The ultimate guide to SaaS management: Why every business needs a SaaS management platform

What is SaaS spend management and why is it important?

In a nutshell, SaaS management is all about overseeing, optimizing, and controlling all Software-as-a-Service apps that you or your team uses within the organization. For example, it includes tracking licenses, monitoring SaaS usage, managing costs for said subscriptions, checking security compliance, and making the whole procurement process easier and faster. 

Here are some things that make software asset management and implementation of these systems worth trying:

• SaaS cost control. On average, around 47% of all subscriptions are often used by companies, which results in thousands of dollars going to waste. When you use a SaaS management platform, you can find unused or underused apps, cut costs, or simply downgrade to less expensive plans if the basic plan also satisfies your needs.
• Security. When you manually work with the SaaS portfolio, you might not see some access that can present security vulnerabilities. In fact, almost 55% of companies have already faced security issues connected to SaaS apps. SaaS management platforms help to reduce this security risk: they keep track of all data accesses and verify that all apps meet compliance requirements.
• License optimization. SaaS management systems are designed to help you understand how many seats (if applicable) are needed for each tool. This way, you will not overspend and keep expenses under control.

Core functions of SaaS spend management systems

SaaS management systems are not only about the things we have discussed above. They actually have a lot of useful functions that you, as a company, can use to optimize your procurement and SaaS app pricing. In this section, we will discuss what SaaS management software most commonly uses and how you can use each function.

Inventory management

This function works as a dashboard where you can see all types of subscriptions you have. You can see which departments use which tools, track adoption rates, and often shadow IT. With everything being clear and visible, it is easier to see which apps are used, which are not, and where you can work out to cut costs.

License management

License management helps to track all active licenses and specific info based on each subscription (all purchased seats, actively used ones, and expiration dates for each license). Here you can find which seats are not used and reassign them to other teammates.

Cost management and optimization

SaaS management tools offer detailed spending reports for your SaaS portfolio. In these reports, you will see spending trends that can help you track the actual prices for each subscription, as well as receive alerts if there are any suspicious spending patterns. This feature also helps to find ways to consolidate similar tools, get better rates on apps based on their actual usage of SaaS data, and get rid of unused/underused services.

Security and compliance monitoring

This function is responsible for managing the apps and what access they have. Additionally, this function checks how well these licenses adhere to industry standards like GDPR, HIPAA, or SOC 2.

Integration with existing IT infrastructure

Many popular and well-trusted software asset management platforms offer you a smooth integration with your identity providers, financial systems, HR platforms, and other important business tools. This way, you can create automotive processes that help to add/remove employees when they leave or join the company, as well as provide accurate SaaS cost allocation to departments.

Automated workflows and notifications

These systems often automate processes like SaaS renewal reminders, approval processes for new software purchases, and compliance checks. For example, you can receive specific notifications about upcoming renewals, which will help you get more time upfront to think whether you need this app to have or not.

Reporting and analytics

Many tools allow you to generate reports with different info: insights about SaaS usage patterns, ROI calculations for each application, department-specific metrics, or cost-saving opportunities. This way, you get the info that you can use to justify this specific tool’s usage and why it’s important for your business, or even use these insights to create a better spending strategy.

Benefits and challenges of implementing effective software asset management platforms vs. Using manual methods

SaaS management platforms help a lot in terms of automation and speeding up procurement processes, which makes it a better option compared to traditional manual methods. To make it clearer why software asset management systems are preferred to use if you deal with multiple licenses, we have compiled comparison tables for each side of procurement management.

SaaS cost optimization

Security and compliance

SaaS stack management

Time management

Scalability

Security risks of unmanaged SaaS

Even though you might think that everything is under control while managing the SaaS apps by hand, you still can get issues that you might not even have thought could happen. The most common ones are Shadow IT and SaaS data protection, which can affect your business pretty heavily if not managed properly. Here we will discuss these and other things, what they are, and what they can cost you in the long term if kept unmanaged.

Shadow IT and its security implications

Shadow IT is a huge thing. Gartner’s study shows that almost 30% to 40% of all IT spending in large organizations goes on unapproved company apps. It can be millions of dollars that are spent on unnecessary or rarely used apps, which can also affect the security of the organization. For example, according to a recent study by EMC, Shadow IT, data breaches cost companies around $1.7 trillion each year.

