Generally, in principle, Normal is the base configuration for Word on a given computer.

Generally, in principle, templates are the base configuration for DOCUMENTS.

It is, in principle, a poor idea to mix requirements for a document, with how Word itself is set up for a particular computer. You can deal with specific document needs by way of the template made to create that document. There is really no need to mess with Normal.

That being said, it is true that unfortunately some applications only work with Normal. That is sloppy and poor programming on the part of those applications.

Going back to your original question, there is no way to truly compare the qualities of two templates except by brute force. Even if two templates have, for example, two styles with the same name, there is no way to know if the styles themselves are identical except by testing every single parameter.