You need to enable JavaScript in order to use the AI chatbot tool powered by ChatBot
Home
 >  
Case Studies
 >  

How Plex Used Competitive Market Data to Prove Their Vendor Was Overcharging for API Acces

"For years, we paid for API access without questioning whether the pricing was competitive. When we ran the arrangement through CloudEagle's SaaSMap, the data made it clear we were being overcharged; comparable vendors weren't charging for equivalent access at all. That gave us the specific arguments we needed to go back to the vendor and cut the bill by 50%."

~ Scott Olechowski, Chief Product Officer and Co-Founder, Plex

‍

50%
vendor bill reduction
10K+
vendors in the SaaSMap benchmarked
$18K
Recovered in overpayments

50%

vendor bill reduction

10K+

vendors in the SaaSMap benchmarked

$18K

Recovered in overpayments
Problems
Challenge
  • Plex had been paying for API access for over five years without validating whether the pricing was fair or aligned with usage.
  • The team lacked benchmarking data to compare vendor pricing or justify renegotiation.
  • Without market intelligence, any pushback would rely on opinion rather than evidence, making negotiations ineffective.

‍

Solutions
Solution
  • CloudEagle.ai’s SaaSMap database enabled benchmarking across vendors for similar API access.
  • The analysis showed competitors did not charge separately for API access and that it carried no additional cost for the vendor.
  • Price benchmarking and buying guides provided evidence-based arguments to support renegotiation.

‍

Profit
Result
  • Plex used market data to renegotiate and secured a 50% cost reduction.
  • The savings corrected years of above-market pricing after five years at the same rate.
  • Freed budget was reinvested into additional software, extending the impact beyond direct savings.

‍

Challenge

Plex had been paying for API access for over five years without reviewing whether the pricing was competitive. Renewals continued without question because the integration worked.

When the operations team revisited the contract, they lacked the data to evaluate the charge. Without benchmarking against similar vendors, any renegotiation would rely on opinion rather than evidence.

The complexity was that Plex had built the integration themselves. While the API enabled their product, it was unclear whether the charge was justified, and they had no way to verify it.

‍

Solution
  • CloudEagle.ai applied its SaaSMap database to Plex’s API pricing question.
  • SaaSMap drew on 100K+ user reviews, 20K case studies, and data from 10K vendors to build a market comparison of what competing vendors charged for similar API access arrangements.
  • Identified that comparable vendors do not charge separately for API access
  • Confirmed API access had zero incremental cost since Plex built the integration
  • Equipped the team with two arguments: market norm and zero-cost justification

‍

Why CloudEagle.ai?

Plex evaluated several solutions and chose CloudEagle.ai for these reasons:

  • Provides market intelligence that supports negotiation, not just visibility
  • Benchmarks built on large-scale data across vendors and real use cases
  • Identifies zero-cost scenarios using both usage and pricing analysis
  • Combines benchmarking with context to strengthen negotiation position
  • Delivers actionable insights in time for immediate renewal discussions

‍

Impact

The Negotiation Arguments That Worked

  • CloudEagle's SaaSMap showed comparable vendors did not charge for similar API access, and Plex had built the integration itself.
  • These evidence-backed claims forced the vendor to justify or reduce the charge.
  • The vendor accepted both arguments and reduced a fee unchanged for five years.

‍

Five Years of Above-Market Pricing Recovered

  • The 50% reduction confirmed Plex had been paying above-market pricing for five years.
  • The renegotiation showed the charge persisted only because no market data existed to challenge it.
  • With market intelligence, a fee untouched across five renewals was reduced in one conversation.

‍

Savings Reinvested in Software the Team Had Been Waiting For

  • The cost reduction freed up $18K for additional software Plex previously could not justify.
  • The reinvestment turned the savings into added operational value for the team.
  • A 50% vendor reduction plus new software capability made this a high-return procurement win.

‍

The Transformation

Before CloudEagle
Paying a full API access charge for five years without checking whether it was standard or competitive.
No benchmarking data to build an evidence-based case for renegotiation.
Budget constrained by a vendor charge that could not be justified or challenged without market intelligence.
Renewal cycles passed each year without the information to challenge the pricing.
No visibility into whether comparable vendors charged for equivalent API access.
After CloudEagle
Check box
SaaSMap analysis of 100M+ reviews and 100K vendors confirming that comparable vendors do not charge for equivalent API access.
Check box
Two specific, grounded arguments brought to the renegotiation: the market norm argument and the zero incremental cost argument.
Check box
50% reduction in the vendor bill, applied from the next renewal cycle.
Check box
Five-year-old above-market pricing arrangement corrected in a single renegotiation conversation.
Check box
Freed-up budget reinvested in additional software the team had been wanting.

Achieve similar success with CloudEagle!

Book a demoContact us

Other case studies

How Nowports Replaced Email-Based Approval Chains and Manual Renewals with Automated Procurement and Saved 34%
How Edge Went from SaaS Spend Blind Spots to Full Visibility Across Every App, License, and Department
How Simplicity Turned App Usage Blind Spots Into License Savings