The most common issues are:

• Data breaches. On average, one data breach costs a company around $4.88M, which is a 10% increase from the past year, and it will only grow in the future. One of the reasons is these apps often bypass security reviews and might lack important security features and data protection measures.
• Less productivity. When your teammates use tools outside the company, it may cause issues with productivity. For example, worse collaboration if not every teammate has access to the same tool/project inside the tool; valuable data might be isolated from other apps.

Data protection challenges in a multi-SaaS environment

Another thing you should worry about is data protection. On average, in 2023, companies had around 371 apps in use. Such an active use of many apps, especially if you manage SaaS manually, can cause a lot of issues.

Almost 81% of organizations keep sensitive SaaS data in the cloud: the average amount of records goes as high as 157,000, and all of it is easily accessible to anyone who might have malicious intentions. You may also never know if the app that your employee uses is regulated by common regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, or SOC 2. If you don’t do the proper security checks, these tools can lead to issues like penalties during audits (up to 4% of annual revenue under GDPR) or costly data loss.

Some of the challenges here include:

• Variety of security protocols. It is well-known that each tool you might use has different security protocols. When you do not have centralized software for uniform security standards, consistent protection policies might be a pain to implement.
• Cross-platform authorization risks. When you manually integrate SaaS tools with the platform, authorization scopes often extend beyond what’s necessary. This situation can create a security vulnerability that can be used during data breaches.
• Offboarding security gaps. When an employee leaves the organization, it is a pretty tough task to revoke all access from them, especially if the number of apps they use goes beyond 100+. These employees can retain access to some sensitive data that can later be potentially leaked.

Strategies for SaaS license optimization

Now that you know what issues unmanaged SaaS tools can cause, we can also talk about how to optimize SaaS licenses. Some of these things you can do manually, such as conduct audits or try to create usage monitoring dashboards. Yet some of the strategies are more useful when combined with the specific software (e.g., better negotiations based on pricing insights or implementation of security measures across all hundreds of apps you may have).

Conduct regular SaaS audits

If you feel like there is more happening behind the scenes in terms of SaaS usage, try conducting SaaS audits. Almost 70% of big companies have dedicated security teams. They work to find out whether your employees use unauthorized apps, find which licenses are underused/unused, and take measures to eliminate them, and check how apps are doing in terms of security (data leakages, access overlaps, or apps with no standard regulations).

Centralize SaaS license management

Centralized management means you get software that collects all your licenses in one place for easier management. Compared to a manual method that probably has you create dozens of Excel spreadsheets, software asset management software, such as Spendbase, is an app that does all this automatically and in a matter of seconds.

Such tools can collect most of the data for you, track your licenses, notify you when the due date for payment is, and give you up-to-date information about all licenses and their usage (e.g., most/least used apps, similar features available in several apps at once, etc).

Implement usage monitoring

Almost 50% of all apps are unused or underused, yet companies continue to pay for their licenses since they don’t even know about this issue. This is why it is so important to implement a SaaS usage monitoring strategy.

If you have over 100 licenses and feel like you genuinely don’t know what’s going on with each and every app, you’d better try it out. When you put it to work, you will be able to see which apps are the most and least useful, or will be able to identify apps that can be downgraded to lower plans if they still satisfy employees’ needs. You might even eliminate costly licenses if the same features are available in other apps you already have.

Negotiate flexible contracts

When you use SaaS management systems, they can give you insights into every app you have, which you can use as an advantage the next time you negotiate license pricing. Make sure you get the contracts with terms that can adapt to organizational changes, which include scaling SaaS operations or shifting business needs.

Implement compliance and security measures

This one is a very important strategy you should take a look at. Firstly, it helps to prevent SaaS data breaches. Secondly, you can monitor what type of data each license has access to. Finally, you help yourself avoid fines that can be imposed in case of non-adherence to regulatory standards.

There is a range of things you can do to improve the security and compliance of the apps you add to your company. Here are some to check:

• Multi-factor authentication (MFA). Put several forms of identification so that only authorized users can access sensitive information.
• Zero trust architecture (ZTA). “Never trust, always verify” is its main principle. It means that to access sensitive information, every person or device needs to pass a verification process, regardless of their location or previous access history.
• Identity and access management (IAM). This one allows you to provide and restrict access to specific information for selected users only.
• Data encryption. The most common way to protect data is to encrypt it. Popular encryption algorithms are AES, RSA, and ECC.

