The skills matrix market splits roughly into four tiers: free Excel templates from HR blogs (£0, basic), mid-market specialised tools like ours (£100–£500, full feature set), enterprise HCM modules within Cornerstone, Workday, or SAP SuccessFactors (£40+ per user per month), and bespoke consultant engagements (£8-15k per audit). This page lays out where each one earns its place, and we are honest about where ours doesn't.
Free Excel templates from HR blogs (£0)
Best for: a single team wanting to see the shape of the idea before investing anything.
What you get: usually a single tab with a person × skill grid, a colour-coding rule, and no further functionality. No competency policy, no roadmaps, no dashboards, no analytics.
Where it fits: if your only question is "what does a skills matrix look like?", try our free mini matrix and stop there until you want more.
Where it doesn't: the moment you want to actually run a team on it, you'll find yourself building the missing 90% by hand. Most people give up at this stage.
Our template (£199 one-off)
Best for: one manager, one HRBP, or one small business owner who wants the full feature set in their own file by the end of the morning.
What you get: everything in the free version, plus heat map, automated roadmaps, editable narrative descriptors on a fixed 0-5 scale, current vs target dashboards, analytics, and step-by-step setup. Built on a 20-year-old, award-winning methodology. £1 upgrade path to PulseAI in year one.
Where it fits: teams from 5 to 5,000 people, where the buyer wants ownership of the file and doesn't want a procurement battle.
Where it doesn't: if you need real-time, multi-site, mobile, AI-suggested skills, and compliance reminders, the spreadsheet is the wrong shape and you should upgrade to PulseAI (£1 in year one, £199/year after).
PulseAI (£1 first year for template owners, £199/year after)
Best for: organisations going beyond one team, especially with mobile-first or compliance-driven workforces.
What you get: everything in the template, plus AI skill suggestions, web + mobile apps, real-time dashboards, automated compliance reminders, multi-team rollup. Native iOS and Android apps.
Where it fits: multi-team or multi-site organisations who want individuals self-assessing on their phone and managers seeing the picture move in real time.
Where it doesn't: if you don't want a subscription, stick with the £199 Excel template forever.
Enterprise HCM (Cornerstone, Workday, SuccessFactors, £40+/user/month)
Best for: Fortune 500 organisations with global compliance, HRIS integration needs, and dedicated HR systems teams.
What you get: a skills module embedded in a wider HCM platform, with deep integration to performance, succession, payroll, and recruitment.
Where it fits: 5,000+ employee organisations with HRIS budgets and compliance scopes that justify the spend. These are excellent products at their scale.
Where it doesn't: if you're a single team or small business, you will pay 50-200× our price for capabilities you don't yet need. We are not better than Cornerstone at what Cornerstone does. We are a different shape, for a different buyer.
Bespoke consultant engagements (£8k–£15k per team, one-off)
Best for: regulated industries facing an audit, or organisations needing a documented external assessment.
What you get: a consultant comes in, runs interviews, produces a written report and a one-off matrix.
Where it fits: when you need third-party validation, not when you need an ongoing instrument.
Where it doesn't: as a recurring operational tool, the cost-per-quarter is prohibitive. Most teams who go this route also build an internal matrix afterwards.
How to choose
- Single team, single buyer, no procurement: £199 Excel template.
- Multi-team, mobile, real-time: £199 Excel as POC → £1 PulseAI in year one.
- Whole-enterprise HRIS rebuild already in flight: Cornerstone / Workday / SuccessFactors.
- One-off audit for regulator: specialist consultant.
- Just curious: free mini matrix, then revisit.
Last reviewed: 26 May 2026. Pricing for third-party tools is indicative based on publicly available SMB starting rates; actual deals vary.