Pros and Cons Calculator
A for-and-against list where each reason carries the weight you give it, so the answer reflects what matters and not just how many things you thought of.
Results
What this tool does
The trouble with an ordinary pros and cons list is that it counts. Six small advantages beat two serious drawbacks on paper and lose badly in life. Here each line takes a number after it — how much that reason actually matters to you, on any scale you like — and the two sides are totalled by weight instead of by length. The clarity figure at the end tells you whether the answer is solid or whether you are, in truth, evenly split.
Formula
adds up the importance on each side and returns the difference between the two sums
Variables
| Symbol | Meaning | Unit |
|---|---|---|
pros | In favour, one per line, with how much it matters | — |
cons | Against, one per line, with how much it matters | — |
OUT | Which side wins | — |
TB | Both sides, in order | — |
PT | In favour, total | — |
CT | Against, total | — |
BA | Difference | — |
MG | How clear the answer is | % |
TP | Strongest reason for | — |
TC | Strongest reason against | — |
Worked example
- In favour, one per line, with how much it mattersCloser to home = 5 Better pay = 4 Work I would enjoy = 5 Good team = 3
- Against, one per line, with how much it mattersLess holiday = 3 Starting over = 2 Longer hours = 4
- Which side winsThe reasons for
- Both sides, in order+ 5 Closer to home + 5 Work I would enjoy + 4 Better pay + 3 Good team − 4 Longer hours − 3 Less holiday − 2 Starting over
- In favour, total17.0
- Against, total9.0
- Difference8.0
- How clear the answer is30.8 %
- Strongest reason forCloser to home
- Strongest reason againstLonger hours
Limitations
- The calculation runs entirely in your browser. The values you type are never sent to a server.
Frequently asked questions
Does the number at the bottom decide for me?
No, and it should not. Everything on this page came from you: the reasons and how much each one matters. All it does is add up faster and more honestly than you would in your head, where the item you thought of most recently tends to weigh more than it deserves. If the result surprises you, that is worth something in itself — either a weight is wrong, or you had already decided and did not know it.
What does the clarity figure mean?
It is the difference between the two sides as a share of everything you wrote. Five per cent means the two sides are almost level and the answer would flip if you changed one weight by a point — treat that as a genuine coin-toss rather than a verdict. Forty per cent means one side is carrying the argument and no single item is doing it.