Broadcom Clarity PPM Pricing in 2026: What Enterprises Actually Pay

Clarity PPM was the market-leading portfolio and project management platform for nearly two decades under CA Technologies ownership. It powered portfolio governance, project scheduling, resource capacity planning, and financial management for thousands of enterprises — particularly in regulated industries where on-premise deployment was mandatory.

In April 2018, Broadcom acquired CA Technologies for $18.9 billion. That acquisition fundamentally altered Clarity PPM's trajectory. Broadcom consolidated product lines, redirected innovation toward higher-margin enterprise infrastructure software, and implemented aggressive post-acquisition pricing tactics. The result: Clarity PPM customer churn accelerated, with many enterprises beginning multi-year migrations to Planview, Oracle Primavera, or ServiceNow Portfolio Management.

This article covers what enterprises are actually paying for Clarity PPM in 2026 — both on-premise perpetual licenses and SaaS subscriptions — along with the contract dynamics that changed post-acquisition, why customer migration is accelerating, and what to expect at renewal. Our analysis draws from $2.1B+ in benchmarked enterprise software contracts.

For the broader PPM vendor landscape, see our Project & Portfolio Management Pricing Guide 2026. For related vendor comparisons, see our pricing guides for Oracle Primavera P6, Planview Enterprise One, and Asana.

Broadcom Clarity PPM Pricing Model Explained

Clarity PPM is available in two deployment models with very different pricing and cost dynamics: perpetual on-premise licenses (the legacy model) and subscription-based SaaS (the strategic direction Broadcom is pushing). Understanding the fundamental differences between these models is critical for renewal negotiations.

On-Premise Clarity PPM (Perpetual Licensing)

The traditional on-premise model uses perpetual licenses with annual maintenance fees. List pricing for a typical enterprise deployment (100–200 named users across Portfolio Management, Project Management, Resource Management, and Financial Management) ranges from $300K–$700K upfront for perpetual licenses. Annual maintenance is 22% of the perpetual license cost, payable every year as long as you maintain the deployment.

A practical example: a 100-user perpetual Clarity deployment with all modules lists at approximately $400K. Year one total cost: $400K (license) + $88K (maintenance) = $488K. Year five total cost: $400K (amortized) + $88K/year (maintenance) = $88K annually. Over 10 years, the $400K investment is $80K annually when amortized, plus $88K annual maintenance, for total cost-per-user of approximately $1,680/year.

Clarity SaaS (Subscription Model)

Clarity SaaS lists at $65–$120/user/month depending on which modules are licensed and the tier (Standard, Professional, Enterprise). A 100-user deployment with full module set costs approximately $100K–$144K annually. The advantage of SaaS is lower upfront cost and no infrastructure management. The disadvantage: annual increases and higher lifetime cost, plus vendor lock-in.

A practical example: 100 users at $80/user/month (negotiated from $100 list) = $96K annually. With 8% annual increases, year five costs $141K annually. Over 10 years, SaaS total cost approximately $1.15M vs. on-premise total cost approximately $1.35M (assuming modest 3% perpetual license discounts). SaaS appears cheaper initially but compounds to higher total cost for stable, long-term deployments.

Broadcom's Strategic Direction: SaaS Migration Pressure

Broadcom is actively encouraging on-premise customers to migrate to SaaS, despite higher lifetime cost for customers. The rationale: SaaS creates predictable recurring revenue, reduces support burden, and shifts maintenance costs to the customer (cloud infrastructure). Many Clarity customers view this migration pressure as a post-acquisition strategy to increase renewal pricing and tie customers into Broadcom's infrastructure.

What Enterprises Actually Pay for Broadcom Clarity PPM

Real-world Clarity PPM deals break into two distinct populations: legacy on-premise customers with perpetual licenses (many being asked to migrate), and newer SaaS customers. The benchmark data reflects both groups and shows the post-acquisition pricing shift.

