CATMA
Collaborative text coding in a browser, built by academics and uninterested in your sales funnel.
Technical Profile & Specs
verified 2026-08-14
- Cost
- $0 / forever (Open Source)
- License
- GPL-3.0
- Hosting Model
- Local or hosted (your machine or their cloud)
- Platforms
- webthey host it
- Installation
- Use the free hosted web app, or run the CATMA Standalone Docker image with its bundled GitLab backend
- Operational Setup
- The hosted app is easy, but private/offline use means running a large Docker container with an embedded GitLab service and managing its volumes and updates
- Where Your Data Lives
- The public service stores projects in CATMA's server-side GitLab repositories; standalone/self-hosted deployments keep CATMA and GitLab data in Docker volumes, with exports available as text, TEI-XML, CSV and Git repositories
- The Catch / Trade-off
- It is a serious collaborative text-annotation system, but it lacks Aurelius's researcher-friendly interview repository, rapid synthesis workflow, and product-research reporting.
Replaces 2 paid apps
up to $88/mo ($1,056/yr) in subscriptions
CATMA FAQ
Common questions
Is CATMA free and open source?+
CATMA is an open-source tool licensed under GPL-3.0 that runs on local or hosted. Collaborative text coding in a browser, built by academics and uninterested in your sales funnel.
What paid software does CATMA replace?+
CATMA serves as a free replacement for 2 paid SaaS applications: Aurelius, Dovetail, saving up to $88/month ($1,056/year) in subscription bills.
How do you install and set up CATMA?+
Installation: Use the free hosted web app, or run the CATMA Standalone Docker image with its bundled GitLab backend. Setup notes: The hosted app is easy, but private/offline use means running a large Docker container with an embedded GitLab service and managing its volumes and updates
What is the catch or trade-off with CATMA?+
It is a serious collaborative text-annotation system, but it lacks Aurelius's researcher-friendly interview repository, rapid synthesis workflow, and product-research reporting.