Compare tools before you buy

Sheet · Spreadsheets and calculators Free Checked: October 2026

Up to three tools scored on 9 criteria weighted by importance, with yearly price and trial period in one table.

What it is

First test each tool on 2–3 of your real tasks, then give ratings from 1 to 5. The importance of each criterion (1 to 3) is already filled in; change it to suit you. Paste into cell A1 of a blank Google Sheets spreadsheet: the "Weighted" columns multiply each rating by its importance, and the result shows in the "Total score" row. Take prices from the service's official site on the day you compare.

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Text to copy

Sheet
Criterion	How to check	Importance (1–3)	[Tool 1]	[Tool 2]	[Tool 3]	Weighted 1	Weighted 2	Weighted 3
Solves my main problem	Give it 2–3 of your real tasks on the free plan or during a trial	3				=C2*D2	=C2*E2	=C2*F2
Quality of the output	Compare all three on the same task	3				=C3*D3	=C3*E3	=C3*F3
Understands my kind of work	Test it on your own documents and the vocabulary of your field; if you serve Spanish-speaking clients, test in Spanish too	2				=C4*D4	=C4*E4	=C4*F4
Works with my other tools	Does it connect to the email, spreadsheets and CRM you already use?	2				=C5*D5	=C5*E5	=C5*F5
Usage limits are enough	Will the plan's limits cover a month of your normal work?	2				=C6*D6	=C6*E6	=C6*F6
Data and privacy	Is your data used to train models, and can you turn that off?	3				=C7*D7	=C7*E7	=C7*F7
Ease of use	Could you figure it out in 30 minutes without instructions?	1				=C8*D8	=C8*E8	=C8*F8
Canceling	Can you cancel at any time, and how does auto-renewal work?	1				=C9*D9	=C9*E9	=C9*F9
Exporting your data	Can you take your files and history with you if you leave?	1				=C10*D10	=C10*E10	=C10*F10

Total score	The maximum is in the "Importance" column	=SUM(C2:C10)*5	=SUM(G2:G10)	=SUM(H2:H10)	=SUM(I2:I10)
Price per month	From the official website, on the day you compare; note whether sales tax is extra				
Price per year	Monthly price × 12		=IFERROR(D13*12)	=IFERROR(E13*12)	=IFERROR(F13*12)
Free plan or trial	Is there one, for how many days, what's limited				
Decision	What we pick, for how long, when to review				
Tip: after testing on your own tasks, enter ratings from 1 to 5 in the tool columns. Leave the "Weighted" columns alone: they multiply each rating by its importance.

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Checked: October 2026