Q2 2026 Vendor Pricing Index
Weighted median premium 156% (95% CI: [137.8%, 212.2%]); n=16 vendors.
SBII scores
Composite 0–200 (market rate, above-market exposure, AI consensus divergence, MCP intent). Base calibration 100.
Accounting
SBII 125 ⚡⚡
Above-market component: 50/50
AI divergence signal: 25/50
→ Review at next renewal — strong signal
Seo
SBII 125 ⚡⚡
Above-market component: 50/50
AI divergence signal: 25/50
→ Review at next renewal — strong signal
Marketing
SBII 35 ○
Above-market component: 0/50
AI divergence signal: 25/50
→ Standard renewal review
Crm
SBII 35 ○
Above-market component: 0/50
AI divergence signal: 25/50
→ Standard renewal review
Expense Management
SBII 25 ○
Above-market component: 0/50
AI divergence signal: 25/50
→ Standard renewal review
Software
SBII 25 ○
Above-market component: 0/50
AI divergence signal: 25/50
→ Standard renewal review
Customer Support
SBII 25 ○
Above-market component: 0/50
AI divergence signal: 25/50
→ Standard renewal review
Utilities
SBII 25 ○
Above-market component: 0/50
AI divergence signal: 25/50
→ Standard renewal review
Sales Intelligence
SBII 25 ○
Above-market component: 0/50
AI divergence signal: 25/50
→ Standard renewal review
Operations
SBII 25 ○
Above-market component: 0/50
AI divergence signal: 25/50
→ Standard renewal review
Monitoring
SBII 25 ○
Above-market component: 0/50
AI divergence signal: 25/50
→ Standard renewal review
Hr
SBII 25 ○
Above-market component: 0/50
AI divergence signal: 25/50
→ Standard renewal review
Legal
SBII 25 ○
Above-market component: 0/50
AI divergence signal: 25/50
→ Standard renewal review
Markets at a glance
Market snapshot unavailable (configure API keys for live tiles).
Macro intelligence
PPI by sector (latest)
- Software publishers: 99.6
- Professional services: 129.2
- Healthcare: 251.9
- Construction: 168.4
Employment & rates
Unemployment: 4.3% · JOLTS openings: 0.01M · Quits: 1.9%
Fed funds (latest): 3.63% · VIX: 17.68
Rates and PPI context anchor vendor renewal cycles: when financing costs ease and input PPI for software and services is elevated, vendors often defend ARR with tighter discounting — the yield curve (normal) and labor slack (4.3% unemployment) frame how hard a procurement counterparty can push on net price.
Executive summary
13% of analyzed vendors price above market; $239/mo ($2,868/yr) recoverable across 16 relationships.
Vendors analyzed
16
Above market
13%
Savings opportunity
$2,868/yr
Countries
15
- Quickbooks Online leads at +194% (range $180–$320/mo); up to $1,080/yr at risk.
- accounting: weighted median premium 194% (n=1). $1,080/yr category savings opportunity.
- SAAI: 64 MCP queries; 14% very-high intent; 1 confirmed switches.
AI Agent Activity (SAAI)
SAAI measures AI-mediated procurement intent from verified financial context (not probabilistic web intent).
Inaugural edition — confidence strengthens each quarter as sample grows.
Vendor financial health
Public vendors from the top overpaid list — negotiation difficulty from fundamentals + equity momentum.
quickbooks_online(INTU)
Revenue growth (profile): — · Analyst: Buy — / Hold — / Sell —
Negotiation: medium (5/10)
Composite negotiation score 5/10 from stock momentum (n/a), revenue trajectory (n/a), gross margin (n/a), and analyst stance (buy ~n/a, sell ~n/a).
- Standard competitive bid with 2–3 validated alternatives.
