SaaS underutilization

The metric you can’t afford to ignore.

Underutilization continues to drain budgets – often result of duplicate applications and overprovisioned licenses.

As of Q3 2025, Project Management and Content Management are the least-utilized software categories, pointing to widespread over-contracting on per-user pricing models. HR tools remain high on the list, with Office Management and Customer Service having also joined the top five.

Interestingly, Security and IT Management tools have dropped out of the rankings, suggesting organizations may be getting better at aligning spend with actual needs in these categories. However, higher rates of underutilization among Office Management and Customer Service tools show that usage issues are now affecting functions once considered essential – making it critical for procurement teams to closely track software usage and negotiate contract terms accordingly.