specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: Databento
providerId: databento
created: '2026-07-11'
modified: '2026-07-11'
reconciled: false
tags:
- Market Data
- Financial Data
- Reference Data
- Historical Market Data
- Trading
- FinOps
- Cost Management
- FOCUS
description: >-
  FinOps view of Databento spend. Databento bills on a usage basis - per
  uncompressed binary byte streamed for historical and live data, at a per-GB
  rate that varies by dataset and schema - with optional monthly subscriptions
  (Standard, Plus, Unlimited) that bundle live access, history depth, and
  distribution rights. New accounts get US$125 in free credit toward historical
  data. Because billing is per byte, the dominant cost drivers are the schemas
  chosen (full order book MBO is far larger than trades or OHLCV), the symbol
  count, and the date range. Databento exposes cost-estimation endpoints so
  spend can be predicted before a query runs.
notes: >-
  Per-GB rates are dataset- and schema-specific and are not reconciled here;
  verify on the pricing page. The single most effective cost lever is schema
  selection - request the coarsest schema that answers the question (OHLCV or
  trades instead of MBO) and the narrowest symbol set and date range.
sources:
- https://databento.com/pricing
- https://databento.com/docs/api-reference-historical/metadata/metadata-get-cost
- https://databento.com/docs/quickstart
- https://focus.finops.org/focus-specification/v1-3/
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: Databento
serviceCategory: Market Data and Financial Data
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Usage-Based
  billingFrequency: Monthly
  billingCurrency: USD
  chargeCategories:
  - Usage
  - Purchase
  - Credit
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: Databento Market Data
  ServiceCategory: Market Data and Financial Data
  ProviderName: Databento
  PublisherName: Databento
  InvoiceIssuerName: Databento
  BillingCurrency: USD
  ChargeCategory: Usage
  PricingCategory: Usage-Based
meters:
- name: data_streamed
  description: Uncompressed binary bytes streamed for historical and live data, billed per GB at a dataset- and schema-specific rate.
  unit: bytes
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - dataset
  - schema
- name: batch_download
  description: Batch jobs materialized into flat files; charged once, re-downloadable for 30 days.
  unit: bytes
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - dataset
  - schema
- name: subscription_fee
  description: Flat monthly subscription fee for Standard, Plus, or Unlimited plans.
  unit: usd
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - plan
- name: free_credit
  description: US$125 new-user credit applied against historical usage; expires after 6 months.
  unit: usd
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
principles:
- name: Visibility
  description: Attribute streamed-byte and batch spend per dataset and schema; use metadata.get_cost to forecast a query before running it.
- name: Allocation
  description: Tag usage by account, dataset, and schema so market-data spend maps to research teams, strategies, or products.
- name: Optimization
  description: Choose the coarsest schema that answers the question (OHLCV or trades over full-book MBO), narrow symbols and date ranges, and reuse 30-day batch re-downloads instead of re-streaming; pick a subscription tier when steady live/history use exceeds pay-as-you-go.
- name: Accountability
  description: Review monthly streamed-GB and subscription charges against the free credit and budget; set expectations before large historical pulls.
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com