- Align renewal to fiscal planning windows for procurement leverage.
semrush(SEMR)
Revenue growth (profile): — · Analyst: Buy — / Hold — / Sell —
Negotiation: medium (5/10)
Composite negotiation score 5/10 from stock momentum (n/a), revenue trajectory (n/a), gross margin (n/a), and analyst stance (buy ~n/a, sell ~n/a).
- Standard competitive bid with 2–3 validated alternatives.
- Align renewal to fiscal planning windows for procurement leverage.
Top overpaid vendors
| # | Vendor | Category | Above mkt | P25–P75 /mo | Savings/yr | Confidence | Leverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quickbooks Online | accounting | +194% | $180–$320 (med $250, 95% CI 0%–0%) | $1,080 | insufficient · n=1 | high |
| 2 | Semrush | seo | +156% | $200–$420 (med $300, 95% CI 0%–0%) | $1,788 | insufficient · n=1 | high |
Quickbooks Online — Strong leverage (194% above median). Range $180–$320/mo.
Semrush — Strong leverage (156% above median). Range $200–$420/mo.
Software category index
accounting (1 vendors)
accounting shows weighted median premium 194% (95% CI: [0%, 0%], n=1). P75 payers at 194% above market.
External benchmark data for accounting unavailable this edition.
seo (1 vendors)
seo shows weighted median premium 156% (95% CI: [0%, 0%], n=1). P75 payers at 156% above market.
External benchmark data for seo unavailable this edition.
expense management (1 vendors)
expense management near market (weighted median premium 0%, n=0).
External benchmark data for expense management unavailable this edition.
software (4 vendors)
software near market (weighted median premium 0%, n=0).
External benchmark data for software unavailable this edition.
customer support (1 vendors)
customer support near market (weighted median premium 0%, n=0).
External benchmark data for customer support unavailable this edition.
utilities (1 vendors)
utilities near market (weighted median premium 0%, n=0).
External benchmark data for utilities unavailable this edition.
sales intelligence (1 vendors)
sales intelligence near market (weighted median premium 0%, n=0).
External benchmark data for sales intelligence unavailable this edition.
operations (1 vendors)
operations near market (weighted median premium 0%, n=0).
External benchmark data for operations unavailable this edition.
monitoring (1 vendors)
monitoring near market (weighted median premium 0%, n=0).
External benchmark data for monitoring unavailable this edition.
hr (1 vendors)
hr near market (weighted median premium 0%, n=0).
External benchmark data for hr unavailable this edition.
legal (1 vendors)
legal near market (weighted median premium 0%, n=0).
External benchmark data for legal unavailable this edition.
marketing (1 vendors)
marketing near market (weighted median premium 0%, n=0).
External benchmark data for marketing unavailable this edition.
crm (1 vendors)
crm near market (weighted median premium 0%, n=0).
External benchmark data for crm unavailable this edition.
AI platform consensus matrix
No citation results yet — matrix fills as AI citation jobs run.
By industry
Financial Services
Banks, investment firms, insurance, capital markets, and financial advisory organizations.
Regulatory compliance (SOC 2, SOX, FINRA) raises switching costs and can sustain above-market vendor pricing in financial services.
Savings opportunity: $920/mo · $11,040/yr
| Vendor | Above mkt | Range /mo |
|---|---|---|
| Quickbooks Online | +194% | $180–$320 |
Financial Services: weighted median premium 194% (n=1, 95% CI [0%, 0%]). Top premium: Quickbooks Online (+194%). Savings: $920/mo.
Real Estate
CRE, residential brokerages, property management, REITs, and investment.
Fragmentation between small brokerages and large REITs drives wide price dispersion within the same software categories.
Savings opportunity: $1,210/mo · $14,520/yr
| Vendor | Above mkt | Range /mo |
|---|---|---|
| Quickbooks Online | +194% | $180–$320 |
Real Estate: weighted median premium 194% (n=1, 95% CI [0%, 0%]). Top premium: Quickbooks Online (+194%). Savings: $1,210/mo.
