Data as of Aug 25, 2026 · Based on 274 AI responses from ChatGPT Search and Google AI Mode · See how Parse measures this
To identify and reclaim unused software licenses, several SaaS management platforms are highly recommended. Zylo and
Zluri are top choices for comprehensive utilization tracking and spend analytics. For mid-market companies,
Torii and Trelica offer strong, user-friendly management capabilities. If your organization also requires active procurement negotiation services alongside usage tracking, consider platforms like Spendflo or Vendr.
Brands AI recommends here
Named in 82% of answers
Zylo is a leading choice for enterprise-scale SaaS management, offering deep spend analytics and renewal tracking. It is ideal for teams needing to surface inactive users and benchmark software spend across large organizations.
Named in 77% of answers
Named in 61% of answers
Zluri provides excellent user-level usage tracking and lifecycle management. It fits well for mid-market businesses requiring clear visibility into how often employees interact with applications to justify specific license counts.
Named in 45% of answers
To stop bleeding money on idle software licenses and shadow IT, you need a SaaS Management Platform (SMP). These tools tie into your financial systems, identity providers (Okta, Azure AD), and direct application APIs to highlight who is actually logging in versus who is just taking up a paid…
To stop bleeding money on idle software licenses and shadow IT, you need a SaaS Management Platform (SMP). These tools tie into your financial systems, identity providers (Okta, Azure AD), and direct application APIs to highlight who is actually logging in versus who is just taking up a paid seat.
Top SaaS management platforms specializing in utilization tracking and license optimization include:
To help narrow down which platform fits best, could you share:
Yes. The category you’re looking for is generally called **SaaS Management Platforms (SMPs)** or **SaaS spend management**. They connect to your SSO/identity provider, expense/AP systems, and SaaS applications to show **who has licenses, who actually uses them, what you're paying, and which licenses can be reclaimed…
Yes. The category you’re looking for is generally called SaaS Management Platforms (SMPs) or SaaS spend management. They connect to your SSO/identity provider, expense/AP systems, and SaaS applications to show who has licenses, who actually uses them, what you're paying, and which licenses can be reclaimed or downgraded.
A few of the stronger options in 2026:
| Platform | Particularly good for | Utilization / license optimization |
|---|---|---|
| Zylo | Large enterprises, spend visibility, renewals | Excellent — tracks usage, licenses, contracts and spend; can automate reclamation |
| Zluri | IT-led SaaS optimization and access management | Excellent — activity insights, unused-license detection, reclaim/downgrade workflows |
| Torii | SaaS discovery, governance and automation | Excellent — identifies unused/stale licenses and access, with optimization workflows |
| BetterCloud | IT operations and SaaS lifecycle management | Very good — particularly strong if you also want provisioning/deprovisioning |
| Flexera | Large, complex IT estates | Very good — broader IT asset/SAM capabilities in addition to SaaS |
| Vendr | Procurement and vendor negotiations | More spend/procurement-focused than pure utilization tracking |
Zylo, Zluri, and Torii would be my first three demos if the immediate problem is “we're paying for seats nobody uses.” Current comparisons of the category similarly distinguish these platforms from procurement-first products.
Don't settle for an application inventory. Ask each vendor to show you, using your actual data if possible:
For example, Zluri says its platform combines users, activity, spend, roles and licenses and can automatically reclaim or downgrade licenses based on usage thresholds. Zluri Zylo similarly combines usage, contract and spend data and explicitly positions renewal optimization around actual license utilization. Zylo Torii's 2026 benchmark specifically focuses on unused licenses and stale access as sources of wasted SaaS spend.
One important 2026 consideration: Productiv is no longer a good candidate for a new evaluation. It announced that it was sunsetting its platform in August 2026.
If you tell me roughly how many employees you have and your annual SaaS spend (even approximate), I can narrow this to the 2–3 platforms most likely to pay for themselves and compare pricing/implementation considerations.
Yes. If the main problem is **paying for seats that aren't actually being used**, you're looking for a **SaaS Management Platform (SMP)** with license-utilization analytics, not just a software inventory tool. ### Strong vendors to shortlist Platform | Best fit | What it does well
Yes. If the main problem is paying for seats that aren't actually being used, you're looking for a SaaS Management Platform (SMP) with license-utilization analytics, not just a software inventory tool.
| Platform | Best fit | What it does well |
|---|---|---|
| zylo.com | Enterprise / Finance + IT | Tracks spend, contracts, users and utilization; identifies unused licenses and supports renewal optimization. Zylo says its platform tracks 40M+ normalized licenses. Zylo Zylo |
| toriihq.com | IT operations | Discovers SaaS, connects usage with spend, identifies waste and automates lifecycle actions. Torii |
| productiv.com | Usage analytics | Particularly strong if you want detailed application engagement data to determine whether licenses are genuinely being used. CIOPages |
| zluri.com | IT + security | SaaS discovery, license optimization, access governance and lifecycle automation. StackBriefly |
| bettercloud.com | SaaS operations | Strong on SaaS administration, user lifecycle and workflow automation in addition to spend/governance. StackBriefly |
If your CFO/IT team is saying "show me exactly what we're wasting on unused software", I'd start with:
The important distinction is that "login activity" isn't necessarily utilization. During evaluations, ask vendors whether they can show feature-level or meaningful engagement data, not merely whether someone logged in once during the last 90 days. A recent buyer's guide specifically identifies engagement analytics as a differentiator between these platforms.
