Software pricing has increased an average of 8-12% year-over-year since 2024. Enterprise software experienced the highest inflation at 10-15%, while entry-level plans saw more modest 5-8% increases. SaaS providers continue shifting toward usage-based pricing models, with 62% now offering consumption-based tiers alongside traditional seat-based plans.
Software Pricing Benchmarks 2026
Quick Answer
The average business software subscription costs $15-45 per user per month in 2026. CRM software averages $25-65/user, project management tools run $8-30/user, and marketing automation ranges from $15-150/user depending on contact volume.
Average Pricing by Category
| Category | Low | Median | High | Products |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CRM | $34/mo | $75/mo | $139/mo | 14 |
| Project Management | $1/mo | $22/mo | $70/mo | 12 |
| Marketing Automation | $422/mo | $860/mo | $2348/mo | 11 |
| Communication | $3/mo | $9/mo | $14/mo | 8 |
| Design Tools | $2/mo | $20/mo | $49/mo | 6 |
| Developer Tools | $0/mo | $18/mo | $76/mo | 18 |
| HR/HRIS | $20/mo | $45/mo | $95/mo | 11 |
| Help Desk/Support | $16/mo | $51/mo | $97/mo | 11 |
| E-commerce | $9/mo | $42/mo | $420/mo | 7 |
| Business Intelligence | $128/mo | $318/mo | $629/mo | 9 |
| No-Code/Low-Code | $16/mo | $50/mo | $95/mo | 8 |
| AI Chatbots | $1/mo | $19/mo | $105/mo | 11 |
| AI Image Generators | $3/mo | $18/mo | $53/mo | 12 |
| AI Video Generators | $5/mo | $50/mo | $140/mo | 14 |
| AI Coding Assistants | $2/mo | $30/mo | $66/mo | 12 |
| AI Writing Tools | $19/mo | $54/mo | $159/mo | 9 |
| AI Voice Tools | $1/mo | $65/mo | $369/mo | 8 |
| AI Music Generators | $2/mo | $15/mo | $67/mo | 7 |
| AI Meeting Assistants | $2/mo | $15/mo | $28/mo | 8 |
| AI Sales Tools | $1678/mo | $6615/mo | $14884/mo | 10 |
| AI Customer Support | $3/mo | $32145/mo | $64790/mo | 7 |
| AI SEO Tools | $8/mo | $121/mo | $654/mo | 8 |
| AI Design Tools | $8/mo | $94/mo | $217/mo | 8 |
| AI Productivity | $7/mo | $19/mo | $42/mo | 5 |
| AI Presentations | $1/mo | $14/mo | $65/mo | 7 |
| AI Automation | $223/mo | $1682/mo | $4186/mo | 6 |
| AI Recruiting | $40200/mo | $100343/mo | $240771/mo | 7 |
| AI Legal Tools | $228/mo | $1338/mo | $5820/mo | 7 |
| AI Research Tools | $19/mo | $87/mo | $164/mo | 7 |
| AI Transcription APIs | $0/mo | $6/mo | $12/mo | 7 |
| AI Chatbot Platforms | $7/mo | $247/mo | $4519/mo | 7 |
| Financial Data & Terminals | $14640/mo | $30108/mo | $60630/mo | 10 |
| Enterprise E-commerce | $39364/mo | $108643/mo | $313571/mo | 7 |
| Cloud Infrastructure | $51/mo | $150/mo | $2114/mo | 6 |
| Cybersecurity | $13/mo | $35/mo | $57/mo | 5 |
| Identity & Access Management | $1/mo | $35/mo | $59/mo | 5 |
| Password Management | $1/mo | $14/mo | $35/mo | 5 |
| Data Warehousing | $0/mo | $605/mo | $10115/mo | 5 |
| VPN | $2/mo | $44/mo | $122/mo | 5 |
| Accounting | $12/mo | $50/mo | $149/mo | 5 |
