Compare suppliers (up to 3)

What you’ll learn

How to compare up to three suppliers side-by-side, what to look at, and how to use the comparison to choose the best overall option.

Why compare suppliers?

When you have 2–5 supplier options, decisions get messy fast.

The Compare feature helps you:

avoid choosing only the cheapest option,
see key terms side-by-side,
make a clear decision you can share with your team.

What you can compare

Compare is designed to show the most important supplier fields in one view.

Typical fields:

Unit cost
MOQ
Lead time
Incoterms / terms
Score (out of 5)
Notes / docs link (if available)

Compare suppliers (step-by-step)

Step 1 — Go to Suppliers

Open the Suppliers tab for the product.

Step 2 — Select up to 3 suppliers

Choose the suppliers you want to compare.

You can select maximum 3.
If you select more than 3, deselect one before continuing.

Step 3 — Click “Compare”

Click the Compare button to open the comparison popup.

Step 4 — Review the differences

Focus on the 3 things that usually matter most:

Total landed cost potential (unit cost + realistic shipping)
Speed (lead time + reliability)
Confidence (communication + quality signals)

Step 5 — Decide

Once you’re clear:

close the compare view,
select a Winner (trophy) if you’re ready.

How to choose the best supplier (simple rule)

Don’t pick only the lowest price.

A better rule is:

Best overall = price + lead time + reliability

If you’re unsure, choose the supplier with:

clear communication,
realistic timelines,
stable terms,
and the best total value (not just lowest unit cost).

Best practices

Fill these three fields for each supplier before comparing:
- Unit cost
- MOQ
- Lead time
Use scoring consistently (out of 5) so Compare has meaning.
Use Notes to capture key differences:
- “Fast replies, slightly higher cost”
- “Lowest price, long lead time”
- “Good quality signals, MOQ high”

Troubleshooting

Compare popup looks incomplete

Usually it’s because some suppliers are missing key fields.

Fix:

add at least unit cost + MOQ + lead time
re-open Compare

Add and manage suppliers (Suppliers tab)
Choosing a winner (trophy / winner toggle)
How Kanban starts automatically (supplier contact rule)