How to measure the ROI of your SaaS spend management program?

When you work on optimizing your licenses, one more thing you can try out is to measure the ROI of all your SaaS tools. This way, you get to see whether these licenses deliver any value to your company or if you should get rid of them. The process to do that is simple: first, you identify all associated costs, then you calculate the ROI, and based on additional metrics, check whether the app is worth continuing use.

Identify costs

First, you have to identify the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). TCO counts all expenses connected to the specific software: acquisition, implementation, operation, and maintenance. Here are the key components:

• Subscription fees. All regular payments you make for tool usage.
• Implementation costs. Expenses that appear during the setup and integration of the software into existing systems.​
• Training costs. Investment in employee training is needed to use the software.
• Maintenance and support costs. Ongoing expenses for updates, troubleshooting, and technical support.​
• Any indirect costs. Here you can check things like productivity losses during the transition period or costs associated with change management.​

Calculate ROI

Once you find the costs mentioned above, you can start to calculate the ROI. Here is the formula:

ROI(%)=(Net gain from investmentTotal cost of investment)100

Net gain from software investments is all the benefits you got from this tool in $ (e.g., SaaS cost savings, better productivity, or savings from potential security issues) minus TCO.

For example, if the SaaS tool helped you to gain $50,000 and the TCO is around $20,000, then the ROI formula will look like this:

ROI=(50,00020,000)100=250%

It shows that there is a 250% return on the initial software investments.

Other metrics to consider

There are other metrics you can try out, not just ROI. They will help you understand the work of the apps on a deeper level. For example, you can also work with the following metrics:

• Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). Here, you calculate all costs associated with the specific software and evaluate whether you want to keep it or not.
• User adoption rate. This one checks the percentage of users who work with the software actively to see its acceptance rate and effectiveness.
• Churn rate. Check at what rate users stop using the apps and what causes this.
• Net promoter score (NPS). It measures the satisfaction of users and how likely they are to recommend the app to others.
• Compliance and security incidents. Here, you check the number of security breaches or compliance issues before and after the implementation of each specific app.

How do you implement an effective SaaS spend management strategy?

The best way to optimize your SaaS usage, control costs, and maintain security is to create an effective SaaS management strategy. This strategy commonly has two elements: a framework and suitable software. Here we will guide you through the steps to create a framework and will give you a set of things to look for in your ideal software asset management software.

Create a SaaS governance framework

A SaaS governance framework is a tool that basically helps manage SaaS acquisition, usage, and security of SaaS applications. It is especially useful to have if you want to improve security within your organization and cut costs where it is possible. You can create your own framework by following these steps:

• Conduct a comprehensive SaaS inventory. Create an inventory of all the apps your employees use. This way, you will see what apps have access to your company’s data.
• Create procurement policies. You can create a guideline that will list all the needed steps to acquire a new SaaS tool. This way, you will see what is purchased and whether these tools match the company’s security policies.
• Set up access control. Here you can take into account information about IAM security practices and set up specific access for your employees (decide who should have access to what tools and share access with those teammates).
• Have regular audits. Don’t sleep on this step as it will help you identify potential security issues and prevent them from escalating. Here you can also see which apps are the most used and which ones can be eliminated for not being used enough/at all.
• Set up a continuous monitoring system. It is a good practice as it helps to see any changes that vendors make during software updates.

Choose the right SaaS management platform

Now, let’s move on to choosing the right software. The most important thing here is not to look at how popular the specific software is, but to see if it even suits your needs. Check out the following things in your next software:

• Discovery capabilities. Check out if the software can identify all SaaS apps currently in use inside your company (it also includes unauthorized or redundant ones).
• SaaS cost optimization feature. Look, if the tool has a feature that analyzes app usage and can identify things like underused apps and the same features in multiple licenses.
• Security and compliance tools. This means you need to check how the software works with industry regulations and set up security policies for each new license. Also, check how it works with access control and data protection approaches.
• Scalability. Choose software that can scale up or down depending on your business needs and won’t sacrifice performance along the way.
• Integration capabilities. Make sure this new platform integrates well and smoothly within the existing infrastructure of your organization.
• Cost structure. Check their pricing model to understand whether this specific tool fits well within your budget.
• User interface. Look for tools that offer a clear and easy-to-use interface, as it will be one of the elements of a good or bad adoption rate.