| LMS & E-Learning | $64/mo | $148/mo | $369/mo | 5 |
| CDN & Edge | $0/mo | $107/mo | $450/mo | 5 |
| Backup & Recovery | $11/mo | $96/mo | $137/mo | 5 |
| Video Editing | $6/mo | $25/mo | $156/mo | 5 |
| ERP Systems | $86/mo | $175/mo | $335/mo | 5 |
| Subscription Billing | $1250/mo | $3080/mo | $10200/mo | 5 |
| Email Security | $2/mo | $4/mo | $7/mo | 5 |
| Customer Data Platforms | $36000/mo | $75155/mo | $230400/mo | 5 |
| Contract Management | $229/mo | $720/mo | $1503/mo | 5 |
| Endpoint Security | $25/mo | $42/mo | $71/mo | 5 |
| SIEM | $1103/mo | $15227/mo | $50508/mo | 5 |
| Sales Engagement | $3028/mo | $5085/mo | $10140/mo | 5 |
| Product Analytics | $1400/mo | $14074/mo | $26748/mo | 5 |
| Expense Management | $11/mo | $43/mo | $75/mo | 5 |
| Accounts Payable | $217/mo | $718/mo | $1218/mo | 5 |
| Time Tracking | $3/mo | $9/mo | $14/mo | 5 |
| Video Conferencing | $5/mo | $8/mo | $11/mo | 5 |
| Document Management | $4/mo | $16/mo | $27/mo | 5 |
| Employee Engagement | $0/mo | $3/mo | $80/mo | 5 |
| Learning Management System | $5/mo | $8/mo | $12/mo | 5 |
| Performance Management | $1/mo | $1/mo | $1/mo | 5 |
| Revenue Operations | $0/mo | $11/mo | $41/mo | 5 |
| Marketing Attribution | $440/mo | $2470/mo | $4500/mo | 5 |
| Customer Success | $0/mo | $0/mo | $0/mo | 5 |
| Log Management | $1639/mo | $3637/mo | $7416/mo | 5 |
| APM & Monitoring | $4/mo | $50/mo | $71/mo | 5 |
| Data Catalog | $0/mo | $0/mo | $0/mo | 5 |
| Procurement Software | $6/mo | $6/mo | $6/mo | 5 |
| Inventory Management | $80/mo | $206/mo | $346/mo | 5 |
| Webinar Software | $41/mo | $97/mo | $223/mo | 5 |
| Knowledge Management | $2/mo | $14/mo | $19/mo | 5 |
| Sales Intelligence | $29/mo | $112/mo | $195/mo | 5 |
| IT Asset Management | $0/mo | $0/mo | $0/mo | 5 |
| Vulnerability Management | $1/mo | $4/mo | $6/mo | 5 |
| ETL & Data Integration | $2620/mo | $16074/mo | $44500/mo | 5 |
| Field Service Management | $81/mo | $245/mo | $409/mo | 5 |
| Vendor Management | $1/mo | $40/mo | $40/mo | 5 |
| Customer Feedback | $201/mo | $304/mo | $412/mo | 5 |
| Compliance Management | $9000/mo | $27382/mo | $69440/mo | 5 |
| Blockchain Data APIs | $0/mo | $147/mo | $300/mo | 5 |
| Blockchain Node Providers | $10/mo | $76/mo | $345/mo | 5 |
| Crypto Custody | $50/mo | $255/mo | $2505/mo | 4 |
| Crypto Compliance | $20100/mo | $61000/mo | $150000/mo | 5 |
| On-Chain Analytics | $0/mo | $139/mo | $7204/mo | 5 |
| Web3 Wallet SDKs | $0/mo | $60/mo | $319/mo | 5 |
| IT Service Management (ITSM) | $39/mo | $70/mo | $101/mo | 5 |
| Remote Desktop Software | $20/mo | $58/mo | $101/mo | 5 |
| Mobile Device Management (MDM) | $2/mo | $3/mo | $5/mo | 5 |
| RMM (Remote Monitoring & Management) | $27/mo | $69/mo | $89/mo | 5 |
| Network Monitoring | $998/mo | $4225/mo | $7451/mo | 5 |
| IT Documentation | $13/mo | $17/mo | $20/mo | 5 |
| CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) | $141/mo | $203/mo | $265/mo | 5 |