Legal
Law firms, corporate legal, legal tech, and LPO.
High per-seat premiums reflect regulatory data requirements and the opportunity cost of attorney time vs negotiation.
Savings opportunity: $130/mo · $1,560/yr
Legal: baseline accumulating. High per-seat premiums reflect regulatory data requirements and the opportunity cost of attorney time vs negotiation.
Healthcare
Hospitals, practices, health systems, digital health, and administration.
HIPAA certification requirements can create vendor lock-in and measurable premiums vs general-purpose alternatives.
Savings opportunity: $1,820/mo · $21,840/yr
Healthcare: baseline accumulating. HIPAA certification requirements can create vendor lock-in and measurable premiums vs general-purpose alternatives.
Manufacturing
Industrial manufacturers, consumer goods, supply chain, materials.
ERP migration cycles can temporarily improve buyer leverage as legacy and cloud vendors compete for renewals.
Savings opportunity: $380/mo · $4,560/yr
| Vendor | Above mkt | Range /mo |
|---|---|---|
| Quickbooks Online | +194% | $180–$320 |
Manufacturing: weighted median premium 194% (n=1, 95% CI [0%, 0%]). Top premium: Quickbooks Online (+194%). Savings: $380/mo.
SaaS & Technology
Software companies, startups, platforms, digital-native organizations.
High infra-to-revenue ratios and observability lock-in often sustain above-market pricing for monitoring stacks.
Savings opportunity: $2,500/mo · $30,000/yr
SaaS & Technology: baseline accumulating. High infra-to-revenue ratios and observability lock-in often sustain above-market pricing for monitoring stacks.
Professional Services
Consulting, accounting, advisory, and business services.
Thin margins increase price sensitivity, yet CRM/PM tools can still carry premiums due to accumulated relationship data.
Savings opportunity: $1,910/mo · $22,920/yr
| Vendor | Above mkt | Range /mo |
|---|---|---|
| Quickbooks Online | +194% | $180–$320 |
Professional Services: weighted median premium 194% (n=1, 95% CI [0%, 0%]). Top premium: Quickbooks Online (+194%). Savings: $1,910/mo.
Retail & E-Commerce
Physical retail, e-commerce, omnichannel, consumer brands.
Multi-location and multi-currency licensing can inflate list pricing relative to single-entity peers.
Savings opportunity: $2,580/mo · $30,960/yr
| Vendor | Above mkt | Range /mo |
|---|---|---|
| Quickbooks Online | +194% | $180–$320 |
Retail & E-Commerce: weighted median premium 194% (n=1, 95% CI [0%, 0%]). Top premium: Quickbooks Online (+194%). Savings: $2,580/mo.
Construction & Real Estate Development
Contractors, developers, and construction technology.
Lower digital maturity vs other sectors can leave general-purpose tools with outsized pricing power.
Savings opportunity: $510/mo · $6,120/yr
| Vendor | Above mkt | Range /mo |
|---|---|---|
| Quickbooks Online | +194% | $180–$320 |
Construction & Real Estate Development: weighted median premium 194% (n=1, 95% CI [0%, 0%]). Top premium: Quickbooks Online (+194%). Savings: $510/mo.
Marketing & Agencies
Agencies, advertising, PR, creative, and media buyers.
High tool density and redundancy create systematic overspend; churn also creates underused negotiating leverage.
Savings opportunity: $1,649/mo · $19,788/yr
| Vendor | Above mkt | Range /mo |
|---|---|---|
| Semrush | +156% | $200–$420 |
Marketing & Agencies: weighted median premium 156% (n=1, 95% CI [0%, 0%]). Top premium: Semrush (+156%). Savings: $1,649/mo.
