BORIS review
A free research tool for frame-accurate behavioral coding, measurement, and export.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
BORIS is free, open-source software for behavioral observation research. It supports video and audio event coding, live observations, frame-by-frame playback, and variable-speed review. Researchers can define behaviors, categories, modifiers, subjects, and independent variables, making it suitable for structured analysis of behavioral observations. It runs on GNU/Linux, Windows, and macOS, with an Android app also offered.
Its strongest area is the depth of its coding and analysis workflow. BORIS supports synchronized playback for up to eight media files, which can help when observations involve multiple recordings. Researchers can record geometric point, distance, area, and angle measurements, then use time-budget analysis and graphical data representation to examine coded events. The software can also extract frames or video sequences from coded events and create subtitles from coded events and subjects. For research teams that need a configurable coding model rather than simple visual markup, this breadth is a clear advantage.
BORIS also fits workflows that depend on downstream analysis. Exports include TSV, CSV, spreadsheets, dataframes, SQL, TextGrid, and other formats, supporting movement from annotation into statistical or data-processing environments. Its free and open-source model makes it a practical choice for researchers who need substantial functionality without a commercial plan structure. It is less suitable for teams seeking collaborative approval workflows or a simpler review experience for general-purpose video annotation. Choose BORIS for detailed, research-grade event coding and measurement; choose an alternative when shared review and approval are central requirements.
BORIS pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Frame-by-frame and synchronized playback for up to eight media files
- Custom coding structures with behaviors, categories, modifiers, and subjects
- Detailed measurements, analysis tools, and extensive export formats
- Where it doesn't
- Lacks collaborative approval workflows
- Designed primarily for research rather than general video review
- Requires researchers to define and manage their own coding structures
BORIS fact sheet, pricing and score →
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