| Revenue Intelligence | $1600/mo | $30800/mo | $60000/mo | 5 |
| SEO Tools | $0/mo | $0/mo | $0/mo | 5 |
| Email Marketing | $0/mo | $49/mo | $94/mo | 5 |
| Social Media Management | $205/mo | $610/mo | $1178/mo | 5 |
| ABM Platforms | $33400/mo | $69200/mo | $115000/mo | 5 |
| Survey Software | $300/mo | $1032/mo | $2120/mo | 5 |
| Session Replay & Heatmaps | $0/mo | $61/mo | $312/mo | 5 |
| A/B Testing | $16060/mo | $35279/mo | $80419/mo | 5 |
| Business Phone / VoIP | $3/mo | $5/mo | $15/mo | 5 |
| Contact Center / CCaaS | $84/mo | $120/mo | $169/mo | 5 |
| SMS Marketing | $100/mo | $535/mo | $1747/mo | 5 |
| Payroll Software | $3/mo | $64/mo | $278/mo | 5 |
| Invoicing Software | $2/mo | $39/mo | $90/mo | 5 |
| FP&A / Budgeting Software | $24000/mo | $110508/mo | $435416/mo | 5 |
| ATS (Applicant Tracking) | $220/mo | $448/mo | $705/mo | 5 |
| Benefits Administration | $23/mo | $120/mo | $222/mo | 5 |
| Feature Flags | $0/mo | $575/mo | $2470/mo | 5 |
| Error Tracking | $4/mo | $27/mo | $87/mo | 5 |
| API Management | $2/mo | $369/mo | $877/mo | 5 |
| Secrets Management | $1/mo | $87/mo | $10270/mo | 5 |
| Legal Practice Management | $27/mo | $79/mo | $113/mo | 5 |
| Construction Management | $1244/mo | $6452/mo | $15337/mo | 4 |
| Property Management | $60/mo | $205/mo | $661/mo | 5 |
| EHR/EMR Software | $378/mo | $30239/mo | $6000399/mo | 5 |
| Telehealth | $3012/mo | $11024/mo | $50033/mo | 5 |
| Restaurant POS | $31/mo | $123/mo | $234/mo | 5 |
| Retail POS | $52/mo | $106/mo | $207/mo | 4 |
| SD-WAN | $48/mo | $104/mo | $160/mo | 5 |
| CDN (Content Delivery Network) | $0/mo | $7/mo | $67/mo | 3 |
| DNS Management | $21/mo | $164/mo | $6440/mo | 5 |
| Load Balancers | $369/mo | $899/mo | $1419/mo | 5 |
| WiFi Management | $6/mo | $10/mo | $15/mo | 5 |
| Network Traffic Analysis | $809/mo | $5770/mo | $11129/mo | 5 |
| SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) | $35/mo | $60/mo | $85/mo | 5 |
| Multi-Cloud Networking | $2190/mo | $7639/mo | $18177/mo | 5 |
| Business VPN | $3/mo | $9/mo | $19/mo | 5 |
| ZTNA (Zero Trust Network Access) | $0/mo | $0/mo | $0/mo | 5 |
| Reverse ETL | $100/mo | $485/mo | $900/mo | 5 |
| RPA (Robotic Process Automation) | $607/mo | $3188/mo | $20398/mo | 5 |
| Digital Adoption Platforms | $4500/mo | $52973/mo | $101536/mo | 5 |
| Community Platforms | $18/mo | $23/mo | $140/mo | 5 |
| Shipping Software | $2/mo | $76/mo | $150/mo | 5 |
| Returns Management | $1106/mo | $5163/mo | $10085/mo | 5 |
| Bug Bounty & Penetration Testing | $14700/mo | $94350/mo | $174000/mo | 5 |
| Database as a Service | $0/mo | $105/mo | $213/mo | 5 |
| Headless CMS | $0/mo | $175/mo | $369/mo | 5 |
| Observability Platforms | $0/mo | $16673/mo | $266685/mo | 3 |
| Browser Testing | $12/mo | $98/mo | $225/mo | 5 |
| Scheduling & Appointments | $6/mo | $17/mo | $30/mo | 5 |
