ANSYS, Inc. ANSS

Competitive advantage analysis · technology

Software & SaaS Specialized
Overall moat score
72/100
Moderate

Ranked against 263 peers in Software - Application

Key strengths

  • Premium Software Margins Gross margin quality is strong versus peers (score 0.94), consistent with premium software economics.
  • Consistent Subscription Growth Revenue consistency is strong (score 0.98), pointing to a sticky customer base.

Key risks

  • Returns Lack Durability Return durability is weak (score 0.00), reducing confidence in moat durability.
  • FCF Trend Is Softening FCF trend is weak (score 0.33), suggesting cash scalability is deteriorating.

The dashed ring is the peer median. Defense scores are percentile ranks against peers, so 50 is roughly the typical company in this group.

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Pricing Power

Strong
96
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Signals, strengths and risks for Pricing Power

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Signals, strengths and risks for Recurring Revenue Stickiness

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Signals, strengths and risks for Innovation Engine

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Signals, strengths and risks for Cash Scalability

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Signals, strengths and risks for Capital Efficiency

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Signals, strengths and risks for Balance Sheet Resilience

Where ANSS ranks in Software - Application

ANSYS, Inc. ranks #16 of 264 scored companies in Software - Application by moat score — the top 6%. The widest moat in the group is Dave Inc. (DAVE) at 80/100.

# Company Moat score Rating
12 Autodesk, Inc. ADSK 73/100 Moderate
13 Intuit Inc. INTU 73/100 Moderate
14 Dynatrace, Inc. DT 72/100 Moderate
15 Cadence Design Systems, Inc. CDNS 72/100 Moderate
16 ANSYS, Inc. ANSS 72/100 Moderate
17 PTC Inc. PTC 72/100 Moderate
18 SPS Commerce, Inc. SPSC 72/100 Moderate
19 Bentley Systems, Incorporated BSY 72/100 Moderate
20 The Trade Desk, Inc. TTD 72/100 Moderate

See every Software & SaaS company ranked by moat score →

How ANSS scores on the Software & SaaS Specialized defenses

Pricing Power

Score 96 · 20% of the moat score

In software, pricing power is visible in gross margin: a vendor that has to discount in order to renew gives it up first.

Recurring Revenue Stickiness

Score 71 · 18% of the moat score

Recurring revenue is the model's central claim, and it is a moat only when customers renew and expand without being re-sold each year.

Innovation Engine

Score 54 · 16% of the moat score

Software is competed away rather than depreciated, so a vendor that stops investing loses its category.

Cash Scalability

Score 65 · 18% of the moat score

The test of a software business is whether growth eventually stops consuming cash.

Capital Efficiency

Score 60 · 16% of the moat score

A software platform employs very little capital, so a genuine franchise should produce high returns on it without leverage.

Balance Sheet Resilience

Score 77 · 12% of the moat score

Software companies fund years of customer acquisition before those customers pay back, which makes access to capital a strategic variable rather than a treasury detail.

How each Software & SaaS Specialized defense is measured, in full →

Understanding ANSS's moat

What is ANSYS, Inc.'s moat score?

ANSYS, Inc. (ANSS) scores 72 out of 100 on the StatsAlpha Moat Map, which rates its competitive advantage as moderate. It ranks #16 of 264 scored companies in Software - Application, the top 6%. The score is a weighted composite of 6 competitive defenses, each measured against industry peers of 263 companies in Software - Application. Its strongest defense is Pricing Power (96/100) and its weakest is Innovation Engine (54/100).

How does ANSYS, Inc. compare with other Software - Application companies?

ANSYS, Inc. ranks #16 of 264 scored companies in Software - Application by moat score. The widest moat in Software - Application is Dave Inc. (DAVE) at 80/100. The companies ranked closest are Cadence Design Systems, Inc. (CDNS) at 72 just above it and PTC Inc. (PTC) at 72 just below it.

How is the moat score calculated?

Each company is scored with an industry-specific template — Software & SaaS Specialized in this case, chosen because the defenses that matter to a bank are not the ones that matter to a software company. Every defense combines several financial signals, and each signal is measured as a percentile against a peer group of 263 companies in Software - Application. The defenses are then weighted to produce the overall score out of 100.

Why is ANSYS, Inc. scored with the Software & SaaS Specialized template?

Software costs almost nothing to reproduce, so the entire economic question is whether customers keep paying. Revenue is a subscription rather than a sale, the cost of winning a customer is paid years before that customer becomes profitable, and margins arrive only if renewals hold. The Software & SaaS template scores retention, reinvestment, and the point at which growth turns into cash.

Which competitive defenses are measured for ANSYS, Inc.?

The Software & SaaS Specialized template measures 6 defenses, and ANSS scores: Pricing Power (96), Recurring Revenue Stickiness (71), Innovation Engine (54), Cash Scalability (65), Capital Efficiency (60), Balance Sheet Resilience (77). Each is scored independently as a percentile against peers, so a company can be strong on one and weak on another — the overall score reflects how those defenses are weighted for this industry.

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