Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) make important contributions to the software industry. SMEs particular characteristics imply challenges for the selection of technologies, such as Software Engineering Tools (SETs). SMEs use SETs to support software development; thus, they have to decide which SET to invest in, under limited resources and pressures which are determined by competitiveness and productivity. Additionally, changes in the SETs may affect the selection process. In this article, the authors propose a set of criteria to support SMEs in the selection of SETs. Such criteria have been formulated on the basis of the Goal Question Metric approach, and considering international standards such as ISO/IEC 14102 and IEEE 1209. After applying the proposed criteria to three SETs, results have revealed opportunities for support in commercial and open source SETs, as well as supporting areas such as project management, software development process, understandability, and communication and collaboration. This proposal aims to form the basis for the establishment of a SETs selection model for SMEs.