Human capital index (BLS OES)
BLS OES figures are annual; the latest complete release typically reflects the prior survey year.
| Role | Metro | Median USD | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | National | — | — |
| Software Developers | Chicago Metro | — | — |
| Software Developers | New York Metro | — | — |
| Software Developers | San Francisco Bay Area | — | — |
| Software Developers | Dallas Metro | — | — |
| Software Developers | Miami Metro | — | — |
| Software Developers | Seattle Metro | — | — |
| Software Developers | Boston Metro | — | — |
| Database Administrators | National | — | — |
| Database Administrators | Chicago Metro | — | — |
| Database Administrators | New York Metro | — | — |
| Database Administrators | San Francisco Bay Area | — | — |
| Database Administrators | Dallas Metro | — | — |
| Database Administrators | Miami Metro | — | — |
| Database Administrators | Seattle Metro | — | — |
| Database Administrators | Boston Metro | — | — |
| Computer Occupations (Other) | National | — | — |
| Computer Occupations (Other) | Chicago Metro | — | — |
| Computer Occupations (Other) | New York Metro | — | — |
| Computer Occupations (Other) | San Francisco Bay Area | — | — |
| Computer Occupations (Other) | Dallas Metro | — | — |
| Computer Occupations (Other) | Miami Metro | — | — |
| Computer Occupations (Other) | Seattle Metro | — | — |
| Computer Occupations (Other) | Boston Metro | — | — |
Geographic intelligence
Institutional benchmark geography
| Country | Index (US=100) | Top categories | YoY | Points |
|---|
World Bank — GDP growth (latest)
| Country | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 2.79 | 2024 |
| United Kingdom | 1.13 | 2024 |
| Germany | -0.50 | 2024 |
| France | 1.19 | 2024 |
| Japan | 0.10 | 2024 |
| China | 4.98 | 2024 |
| Brazil | 3.42 | 2024 |
| Mexico | 1.43 | 2024 |
| Canada | 1.55 | 2024 |
| Australia | 1.37 | 2024 |
| Netherlands | 1.08 | 2024 |
| India | 6.49 | 2024 |
| Singapore | 4.39 | 2024 |
| Korea, Rep. | 2.00 | 2024 |
| Italy | 0.69 | 2024 |
| Spain | 3.46 | 2024 |
| Sweden | 0.82 | 2024 |
| Switzerland | 1.30 | 2024 |
| United Arab Emirates | 3.99 | 2024 |
| South Africa | 0.53 | 2024 |
MCP intelligence layer (SAAI)
Inaugural SAAI baseline: 64 queries this quarter.
Intent score (95% CI)
Median 1 · [1.4, 2]
Queries: 64
Confirmed switches: 1
E2E conversion: 1.6%
very high
>3.5 — Immediate procurement intent
9 (14%)
high
2.5–3.5 — Active evaluation
2 (3%)
medium
1.5–2.5 — Research
9 (14%)
low
<1.5 — Exploration
44 (69%)
| Platform | Queries | Share | Avg intent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other AI Agent | 49 | 77% | 1.18 |
| Claude Desktop | 7 | 11% | 4.39 |
| Claude.ai | 2 | 3% | 3.35 |
| Enterprise Deployment | 2 | 3% | 2.75 |
| claude-test | 1 | 2% | 1.00 |
| mcp_audit | 1 | 2% | 1.00 |
| claude_audit | 1 | 2% | 1.00 |
| Cursor | 1 | 2% | 4.90 |
Intent scores blend above-market position and query context; conversion = integration-confirmed switch.
Divergence signal
Combined read: category premiums (benchmarks) + vendor equity momentum (where public) + AI platform disagreement on alternatives + MCP procurement intent. When all four align, renewal timing and discount asks carry the strongest empirical support.
- Market rate: weighted median premium by category (see category cards) vs institutional and verified tiers.
- Vendor equities: see vendor financial health — YTD performance and growth feed negotiation difficulty.
- AI consensus: low matrix consensus scores imply credible substitute narratives in RFPs.
- MCP intent: elevated SAAI intent on a vendor raises urgency on renewal economics.
