specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: Windmill
providerId: windmill-dev
created: '2026-07-02'
modified: '2026-07-02'
reconciled: false
tags:
- Developer Platform
- Workflows
- Job Orchestration
- Open Source
- FinOps
- Cost Management
- FOCUS
description: >-
  FinOps view of Windmill spend. Windmill's Community Edition is open source
  (AGPL) and free to self-host - in that model the cost is your own compute,
  storage, and network for running the Windmill server, its Postgres database,
  and the worker fleet, with no vendor invoice. Windmill Enterprise (Cloud or
  self-hosted) is billed on a combination of Compute Units - worker execution
  capacity, roughly 2 worker-GB-month per CU - and Seats, with developer seats
  full-price and operator (execute-only) seats at half. Native subworkers and
  agent workers are metered separately. Because billing is driven by provisioned
  worker capacity and active users rather than per-API-call, cost optimization
  centers on right-sizing worker memory and count, consolidating operator seats,
  and pruning idle workspaces and schedules.
notes: >-
  Enterprise per-unit rates (per CU, per seat) are not reconciled here; verify on
  the Windmill pricing page. For self-hosted Community deployments, the dominant
  costs are infrastructure (Windmill server + Postgres + workers) rather than a
  license fee.
sources:
- https://www.windmill.dev/pricing
- https://www.windmill.dev/docs
- https://www.windmill.dev/changelog/new-pricing
- https://github.com/windmill-labs/windmill
- 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: Windmill
serviceCategory: Developer Platform and Workflow Orchestration
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Usage-Based and Subscription
  billingFrequency: Monthly
  billingCurrency: USD
  chargeCategories:
  - Usage
  - Purchase
  - Adjustment
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: Windmill Enterprise
  ServiceCategory: Developer Platform and Workflow Orchestration
  ProviderName: Windmill
  PublisherName: Windmill
  InvoiceIssuerName: Windmill
  BillingCurrency: USD
  ChargeCategory: Usage
  PricingCategory: Usage-Based
meters:
- name: compute_units
  description: Worker execution capacity, roughly 2 worker-GB-month per Compute Unit; a 2 GB standard worker is 2 CU.
  unit: worker_gb_month
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - worker_group
- name: native_subworkers
  description: Native subworkers (run in batches) billed separately from standard worker groups.
  unit: subworkers
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - worker_group
- name: agent_workers
  description: Agent workers for distributed/edge execution, billed separately.
  unit: workers
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - worker_group
- name: developer_seats
  description: Active users who can author and execute runnables, billed per seat.
  unit: seats
  aggregation: max
  dimensions:
  - account
- name: operator_seats
  description: Execute-only users, counted as half a developer seat.
  unit: seats
  aggregation: max
  dimensions:
  - account
- name: self_hosted_compute
  description: Infrastructure cost of running self-hosted Windmill (server + Postgres + workers); no Windmill invoice on Community Edition.
  unit: hours
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - deployment
principles:
- name: Visibility
  description: Track Compute Units and seats per workspace and worker group; on self-hosted, monitor server, Postgres, and worker infrastructure costs.
- name: Allocation
  description: Use worker group tags and per-workspace grouping so compute and seat spend maps to teams and workloads.
- name: Optimization
  description: Right-size worker memory (1/2/>2 GB) and count, use concurrency limits to avoid over-provisioning, convert author-only users to operator seats, prune idle schedules and workspaces, and self-host Community Edition when volume is high.
- name: Accountability
  description: Assign owners per workspace and worker group; review monthly Compute Unit and seat usage against Enterprise entitlements or self-hosted infrastructure budget.
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com