specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: Steel
providerId: steel-dev
created: '2026-06-20'
modified: '2026-06-20'
reconciled: true
tags:
- Browser
- Web Automation
- Scraping
- AI Agents
- Open Source
- FinOps
- Cost Management
- FOCUS
description: >-
  FinOps view of Steel Cloud spend. Steel bills a recurring subscription per
  tier with included browser-hour, proxy-bandwidth, and CAPTCHA-solve
  allotments; the dominant usage meter is browser hours (wall-clock time a
  cloud browser session is live). Proxy bandwidth and CAPTCHA solves are
  secondary metered dimensions. Steel is open source (Apache-2.0), so
  self-hosting shifts cost from Steel Cloud subscription to the operator's own
  compute, proxy, and CAPTCHA infrastructure.
notes: >-
  Plan allotments and the per-browser-hour model are captured from the Steel
  pricing page; verify current overage rates and allotments during
  reconciliation.
sources:
- https://steel.dev/pricing
- https://docs.steel.dev
- https://github.com/steel-dev/steel-browser
- 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: Steel
serviceCategory: Web Automation and Browser Infrastructure
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Subscription-Based with Metered Usage
  billingFrequency: Monthly
  billingCurrency: USD
  chargeCategories:
  - Usage
  - Purchase
  - Adjustment
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: Steel Cloud
  ServiceCategory: Web Automation and Browser Infrastructure
  ProviderName: Steel
  PublisherName: Steel
  InvoiceIssuerName: Steel
  BillingCurrency: USD
  ChargeCategory: Usage
  PricingCategory: Subscription-Based with Metered Usage
meters:
- name: browser_hours
  description: Wall-clock hours a cloud browser session is live, the primary usage meter, drawn against the tier allotment.
  unit: hours
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - session
- name: proxy_bandwidth
  description: Bytes routed through Steel-managed proxies, billed in GB against the tier allotment.
  unit: gigabytes
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - session
- name: captcha_solves
  description: CAPTCHA challenges solved, counted against the tier allotment.
  unit: solves
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - session
- name: subscription
  description: Recurring monthly (or discounted annual) tier subscription fee.
  unit: subscription
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - plan
- name: quick_actions
  description: Stateless scrape / screenshot / pdf / search requests, which also consume browser time.
  unit: requests
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - action
principles:
- name: Visibility
  description: Track browser-hour burn per session and per workload; the live viewer and session metadata expose duration and credits used.
- name: Allocation
  description: Tag sessions / API keys per workload or team and map browser hours, proxy bandwidth, and CAPTCHA solves to cost centers.
- name: Optimization
  description: Release sessions promptly to avoid idle browser hours; use stateless quick actions for one-off extraction; enable bandwidth optimization (block images/media); self-host steel-browser for high steady-state volume.
- name: Accountability
  description: Assign owners per project/key and review browser-hour and bandwidth spend monthly against plan allotments and budgets.
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com