specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: Freshteam
providerId: freshteam
created: '2026-07-11'
modified: '2026-07-11'
reconciled: false
tags:
- Human Resources
- HRIS
- Applicant Tracking
- FinOps
- Cost Management
- FOCUS
- End of Life
description: >-
  FinOps view of Freshteam spend. Freshteam was billed on a per-employee-per-month
  basis plus a flat monthly platform fee on paid tiers (Growth, Pro, Enterprise),
  with the API included in the subscription rather than metered separately. The
  primary cost driver was headcount (subscribed employees), not API call volume.
  A critical governance note - Freshworks has announced the end-of-life of
  Freshteam - new subscriptions and renewals are halted from March 7, 2026, and
  existing customers retain access only through their remaining term (reported
  through approximately April 2027). Cost planning should therefore center on
  migration off Freshteam rather than on ongoing optimization.
notes: >-
  Because renewals are closed, the dominant FinOps activity is exit planning -
  data export, contract wind-down, and re-platforming HR/ATS workloads (Freshworks
  is steering non-IT teams toward Freshservice for Business Teams). Verify any
  surviving contractual rate directly with Freshworks.
sources:
- https://www.freshworks.com/hrms/
- https://developers.freshteam.com/api/
- https://www.pin.com/blog/freshteam-pricing/
- https://www.peoplematters.in/news/business/freshworks-to-end-freshteam-hr-product-stop-renewals-from-march-2026-47939
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: Freshworks
serviceCategory: Human Resources and Recruiting Software
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Subscription
  billingFrequency: Monthly
  billingCurrency: USD
  chargeCategories:
  - Purchase
  - Usage
  - Adjustment
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: Freshteam
  ServiceCategory: Human Resources and Recruiting Software
  ProviderName: Freshworks
  PublisherName: Freshworks
  InvoiceIssuerName: Freshworks
  BillingCurrency: USD
  ChargeCategory: Purchase
  PricingCategory: Subscription
meters:
- name: subscribed_employees
  description: Number of subscribed employees, the primary per-employee-per-month billing metric.
  unit: employees
  aggregation: max
  dimensions:
  - account
  - plan
- name: platform_fee
  description: Flat monthly platform fee applied on paid tiers regardless of headcount.
  unit: subscription
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - plan
- name: api_requests
  description: API request volume against per-minute rate limits; included in the subscription, not billed separately.
  unit: requests
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
principles:
- name: Visibility
  description: Track subscribed-employee counts and platform fees per account; API usage is not a separate billed line.
- name: Allocation
  description: Map Freshteam cost to HR/recruiting cost centers by headcount and plan tier.
- name: Optimization
  description: With renewals closed, optimize by planning an orderly migration off Freshteam and exporting data before term end rather than tuning ongoing spend.
- name: Accountability
  description: Assign an owner for the Freshteam wind-down and migration timeline ahead of the end-of-life deadline.
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com