The data shows a critical insight: on-premise perpetual deployments have lower lifetime cost than SaaS for organizations that remain stable at their current user count. However, organizations experiencing 8%+ annual user growth find SaaS cheaper due to simplicity and scalability. Broadcom's SaaS push benefits the vendor but not always the customer.

Broadcom Clarity PPM Discount Benchmarks — What's Achievable?

Broadcom's discount structure post-acquisition is less flexible than CA's was pre-acquisition. Field sales reps have less authority, and the company is actively managing renewal pricing to maximize margin — particularly for SaaS customers who have fewer exit alternatives than on-premise customers.

On-Premise Perpetual Discounts

On-premise Clarity perpetual licenses achieve 20–35% discounts off list for deployments under 100 users, and 25–40% for larger deployments. The largest accounts with multi-million-dollar spend can achieve 40–50% discounts. However, Broadcom has implemented renewal price increases even on perpetual license maintenance fees — your 22% maintenance rate may increase to 24–26% at renewal if not actively negotiated.

SaaS Subscription Discounts

SaaS Clarity achieves 20–40% discounts off list pricing. Broadcom negotiates harder on SaaS discounts than on perpetual licenses because SaaS represents the strategic direction and higher lifetime value. Most SaaS customers land at 25–35% discount, with only the largest accounts (200+ users) achieving 40% discounts.

Migration to SaaS as a Pricing Escalation

When Broadcom proposes migrating on-premise customers to SaaS, they frequently frame it as a "free upgrade" or "modernization benefit." In reality, the migration often results in higher annual costs due to the shift from perpetual to annual subscription pricing. Organizations migrating from on-premise perpetual (22% annual maintenance) to SaaS often see total cost increases of 15–30% in the migration year. This is a negotiation trap — push back on SaaS migration quotes and evaluate long-term cost impact.

Competitive Alternatives Create Leverage

Clarity faces genuine competition from Planview, Oracle Primavera P6, ServiceNow Portfolio Management, and even niche competitors like Kimble (for professional services). Organizations that demonstrate documented evaluation of these alternatives — particularly for on-premise customers considering SaaS migration — achieve measurably better pricing. A competitive RFP from Planview or Oracle creates meaningful negotiation leverage with Broadcom.

Broadcom Clarity PPM Pricing by Product Module

Portfolio Management

The core portfolio governance module — demand management, intake, strategic alignment, and portfolio optimization. This is the anchor module for all Clarity deployments and the highest-value component. Portfolio Management represents approximately 35–40% of total Clarity licensing cost. This module is rarely negotiated down because it represents Clarity's core value proposition.

Project Management

Project scheduling, Gantt planning, task management, and team collaboration. Project Management is the second-most critical module and represents 25–30% of total licensing cost. Many organizations do not use Clarity's native project management, preferring to integrate Jira, Microsoft Project, or Asana for day-to-day scheduling. If your teams primarily use external scheduling tools, negotiate a Project Management module reduction or exclusion.

Resource Management

Resource capacity planning, allocation, leveling, and utilization tracking. This module is essential for PPM and represents 20–25% of licensing cost. Virtually all Clarity deployments include Resource Management because it is fundamental to capacity planning and one of Clarity's competitive strengths versus niche tools.

Financial Management

Project budgeting, cost tracking, earned value management, and financial reporting. Financial Management represents 15–20% of licensing cost. This module is frequently the focus of negotiation — organizations with robust ERP systems (SAP, Oracle Financial Cloud) may not need Clarity's native financial module because cost tracking can occur in the ERP. If your finance organization tracks project costs in an ERP, challenge whether standalone Clarity Financial Management adds value.

Common Broadcom Clarity PPM Contract Traps to Watch For

1. SaaS Migration Pricing Escalation

Broadcom proposes on-premise to SaaS migrations as "upgrades" without clearly disclosing cost impact. A perpetual license with 22% annual maintenance often converts to SaaS at higher effective cost due to the shift to annual subscription pricing plus cloud infrastructure costs. Before accepting a SaaS migration, run a 10-year total cost comparison on-premise vs. SaaS. Many migrations result in 20–30% cost increases that offset claimed operational benefits.

