What is a weighted decision matrix?
A decision matrix is a table with your options across the top and the things you care about down the side. You score each option on each criterion, give every criterion a weight that says how much it matters, and add up the weighted scores. The option with the highest total is the one that fits your priorities best.
It is an old, plain method (you will also see it called a weighted scoring model, a Pugh matrix or a prioritization matrix), and it works because it splits one hard question, "which one should I pick?", into many small ones that are easy to answer: "how good is the battery on this one, from 1 to 10?" It also makes your reasoning visible, which helps a lot when you have to explain a choice to a manager, a client or your family.
How to use this tool
- Start from an example or a blank matrix. The menu at the top loads a ready-made example: a laptop, a supplier, job offers or an apartment. The numbers in the examples are made up, so you can change anything.
- Name your options. Click a name at the top of a column and type. Add up to 8 options.
- List your criteria. Up to 10 rows, such as price, quality, delivery time or commute. Keep them separate: if two criteria measure the same thing, that thing counts twice.
- Choose how each criterion is scored. Under each name you can pick Rating (you give a score out of 10, or out of 5), Highest wins (salary, battery hours, size) or Lowest wins (price, commute minutes, delivery days).
- Set the weights. Drag the slider under each criterion from 0 (ignore it) to 10 (very important). The percentage next to it shows that criterion's share of the final score.
- Read the result. The bars on the right rank your options. Each colored piece of a bar is what one criterion added, so you can see why an option is ahead, not just that it is.
How the score is worked out
Every score is first turned into a number from 0 to 10, so that a price in dollars and a rating out of 5 can be added together:
- Rating: your score divided by the scale, times 10. A 4 out of 5 becomes 8.
- Highest wins: the value divided by the best value in that row, times 10. The best option gets 10; one with half as much gets 5.
- Lowest wins: the best (lowest) value divided by this value, times 10. A laptop that costs $900 when the cheapest is $900 gets 10; one that costs $1,200 gets 7.5.
Then each option's total is a weighted average of those scores:
Total = (weight₁ × score₁ + weight₂ × score₂ + …) ÷ (sum of all weights)
So the total is always between 0 and 10, and doubling every weight changes nothing. Only the weights compared with each other matter.
A small worked example
| Criterion | Weight | Option A | Option B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price (lower is better) | 3 | $800 → 10 | $1,000 → 8 |
| Quality (rating out of 10) | 1 | 6 | 9 |
| Total | (3×10 + 1×6) ÷ 4 = 9.0 | (3×8 + 1×9) ÷ 4 = 8.25 |
Option A wins because price carries three times the weight of quality. Type those numbers into the tool and you will get the same 9.00 and 8.25.
What would change the result?
A ranking on its own can hide how close the decision was. Under the bars, the tool checks every criterion and works out how far its weight would have to move, with all the other weights left as they are, before a different option takes first place. It lists the closest of these turning points, for example: "Battery life: lowering its weight from 6 to below 1.4 puts Laptop A first."
Use it as a reality check. If a small change to a weight you were unsure about flips the winner, the decision is close, and it is worth getting better information on that criterion before you commit. If no single weight change between 0 and 10 can change the winner, the tool says the lead is solid. It only looks at one weight at a time, so it is a guide, not a guarantee.
Tips for a fair matrix
- Set the weights before you score. If you score first, it is tempting to nudge the weights until your favorite wins.
- Use real numbers where you have them. A price, a salary or a commute time is better typed in as a number than guessed as a rating.
- Turn deal-breakers into a filter, not a weight. If an option fails something you cannot accept, such as a budget limit or a legal requirement, remove it before scoring. A high total cannot fix a deal-breaker.
- Score as a group, then compare. When a team decides, ask each person to fill in the scores on their own, then compare the share links. Big differences show where people see things differently.
- Check it against your gut. If the result feels wrong, ask why. Often a criterion that matters to you is missing from the list.
Your data stays in your browser
The tool has no account and no server. The matrix is saved in your browser's local storage so it is still there when you come back on the same device; clearing your browser data removes it. Copy share link puts the whole matrix into the link after the # sign. That part of a link is not sent to the website when someone opens it, but anyone you give the link to can read everything in it, so do not put private information in a matrix you share.
Copy for Excel copies a table you can paste straight into Excel or Google Sheets, with the scores, weights, totals and ranks. Download CSV saves the same table as a file, and Download image saves the ranking as a PNG for slides or a chat message.
Frequently asked questions
Can a criterion have a weight of 0?
Yes. It stays in the table but does not count. This is a quick way to see what happens without it.
What happens to empty cells?
An empty cell counts as 0, and a note under the table says how many there are. Fill them in, or the option will look worse than it is.
Why does switching the rating scale change my scores?
When you switch between "out of 10" and "out of 5", ratings are converted (8 out of 10 becomes 4 out of 5), so the result stays the same.
Can I use negative numbers?
Number criteria need values above 0, because they are compared as ratios. If a criterion can be negative, such as a profit or loss, rate it instead.