Updated April 2026
SaaS Spend Benchmarks 2026: How Your Company Compares
Consolidated benchmark data from Zylo, Gartner, Productiv, and Flexera in one vendor-neutral reference. No product to sell, just the numbers.
$4,830
Avg spend per employee/yr
275
Avg apps per company
30%
Avg waste rate
15.2%
YoY SaaS spend growth
SaaS Spend per Employee by Industry
| Industry | Annual per Employee | Avg App Count |
|---|---|---|
| Technology | $6,200 - $8,500 | 350+ |
| Financial Services | $5,800 - $7,200 | 300+ |
| Healthcare | $4,900 - $6,100 | 280 |
| Professional Services | $4,500 - $5,800 | 260 |
| Retail | $3,800 - $5,000 | 220 |
| Manufacturing | $3,200 - $4,500 | 180 |
| Education | $2,800 - $3,800 | 150 |
Sources: Zylo SaaS Management Index 2025, Productiv State of SaaS 2025, Gartner estimates
SaaS Spend by Company Size
| Company Size | Per Employee/Year | Total Annual SaaS | Growth Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMB (under 500) | $3,500 - $5,000 | $350K - $2.5M | 18% |
| Mid-market (500-10K) | $4,500 - $6,500 | $2.5M - $65M | 15% |
| Enterprise (10K+) | $5,500 - $8,500 | $55M - $500M+ | 12% |
IT Spend as Percentage of Revenue
The average across all industries is 3.28% of revenue. This figure includes all IT spending (infrastructure, software, personnel, services), not just SaaS subscriptions. SaaS typically represents 40-60% of total IT spend.
| Industry | IT as % of Revenue |
|---|---|
| Financial Services | 7.0% - 8.0% |
| Technology | 5.0% - 8.0% |
| Healthcare | 4.0% - 6.0% |
| Professional Services | 3.5% - 5.0% |
| Retail | 2.0% - 3.5% |
| Manufacturing | 1.5% - 3.0% |
Sources: Deloitte CIO Survey 2025, Gartner IT Key Metrics Data
Shadow IT: The Untracked 30%
One-third of SaaS applications in the average organization are unmanaged. These are subscriptions purchased by individual teams or employees without going through centralized IT procurement. Shadow IT creates three problems:
$2.4M+
Untracked Annual Spend
For a 1,000-person company, shadow IT typically represents $2.4M or more in unmanaged subscriptions.
40%
Duplicate Subscriptions
Nearly half of shadow IT apps overlap with existing approved tools, creating pure waste.
3x
Security Risk Multiplier
Unvetted tools are 3x more likely to suffer a data breach than IT-approved applications.
Where the 30% Waste Comes From
Unused Licenses
Employees who have seats but have not logged in for 30+ days. Common with tools purchased during hiring surges or onboarding of acquired teams. Typical unused rate: 15-25% of total licenses.
Duplicate Tools
Multiple teams paying for competing products that serve the same function. The classic example is three different project management tools (Jira, Asana, Monday) used by different departments in the same company.
Auto-Renewed Contracts
Annual subscriptions that renew automatically for tools that are no longer actively used. The renewal passes through finance without anyone questioning whether the tool is still needed. Common after team restructuring or project completion.