specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
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/
provider: Novu
providerId: novu
publisherName: Novu
serviceCategory: API
serviceSubcategory: Notification Infrastructure
created: '2026-05-25'
modified: '2026-05-25'
tags:
  - Novu
  - Notifications
  - FinOps
  - Cost Management
  - FOCUS
  - Multi Channel
description: >-
  FinOps alignment for Novu Cloud. The chargeable unit is the workflow run; each plan ships an
  included monthly quota and Pro/Team carry per-1K-runs overage at $1.20. Cost-per-notification
  is dominated by the workflow run base rate plus any third-party provider costs (SendGrid,
  Twilio, FCM, etc.) routed through your own integrations.

principles:
  - name: Visibility
    description: Surface workflow-run consumption per environment, workflow, and channel in near real-time using the Activity feed and the /v1/notifications endpoint.
  - name: Allocation
    description: Tag every trigger with subscriberId, tenant, and payload metadata so workflow-run cost can be attributed to product surface, team, and customer cohort.
  - name: Optimization
    description: Continuously evaluate workflow design (digest steps, topics for fan-out, channel selection) to lower workflow-run count and provider-side delivery cost.
  - name: Accountability
    description: Assign workflow owners and route overage alerts to the team that owns the consuming product surface.

domains:
  - name: Workflow Runs
    description: Per-run charge across every channel in a workflow. The pricing unit Novu meters.
    costDrivers:
      - trigger_volume
      - broadcast_fan_out_size
      - digest_window_efficiency
      - retry_storms
    focusMapping:
      ChargeCategory: Usage
      ChargeClass: Consumption
      ServiceCategory: API
      ServiceSubcategory: Notification Infrastructure
      PricingUnit: workflow_run
  - name: Channel Provider Pass-Through
    description: Third-party costs (SendGrid emails, Twilio SMS, FCM push, Slack/MS Teams) billed directly by the channel provider you wire into Novu Integrations.
    costDrivers:
      - email_volume
      - sms_volume_per_country
      - push_volume
    focusMapping:
      ChargeCategory: Usage
      ChargeClass: Consumption
      ServiceCategory: Other
      ServiceSubcategory: Channel Delivery
  - name: Platform Capabilities
    description: Capabilities billed at the plan level (RBAC, SSO, SCIM, HIPAA BAA, data residency).
    focusMapping:
      ChargeCategory: Subscription
      ChargeClass: Commitment
      ServiceCategory: API

unitEconomics:
  - name: Cost per Workflow Run
    description: Plan list price divided by included runs, plus overage above quota.
    formula: (planMonthlyPrice / includedRuns) + overageRunsAboveQuota * overageRatePer1k / 1000
  - name: Cost per Subscriber Touch
    description: Cost per delivered notification, accounting for fan-out across channels in a single workflow run.
    formula: workflowRunCost / channelsPerWorkflow

focusFields:
  required:
    - BillingPeriodStart
    - BillingPeriodEnd
    - ChargeCategory
    - ChargePeriodStart
    - ChargePeriodEnd
    - ProviderName
    - PublisherName
    - InvoiceIssuerName
    - ServiceName
    - ServiceCategory
    - BilledCost
    - EffectiveCost
    - ListCost
    - ContractedCost
    - PricingCategory
    - PricingUnit
    - PricingQuantity
  recommended:
    - SubAccountId
    - SubAccountName
    - ResourceId
    - ResourceName
    - ResourceType
    - Region
    - Tags

allocationTags:
  - environmentId
  - workflowId
  - tenantId
  - subscriberCohort
  - product_area

guardrails:
  - name: Per-environment Workflow-run Budget
    description: Set an alert at 80% of the monthly included runs per environment.
  - name: Overage Cap
    description: Configure an automatic notification when per-1K overage charges exceed a defined dollar threshold.
  - name: Digest Window Hygiene
    description: Audit workflows that aggregate triggers into digest steps so high-frequency events don't bloat run counts.

notes:
  - Pricing data points were last reconciled against novu.co/pricing on 2026-05-25.
  - Channel provider costs (SendGrid, Twilio, FCM, Mailgun, Slack) flow through your own integration credentials and are NOT included in Novu's published per-run price.
  - Enterprise contracts can negotiate region-specific data residency that affects egress and storage costs.

references:
  - name: Novu Pricing Page
    url: https://novu.co/pricing
  - name: FinOps Framework
    url: https://www.finops.org/framework/
  - name: FOCUS Specification v1.3
    url: https://focus.finops.org/focus-specification/v1-3/