SaaS spend optimization

SaaS spend optimization is the practice of auditing every software subscription a business pays for, removing unused licenses, duplicate tools, and over-tiered plans, and renegotiating renewals against market benchmarks. Stackstone does this work as an independent advisor: the assessment is free, and compensation for optimization work is disclosed per engagement, typically standard supplier commissions, usually at no direct cost to you.

Where does SaaS spend get wasted?

SaaS is easy to buy and easy to forget. Subscriptions get added by individual teams, renew automatically, and rarely get reviewed against actual usage. Over a few years, that adds up to a meaningful share of software budget going to things nobody uses. The waste concentrates in five places:

• Unused licenses, seats still assigned to people who left, changed roles, or never logged in. Most admin consoles expose them through last-login data; someone just has to look.
• Duplicate tools, two or three products solving the same problem because different teams bought them separately. Project management, e-signature, and file sharing are frequent offenders.
• Over-tiered plans, paying for an enterprise or premium tier bought for a feature or a peak that passed, while most users only touch the basics.
• Auto-renewals, contracts that roll over at list price, sometimes with built-in uplifts, because nobody flagged the renewal date in time to negotiate.
• Shelfware, software bought for an initiative that stalled. It still bills every month, and every renewal quietly re-commits you.

None of this shows up as a single painful line item, which is exactly why it persists. For a closer look at the size of the problem, see our guide to how much the average business wastes on SaaS.

What does a SaaS spend optimization engagement include?

The work follows a straightforward sequence. You share invoices, subscription lists, and admin access where appropriate; the advisor does the analysis and the legwork:

1. Full inventory. Every subscription is pulled from accounting records, expense reports, and SSO logs, including the tools that never went through procurement.
2. Usage vs. license comparison. License counts are checked against active usage and current headcount to surface unused and under-used seats.
3. Duplicate and overlap mapping. Tools with overlapping functions are identified so teams can consolidate onto one, usually the one they already prefer.
4. Tier right-sizing. Each plan level is checked against the features actually in use, and mismatches are flagged for downgrade at renewal.
5. Renewal calendar and benchmarking. Every renewal date gets mapped, and upcoming renewals are benchmarked against market pricing so negotiations start from data, not the vendor's proposal.
6. Negotiation and execution. The advisor handles the renegotiations, cancellations, and downgrades, without disrupting the tools your teams rely on.

This is the software slice of a broader technology spend assessment, which also covers telecom, connectivity, and vendor contracts.

Advisor or SaaS management software: which do you need?

The main alternative to hiring an advisor is buying a SaaS management platform such as Zylo, Zluri, or Vendr. Those platforms are legitimate tools, and for large organizations that want continuous, in-house monitoring, they can make sense. But they answer a different question. A platform gives your team visibility; an advisor delivers the outcome.

The two are not mutually exclusive. Some businesses use an advisor to capture the first round of savings, then decide whether ongoing tooling is worth it. The difference that matters on day one: an advisor costs nothing to start, and is only paid when your software bill actually goes down.

How much can SaaS spend optimization save?

A focused SaaS audit typically recovers 15–25% of software spend (industry benchmarks; results vary), with more available where tool sprawl is high across teams or locations. Where the same review extends to telecom and connectivity, recoveries of 20–30% are typical in those categories. The assessment puts a dollar figure on your specific situation before you commit to anything, and our case studies show what that looks like in practice. SaaS is one part of the broader picture covered in our guide to cutting SaaS, telecom, and vendor costs.

How does Stackstone get paid?

The assessment is free. For optimization work, we're typically compensated through standard supplier commissions on the contracts we help you source and manage, so there is usually no direct cost to you. We never charge hourly or retainer fees; if an engagement ever includes a fee at all, it's only a share of savings actually realized, agreed in writing up front. We disclose how we're paid for your engagement so you can weigh the advice accordingly. We are independent. We work across the provider market, not for any single vendor, we don't sell software, and in most cases clients keep their existing vendors. The full picture is in how technology consultants get paid and independent advisor vs. reseller.

When is the right time to review your SaaS stack?

• 60–90 days before a major renewal, while you still have negotiating leverage
• After headcount changes, growth, layoffs, or a merger, since license counts rarely get adjusted on their own
• When software spend has grown organically without a dedicated review in the last 12–24 months
• When finance can't produce a complete list of active subscriptions, which is more common than anyone admits

Timing matters because most SaaS savings are captured at renewal. Our guide on when to review technology contracts covers the calendar in detail.

By Shane Stewart, Founder of Stackstone Advisory, independent technology spend advisor.
Last updated: July 2026.

• How much does the average business waste on SaaS?
• Cut SaaS, telecom & vendor costs
• When to review technology contracts