Software asset management integrations

When you integrate a SaaS management strategy, you essentially help your business to cut costs, optimize software usage, and make sure that all software is working according to set compliance standards. Basically, you can do it both by using special software and by using a manual method. However, which one would be better for you? Let’s make a little comparison.

SaaS management platforms vs. Manual tracking methods

Software and manual methods are different. If you do not have more than 50 apps in use, it would be okay to use manual methods since not many apps mean not many things to manage. Yet, if you use more than 50 active licenses or want to know if your employees use the approved software only, it is better to have a specific SaaS management tool. Here, take a look at this comparison table and how these two methods work on specific aspects.

What tools are supported by Spendbase?

To help you set up your workflow just fine, Spendbase lets you integrate a variety of tools based on your team’s needs and your company’s specifications. Here are some examples of deal categories.

Source: Spendbase Discount Marketplace

When you use platforms like Spendbase, you have a bundle of options for you: license and seat management, access to unique app performance insights, advanced security, and many more. Spendbase helps you to cut costs by up to 60% on cloud bills, which is a lot especially if you are using more than 50 licenses at once.

Key considerations when integrating SaaS spend management  solutions with existing it infrastructure

Now you can see that SaaS management software is not just about showing off that your company is ‘better than others’ in terms of cutting costs. It is also a good tool to manage your company’s workflow and procurement, and eliminate issues like Shadow IT and security vulnerabilities.

When you try to integrate this software with your company, if not done correctly, it can cause more damage than good. This is why you should take into consideration the next list of things and steps that will be included in each step.

Data synchronization

First is data. Here you should consider that type of data should be transferred between which applications. Also, check the compatibility of the said data so as not to have future issues with its interpretation.

Then, you have to check if the tool you selected allows real-time synchronization. It is important if you need to have up-to-date SaaS data for stakeholders or to be able to make quick decisions in terms of negotiating your licenses.

Finally, set up protocols that regularly clean and validate your data. It is clear why—fewer errors, and less time spent on redoing everything in the future.

Security and compliance

You also should worry about your security during the integration process. What you can do it to use encryption technologies like TLS/SSL for data in transit and AES for data at rest to safeguard information.

If you have sensitive data and don’t want it to be shared across the company, check if you can set up multi-factor authentication (MFA) or role-based access control (RBAC), which allows only those with access view\edit SaaS data.

Scalability

When you decide to work with a SaaS management platform, check if it can offer you flexibility. What does it mean? Imagine you use only around 20 tools at once. But as time goes on, your company starts to grow, which also means you start to adopt more and more licenses for different tools as well as get access for more employees. The software asset management software should be able to accommodate this growth smoothly.

It is also good advice if you consider solutions that support microservices or containerization. This way, you will get easier scaling and deployment with no need to get additional costly tools. ​

Cost management

It is obvious that SaaS management software should bring value and not just take space and a part of your company budget for nothing. Here are some ways you can make this software work for your benefit.

• Calculate the Total cost of ownership (TCO). Here, you calculate the license price, cost for maintenance, and any additional expenses that come with all tools available.
• Monitor and optimize SaaS usage. Check if this tool lets you see what apps are underused, and what licenses can be eliminated or consolidated to cut costs.
• Prepare for hidden costs. When you implement a SaaS management tool, there will definitely be some hidden costs, like expenses related to data migration, employee training, or system downtime during the integration process.

Top 10 SaaS spend management tools in 2025

Finally, after discussing every step that you should take and all the things you should consider when selecting the ideal for your software, it is time to share with you a list of the top 10 SaaS management tools that we have found and are ready to present to you.

To make this list of tools, we have gathered info from user reviews on platforms like G2, Trustpilot, and Gartner. We also looked at what users say about how easy these tools are to use, what pros and cons they found, and, of course, pricing.

