Decision Matrix Calculator

Compare two options across up to 5 weighted criteria to make better decisions using a structured scoring approach.

About this calculator

A weighted decision matrix exists to stop "gut feeling" from silently overriding the criteria that actually matter to you, by forcing every criterion's importance to be stated as a number before any scoring happens. This calculator takes five criterion Weights (1-10, how much each one matters) and, separately, how well Option A and Option B each score against every one of those criteria (also 1-10). Option A Score and Option B Score are each a weighted average: every criterion score is multiplied by its Weight, those five products are summed, and the sum is divided by Total Weight (the sum of all five weights) — this normalization is what keeps both scores on the same 0-100 scale regardless of whether your weights happen to sum to 20 or 50.

Score Gap is the absolute difference between the two weighted scores, and Decision Confidence turns that gap into a 0-100% indicator of how decisive the result is — a small gap means the two options are close enough that the "winning" option isn't a strong recommendation, while a large gap signals a clearer choice. Recommended Option reports whichever option has the higher weighted score, or a tie when the scores are exactly equal. What this calculator cannot do: it cannot tell you whether your stated weights actually reflect what you care about, or whether your 1-10 scores for each option are realistic rather than optimistic — the entire output is only as trustworthy as the honesty of the numbers you put in, and running the same decision with different, equally defensible weights can flip the recommendation.

Option A score

65/100

Option B score

64.3/100

Recommended option

Option A

Inputs

Criterion 1 weight

Criterion 2 weight

Criterion 3 weight

Criterion 4 weight

Criterion 5 weight

Option A - Criterion 1

Option A - Criterion 2

Option A - Criterion 3

Option A - Criterion 4

Option A - Criterion 5

Option B - Criterion 1

Option B - Criterion 2

Option B - Criterion 3

Option B - Criterion 4

Option B - Criterion 5

Comparison

Score gap

0.7 pts

Absolute difference between the two options.

Decision confidence

How clear-cut the decision is. Higher = more decisive.

How to Use This Calculator

Enter weights (1–10) for each decision criterion based on its importance.
Score each option against every criterion (1–10 scale).
Review the weighted scores for Option A vs. Option B across all criteria.
The option with the highest Total Weighted Score is the data-driven recommendation.
Adjust criterion weights to test how changing your priorities affects the outcome.

How the result changes with Option A - Criterion 1

Option A - Criterion 1	Option A score	Option B score	Recommended option
3.5	55.7/100	64.3/100	Option B
5.25	60.3/100	64.3/100	Option B
10	73/100	64.3/100	Option A

What each input means

Criterion 1 weight: Importance of criterion 1 (1=low, 10=critical). Example: Cost.
Criterion 2 weight: Importance of criterion 2. Example: Quality.
Criterion 3 weight: Importance of criterion 3. Example: Convenience.
Criterion 4 weight: Importance of criterion 4. Example: Long-term value.
Criterion 5 weight: Importance of criterion 5. Example: Risk.
Option A - Criterion 1: How well Option A meets criterion 1 (1=poor, 10=excellent).
Option A - Criterion 2: How well Option A meets criterion 2.
Option A - Criterion 3: How well Option A meets criterion 3.
Option A - Criterion 4: How well Option A meets criterion 4.
Option A - Criterion 5: How well Option A meets criterion 5.
Option B - Criterion 1: How well Option B meets criterion 1.
Option B - Criterion 2: How well Option B meets criterion 2.
Option B - Criterion 3: How well Option B meets criterion 3.
Option B - Criterion 4: How well Option B meets criterion 4.
Option B - Criterion 5: How well Option B meets criterion 5.

What each result means

Option A score: Weighted score for Option A (0-100).
Option B score: Weighted score for Option B (0-100).
Score gap: Absolute difference between the two options.
Decision confidence: How clear-cut the decision is. Higher = more decisive.
Recommended option: Which option the weighted scores favor, or a tie if the scores are exactly equal.

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

Identify Input Parameters
15 parameters
Criterion 1 weight = 8, Criterion 2 weight = 7, Criterion 3 weight = 6, Criterion 4 weight = 5, Criterion 5 weight = 4, Option A - Criterion 1 = 7, Option A - Criterion 2 = 6, Option A - Criterion 3 = 8, Option A - Criterion 4 = 5, Option A - Criterion 5 = 6, Option B - Criterion 1 = 5, Option B - Criterion 2 = 8, Option B - Criterion 3 = 5, Option B - Criterion 4 = 7, Option B - Criterion 5 = 8 = 15 input(s) provided
Calculate Option A score
Option A score = (weightedA / 10) * 100
65 = 65
Calculate Option B score
Option B score = (weightedB / 10) * 100
64.3 = 64.3
Calculate Score gap
Score gap = Math
0.7 = 0.7
Calculate Decision confidence
Decision confidence = min(100, abs(scoreDifference) / 10 * 100)
1 = 1

Engine last updated August 25, 2026. Checked against 3 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators. Built by Paul Gunder, a software engineer, not a licensed financial, medical, or legal professional.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do Option A Score and Option B Score divide by Total Weight instead of just summing weighted scores?

Dividing by Total Weight normalizes both scores onto the same 0-100 scale regardless of how large or small your chosen weights happen to be — without that division, using weights of 8, 7, 6, 5, 4 versus weights of 80, 70, 60, 50, 40 would produce wildly different raw totals even though the relative importance of each criterion is identical in both cases. Normalizing means only the relative proportions between your five weights matter, not their absolute scale.

Does raising a criterion's Weight always widen the lead of whichever option already scores higher on it?

No. Raising a criterion's Weight shifts the balance toward whichever option's score on that criterion sits above its own current weighted average, not simply toward whichever option already scores higher on that one criterion — because the weight also grows the shared Total Weight denominator both options divide by. Whether Score Gap widens or narrows depends on how that criterion's own score gap (Option A's score minus Option B's score on it) compares to the overall weighted gap between the two options: if the criterion's own gap is larger than the overall gap, raising its weight widens the lead; if the criterion's own gap is smaller than the overall gap, raising its weight narrows the lead instead, even when the same option scores higher on that criterion.

What does a low Decision Confidence percentage actually mean?

It means Score Gap is small relative to the maximum possible gap between two options scored 1-10 on every criterion — in other words, the two options are close enough on your stated weights and scores that the "winning" option isn't a strongly decisive recommendation. A low confidence result is a signal to look more closely at criteria you may have scored too similarly, rather than to treat Recommended Option as a settled answer.

If I only change Option A's scores, does that affect Option B Score at all?

No. Option A Score and Option B Score are calculated entirely independently from their own five criterion scores and the shared set of Weights — changing any Option A - Criterion score moves Option A Score only, leaving Option B Score completely unchanged, and vice versa. The only thing the two scores share is the same five Weights, which affect both options' calculations but never mix one option's scores into the other's total.

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