The global software industry is heading into a major pricing transformation in 2026, as enterprises move away from traditional per-seat licenses toward outcome-based and consumption-driven models. Analysts and industry leaders say the shift could rival the impact of the original move from on-premise software to SaaS, fundamentally changing how IT leaders budget, negotiate, and measure value.
Instead of paying fixed monthly fees, organizations will increasingly pay for measurable business results delivered by software and AI systems. For example, Zendesk defines success through “automated resolutions,” where AI resolves customer issues end-to-end without human intervention. This approach directly ties pricing to performance and ROI.
Research from McKinsey and West Monroe suggests per-seat licensing is becoming obsolete as AI agents take on more operational work. West Monroe estimates that 12–15% of enterprise IT budgets already go toward AI. Furthermore, they also predict growing demand for AI-native service providers. At the same time, software engineering itself is evolving, with up to 80% of engineers expected to upskill AI-driven roles as automation accelerates development and testing cycles.
Key implications for IT leaders include:
- Outcome-based pricing models that require clear, shared success metrics
- Leaner engineering teams supported by AI-first workflows
- Closer alignment between finance, product, and engineering as usage and cost converge
- Finally is new forecasting challenges, as spend fluctuates with real-time activity rather than fixed contracts
Executives from Cloud Capital warn that predictable software budgets are giving way to dynamic, usage-linked costs, demanding stronger visibility and control. Meanwhile, companies like Cozmo AI are already implementing outcome-based pricing tied to KPIs such as claims closed or payments recovered.
As AI agents increasingly perform work once done by humans, experts agree that outcomes, not access, will define software value. For IT leaders, preparing now means rethinking vendor relationships as long-term partnerships built on transparency, shared data, and measurable results.
Source:
https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-prepare-upcoming-great-software-pricing-shakeout/