1. Spendbase

Spendbase is a popular SaaS management tool that helps you cut costs on popular and niche tools, helps to automate procurement processes, and automates your SaaS management with an easy-to-use dashboard. It also has an advanced analytical feature that allows you to immediately find the cases of Shadow IT or apps that are either underused or completely forgotten about.

Features

Spendbase features include:

• • SaaS spend analysis. Get up-to-date insights on how much you spend on the licenses, and tips on where you can cut costs.

• SaaS management. Collect information about SaaS usage, and see which licenses are underused or completely forgotten.

• Vendor management. Get the best software prices from Spendbase’s partner network.

• License management. Manage your SaaS renewal and cancellation processes.

• Discount marketplace. Check out a full list of tools that have discounts or contact Spendbase’s support team to get a tailored deal.

Pros

Benefits of Spendbase include:

• Cost savings;
• Ease of use;
• Up-to-date insights;
• Easy onboarding.

Cons

Some of the cons mentioned by users:

• Takes time to add new services;
• Limited customization;
• No mobile app.

Pricing

If you wish to get Spendbase services, you will have two pricing options. The first one is called “SaaS management”. It has free and paid versions. Paid version pricing depends on the number of users you have: for less than 150 users, you will pay $249/month, for over 150 users—$599/month.

2. Zylo

Zylo is a SaaS management platform that uses AI algorithms to create centralized SaaS inventory, make license optimization easier, and manage SaaS renewal processes faster than before. Here you can manage contracts and users, and configure security regulations across all available licenses right inside the platform.

Features

Zylo has the following features:

• SaaS inventory management. View and manage software you purchased. Identify shadow IT and consolidate duplicate licenses.
• License and renewal management. Work with license management to control spending and compliance.
• SaaS cost optimization. Identify underused/unused licenses to cut costs on these tools.
• Integration with third parties. Integrate Zylo with systems like Okta to make the management process even smoother.

Pros

Benefits of Zylo include:

• Intuitive design;
• Integration capabilities;
• Easy setup;
• Detailed and up-to-date insights.

Cons

The cons here include:

• Hidden pricing plans;
• Some basic features added as add-ons;
• Reliance on Okta;
• No ROI measurement for tools.

Pricing

Unfortunately, here you cannot directly see the prices for services. You have to contact customer support to get a customized quote.

3. Expensify

Expensify is an expense management platform that helps regular users and businesses track, manage, and automate expense reporting, receipt scanning, and reimbursement processes.

Features

Expensify has the following features:

• Receipt scanning. Uses AI to automatically identify merchant, date, amount, and currency from receipts.

• Expense tracking. Allows users to track a range of expenses that include travel, meals, and mileage.

• Expense reporting. Automates the creation of expense reports.

• Integration with third parties. Connects with accounting software like QuickBooks and Xero.

• Corporate card management. Offers a corporate card program to ease business spending.

• Invoicing. Allows users to send invoices, pay bills, and book travel.

Pros

The pros of Expensify include:

• Easy to use;
• Time-saving;
• Cost-effective;
• Easy to manage receipts.

Cons

Expensify users also mentioned the following drawbacks:

• Integration issues;
• Learning curve;
• Document approval issues.

Pricing

Expensify offers two tiers for smaller and bigger organizations.

• Collect: 1-10 employees, $5 per user/month.
• Control: 10-1000 employees, $9 per user/month.

4. Josys SaaS Management

​Josys is a SaaS and device management platform that helps IT administrators with 360-degree control over their organization’s IT assets. Josys platform is a mix of strong and secure SaaS management and device management solutions.

Features

​Josys offers a range of features:

• SaaS discovery. Check what tools your employees use and whether they are approved or not.

• SaaS security. Assess the security posture of SaaS applications, identify vulnerabilities, and work with access policies.

• Lifecycle management. Automate onboarding and offboarding processes.

• Access governance. Control access permissions and user roles.

Pros

Josys has the following benefits:

• Ease of use;
• Centralized management;
• Automated workflows;
• Strong security.

Cons

Disadvantages of Josys are the following:

• Limited features;
• Integration issues;
• Subscription cost.

Pricing

Unfortunately, there is no available information on pricing. You should request a quote to get a customized offer.

