Free PROMETHEE Analysis Tool — Multi-Criteria Decision Making Online

Need to compare multiple options using several criteria and reach a well-founded decision? PROMETHEE is one of the most trusted multi-criteria decision analysis methods in the world — and now you can run it free, online, no sign-up required.

PROMETHEE (Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluations) was created by Jean-Pierre Brans in 1982 and extended by Brans & Vincke in 1985. It is widely used in business strategy, engineering, healthcare, finance, supply chain management, and academic research across the globe.

This tool implements PROMETHEE I (partial ranking with incomparability), PROMETHEE II (full linear ranking by net flow), six configurable preference functions, and real-time sensitivity analysis — all in the browser, no spreadsheet, no install.

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What is PROMETHEE and how does it work?

PROMETHEE compares alternatives pairwise: for each pair (A, B) and each criterion, it computes a preference function P(A, B) ∈ [0, 1] representing how much A is preferred over B on that criterion.

These values are weighted by criterion importance and aggregated across all pairs. The result is three scores per alternative:

The aggregated preference between two alternatives is:

$\pi(A, B) = \sum_{j=1}^{k} w_j \cdot P_j(A, B)$

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PROMETHEE I vs PROMETHEE II — what’s the difference?

Both methods start from the same calculations but differ in how they interpret the result:

PROMETHEE II uses the net flow φ to produce a complete linear ranking. Every alternative has a defined position — it is the most direct output for a final decision.

PROMETHEE I compares φ⁺ and φ⁻ separately and only declares superiority when A dominates B in both flows. This produces a partial ranking with three possible relations:

Incomparability is not a flaw — it is information: it tells you the choice between A and B depends on which aspect you prioritize (strength or tolerance for weaknesses).

When to use which:

• Use PROMETHEE II when you need a definitive ranking to present at a final decision point.
• Use PROMETHEE I when the decision is still open and you want to identify which alternatives are genuinely incomparable.
• Use both (the default in this tool) for a complete analysis.

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The 6 preference functions

Each criterion can have a different preference function. This is what sets PROMETHEE apart from plain weighted averages: you define how a difference in value translates into preference.

1 — Usual Any positive difference yields maximum preference. Best for qualitative or binary criteria.

$P(d) = \begin{cases} 0 & d \le 0 \\ 1 & d > 0 \end{cases}$

2 — U-shape (parameter: q — indifference threshold) Preference only kicks in if the difference exceeds q. Use when small differences are irrelevant (e.g. minor price variations).

$P(d) = \begin{cases} 0 & d \le q \\ 1 & d > q \end{cases}$

3 — V-shape (parameter: p — full preference threshold) Preference grows linearly from 0 to 1 until p is reached. Good for continuous criteria without an indifference zone.

$P(d) = \begin{cases} 0 & d \le 0 \\ d/p & 0 < d \le p \\ 1 & d > p \end{cases}$

4 — Level (parameters: q, p) Discrete two-level jump: no preference up to q, partial preference (0.5) between q and p, full preference above p.

$P(d) = \begin{cases} 0 & d \le q \\ 0.5 & q < d \le p \\ 1 & d > p \end{cases}$

5 — Linear (parameters: q, p) — most commonly used No preference up to q, linear growth until p, full preference above p. Combines indifference threshold with gradual scaling.

$P(d) = \begin{cases} 0 & d \le q \\ \dfrac{d - q}{p - q} & q < d \le p \\ 1 & d > p \end{cases}$

6 — Gaussian (parameter: σ) Preference grows along a smooth bell curve with no hard cutoff. Ideal for criteria where preference increases progressively.

$P(d) = \begin{cases} 0 & d \le 0 \\ 1 - e^{-d^2 / 2\sigma^2} & d > 0 \end{cases}$

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Criterion weights

The weight wj represents the relative importance of each criterion. The tool normalizes weights automatically so that ∑wj = 1. You can use any scale — what matters is the ratio between weights.

A criterion with weight 4 has twice the influence of one with weight 2.

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Sensitivity analysis

Sensitivity analysis answers: would the result change if I redistributed the weights?

With the weight sliders you can identify:

• Whether the decision is robust — the winner does not change even with significant weight shifts
• Which criterion has the most reversal power — increasing its weight alone can flip the ranking
• Whether there is a dominant alternative (wins under any reasonable weight configuration) or whether the outcome is sensitive to trade-offs

A robust decision is one where different reasonable priority profiles converge to the same winner.

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How to use this tool

1. Choose the method (PROMETHEE I, II, or both)
2. Select a ready-made scenario or click “Custom”
3. Set up alternatives (up to 6) and criteria (up to 6): name, weight, direction, and preference function
4. Enter scores — can be a 1–10 scale, real values, percentages, or months. Use the same scale within each criterion.
5. The ranking appears instantly with φ⁺ / φ⁻ / φ flows and the relations table
6. Use the sliders to explore different weight configurations
7. Export the report as HTML or PDF to document your decision

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Decisions you can analyze with this tool

🚗 Consumer & purchases

• which car to buy best value for money, compare car models multi-criteria analysis
• which phone to buy in 2026, best smartphone cost-benefit comparison
• which laptop to buy for work, laptop performance vs price analysis
• buy or rent or finance a home, multi-criteria real estate decision
• which appliance brand to buy, best home appliance analysis
• new car vs used car which is worth it, car purchase decision framework

💼 Career & work

• which job offer to accept, compare multiple job offers multi-criteria
• full-time vs contractor which is better financially, CLT PJ comparison
• remote work or in-office, best work model for productivity
• is it worth switching careers, career change decision framework
• should i start a business or stay employed, entrepreneurship vs employment analysis
• which candidate to hire, multi-criteria candidate selection PROMETHEE
• which franchise to open, best franchise return on investment analysis

💰 Finance & investment

• where to invest money, compare investments risk return liquidity taxation
• pay off debt or invest, what to prioritize first financial decision
• which bank or digital account to choose, best fintech comparison
• which credit card to get, best cashback miles credit card analysis
• PGBL vs VGBL which pension plan to choose, retirement plan comparison
• which loan to take, personal loan vs payroll loan comparison

🎓 Education

• which graduate program to take, MBA vs masters vs bootcamp comparison
• which online course or platform to choose, best e-learning platform comparison
• which college major or university to choose, degree selection framework
• best country for a study abroad program, exchange destination comparison

🚀 Business & technology

• how to choose a supplier or vendor, supplier selection PROMETHEE analysis
• which software tool to use for the team, SaaS platform comparison
• best cloud provider to choose, AWS vs Google Cloud vs Azure PROMETHEE
• which frontend framework to use, React vs Vue vs Angular comparison
• microservices vs monolith architecture decision, system design trade-off analysis
• agile methodology selection, Scrum vs Kanban decision framework

📊 Prioritization & strategy

• how to prioritize product features, what to build first in the product
• OKR prioritization, which goals to focus on for the quarter
• marketing campaign prioritization, where to invest the marketing budget
• hiring decision multi-criteria, which candidate best fits the team

🔬 Academic & research

• PROMETHEE method online free, how to run PROMETHEE I and II analysis
• multi-criteria decision analysis online free, MADM tool no download required
• PROMETHEE sensitivity analysis online, how criterion weights affect rankings
• outranking method case study, PROMETHEE example with preference functions
• decision support system free, weighted scoring model vs PROMETHEE comparison
• operations research decision tool, MCDA software free online