Vendr vs Cledara (2026): features, security and which one to buy
Vendr and Cledara compared on what they do, who they suit, their key features, pros and cons, and what each vendor publishes on security, admin and contract terms, with every fact checked on October 24, 2026.
Vendr or Cledara: the short answer
Choose Vendr if
- Acquired by Vertice (London) on June 1, 2026. vendr.com now shows 'Vendr is now part of Vertice' and the pricing URL redirects to vertice.one/pricing.
Choose Cledara if
- Teams of roughly 25 to 150 people that want one card-based place to pay for software.
- UK and EU companies on Xero, QuickBooks or NetSuite.
What are Vendr and Cledara?
Vendr
SaaS buying platform that pairs a large software pricing dataset with negotiators and an AI negotiation agent, now owned by Vertice. SaaS buying platform that pairs a large software pricing dataset with negotiators and an AI negotiation agent, now owned by Vertice.
Cledara
Pays for SaaS through free virtual cards and layers renewal alerts, approvals and optional savings modules on top of that spend. Worth shortlisting if you are willing to route software payments through virtual cards. Teams of about 25 to 150 people in the UK and EU on Xero, QuickBooks or NetSuite get renewal alerts in all plans. Shadow IT insights and on and offboarding need the IT Management module.
Vendr vs Cledara: features compared
| Vendr | Cledara | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | SaaS buying platform that pairs a large software pricing dataset with negotiators and an AI negotiation agent, now owned by Vertice. | Pays for SaaS through free virtual cards and layers renewal alerts, approvals and optional savings modules on top of that spend. |
| Best for | Mid-size and larger companies buying many SaaS contracts that want negotiation help. | Teams of roughly 25 to 150 people that want one card-based place to pay for software. |
| Company size | Mid-market and up (US focus) | About 25 to 150+ staff. |
| How it finds apps | Not published | Spend via Cledara virtual cards and accounting sync; shadow IT insights only in IT Management module. |
| Integration count and depth | API exposing pricing and negotiation data; 'built to integrate' with procurement tools; no count. | Xero, QuickBooks, NetSuite, Okta SSO (Pro), HR tool integration (IT module), open API. |
| Renewal tracking | Renewals can be routed from a customer's procurement workflow to Vendr. | Renewal alerts in all plans. |
| Workflow automation (on/offboarding) | Not published | Access requests and on/offboarding in IT Management module. |
| Spend data sources | Not published | Virtual cards issued by Cledara, accounting sync (Xero, QuickBooks, NetSuite) |
| Waste and duplicate detection | Contract analysis to surface overcharges and renewal traps. | Seat utilization and duplicate tool alerts in Spend Optimization module. |
| Cost allocation by team | Not published | Spend limits and budgets on all plans. |
| Negotiation or savings services | Negotiation agent with human oversight plus negotiators. | AI negotiation and renewal assistant and benchmarks (module); no human negotiator listed. |
| Contract date extraction | Analyzes existing contracts for overcharges and negotiable terms. | Automatic invoice capture on Premium and Pro. |
| Approval workflows | Intake portal and approvals (reviewers criticize UX of the intake portal) | Purchasing and approval workflows on Premium and Pro. |
| Usage data at renewal | Not published | Seat utilization insights (module) |
| Negotiation support | AI negotiation agent from first outreach to final terms, human approval; 130,000+ negotiations across 4,500+ suppliers. | AI negotiation assistant and pricing benchmarks (module) |
| Managed service vs software | Software plus negotiators plus AI agent. | Software plus AI assistant. |
| Price benchmark data | Pricing intelligence from billions in software spend; combined Vertice and Vendr data cited as $75B+ across 32,000 vendors. | Pricing benchmarks in Spend Optimization module. |
| Fee model | Not published. | Subscription plus module fees, no percent of savings listed. |
| Purchase intake | Intake portal; Vendr customers gain access to Vertice's intake-to-procure system. | Purchasing and approval workflows (Premium+) |
| Software request intake | Intake portal for software requests. | Purchasing workflows on Premium and Pro. |
| Approval routing | Approvals within the Vendr platform; reviewers say customization is limited. | Yes, Premium and Pro. |
| Minimum contract / size fit | Not published | GBP 100/month floor on Basic if under 10 apps on cards. |
| Human vs AI negotiation | Agent-led negotiation over email with human oversight. | AI assistant, not human negotiators (per pricing page) |
| Renewal management | Renewal handling and early renewal alerts positioning. | Renewal alerts. |
| Intake and approval workflow | Intake, approval, negotiation, renewal. | Purchasing and approval workflows. |
| Vendor coverage | 4,500+ suppliers negotiated per vendor homepage. | Over 4,500 software vendors (vendor claim) |
| Free plan or trial | Free trial | No |
| Starting price | Contact sales | GBP 100/month minimum if fewer than 10 apps are paid via Cledara cards in month one (Basic) |
| G2 rating | 4.6 (111 reviews) | 4.6 (248 reviews) |
Pros and cons
Vendr
Pros
- Pricing insight into fair market value for SaaS.