Forward model
Q3 2026
Latest observed effective Fed funds (FRED FEDFUNDS): 3.63% as of 2026-05-01. Use FOMC calendar and forwards for meeting path — this report surfaces spot policy rate only.
| Category | Projected Δ% | R² | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| accounting | 8% | 0 | low |
| seo | 8% | 0 | low |
| expense management | 2% | 0 | low |
| software | 2% | 0 | low |
| customer support | 2% | 0 | low |
| utilities | 2% | 0 | low |
| sales intelligence | 2% | 0 | low |
| operations | 2% | 0 | low |
Risk categories: —
Opportunity categories: expense management, software, customer support
Start benchmark-backed talks 90–120d before Q3 2026 renewals. Hot categories: —.
MCP-connected procurement queries scale with agent adoption; early connectors accumulate proprietary intent history.
Methodology
Hierarchical weighted medians with IQR and 95% CIs; YoY via OLS on institutional medians; explicit source weights.
Three-tier hierarchy: verified accounting data (10), institutional series METI/Eurostat/CEPAL/OECD/BLS (8–10), AI enrichment (4), estimates (2).
Weighted median, P25/P75, σ, 95% CI as x̄ ± 1.96·SE; OLS trends with R²; n thresholds: ≥50 high, ≥20 medium, ≥5 low.
- Tier 1 (10): QuickBooks / Xero verified transactions
- Tier 2 (9–10): BLS PPI software publishers, Eurostat ICT, OECD DEO, CEPAL, METI
- Tier 3 (8): FMP
- Tier 4 (7): Apollo
- Tier 5 (4): Perplexity Sonar enrichment
- Tier 6 (2): Directional estimates
External indices cited
- FRED Economic Data (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis) — FRED. https://fred.stlouisfed.org/
Rates, inflation, labor, housing, and financial conditions for macro sections. - Alpha Vantage Market Data (Alpha Vantage Inc.) — AV. https://www.alphavantage.co/
Equity indices, FX, and commodity reference prices where configured. - CoinGecko (CoinGecko) — CG. https://www.coingecko.com/
Cryptocurrency spot prices and 24h moves. - World Bank Open Data (The World Bank) — WB. https://data.worldbank.org/
Cross-country GDP, inflation, unemployment, and trade indicators. - BLS OEWS (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) — OEWS. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
Occupational wage medians by metro for human capital index tables. - Producer Price Index — Software Publishers (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) — PCU5112--5112--. https://www.bls.gov/ppi/
External validation of US software price trends; Tier 2 comparator. - ICT Price Statistics (Eurostat) — isoc_ec_eseln2. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/ICT_price_statistics
EU regional benchmarks. - Digital Economy Outlook (OECD) — OECD/DEO. https://www.oecd.org/digital/oecd-digital-economy-outlook
Developed-market digital price context. - Digital Economy for Latin America (CEPAL/ECLAC) — CEPAL/LACDA. https://www.cepal.org/en/topics/digital-economy
LATAM regional benchmarks. - ICT Market Statistics (METI — Japan Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) — METI/ICT. https://www.meti.go.jp/english/statistics/
Japan / APAC comparators.
CIs, n, and R² disclosed. Reproducibility: research@stratalize.com.
Sample is Stratalize-connected orgs; enterprise discounts not fully observed; inaugural YoY limited until longitudinal depth grows.
Data quality disclosure
low · n=1616 vendors, 0 geo rows, 64 AI queries (90d).
Automatic gains from integrations, MCP volume, and institutional ingestion.
Live market APIs (this edition)
- FRED: available
- Alpha Vantage: available
- CoinGecko: available
- World Bank: available
- BLS: available
Inaugural edition — longitudinal depth grows each quarter.
Press, citation & embargo
Stratalize, Q2 2026 Vendor Pricing Index, 2026-06-15, https://www.stratalize.com/insights/q2-2026-vendor-pricing-index.
Additional tabulations: research@stratalize.com