specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: freee
providerId: freee
created: '2026-07-12'
modified: '2026-07-12'
reconciled: false
tags:
- Accounting
- HR
- Payroll
- SaaS
- Japan
- FinOps
- Cost Management
description: >-
  FinOps view of freee spend. freee is subscription SaaS billed in Japanese yen
  (JPY), tax-excluded. freee Accounting corporate plans are billed per company
  per month with usage-based charges (従量課金) layered on; freee HR & Payroll plans
  include a base headcount and then bill per additional employee (per-user) per
  month. Annual billing is discounted versus monthly. The public REST API is
  included with a paid subscription - there is no separate metered API charge -
  so API-driven integrations do not add a distinct line item; they consume the
  same subscription entitlement. Cost is therefore driven by product mix
  (accounting vs HR/payroll), plan tier, company count, and employee headcount.
notes: >-
  Per-unit rates and usage-based (従量課金) charges are not reconciled here; confirm
  current list prices, employee add-on rates, and any overage on the freee
  pricing pages. Amounts are tax-excluded JPY.
sources:
- https://www.freee.co.jp/pricing/
- https://www.freee.co.jp/accounting/small-medium/pricing/
- https://developer.freee.co.jp/
- 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: freee K.K.
serviceCategory: Business Applications
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Subscription-Based
  billingFrequency: Monthly
  billingCurrency: JPY
  chargeCategories:
  - Usage
  - Purchase
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: freee (Accounting and HR/Payroll)
  ServiceCategory: Business Applications
  ProviderName: freee K.K.
  PublisherName: freee K.K.
  InvoiceIssuerName: freee K.K.
  BillingCurrency: JPY
  ChargeCategory: Purchase
  PricingCategory: Subscription-Based
meters:
- name: accounting_subscription
  description: freee Accounting base subscription, billed per company per month (tax-excluded JPY).
  unit: company-months
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - company
  - plan
- name: accounting_usage_charges
  description: Usage-based charges (従量課金) layered on some accounting plans; not reconciled here.
  unit: charges
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - company
  - plan
- name: hr_subscription
  description: freee HR & Payroll base subscription, billed per company per month with a base headcount.
  unit: company-months
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - company
  - plan
- name: hr_additional_employees
  description: Additional employees beyond the base headcount, billed per employee per month.
  unit: employee-months
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - company
  - plan
principles:
- name: Visibility
  description: Track each freee product subscription, plan tier, company count, and billed employee headcount; API usage is included and does not meter separately.
- name: Allocation
  description: Map each freee company (事業所) and product subscription to the internal entity or cost center it serves.
- name: Optimization
  description: Right-size plan tiers to the features actually used, prefer annual billing over monthly, and review billed employee headcount to avoid paying for inactive employees.
- name: Accountability
  description: Assign an owner per freee subscription; review monthly JPY spend and any usage-based charges against budget.
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com