I'd also require a demo using your actual SaaS stack and ask them to identify, for each major application: licensed seats → active users → inactive users → cost per unused seat → renewal date → recommended action.
If you tell me roughly company size and your biggest 5–10 SaaS vendors (e.g., Salesforce, Slack, Zoom, Adobe, Microsoft), I can narrow this to the 2–3 platforms most likely to pay for themselves.
To reel in runaway software spending and identify unused or underutilized licenses, companies turn to **SaaS Management Platforms (SMPs)** . These platforms connect to your financial systems, Single Sign-On (SSO), and identity providers to show you exactly who is—and isn't—using…
To reel in runaway software spending and identify unused or underutilized licenses, companies turn to SaaS Management Platforms (SMPs) . These platforms connect to your financial systems, Single Sign-On (SSO), and identity providers to show you exactly who is—and isn't—using what.
Top platforms that specialize in tracking utilization and rightsizing license tiers include:
To help narrow down which platform fits your team, could you share:
Yes. If the problem is **“we’re paying for seats people aren’t actually using,”** you want a SaaS Management Platform (SMP) with **license-level utilization analytics**, not just a procurement/renewal tool. ### Strong options to shortlist | Platform | Particularly good for | Utilization / savings capabilities |
Yes. If the problem is “we’re paying for seats people aren’t actually using,” you want a SaaS Management Platform (SMP) with license-level utilization analytics, not just a procurement/renewal tool.
| Platform | Particularly good for | Utilization / savings capabilities |
|---|---|---|
| Zylo | Enterprise SaaS spend optimization | Connects spend, contracts and usage; identifies unused/underused licenses and helps right-size renewals. zylo.com |
| Torii | Automated license reclamation | Tracks actual activity through SSO, audit logs and APIs, identifies idle seats, and can automatically reclaim or downgrade licenses. www.toriihq.com |
| Productiv | Deep usage/engagement analytics | Focuses heavily on application engagement and utilization, including which teams and features are actually being used. zylo.com |
| Zluri | SaaS management + access governance | Combines discovery and optimization with identity/access reviews and lifecycle automation. zylo.comwww.ciopages.com |
| BetterCloud | SaaS operations and automation | Good if you want utilization insights combined with provisioning/deprovisioning and IT workflow automation. zylo.comwww.ciopages.com |
| Flexera | Large, complex IT estates | Broader IT asset/SAM capabilities alongside SaaS discovery, optimization and renewal management. zylo.com |
My initial shortlist would be Zylo, Torii, and Productiv. They are particularly relevant if your primary business case is recovering money from unused or underutilized seats. A 2026 industry analysis likewise puts Zylo/Productiv in the spend-and-usage-focused category, with Torii emphasizing automation.
One important distinction: SaaS management ≠ SaaS procurement. Platforms such as Vendr, Vertice, Tropic and Spendflo can help negotiate better prices, but they aren't necessarily the best answer to “which employees are actually using these licenses?”
Don't settle for a dashboard showing “last login.” Ask them to demonstrate:
For a company trying to make a business case to finance, I'd start with Zylo vs. Torii vs. Productiv and require each to analyze a sample of your highest-cost applications. That makes the evaluation much more concrete than comparing feature checklists.
Here are top SaaS management platforms (SMPs) designed to track software utilization, eliminate idle licenses, and optimize your spending: - **Zylo** : Focuses heavily on license optimization, usage analytics, and automated discovery to find redundant or underutilized apps across your…
Here are top SaaS management platforms (SMPs) designed to track software utilization, eliminate idle licenses, and optimize your spending:
If you'd like, let me know:
I can help you narrow down which platform fits your stack best.
To curb the waste of paying for unused or underutilized software seats , organizations rely on **SaaS Management Platforms (SMPs)** . These tools combine financial spend data with direct usage metrics (logins, feature adoption, and activity thresholds) to help you "right-size" your licenses before contract…
To curb the waste of paying for unused or underutilized software seats , organizations rely on SaaS Management Platforms (SMPs) . These tools combine financial spend data with direct usage metrics (logins, feature adoption, and activity thresholds) to help you "right-size" your licenses before contract renewals.
