Create smarter business decisions with our free Make vs Buy Decision Matrix Template.
Designed for easy editing in Google Sheets, Excel, and PDF, this template helps teams evaluate whether to develop a product, service, or process in-house or choose an external solution.
What Is a Make vs Buy Decision Matrix Template?
A make vs buy decision matrix template is a structured analytical tool that helps organizations evaluate whether it is more advantageous to produce a product or service in-house (“make”) or purchase it from an external supplier (“buy”).
By quantifying qualitative and quantitative criteria into a single comparable score, the template removes guesswork from a complex decision and ensures that all relevant business, financial, and operational considerations are consistently accounted for.
Download Spreadsheet Daddy’s Free Make vs Buy Decision Matrix Template
Our Make vs Buy Decision Matrix Template helps you compare building in-house versus purchasing from a supplier across the criteria that matter most to your business.
What’s included
- Weighted scoring framework across six core columns: The matrix includes dedicated columns for Criteria, Weight, Make Score, Buy Score, Make Weighted, and Buy Weighted, letting you assign an importance value to each decision factor and automatically calculate weighted scores for both the “make” and “buy” options.
- Auto-calculating weighted totals: The Make Weighted and Buy Weighted columns are pre-populated with 0.00 placeholder formulas that update as you enter weights and scores, and a bolded Totals row at the bottom sums both columns so you can see which option scores higher at a glance.
- Open-ended Notes column for context and justification: A full-width Notes column runs alongside every row, giving you space to document reasoning, assumptions, vendor quotes, or caveats behind each score without cluttering the numerical comparison.
Since every business has different priorities, you can add or remove rows and columns to match the exact criteria you need to evaluate.
Select your preferred format below to download a blank Make vs Buy Decision Matrix template and start analyzing whether to build or outsource:
How to Use Our Make vs Buy Decision Matrix Template
1. Choose your preferred format and download the Make vs Buy Decision Matrix template in Excel or PDF, or make a copy in Google Sheets for easy editing.
2. List the factors you want to evaluate, assign a percentage weight to each one, and enter the ratings for producing in-house versus purchasing externally.
3. The template will automatically calculate the weighted scores and display the total comparison.
4. Use the Notes section to record assumptions, risks, additional considerations, or recommendations related to the final make vs. buy decision.
