share of all answers and two example quotes, ready to paste into a report.
- A warnings CSV listing any answer that could not be coded.
Coding survey answers with a chatbot, and with this tool
A chatbot is a quick way to get a feel for what respondents said. Coding is different: every answer, the same codes throughout, and counts that add up to the number of respondents.
| Your situation | A chatbot | This tool |
|---|---|---|
| Forty answers to read | Summarizes them well | Codes them, if you need the counts |
| 3,000 answers in a spreadsheet | Summarizes the part that fits and estimates the rest | Codes every answer in blocks of 40, up to 20,000 per job |
| Your own codebook from last year | Applies it loosely; new codes creep in | Uses only your codes; anything else is "Other" |
| One answer that raises two points | Usually picks one | Gives up to three codes per answer |
| Counts for the report | Rough percentages | Counts of coded answers, with the share of all answers |
| Checking how one answer was coded | Hard to trace back | The codes sit next to the answer in your file |
How to code open-ended survey responses
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1
Upload the answers
Drop a .csv, .tsv or .xlsx export with one answer per row, from Google Forms, SurveyMonkey, Typeform, Qualtrics or your own tool. Type the question and, if you have one, your codebook.
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2
Check the codebook and the first answers
The codebook and the first coded answers appear on screen, free. If a code is missing or too broad, type your own list and start again.
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3
Unlock and download
Unlock the whole file for $5 and download the coded file and the codebook CSV with counts and quotes.
Why survey coding trips up general AI assistants
Qualitative coding has two steps: agree on a codebook, then apply it to every answer the same way. A chatbot tends to collapse both into one summary of what fits in the conversation, and the codes it names in one reply are not quite the codes it uses in the next. Its percentages are impressions.
This tool keeps the two steps apart. It reads a sample of up to 150 answers spread across the whole file and proposes at most 14 codes with descriptions, or takes your codes as they are. Then it codes every answer against that fixed list, in blocks of 40, and checks that each answer came back with codes from the list. The counts are counts of those codes.
What people use it for
- Customer and employee surveys with a free-text "anything else?" question
- Course and event feedback forms
- NPS follow-up questions: why did you give this score?
- Public consultations with thousands of written responses
- A first coding pass for a research project, to review and refine by hand
- Multilingual surveys, coded in one language with a translation column
Limits worth knowing
One question per job: name its column, or leave the field empty and every column except IDs, links and images is read. For a survey with several open questions, run one job per question so each gets its own codebook. One payment covers up to 20,000 answers; Unlimited covers up to 100,000.
The coding is done by an AI model. It is a fast, consistent first pass, not a replacement for a researcher's judgment: review the codebook, read a sample of coded answers, and report the method honestly. The tool does not compute inter-rater agreement.
Getting a good result
Type the exact question; it helps the codes fit what people were asked. If you have codes from an earlier wave, give them with short descriptions ("Price = mentions cost, discounts or value") so the results can be compared over time. Empty and off-topic answers are coded "Other", which keeps them in the count without inflating a real code.
By language and situation
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Read more →What it costs
Small files, first answers
Free
A file of up to 100 answers is free in full, downloads included. Bigger files: the codebook and the first answers on screen, no account.
Whole file
$5
One payment for one question: up to 20,000 answers, with the codebook CSV. No subscription.
Unlimited
$19 / week
Every tool on the site, with files of up to 100,000 answers.
Questions and answers
Can ChatGPT code open-ended survey responses?
It can summarize and suggest themes for the answers that fit in a conversation. For thousands of answers it does not code every one against a fixed codebook, so its counts are estimates. This tool builds or takes a codebook first and then codes every answer against it.
Can I use my own codebook?
Yes. Type one code per line, optionally with a description after an equals sign. Only your codes are used; answers that fit none of them are coded "Other".
How many codes can one answer get?
One to three, most important first, separated by semicolons in the Codes column. The counts count an answer once under each of its codes, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
How many answers fit in one payment?
Up to 20,000 answers to one question for $5. Unlimited covers up to 100,000 answers per file.
Which files can I upload?
CSV, TSV or Excel .xlsx exports with one respondent per row, up to 100 MB. Other columns, such as age group or region, are copied back unchanged, so you can cross-tabulate the codes in your own tool.
Is it suitable for academic research?
As a documented first pass, yes: you get the codebook, the code for every answer and example quotes to check. Review and refine the coding yourself, and describe the AI-assisted step in your method section.
Is it free?
A file of up to 100 answers is free in full. For bigger files the codebook and the first answers are free on screen, with no account. The whole file is $5 paid once.
Are the answers private?
Only you can open your job. The answer text is sent to an AI model provider for the sole purpose of coding it, through routes that do not use your data for training. Jobs uploaded without an account are deleted after 7 days, and you can delete any job yourself at any time.
Updated October 25, 2026 · APPFACT STUDIO LTD