5. Spendflo

Spendflo is a procurement and SaaS management platform. It helps to automate procurement workflows, centralize vendor management, and offer you expert negotiation support.

Features

Spendflo has a range of features that you can try:

• Procurement automation. Automate the entire procurement process (e.g., initial requests, purchase orders, etc).

• SaaS spend management. Get real-time visibility into software usage. This way you can monitor applications, track usage, and optimize spending.

• Vendor management. Have control over vendor interactions (including contract management, performance tracking, and renewals).

• Budget tracking. Set and monitor expense budgets. Features include spending limits, tracking against budgeted amounts, and alerts for overruns.

• Compliance management. Monitor compliance with automated contract reviews and tracking.

Pros

Spendflo has the following pros:

• Easy to use;
• Responsive customer support;
• Cost-effective;
• Smooth procurement.

Cons

In terms of disadvantages, Spendflo has the following:

• Integration capabilities with lesser-known tools;
• Databases need improvement;
• Issues with custom reports.

Pricing

Spendflo has several tiers of pricing:

• Starter for businesses with $250K–$400K annual SaaS spend.
• Growth for businesses with $400k–$1M annual SaaS spend.
• Scale for businesses with $1M–$2.5M annual SaaS spend.
• Enterprise for businesses with $2.5 to $5M annual SaaS spend.

6. Torii

​Torii is a SaaS management platform that helps to gain visibility and control over software apps, optimize spending, and automate SaaS operations. Torii allows centralization of the management of SaaS apps, which means IT teams can discover, monitor, and manage software ecosystem effectively.

Features

Torii features include:

• SaaS discovery. Find out which apps are used by your employees and whether they are approved by the company or not.

• Spend monitoring. Monitor license spending, and check where you can cut costs.

• Workflow automation. Automate IT tasks like employee onboarding and offboarding, license provisioning, and SaaS renewal management.

• Integration capabilities. Integrate this tool with identity management systems, financial software, and other enterprise SaaS management tools.

• Security management. Manage user access, audit permissions, and check compliance with organizational policies.

Pros

Torii has the following advantages:

• Easy to use;
• Improved app visibility;
• User-friendly interface;
• Professional customer support.

Cons

Apart from advantages, Torii has several disadvantages:

• Integration limitations;
• Reporting limitations;
• Difficulties with workflow customization.

Pricing

Pricing has three tiers. The basic plan costs $2.5 per user/month. To get the other two plans’ costs you should contact Torii customer support.

7. Substly

​Substly is a SaaS management platform that helps small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) gain control over their software subscriptions, optimize costs, and improve security. Here you can get a clear overview of all subscriptions, associated costs, and user access.

Features

Some of the ​Substly features include:

• Subscription & Vendor management. Automatically discover and consolidate all subscriptions and vendors.

• User & License management. Identify unused accounts and unauthorized SaaS usage.

• Shadow IT detection. Detect unapproved applications used within the organization.

• Spend tracking and forecasting. Get insights into the current spending patterns of your employees and even forecast future expenses.

Pros

Some of the ​Substly include:

• Easy to use;
• Easy setup;
• Good for multi-department collaboration;
• Improved SaaS cost visibility.

Cons

​Substly also has a few disadvantages:

• Limited integrations;
• Limited reporting;
• No ability to customize access permissions.

Pricing

​Substly has three tiers:

• Subscription & Vendor Management for €95/month;
• Advanced User & License Management for €190/month;
• Customization for Enterprise Needs (contact Sales to get a customized quote).

8. Coupa

​Coupa is a cloud-based software that helps businesses manage software, procurement, invoicing, expenses, and supply chain operations. The company was founded back in 2006 and now offers visibility and control over its users’ companies’ spending.

Features

Coupa offers a range of features:

• Procure-to-Pay (P2P). Streamline your procurement (from requisition to payment).

• Expense management. Get expense reporting and approvals automated for easier real-time visibility into employee spending. 

• Invoice management. Work with electronic invoices to reduce manual errors.

• Supplier management. Work with onboarding, assessing, and monitoring suppliers to reduce any possible error or security incompliance.

• Analytics and reporting. Get real-time insights into spending patterns.

Pros

There are several advantages that users of Coupa like:

• User-friendly interface;
• Easy to learn;
• Wide range of features available;
• Integration capabilities;

Cons

Coupa also has a few disadvantages:

• High cost;
• Difficult setup;
• Customization limitation.

