Company tech stack size

SaaS stack analysis: Growth and volatility

The average business is projected to manage 146 individual SaaS applications by September 2026, up from 144 in June and 138 at the start of the year, an increase of 1.4% and 5.8% respectively. Despite a market-wide focus on consolidation, organizations continue to adopt new software faster than they retire old tools, and Q3 2026 is on track to set another record high for tech stack size.

• Q3 growth is slowing: The average SaaS stack is projected to add two tools between June and September 2026, a 1.4% increase. That's a slower pace than Q2, when stacks grew by three tools (2.1%), suggesting growth may be starting to level off, though not reverse.
• Net growth in 2026: The average software portfolio has grown every quarter this year, adding eight tools since January, with no month recording a decline.
• Early-year plateau: The average stack held flat at 138 applications in January and February before growth resumed in March. This fits the pattern of start-of-year audit cycles, where cleanups temporarily hold stack size in check before new purchases push it to fresh highs within a few months.

Why are companies growing their tech stacks?

Despite consolidation remaining a corporate priority, several factors continue to drive stack growth:

1. Specialized AI tools: Organizations are adding niche AI "point solutions" for specific tasks like code generation and automated prospecting, even while attempting to consolidate core platforms.
2. Shadow IT: Low-cost, "click-to-buy" subscriptions are frequently purchased at the departmental level on corporate cards, bypassing centralized IT and procurement oversight.
3. The integration gap: When core platforms such as ERPs or CRMs fail to meet specialized departmental needs, teams add "sidecar" applications to fill functional gaps.

Left unmanaged, this growth compounds the SaaS waste problem: more tools generally means more overlap and more shelfware. Usage analytics can flag underused or duplicate applications before they add to next quarter's count, and vendor management tools help centralize oversight so departmental purchases don't keep bypassing procurement unnoticed.

Data source: These insights are derived from over $75bn of global processed spend managed by Vertice in 2026. July to September 2026 figures are modelled projections.