Free Tool
Vendor Lock-in Risk Score
Score your dependency on a SaaS vendor and discover how easy it would be to switch.
Contract Length
How long are you locked into the contract?
Data Portability
How easy is it to export your data?
Integration Dependency
How deeply integrated is this tool with your other systems?
Estimated Switching Cost
How much would it cost to migrate to a different tool?
API & Ownership
What level of API access and data ownership does the vendor provide?
How this calculator works
Formula
- Total = sum of points for the 5 answers
- Max = 40 + 30 + 25 + 20 + 15 = 130
- Lock-in score = round(total ÷ 130 × 100)
- Risk: ≤15 Low, 16–35 Moderate, >35 High
Inputs
| Input | Unit | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Contract Length | choice (0/15/25/40 pts) | unanswered |
| Data Portability | choice (0/10/20/30 pts) | unanswered |
| Integration Dependency | choice (0/5/15/25 pts) | unanswered |
| Estimated Switching Cost | choice (0/5/10/20 pts) | unanswered |
| API & Ownership | choice (0/5/10/15 pts) | unanswered |
Outputs
- Lock-in score:
- round(sum of points ÷ 130 × 100), shown "N / 100"
- Risk label:
- ≤15 Low Risk; ≤35 Moderate Risk; >35 High Risk
Assumptions
- Contract: month-to-month 0, 6-month 15, 1-year 25, 2+ year 40
- Data export: full 0, partial 10, limited/manual 20, none/proprietary 30
- Integrations: standalone 0, 1–2 light 5, 3–5 some custom 15, deeply embedded 25
- Switching cost: <$1K 0, $1K–$5K 5, $5K–$20K 10, $20K+ 20; API: full 0, rate-limited 5, limited 10, none 15
- The score is shown when all 5 factors are answered
Worked example
Inputs: 1-year contract (25), partial export (10), 3–5 integrations (15), $1K–$5K (5), API with rate limits (5)
Result: Total 60/130 → Lock-in score 46 / 100 → High Risk
Results are estimates from the inputs you provide and the assumptions above, not financial advice.