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01 / COMPARE · FREE WEIGHTED DECISION MATRIX

Make the trade-offs visible.

Compare options with a free weighted decision matrix. Set your priorities, score alternatives and test how a changed weight affects the result.

YOUR DECISION WORKSPACE

What are you weighing up?

Give each criterion a weight from 0–10. Score how well each option meets it from 1–5. Higher always means better; for costs, score affordability rather than the price.

Your comparison will appear here. Complete your ratings, then select Compare options.

Check a different priority

After calculating, choose a criterion and try a different weight. This scenario leaves the original comparison unchanged.

Saving is optional and only on this browser. Export a backup before clearing browser data or switching devices. Imports replace the current tool’s data after confirmation.

HOW TO USE THE DECISION MATRIX

A structured comparison, with room for judgment

A weighted decision matrix combines your ratings of several options with the importance you assign to each criterion. It helps you see why an option comes out ahead and which assumptions deserve more attention.

  1. Define the decision. Compare feasible choices that solve the same problem. Include staying with the current arrangement when it is a real alternative.
  2. Screen the essentials. Remove choices that fail a hard constraint. An unacceptable condition should not be canceled out by a high score somewhere else.
  3. Name distinct criteria. Use observable considerations such as affordability, flexibility or reliability. Avoid counting the same benefit twice.
  4. Set weights before ratings. Use 0 to exclude a criterion, 1 for low importance and 10 for high importance. Weights are relative; they need not sum to 100.
  5. Rate consistently. Define what 1 and 5 mean for each criterion. A higher score must always indicate a better fit.
  6. Inspect the result. Test a different weight and check any rating based on weak evidence before choosing.

How the score is calculated

For each option, multiply every score by its criterion weight, add those products, then divide by the sum of the weights. The result stays on the 1–5 rating scale. All-zero weights cannot produce a comparison.

Example: weights of 5 and 3, with scores of 4 and 2, give (5 × 4 + 3 × 2) ÷ 8 = 3.25 out of 5. The tool ranks using unrounded values and displays two decimal places.

Worked example: two job offers

With weights of 5 for growth, 4 for flexibility and 3 for affordability, a remote role scoring 4, 5 and 3 receives 4.08. An office role scoring 5, 2 and 4 receives 3.75. If flexibility receives a weight of 1 instead, the office role leads at 4.33 versus 3.78. The preference depends on priorities.

Read the full job-offer comparison →

What the calculator cannot tell you

The score is not a probability of success or an objective measure of the best choice. This simple additive model assumes trade-offs are acceptable and that rating differences can be treated consistently. Correlated criteria and unsupported scores can distort the result. The sensitivity check changes one weight at a time; it is not a comprehensive uncertainty analysis.

What if the top options are nearly tied?

Look at the weakest evidence and the most consequential trade-off. A small numerical difference may be less meaningful than the uncertainty in your ratings. The tool treats differences under 0.005 as a near-tie for its lead summary.

Can I save or share the comparison?

Save locally, download a JSON backup for reimport, or download a readable text summary. Print / PDF uses your browser’s print dialog. Downloads are not uploaded by Mindtiller.

Next: challenge the leading option or record your decision. See the methodology and sources.