Pricing

There is no available information on the platform. You need to contact Coupa’s customer support to get a customized quote.

9. Ramp

​Ramp is a financial technology company that offers a comprehensive spend management platform for your business that needs to optimize its finances through corporate cards, expense management, and automation tools.

Features

​Ramp features include:

• Corporate cards. Get both virtual and physical corporate cards with customizable spending limits and controls

• Expense management. Manage expense reporting: you can match receipts to transactions and integrate with accounting software

• Spend controls. Set policies that help to customize approval flows, pre-approving funds, and issuing cards with built-in controls.

• Accounts payable automation. Get tools to process bills quickly, with features like smart accounts payable.

Pros

There are some advantages of Ramp:

• Easy receipt management;
• Cash back rewards;
• Virtual cards;
• Customer service.

Cons

Some of the cons here include:

• Charge card limitations;
• Eligibility requirements;
• Limited mobile app.

Pricing

Ramp has three tiers:

• Free for $0 per user/month;
• Plus for $15 per user/month;
• Enterprise (Custom. To get a quote, contact the Sales team.)

10. Airbase

​Airbase is a spend management platform that can help you automate SaaS operations. Here, you can integrate financial processes into a single system to get real-time visibility into spending as well as better compliance with company policies.

Features

Airbase features include:

• Guided procurement. Get your procurement in line by walking employees through standardized workflows

• Accounts payable (AP) automation. Simplify bill payments with features like invoice ingestion, AI-powered optical character recognition (OCR), and support for various payment methods (e.g., ACH, checks, wire transfers, and virtual cards).

• Expense management. Get real-time expense reporting with AI-driven receipt capture, automated categorization, and policy compliance checks.

• Corporate cards. Use both physical and virtual corporate cards with customizable spending limits and real-time tracking.

Pros

Airbase advantages include:

• Comprehensive spend management;
• User-friendly interface;
• Real-time visibility;
• Invoice reconciliation.

Cons

It also has several disadvantages:

• Integration limitations;
• Learning curve;
• Customization limitations.

Pricing

Airbase doesn’t share pricing on their services, so you will have to check them yourself by contacting the Sales team and requesting a quote.

Final thoughts

Now you have a lot of info to make a smooth transition from manual SaaS management to implementing a system. First, check what exactly you need to accomplish by having a SaaS management system (find and eliminate Shadow IT, cut costs, or understand the exact number of licenses you actually have in your company).

Then, move to select the best-matching software (you can check the top 10 tools we have mentioned above and see which set of features sounds like the best option. Finally, be sure to check out how to correctly implement this new tool within your organization (see “Key consideration…” section to recall that).

SaaS management systems are indeed a point of no return if you switching from manual management. And it is not a bad thing. On the contrary, when you cut hundreds of hours of managing licenses and checking if everything is within compliance norms, it allows your employees to focus on more important tasks. So, don’t wait till you get even more licenses and even more exhausted employees and start implementing SaaS management systems today.

Analysis and author’s expertise

It is always good to read the article from someone who knows what they are talking about, right? Here is this case. This article was written by Sofiia Stepankiv, who is a Vendor Project Manager at Spendbase. She helps businesses analyze their SaaS license usage and make a plan to optimize their expenses, cut costs where possible, and overall streamline the workflow.

The insights presented are based on comprehensive research:

• Internal market data analysis. Reviewed the current internal data on SaaS adoption, the average number of subscriptions, and associated costs and security risks.
• Software capability assessment. Examined the core features and capabilities of various tools in the market, including our own platform, Spendbase.
• User experience research. Gathered insights from user reviews and feedback on different SaaS management tools to understand their strengths and weaknesses.
• Industry best practices. Researched governance frameworks, security protocols, and ROI measurement methodologies representing current standards for SaaS management excellence.

Sofiia’s position at the intersection of vendor management and financial optimization lets her provide us with valuable practical perspectives that she gained from implementing SaaS management solutions across multiple industries. Her expertise with underused licenses, negotiating better contracts, and creating customized governance frameworks makes this guide a reliable resource if you are looking for ways to optimize your SaaS investments.