specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: ELSA
providerId: elsa
created: '2026-06-21'
modified: '2026-06-21'
reconciled: false
tags:
- Speech Assessment
- Pronunciation
- Speech Recognition
- Language Learning
- AI
- FinOps
- Cost Management
- FOCUS
description: >-
  FinOps view of ELSA API spend. ELSA meters speech-assessment usage per 15
  seconds of audio processed, billed separately for scripted and unscripted
  scoring and varying by plan (Standard vs Premium, selected per call via the
  api_plan parameter). Partner onboarding and contract terms are arranged with
  ELSA, so amounts here are representative and not reconciled.
notes: >-
  Rates are representative of figures published on ELSA's API documentation and
  are subject to change; ELSA partner pricing is sales-assisted. Verify against
  ELSA during reconciliation.
sources:
- https://api-external-doc.elsanow.co/
- https://elsaspeak.com/en/elsa-api/
- 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: ELSA
serviceCategory: AI and Machine Learning
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Usage-Based
  billingFrequency: Monthly
  billingCurrency: USD
  chargeCategories:
  - Usage
  - Purchase
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: ELSA Speech Assessment API
  ServiceCategory: AI and Machine Learning
  ProviderName: ELSA
  PublisherName: ELSA
  InvoiceIssuerName: ELSA
  BillingCurrency: USD
  ChargeCategory: Usage
  PricingCategory: Usage-Based
meters:
- name: scripted_audio_seconds
  description: Seconds of audio scored by the scripted API, billed per 15 seconds per plan.
  unit: audio_seconds
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - plan
  - api
- name: unscripted_audio_seconds
  description: Seconds of audio scored by the unscripted API, billed per 15 seconds per plan.
  unit: audio_seconds
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - plan
  - api
principles:
- name: Visibility
  description: Track scripted vs unscripted audio-seconds scored per API key and plan.
- name: Allocation
  description: Tag API tokens per app/team; map scoring usage to internal cost centers.
- name: Optimization
  description: Trim/segment audio to the plan's maximum duration; pick Standard vs Premium per workload; reserve unscripted scoring (the costlier tier) for cases that need grammar/vocabulary analysis.
- name: Accountability
  description: Assign owners per integration; review audio-seconds spend monthly against budget.
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com