specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: Happy Scribe
providerId: happyscribe
created: '2026-07-11'
modified: '2026-07-11'
reconciled: false
tags:
- Audio Transcription
- Transcription
- Subtitles
- Translation
- FinOps
- Cost Management
- FOCUS
description: >-
  FinOps view of Happy Scribe spend. Cost is driven by minutes of media
  processed, not by API call volume. A monthly subscription provides a fixed AI
  (automatic) minute allowance for transcription, subtitling, and translation;
  usage above the allowance is topped up per minute of media, and professional
  (human) services are billed separately per minute. API usage draws down the same
  balance as the web app, so cost governance is about controlling how many minutes
  of audio/video are submitted and whether human service is used.
notes: >-
  Per-unit rates are on the Happy Scribe pricing page and are captured in
  plans/happyscribe-plans-pricing.yml; they are not reconciled here. Dominant cost
  levers are total minutes transcribed, automatic vs. human service, extra
  translation passes, and additional user seats.
sources:
- https://www.happyscribe.com/pricing
- https://dev.happyscribe.com/
- https://www.happyscribe.com/integrations/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: Happy Scribe
serviceCategory: AI and Machine Learning
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Subscription plus Usage-Based
  billingFrequency: Monthly
  billingCurrency: USD
  chargeCategories:
  - Usage
  - Purchase
  - Adjustment
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: Happy Scribe
  ServiceCategory: AI and Machine Learning
  ProviderName: Happy Scribe
  PublisherName: Happy Scribe
  InvoiceIssuerName: Happy Scribe
  BillingCurrency: USD
  ChargeCategory: Usage
  PricingCategory: Usage-Based
meters:
- name: ai_minutes
  description: Minutes of media processed by automatic transcription, subtitling, or translation, drawn from plan credits.
  unit: minutes
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - organization
  - service
- name: human_minutes
  description: Minutes of media processed by professional (human) transcription or subtitling, billed per minute.
  unit: minutes
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - organization
  - service
- name: translation_minutes
  description: Minutes of media translated into additional languages.
  unit: minutes
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - organization
- name: seats
  description: Additional user seats beyond the plan default.
  unit: seats
  aggregation: max
  dimensions:
  - organization
principles:
- name: Visibility
  description: Track minutes transcribed per organization and per service (auto vs. human) so spend maps to workloads and teams.
- name: Allocation
  description: Use organizations and folders to attribute transcription minutes to internal cost centers.
- name: Optimization
  description: Prefer automatic service where accuracy allows; reserve human proofreading for high-stakes content; avoid redundant re-exports and translation passes; right-size the subscription tier to expected monthly minutes.
- name: Accountability
  description: Assign an owner per organization and review monthly AI/human minute consumption against plan allowances and top-ups.
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com