Wasted SaaS spend

How much are companies wasting on SaaS in 2026?

Shelfware and underutilized SaaS continue to drive substantial financial losses, with many companies wasting millions annually on tools and licenses that simply aren't being used.

According to Vertice’s 2026 data, organizations with 500-1,000 employees now waste $1.7M annually on unused and underutilized software – a figure that increases rapidly with company size. Those with 1,000-2,000 see this rise to $3.2M, and enterprises with more than 10,000 staff waste $17.6M – up 34% in just one year.

‍These numbers highlight the challenges of managing sprawling software portfolios and the importance of tracking actual SaaS license usage. Even modest improvements in monitoring and rightsizing contracts – aligning licenses with actual usage – can significantly reduce wasted SaaS spend and improve operational efficiency.

‍Data source: These insights are derived from over $30bn of global processed spend managed by Vertice in 2026.