| Event Management | $5600/mo | $18301/mo | $31003/mo | 5 |
| Localization & Translation | $32/mo | $506/mo | $1009/mo | 5 |
| Payment Processing | $0/mo | $15/mo | $30/mo | 5 |
| Corporate Cards & Spend | $0/mo | $37/mo | $73/mo | 3 |
| Business Tax Software | $3107/mo | $20844/mo | $50581/mo | 5 |
| Equity Management | $641/mo | $1517/mo | $2942/mo | 5 |
| Board Management | $2480/mo | $12620/mo | $23040/mo | 5 |
| Podcast Hosting | $7/mo | $46/mo | $93/mo | 5 |
| Screen Recording | $22/mo | $103/mo | $186/mo | 9 |
| Content Management System (CMS) | $3/mo | $69/mo | $235/mo | 5 |
| Diagramming & Whiteboard | $0/mo | $6/mo | $10/mo | 9 |
| Note-Taking & PKM | $1/mo | $23/mo | $33/mo | 11 |
| Background Checks | $17/mo | $43/mo | $148/mo | 5 |
| Contractor Management | $117/mo | $180/mo | $281/mo | 4 |
| Employee Scheduling | $2/mo | $19/mo | $43/mo | 5 |
| Live Chat | $14/mo | $56/mo | $161/mo | 4 |
| Sales Enablement | $6688/mo | $16699/mo | $33375/mo | 3 |
| Affiliate Software | $233/mo | $956/mo | $1679/mo | 5 |
| Loyalty Program Software | $22/mo | $128/mo | $357/mo | 5 |
| Review Management | $275/mo | $467/mo | $659/mo | 5 |
| Gym & Fitness Management | $101/mo | $161/mo | $313/mo | 5 |
| Salon & Spa Software | $40/mo | $103/mo | $186/mo | 5 |
| Hotel Management (PMS) | $118/mo | $286/mo | $613/mo | 5 |
| Church Management | $29/mo | $122/mo | $285/mo | 5 |
| Nonprofit CRM | $96/mo | $203/mo | $350/mo | 5 |
| Veterinary Software | $200/mo | $350/mo | $500/mo | 5 |
| Dental Practice Software | $162/mo | $504/mo | $821/mo | 5 |
| Manufacturing ERP | $5680/mo | $34958/mo | $64235/mo | 5 |
| Warehouse Management (WMS) | $639/mo | $2261/mo | $3882/mo | 5 |
| Fleet Management | $19/mo | $39/mo | $60/mo | 5 |
| SOC 2 Compliance | $3150/mo | $9200/mo | $15250/mo | 2 |
Price Trends 2024-2026
Frequently Asked Questions
01 What is the average cost of business software per user?
The average cost ranges from $15-45 per user per month across all software categories. CRM and marketing automation tools tend toward the higher end ($25-65/user), while project management and productivity tools are typically $8-30/user. Enterprise plans with advanced features can exceed $100/user/month.
02 Which software category is most expensive?
Marketing automation and enterprise CRM tend to be the most expensive categories, often priced based on contact volume rather than users. Large contact databases (50,000+) can cost $500-2,000/month. Analytics platforms and data warehouses can also be costly, scaling with data volume.
03 How much should a small business budget for software?
Small businesses typically spend $50-200 per employee per month on software subscriptions. A 10-person team might budget $500-2,000/month total, covering essentials like CRM, project management, communication, accounting, and email marketing tools. Starting with free tiers and scaling up as needed helps control costs.