specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: Counter
providerId: counter-dev
created: '2026-06-21'
modified: '2026-06-21'
reconciled: false
tags:
- Web Analytics
- Privacy
- Open Source
- Self-Hosted
- FinOps
- Cost Management
description: >-
  FinOps view of Counter. Counter has no usage-based billing: the hosted
  counter.dev service is pay-what-you-want and free to use, and the AGPL-3.0
  server can be self-hosted at no license cost. As a result there is no
  per-token, per-request, or per-seat meter to allocate. The only real spend is
  (a) optional voluntary payments to the hosted service and (b) the operator's
  own infrastructure costs (Redis, the Go server, and an optional SQL archive
  database) when self-hosting.
notes: >-
  No vendor billing exports or metered charges exist. FOCUS alignment is
  nominal; the meaningful cost levers are voluntary support and self-host
  infrastructure. Unreconciled.
sources:
- https://counter.dev/
- https://github.com/ihucos/counter.dev
- https://github.com/ihucos/counter.dev-selfhost
alignedWith:
  framework: FinOps Foundation Framework
  frameworkUrl: https://www.finops.org/framework/
  dataSpec: FOCUS
  dataSpecVersion: '1.3'
  dataSpecUrl: https://focus.finops.org/focus-specification/v1-3/
publisherName: Counter
serviceCategory: Analytics
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Pay-What-You-Want
  billingFrequency: Voluntary
  billingCurrency: USD
  chargeCategories:
  - Purchase
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: Counter
  ServiceCategory: Analytics
  ProviderName: Counter
  PublisherName: Counter
  InvoiceIssuerName: Counter
  BillingCurrency: USD
  ChargeCategory: Purchase
  PricingCategory: Pay-What-You-Want
meters:
- name: voluntary_payment
  description: Optional pay-what-you-want contribution to the hosted counter.dev service.
  unit: currency
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
- name: selfhost_infrastructure
  description: >-
    Operator-borne infrastructure cost when self-hosting (Redis, Go server,
    optional SQL archive). Not billed by Counter.
  unit: currency
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - deployment
principles:
- name: Visibility
  description: Track voluntary payments to the hosted service and, when self-hosting, your own Redis/compute/storage spend.
- name: Allocation
  description: For self-hosting, allocate infrastructure cost per deployment; the hosted service has no per-account meter.
- name: Optimization
  description: Self-host on modest infrastructure (Redis plus a small Go server) to keep costs near zero; the snippet's once-per-tab design keeps collect volume low.
- name: Accountability
  description: Decide voluntary support level for the hosted service; assign an owner for self-hosted infrastructure budgets.
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com