- Streamlined procurement process.
Cons
- Onboarding support described as rocky.
- Intake portal UX needs work.
- Some reviewers negotiated better renewal rates without Vendr.
- Platform login and technical issues.
Cledara
Pros
- Easy to use and saves time on tracking subscriptions (aggregator summary)
Cons
- Some advanced features and the compliance module sit behind higher tiers or add-ons.
- Reporting is lighter than enterprise SaaS management tools, with requests for richer exports.
- Gmail and invoice automation can miss edge cases.
Vendr vs Cledara pricing
Vendr starts at Contact sales and Cledara at GBP 100/month minimum if fewer than 10 apps are paid via Cledara cards in month one (Basic). The pricing bases differ, so compare the full quote for your team rather than the entry price.
| Vendr | Cledara | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | custom | flat plan fee plus optional modules |
| Billing | Quote. | Monthly and annual. |
| Add-ons | Not published | Spend Optimization, IT Management, Software Compliance modules: GBP 150/month or GBP 1,500/year each (Spend Optimization also listed at GBP 200/month); Extra active members GBP 5/month beyond 10 (Premium) or 50 (Pro); 30 free cards included. |
Security, admin and contract: Vendr vs Cledara
What each vendor states publicly about single sign-on, provisioning, audit logs, data location and the contract. A blank is a question for the sales call, not a no.
| Vendr | Cledara | |
|---|---|---|
| SAML SSO | Not published | Okta SSO on Pro only. |
| DPA | Yes, Data Processing Addendum linked from vendr.com/security. | Not published |
| Contract | Not published | Monthly or yearly; no contract minimum stated; switch cycle or plan any time; Basic fee waived if 10 apps paid via Cledara cards in month one. |
Differences most comparisons miss
Worth knowing about Vendr
- Vendr was acquired by Vertice on June 1, 2026; vendr.com/pricing now redirects to vertice.one, so check contracts and support terms with the new owner.
- Combined group serves more than 1,000 customers and claims 20% average savings and 90-day payback (Vertice marketing).
- Vendr's page cites 130,000+ negotiations across 4,500+ suppliers as the basis for its benchmarks.
- Fee model and minimum spend are not published on either site; ask before signing.
Worth knowing about Cledara
- Pricing page shows a GBP 100/month floor if fewer than 10 apps are paid with Cledara cards in the first month, so low adoption of the card flow costs money.
- Discovery is payment-led: apps show up because they are paid through Cledara virtual cards, not through SSO or email scanning (SSO only on Pro).
- Negotiation help is an AI assistant sold as a GBP 150-200/month module, not a human negotiator service.
- Cards and accounts are issued by Modulr (UK/NL) and CBW Bank (US card), so it is a payments product as much as a SaaS tool.
Vendr vs Cledara: frequently asked questions
Which is better, Vendr or Cledara?
It depends on the team. Vendr is the stronger pick for mid-size and larger companies buying many SaaS contracts that want negotiation help, while Cledara suits teams of roughly 25 to 150 people that want one card-based place to pay for software. Compare the feature rows above against your must-haves before you look at price.
Do Vendr and Cledara support SAML single sign-on?
Vendr: not stated on its public pages. Cledara: okta SSO on Pro only. Confirm the plan in writing before you compare prices.
Can I try Vendr and Cledara for free?
Vendr: free trial. Cledara: no free plan or trial is published.
Sources
Both columns use the same sources: vendor pricing and product pages, documentation, G2 and company records, checked on October 24, 2026. Full source lists are on the Vendr and Cledara reviews.