specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: Shotstack
providerId: shotstack
created: '2026-06-20'
modified: '2026-06-20'
reconciled: true
tags:
- Video
- Video Editing
- Media
- Rendering
- Generative AI
- FinOps
- Cost Management
- FOCUS
description: >-
  FinOps view of Shotstack spend. Shotstack bills on rendered output duration,
  metered in credits where 1 credit equals 1 minute of rendered video or 10
  generated images. Pay-As-You-Go bills $0.30 per rendered minute from prepaid
  credit packs (plus a one-time $75 setup fee); the Subscription plan bills
  $0.20 per rendered minute from a monthly credit base with overages at a 30%
  premium. AI Create assets, ingest, and serving draw on the same credit model,
  and High Volume / Enterprise moves to negotiated quote-based rates.
notes: >-
  Per-minute rates and credit-pack sizes are subject to change; verify against
  the Shotstack pricing page during reconciliation. Output resolution caps
  (1080p on PAYG/Subscription, 4K on High Volume) influence effective cost.
sources:
- https://shotstack.io/pricing/
- https://shotstack.io/docs/
- 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: Shotstack
serviceCategory: Media and Content
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Usage-Based
  billingFrequency: Monthly
  billingCurrency: USD
  chargeCategories:
  - Usage
  - Purchase
  - Adjustment
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: Shotstack
  ServiceCategory: Media and Content
  ProviderName: Shotstack
  PublisherName: Shotstack
  InvoiceIssuerName: Shotstack
  BillingCurrency: USD
  ChargeCategory: Usage
  PricingCategory: Usage-Based
meters:
- name: rendered_minutes
  description: Minutes of video, image, or audio rendered, the primary credit-metered unit (1 credit = 1 minute).
  unit: minutes
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - api
  - resolution
- name: generated_images
  description: Images rendered, metered at 10 images per credit.
  unit: images
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - api
- name: ai_generated_assets
  description: AI assets generated via the Create API (text-to-speech, text-to-image, image-to-video), drawing on the credit balance.
  unit: assets
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - provider
  - type
- name: overage_minutes
  description: Rendered minutes beyond the monthly Subscription allowance, billed at a 30% premium.
  unit: minutes
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
- name: setup_fee
  description: One-time $75 Pay-As-You-Go account setup fee.
  unit: charge
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
principles:
- name: Visibility
  description: Track credit consumption per API key and per render in the Shotstack dashboard; inspect minutes burned by resolution.
- name: Allocation
  description: Issue distinct API keys per workload/team and map credit burn to internal cost centers.
- name: Optimization
  description: Render at the lowest acceptable resolution and fps, reuse templates to avoid redundant renders, trim clips to needed length, and pick Subscription over PAYG once monthly volume is predictable.
- name: Accountability
  description: Assign owners per project/key; review credit and overage spend monthly against budget, and forecast High Volume thresholds (50,000 min/yr).
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com