# Shadow IT Index: August 2025

Published August 1, 2025 by Torii Research (Torii). Updated October 7, 2026. Canonical URL: https://www.toriihq.com/research/reports/shadow-it-index-august-2025

Every app in August's Shadow IT Index scores above 90, and only one claims more than one of SOC 2, ISO 27001, and GDPR.

## What the data says

Synaptics, Mixmax, and AngelList top the index with the maximum Shadow IT score of 100. The other seven apps range from 91 to 95.

No category has more than two apps, from Meetup and Product Hunt in Sales & Marketing to Spark Mail and Adobe Connect in Customer Success.

Compliance claims are rare: only Mixmax claims two of the three standards, 6 of the 10 apps claim GDPR, 1 claims SOC 2, and none claims ISO 27001. Adobe Connect has the highest viral score in the list, at 8.8.

The Shadow IT Index provides a real-time look into how unsanctioned tools are shaping active SaaS stacks. The findings of this report are based on real-time usage data from the period of July 1 to 31, 2025, aggregated from companies of all sizes. This dataset is unique because it reflects actual software usage across organizations, not survey intentions or estimates.

## At a glance

- Top 3: Synaptics (#1), Mixmax (#2), AngelList (#3).
- Highest Shadow IT scores: 3 apps score 100: Synaptics, Mixmax, AngelList.

## What kinds of apps

AI-native apps: 10% (1 of the 10 apps). Share of this edition's apps by theme (one theme per app; definitions at https://www.toriihq.com/research/themes):

- Work suites and collaboration: 20% (2 apps: Streamline.hq, Adobe Connect)
- Personal productivity: 20% (2 apps: Mixmax, Spark Mail)
- AI notes and voice: 10% (1 app: tl;dv)
- Developer and data tools: 10% (1 app: Tablecruncher)
- Security and IT: 10% (1 app: Synaptics)
- Sales, marketing, and CX: 10% (1 app: Product Hunt)
- Ops, HR, and finance: 10% (1 app: AngelList)
- Personal and consumer apps: 10% (1 app: Meetup)

## Rankings

Ranked by Shadow IT index, then viral score.

| Rank | App | Category | Theme | AI-native | Shadow IT index | Viral score | SOC 2 claimed | ISO 27001 claimed | GDPR claimed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Synaptics | IT & Security | Security and IT | No | 100 | 6.5 | No | No | Yes |
| 2 | Mixmax | Productivity | Personal productivity | No | 100 | 3.8 | Yes | No | Yes |
| 3 | AngelList | Operations | Ops, HR, and finance | No | 100 | 3.5 | No | No | Yes |
| 4 | Meetup | Sales & Marketing | Personal and consumer apps | No | 95 | 5.8 | No | No | No |
| 5 | Product Hunt | Sales & Marketing | Sales, marketing, and CX | No | 94 | 4.8 | No | No | Yes |
| 6 | tl;dv | Productivity | AI notes and voice | Yes | 93 | 4.3 | No | No | Yes |
| 7 | Spark Mail | Customer Success | Personal productivity | No | 93 | 4.4 | No | No | Yes |
| 8 | Streamline.hq | Design | Work suites and collaboration | No | 92 | 6.8 | No | No | No |
| 9 | Tablecruncher | Analytics & BI | Developer and data tools | No | 92 | 3.8 | No | No | No |
| 10 | Adobe Connect | Customer Success | Work suites and collaboration | No | 91 | 8.8 | No | No | No |

## Bottom line

The dominance of high-risk shadow IT apps centered on digital environments and communication underscores growing exposure to unmanaged costs and security gaps. To stay ahead, organizations should prioritize real-time SaaS visibility, active app discovery, and disciplined software inventory management.

## Method

Anonymized, aggregated usage data from companies across industries and sizes, reported as percentages, ranks, and scores. No single organization is identifiable. Methodology: https://www.toriihq.com/research/methodology

## Changelog

- 2026-10-07, Correction: Rewrote the takeaways from this edition's data. The original takeaways were raw analysis notes (evidence lines and statistics) rather than readable findings.
- 2026-10-07, Clarification: Standardized the data source description. Torii Research describes its data as anonymized, aggregated usage data, reported as percentages, ranks, and scores.
- 2026-10-07, Update: Moved from toriiresearch.com; title standardized. Torii Research now lives on toriihq.com. It was first published as "Shadow IT Index Report: August 2025" at toriiresearch.com/reports/shadow-it-index-report-august-2025.

## How to cite

Torii Research. (2025, August 1). Shadow IT Index: August 2025 [Data set]. Torii. https://www.toriihq.com/research/reports/shadow-it-index-august-2025

Data: https://www.toriihq.com/research/data/shadow-it-index-august-2025.csv and https://www.toriihq.com/research/data/shadow-it-index-august-2025.json