LitCoder

LitCoder is a specialized PDF annotation application designed for qualitative researchers. It streamlines the process of coding, annotating, and organizing research documents—all in one intuitive interface.
Built from the ground up with researchers in mind, LitCoder eliminates the friction of switching between multiple tools. Import your PDFs, create custom code schemes, highlight and annotate passages, and export your coded data for analysis. Whether you're conducting thematic analysis, grounded theory research, or systematic literature reviews, LitCoder keeps your workflow focused and efficient.

Information & Disclaimers

Academic Freeware

LitCoder is provided free of charge for academic and research purposes.

No Warranty

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.

Data & Privacy

All data is stored locally on your computer
AI features run entirely on-device (no cloud processing)
No user data is collected or transmitted
No internet connection required for core functionality

Academic Use

This tool is intended to assist with qualitative research and literature reviews
AI-generated summaries and reports should be reviewed and verified by the researcher
Users are responsible for ensuring their use complies with their institution's policies
Proper citation practices remain the responsibility of the researcher

Backup Recommendation

Please maintain regular backups of your work. We recommend using Time Machine (Mac) or File History (Windows) to protect your research.

AI Features (Optional Setup)

LitCoder supports optional local AI features for generating tag summaries and project outlines. These require downloading a small language model (~700MB).

Setup instructions: See the AI Setup Guide in the wiki.

Feedback & Issues

If you encounter bugs or have feature suggestions, please open an issue on GitHub.

Acknowledgments

Built with SwiftUI/SwiftData (Mac) and WPF/.NET (Windows)
Local AI powered by llama.cpp and TinyLlama
PDF rendering via Apple PDFKit (Mac) and Syncfusion (Windows)

Happy researching! 📚

# LitCoder v1.4.0

Release Date: January 2026

LitCoder is a qualitative coding and literature review tool designed to help researchers organize, annotate, and synthesize academic literature. Now available for macOS and Windows.

Downloads

Platform	File	Requirements
macOS (Apple Silicon)	`LitCoder_1.4.0.dmg`	macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) or later, M1/M2/M3 Mac
Windows	`LitCoder_Setup_1.4.0.exe`	Windows 10/11 (64-bit)

What's New in 1.4.0

🖥️ Cross-Platform Support

Windows version now available! Full feature parity with the Mac version
Cross-platform project files: Export from Mac, import on Windows (or vice versa)
.litcoder.zip project files work seamlessly between platforms

📁 PDF Storage Options

New project setting: Choose how PDFs are stored when creating a project
- Copy to LitCoder folder (recommended): PDFs are safely copied to a managed location, protecting your work even if you clean up your Downloads folder
- Reference original files: PDFs remain in their original location (previous behavior)
Each project maintains its own PDF copies for reliable export/import

🔍 Search & UI Improvements

Search now always visible (greyed out when no project selected)
Subtle arrow indicator shows which project is currently selected
Clicking a project name, document, or tag automatically selects that project for searching
"Clear" button now fully clears PDF search highlighting
Fixed orphaned annotations appearing in "All Coded Segments" view

📋 Copy Document Improvements

Copying a document to another project now creates a separate PDF copy
Full tag hierarchy is preserved when copying
Parent tags are automatically created in the destination project
Tag colors and notes are preserved during copy

🎨 Visual Refinements

More transparent PDF highlights for better text readability
Reduced sidebar highlighting clutter
Custom color picker added to tag creation (in addition to preset colors)
Cleaner list rendering with reduced visual artifacts

🐛 Bug Fixes

Fixed export filename issues
Improved cross-platform JSON compatibility
Fixed tag segment counts display
Improved sidebar selection behavior

Installation

macOS

Download LitCoder_1.4.0.dmg
Open the DMG and drag LitCoder to your Applications folder
Right-click the app and select "Open" (required first time only, due to macOS Gatekeeper)

Windows

Download LitCoder_Setup_1.4.0.exe
Run the installer and follow the prompts
Launch LitCoder from the Start Menu or Desktop shortcut

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