Which software vendor should we choose?
Software demos look alike. Every vendor has a clean dashboard, a case study from your industry, and a discount that expires this quarter. After three demos the team remembers the best presenter, not the best fit.
A weighted vendor selection matrix keeps the evaluation on your requirements. Agree the criteria and weights before the demos, have each evaluator score alone, and compare totals at the end.
Open the tool with this question filled in. Two to five minutes, no account.
Start this decisionWhat should you weigh?
Five factors cover most versions of this decision. Rename them, drop the ones that do not apply, and add your own. Phrase each so a higher score is always better.
- Fits our workflow
- How much of your process works out of the box, tested on a real task.
- Low total cost
- Licences at your seat count, setup, training and the renewal price.
- Ease of use
- How quickly a new team member gets work done without help.
- Integrations
- Connections to the tools you already rely on.
- Vendor support
- Response times, onboarding help, and the health of the company.
What does it look like worked out?
Three tools: the market leader, a newer challenger, and an open-source option. Weights run 1 to 10, scores 1 to 5.
| Factor | Weight | Market leader | Challenger | Open source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fits our workflow | 9 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
| Low total cost | 7 | 2 | 4 | 5 |
| Ease of use | 6 | 4 | 5 | 2 |
| Integrations | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| Vendor support | 2 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Total | 104 | 121 | 90 |
Each total is score times weight, added down the column.
Challenger wins by 17 points. The challenger wins by a wide margin. The market leader has the better integrations and support, and those were the two rows this team weighted lightest.
Where do people go wrong?
Scoring the demo instead of a trial. Run one real task in each tool during the trial. Score workflow fit on that.
Ignoring the renewal price. First-year discounts end. Score total cost over two or three years.
Common questions
- What is a vendor selection matrix?
- A table of evaluation criteria with weights, where each vendor is scored against each criterion. Weighted totals rank the vendors.
- How many criteria should a software evaluation have?
- Five to eight that truly differ between the tools. Long requirement lists spread the weight thin and hide the real differences.
Ready to weigh your own?
The question and starter options come filled in. Change anything. AI suggests factors; the answer comes only from your weights and scores.
Start this decision