Sonary Booster Data Finds 9 in 10 Small Businesses Run on Just 1–2 Software Tools — Typical Monthly Bill: $100
AI tools are now the most-tracked software category — at just $24/month — as a survey of 6,725 Americans reveals how buying decisions really get made.
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL, July 27, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Sonary, the software intelligence platform for small businesses, today released the first data from the Sonary Booster, its free software-subscription tracking tool. Combined with a commissioned Google Survey of 6,725 US consumers and business decision-makers, the data tells a consistent story: small businesses are far more disciplined about software than the industry assumes — and the ones who aren't are paying for it.
Drawn from 947 businesses tracking 1,826 software tools, the Booster data paints a strikingly lean picture. A whopping 90% of businesses track just one or two tools, while only 3.6% track six or more. The median software spend is $100/month — but the top 25% spend over $1,000, and the top 10% exceed $10,000 monthly.
"Most small businesses don't have a revenue problem. They have a software discipline problem," said Elana Kirsh, Editor in Chief at Sonary. "It starts with 'it's only $29 a month.' Then another $19. A year later, you're paying for 15 tools and you're not sure which ones are actually worth it."
Most Booster users are solopreneurs making every software call alone, so a bad subscription choice lands entirely on one person. The spending pattern is consistent: businesses pay most for tools tied to revenue and compliance and stay on free or lower tiers for everything else. Median monthly cost per tool runs highest for CRM ($230), bookkeeping ($180), accounting ($150) and ITSM ($140); merchant services ($100), web design ($90) and graphic design ($80) sit in the middle; and it runs lowest for project management ($44), eCommerce ($49), website builders ($48) and AI tools ($24).
AI tools are now the most-tracked category on the Booster, ahead of accounting software and website builders — yet the median spend is just $24/month. Most users are adding AI on top of their existing stack rather than replacing anything. It's the fastest-growing line in the typical software budget, and still cheap enough that almost no one treats it as a cost.
To complement the Booster data, Sonary commissioned a Google Survey of 6,725 US respondents on how people buy business software — validating the Booster findings.
When asked how they research new software, 61.4% cited user reviews on websites or forums, and 61.4% cited comparison and review sites like Capterra. Peer and colleague recommendations were the single biggest influence on purchases (57.5%), followed by expert reviews (49.3%). And 85.7% said they at least sometimes prefer expert opinions over user reviews, with 31.5% saying they always do.
AI has become a mainstream research tool: 42.8% use tools like ChatGPT to research software products. But most businesses only switch when something breaks — 37.2% only consider switching when performance issues arise, 25.1% rarely consider it, and just 8% review software more than once a year.
Decisions are mostly made alone: 39.2% decide independently and 29.1% as a team, while external consultants account for fewer than 6%.
Together, the data points to one structural problem: small businesses make high-stakes software decisions alone, lean on peer recommendations and review sites, and rarely step back to audit what they're paying for. The ones who overpay aren't the most sophisticated — they're the ones who said yes once to each new tool, never revisited it, and woke up with a bloated stack.
About the Sonary Booster
The Sonary Booster is a free tool that helps small businesses track their software subscriptions, see what they're spending by category, and flag tools that may no longer be earning their place. Available at sonary.com/booster.
About Sonary
Sonary is the go-to platform for small and micro businesses that offers comparisons, reviews, guides, tools and recommendations for top software products. Website: sonary.com
About the Data
Booster data from 947 Sonary Booster users covering 1,826 tools, as of July 12, 2026. Survey data from a Google-commissioned survey of 6,725 US respondents conducted in August 2025, weighted to the US population by age and gender.
Elana Kirsh
Ryze Beyond
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