{
  "report": "2026 SaaS Waste Report: The Hidden Cost of Unmanaged Software",
  "publisher": "CostLoop Research",
  "publisher_url": "https://costloop.app/",
  "report_url": "https://costloop.app/saas-waste-report/",
  "published": "2026-06-01",
  "updated": "2026-07-01",
  "license": "CC BY 4.0 - cite as: CostLoop Research. '2026 SaaS Waste Report.' CostLoop, June 2026. https://costloop.app/saas-waste-report/",
  "methodology_summary": "Figures are estimates derived from publicly available research (Gartner, Productiv, Zylo, Blissfully/Vendr) supplemented by patterns observed in CostLoop user audit data. All figures represent averages across SMBs with 1-200 employees. 2026 trend figures are projections. Actual results vary by team size, industry, procurement maturity, and region. This is a synthesis report - it does not present primary survey data from CostLoop users.",
  "tables": {
    "saas_spend_by_team_size": {
      "description": "Estimated average SaaS tool count, monthly spend, and percentage waste by company size in 2026",
      "source": "Gartner, Productiv, Zylo, Blissfully/Vendr, CostLoop Research. Figures are estimates and averages.",
      "columns": ["team_size", "avg_saas_tools", "avg_monthly_spend_usd", "est_monthly_waste_low_usd", "est_monthly_waste_high_usd"],
      "data": [
        {"team_size": "1-5 employees", "avg_saas_tools": 11, "avg_monthly_spend_usd": 680, "est_monthly_waste_low_usd": 170, "est_monthly_waste_high_usd": 200},
        {"team_size": "6-15 employees", "avg_saas_tools": 19, "avg_monthly_spend_usd": 1400, "est_monthly_waste_low_usd": 350, "est_monthly_waste_high_usd": 420},
        {"team_size": "16-50 employees", "avg_saas_tools": 28, "avg_monthly_spend_usd": 3200, "est_monthly_waste_low_usd": 800, "est_monthly_waste_high_usd": 960},
        {"team_size": "51-200 employees", "avg_saas_tools": 47, "avg_monthly_spend_usd": 9100, "est_monthly_waste_low_usd": 2200, "est_monthly_waste_high_usd": 2700}
      ]
    },
    "saas_growth_by_year": {
      "description": "Year-over-year SaaS tool adoption, monthly spend, and waste rate for a 10-person SMB team, 2023-2026",
      "source": "Productiv, Zylo, Blissfully/Vendr, CostLoop Research. 2026 figures are projections. AI tool adoption is the primary driver of 2024-2026 growth.",
      "columns": ["year", "is_estimate", "avg_saas_tools_10person_team", "avg_monthly_spend_usd", "avg_waste_rate_pct"],
      "data": [
        {"year": "2023", "is_estimate": false, "avg_saas_tools_10person_team": 19, "avg_monthly_spend_usd": 1100, "avg_waste_rate_pct": 26},
        {"year": "2024", "is_estimate": false, "avg_saas_tools_10person_team": 24, "avg_monthly_spend_usd": 1800, "avg_waste_rate_pct": 28},
        {"year": "2025", "is_estimate": false, "avg_saas_tools_10person_team": 28, "avg_monthly_spend_usd": 2400, "avg_waste_rate_pct": 29},
        {"year": "2026", "is_estimate": true, "avg_saas_tools_10person_team": 31, "avg_monthly_spend_usd": 2900, "avg_waste_rate_pct": 30}
      ]
    },
    "waste_rate_by_category": {
      "description": "Estimated SaaS waste rate by software category among SMBs in 2026",
      "source": "Productiv, Zylo, Blissfully/Vendr, CostLoop Research. All figures are estimates and averages across SMBs.",
      "columns": ["category", "avg_waste_rate_pct", "primary_waste_driver"],
      "data": [
        {"category": "AI and automation", "avg_waste_rate_pct": 41, "primary_waste_driver": "Rapid experimentation; duplicate individual subscriptions; capability overlap with existing tools"},
        {"category": "Marketing software", "avg_waste_rate_pct": 35, "primary_waste_driver": "Trial-to-paid conversions; campaign-specific tools kept active after campaign ends"},
        {"category": "Productivity tools", "avg_waste_rate_pct": 28, "primary_waste_driver": "Duplicate tools (Notion and Confluence; Slack and Teams)"},
        {"category": "Developer tools", "avg_waste_rate_pct": 22, "primary_waste_driver": "Seat over-provisioning; legacy tools kept after stack migrations"},
        {"category": "Communication", "avg_waste_rate_pct": 18, "primary_waste_driver": "Migration remnants (old Slack workspace; unused Zoom license)"},
        {"category": "Finance and admin", "avg_waste_rate_pct": 12, "primary_waste_driver": "Lower churn; more deliberate purchasing decisions and CFO scrutiny"}
      ]
    },
    "waste_by_source_type": {
      "description": "Breakdown of SaaS waste by root cause among SMBs in 2026",
      "source": "Combined estimates from Productiv, Zylo, Blissfully/Vendr, CostLoop Research.",
      "columns": ["waste_source", "share_of_total_waste_pct", "description"],
      "data": [
        {"waste_source": "Zombie subscriptions", "share_of_total_waste_pct": 38, "description": "Tools unused for 60+ days that continue to auto-renew"},
        {"waste_source": "Seat over-provisioning", "share_of_total_waste_pct": 29, "description": "Team licenses for headcount that no longer exists"},
        {"waste_source": "Duplicate tools", "share_of_total_waste_pct": 18, "description": "Two or more paid tools serving the same function"},
        {"waste_source": "Forgotten annual renewals", "share_of_total_waste_pct": 15, "description": "Annual subscriptions that charge before anyone reviews them"}
      ]
    }
  }
}