Today we’re excited to share the State of Self-Hosted Software Survey 2025, our annual look at how software vendors are adapting to the demands of enterprise delivery. This year’s survey brings together insights from technical and operational leaders across industries to explore how teams deploy, monitor, and support applications in customer-controlled environments.
Why this matters
The enterprise software landscape continues to evolve, with organizations demanding greater flexibility, security, and enterprise-grade control. Vendors are responding with innovations in Kubernetes deployments, Helm packaging, licensing, and telemetry, while also navigating persistent challenges like installation complexity, release adoption, and customer support expectations.
What’s inside the report
The 2025 survey surfaces critical benchmarks and trends, including:
- Customer footprint & growth — 82% of vendors already support self-hosted deployments, and over half expect to expand further in the next two years (see page 5).
- Deployment practices — Helm remains the leading installation method, with 67% of vendors using it, though complexity at scale is still a challenge (page 10–15).
- Testing & QA — Most teams dedicate fewer than 30 hours per month to testing across environments, even as cross-distribution compatibility remains critical (pages 17–20).
- Release management — Nearly half of vendors deliver to self-hosted customers less frequently than to SaaS users, and customer upgrade adoption is a persistent pain point (pages 22–24).
- AI exploration — 13% of vendors are already using AI in deployment workflows, and 43% are actively exploring it, signaling the next wave of innovation (page 41).
Looking ahead
The findings reveal a market in transition — one where vendors are balancing traditional self-hosted models with modern tooling, stronger automation, and the first steps toward AI-powered operations. The opportunity ahead is clear: organizations that streamline installation, surface actionable insights, and embrace automation will be best positioned to meet enterprise expectations at scale.