Top-rated SaaS management platforms specialized in tracking utilization and cutting license waste include:
If you'd like to narrow down the best fit, let me know:
Yes. The category you want is **SaaS Management Platforms (SMPs)** or **SaaS spend/license optimization platforms**. They connect to your SSO, HRIS, expense/AP, and SaaS applications to show who is actually using what, identify unused licenses, and often automate reclamation. ### Strong vendors to shortlist | Platform…
Yes. The category you want is SaaS Management Platforms (SMPs) or SaaS spend/license optimization platforms. They connect to your SSO, HRIS, expense/AP, and SaaS applications to show who is actually using what, identify unused licenses, and often automate reclamation.
| Platform | Best fit | What stands out |
|---|---|---|
| Zylo | Enterprise SaaS spend optimization | Deep spend, license utilization, renewals, contract and pricing intelligence |
| Zluri | License optimization + IT/security | Usage analytics, unused-license detection, auto-reclamation and access management |
| Productiv | Detailed utilization/engagement analysis | Particularly strong at showing how deeply employees use applications, rather than simply whether they logged in |
| Torii | SaaS discovery + automation | Discovery, lifecycle automation, access controls and optimization |
| BetterCloud | SaaS operations | Strong workflow automation, onboarding/offboarding and license management |
| Lumos | SaaS discovery + access governance | Combines app discovery, usage, spend and access remediation |
| Flexera | Large/complex IT estates | Broader IT asset/SAM capabilities alongside SaaS management |
| ServiceNow | Companies already on ServiceNow | SaaS/software asset management integrated into existing IT workflows |
Current 2026 market comparisons particularly highlight Zylo, Zluri, Productiv, and Torii as the core platforms to compare, with the choice depending on whether your priority is spend, utilization analytics, or automation.
I'd start with Zylo, Zluri, and Productiv.
One useful benchmark: Zylo's 2026 research reports that organizations use only about 54% of provisioned SaaS licenses on average, illustrating why utilization data can uncover significant savings.
What I'd require in an RFP: SSO integration, API-level usage telemetry, license-level utilization, inactive-user detection, department/cost-center reporting, contract/renewal tracking, automatic reclaim workflows, duplicate-app detection, and a quantified "savings opportunity" report.
If you tell me roughly how many employees/licenses you manage and whether you're primarily IT, procurement, or finance, I can narrow this to the 3 best vendors and compare pricing, implementation effort, integrations, and likely ROI.
Yes. What you’re describing is usually called a **SaaS Management Platform (SMP)** or **SaaS spend management** tool. The important capability is not just inventory—it’s connecting **licenses + actual usage + spend + renewal dates** so you can identify licenses to reclaim, downgrade, or eliminate. ### Strong vendors…
Yes. What you’re describing is usually called a SaaS Management Platform (SMP) or SaaS spend management tool. The important capability is not just inventory—it’s connecting licenses + actual usage + spend + renewal dates so you can identify licenses to reclaim, downgrade, or eliminate.
| Platform | Best fit | What it does well |
|---|---|---|
| Zylo | Enterprise SaaS optimization | Discovers SaaS, tracks license utilization, spend and renewals; strong financial/spend visibility. zylo.comzylo.com |
| Flexera | Large/complex environments | Combines SaaS management with broader software asset management; identifies unused licenses, downgrade opportunities and renewal waste. www.flexera.com |
| Zluri | IT + security + FinOps | Application discovery, utilization, spend, user lifecycle and access management in one platform. zylo.com |
| Torii | IT automation | Discovery, usage metrics, spend/renewals and lifecycle automation. www.bettercloud.com |
| BetterCloud | IT operations / Microsoft-heavy environments | Usage insights, application discovery, renewal alerts and rightsizing licenses; integrates directly with apps such as Microsoft 365, Salesforce and Zoom. www.bettercloud.com |
| Productiv | Usage/adoption analytics | Particularly focused on understanding whether employees are actually getting value from applications. |
| Spendflo | Procurement/spend | SaaS procurement, vendor management and spend optimization. |
A June 2026 buyer's guide specifically evaluates Zylo, Productiv, Torii, Zluri, BetterCloud, Flexera, Josys and Spendflo as the current vendor landscape.
I'd shortlist Zylo, Flexera, Zluri and BetterCloud first.
The feature I'd insist on during demos is verified utilization, rather than simply "assigned license." For example:
500 Salesforce licenses → 417 assigned → 312 active → 96 barely used → 75 unused
You want the platform to turn that into actions such as reclaim 75, downgrade 96, investigate 20, retain 309 and show the dollar savings.
Also ask each vendor to demonstrate how it handles different license tiers. A user logging into Adobe or Microsoft 365 once a month may technically be "active" but still be a candidate for a cheaper license.
For context, Zylo's 2026 research reports that organizations on average use only 54% of provisioned licenses, illustrating why utilization data can uncover substantial waste.
If you tell me roughly company size, number of SaaS applications, and whether you're primarily Microsoft 365/Google Workspace, I can narrow this to the 3 platforms I'd actually put on an RFP and give you the key questions to ask each vendor.
Several dedicated **SaaS Management Platforms (SMPs)** specialize in discovering shadow IT, tracking real-time user engagement and feature utilization, and automating license reclamation to cut wasted spend. Top platforms in this space include [Zylo](https://zylo.com/), [Torii](https://www.toriihq.com/),…
Several dedicated SaaS Management Platforms (SMPs) specialize in discovering shadow IT, tracking real-time user engagement and feature utilization, and automating license reclamation to cut wasted spend. Top platforms in this space include Zylo, Torii, BetterCloud, Productiv , and Vertice.
Leading SaaS Management Platforms
If you can share roughly how many apps or employees you have, or which specific software is driving the highest costs, I can help you decide which platform features or integration capabilities to prioritize.