Every number below is computed from our hand-researched corpus of 248 business tools — not scraped, not estimated, not invented. Cite freely (CC BY 4.0): each card has a ready-made citation, and the raw data lets you re-run the analysis.
33%
of business software prices are the whole story
Only 33% of 248 hand-researched business tools carry no documented cost caveat beyond the sticker price.
Only 33% of 248 hand-researched business tools carry no documented cost caveat beyond the sticker price. Source: AIBuilder Marketplace (July 2026), https://aibuildermarketplace.com/research/saas-pricing-transparency-2026/
67%
carries at least one documented cost caveat
67% of 248 researched business tools carry at least one documented cost caveat — usage meters, per-seat scaling, paid add-ons, lock-ins or hidden pricing.
67% of 248 researched business tools carry at least one documented cost caveat — usage meters, per-seat scaling, paid add-ons, lock-ins or hidden pricing. Source: AIBuilder Marketplace (July 2026), https://aibuildermarketplace.com/research/saas-pricing-transparency-2026/
28%
meters usage on top of the subscription
28% of 248 researched business tools meter usage on top of the subscription (credits, overages or percentage fees).
28% of 248 researched business tools meter usage on top of the subscription (credits, overages or percentage fees). Source: AIBuilder Marketplace (July 2026), https://aibuildermarketplace.com/research/saas-pricing-transparency-2026/
27%
charges per seat
27% of 248 researched business tools scale their price with every user added.
27% of 248 researched business tools scale their price with every user added. Source: AIBuilder Marketplace (July 2026), https://aibuildermarketplace.com/research/saas-pricing-transparency-2026/
18%
sells key features as paid add-ons
In 18% of 248 researched business tools, key features are paid add-ons on top of the plan.
In 18% of 248 researched business tools, key features are paid add-ons on top of the plan. Source: AIBuilder Marketplace (July 2026), https://aibuildermarketplace.com/research/saas-pricing-transparency-2026/
8%
publishes no usable price at all
8% of 248 researched business tools publish no usable public price — a quote or sales call is required.
8% of 248 researched business tools publish no usable public price — a quote or sales call is required. Source: AIBuilder Marketplace (July 2026), https://aibuildermarketplace.com/research/saas-pricing-transparency-2026/
9%
requires an annual commitment for the advertised price
9% of 248 researched business tools only offer their advertised price with an annual (or longer) commitment.
9% of 248 researched business tools only offer their advertised price with an annual (or longer) commitment. Source: AIBuilder Marketplace (July 2026), https://aibuildermarketplace.com/research/saas-pricing-transparency-2026/
41%
has a genuinely free tier
41% of 248 researched business tools offer a genuinely free tier — a real plan, not a trial.
41% of 248 researched business tools offer a genuinely free tier — a real plan, not a trial. Source: AIBuilder Marketplace (July 2026), https://aibuildermarketplace.com/research/saas-pricing-transparency-2026/
248
hand-researched pricing dossiers
The AIBM research corpus covers 248 hand-researched business-tool pricing dossiers, each cost-trap flag backed by an evidence sentence.
The AIBM research corpus covers 248 hand-researched business-tool pricing dossiers, each cost-trap flag backed by an evidence sentence. Source: AIBuilder Marketplace (July 2026), https://aibuildermarketplace.com/atlas/
220
honest head-to-head comparisons
AIBuilder Marketplace maintains 220 honest head-to-head software comparisons built from hand-researched dossiers.
AIBuilder Marketplace maintains 220 honest head-to-head software comparisons built from hand-researched dossiers. Source: AIBuilder Marketplace (July 2026), https://aibuildermarketplace.com/vs/
17
award winners — zero pay-to-play
The Honest Software Awards 2026 name 17 winners, drawn from researched dossiers; vendors cannot apply or pay.
The Honest Software Awards 2026 name 17 winners, drawn from researched dossiers; vendors cannot apply or pay. Source: AIBuilder Marketplace (July 2026), https://aibuildermarketplace.com/awards/
245+
pricing pages snapshotted monthly
Since July 2026, AIBM snapshots every monitored SaaS pricing page monthly and archives receipts, so price changes are documented with evidence.
Since July 2026, AIBM snapshots every monitored SaaS pricing page monthly and archives receipts, so price changes are documented with evidence. Source: AIBuilder Marketplace (July 2026), https://aibuildermarketplace.com/pricewatch/