2. Maintenance Fee Increases on Perpetual Licenses

Broadcom has increased the standard maintenance fee from 22% to 24–26% of perpetual license cost for renewals. This is particularly aggressive on legacy on-premise customers who have been with the platform for 10+ years. Push back on any maintenance fee increases and negotiate the maintenance rate as part of contract renewal. Lock in a fixed percentage rate for the contract term.

3. Support Tier Consolidation

Post-acquisition, Broadcom consolidated Clarity support resources and eliminated some premium support tiers. At renewal, customers report being "automatically escalated" to more expensive support tiers with no justification. Challenge any support tier changes at renewal and evaluate whether your current SLA requirements justify premium support — Standard support covers most enterprise needs.

4. Module Bundling and Forced Feature Adoption

Broadcom repackaged Clarity modules into bundles that include components you may not use. Financial Management is frequently bundled with Portfolio Management despite being separately licensed. If you do not actively use a module, demand it be deselected from your contract, even if Broadcom argues it is "included." Forced feature adoption costs money and adds maintenance burden.

5. Lack of Transparency on SaaS Pricing Increases

SaaS Clarity customers report surprise annual price increases of 10–15% that were not clearly disclosed in contract fine print. Broadcom reserves the right to increase SaaS pricing annually based on "platform enhancements" and "infrastructure costs." Negotiate clear annual increase caps (e.g., "not to exceed 5% annually") as part of SaaS subscription terms. Without caps, a $100K SaaS deployment compounds to $160K by year five.

Broadcom Clarity PPM Renewal Pricing: What Changes and What Doesn't

Clarity PPM renewal dynamics changed significantly post-acquisition. Pre-acquisition (under CA), renewals typically held pricing with modest 3–5% annual increases for loyal customers. Post-Broadcom, renewal pricing has become aggressive, with many customers reporting 12–18% price increases if they do not actively renegotiate.

For perpetual on-premise customers, the most common renewal shock is the increase in maintenance fee rate (from 22% to 24–26%) coupled with pressure to migrate to SaaS. These two dynamics compound to create total cost increases of 15–25% even before module changes.

For SaaS customers, renewal price increases are often embedded in contract language as "annual platform adjustments" and presented as non-negotiable. In reality, Broadcom will negotiate if you present competitive alternatives. Our benchmark data shows organizations that enter Clarity PPM renewals with documented RFPs from Planview, Oracle, or ServiceNow achieve an average of 22% better renewal pricing compared to those who passively renew.

For complementary vendor pricing intelligence, see our guides to Planview Enterprise One pricing, Oracle Primavera P6 pricing, and monday.com work OS pricing.

Why Clarity PPM Customer Churn is Accelerating

Clarity PPM has experienced significant customer churn since the Broadcom acquisition — more than typical for an enterprise software market leader. The reasons are clear:

• Aggressive Post-Acquisition Pricing: Renewal increases of 12–25% pushed many customers to evaluate alternatives.
• Consolidation of Support Resources: Customer support quality declined as Broadcom consolidated support centers and eliminated regional coverage.
• Slowed Product Innovation: Development resources shifted to Broadcom's enterprise software priorities; Clarity feature roadmap slowed noticeably.
• SaaS Migration Pressure: Forced migration to SaaS at higher cost alienated on-premise customers who valued infrastructure control and total-cost-of-ownership transparency.
• Enterprise Portfolio Consolidation: Broadcom acquired overlapping PPM and work management tools (HPSM, Jira Service Management) creating product confusion and de-prioritizing Clarity investment.

Result: large, stable Clarity customers (50+ concurrent users, 10+ year tenure) have begun multi-year migrations to Planview, Oracle Primavera P6, or ServiceNow Portfolio Management. This churn cycle reinforces itself — as innovation slows and customer support quality declines due to reduced resources, migration becomes more attractive for remaining customers.

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