--- title: Workflow Automation description: Datadog, the leading service for cloud-scale monitoring. breadcrumbs: Docs > Account Management > Billing > Workflow Automation --- # Workflow Automation ## Overview{% #overview %} Datadog [Workflow Automation](https://docs.datadoghq.com/actions/workflows.md) billing is based on the number of **workflow executions**. Workflow executions are recorded whenever a published workflow runs, regardless of its run method (manually, programmatically, or automatically), except for the cases listed under Included automations. ## Summary{% #summary %} - **Billing metric**: You incur a cost per committed execution or on-demand execution, depending on your billing plan. Specific pricing can be found on the [Workflow Automation pricing page](https://www.datadoghq.com/pricing/?product=workflow-automation#products). - **Scope**: All published executions are billed, regardless of success/failure. - **Visibility**: Usage and cost breakdowns are available in [Plan & Usage](https://app.datadoghq.com/billing/usage?selected_cost_products=workflow_execution). - **Exceptions for certain SKUs**: - CSM/DevSecOps SKUs include 5-20 executions per host. - [Incident Management](https://docs.datadoghq.com/incident_response/incident_management.md), [On-Call](https://docs.datadoghq.com/incident_response/on-call.md), and [App Builder](https://docs.datadoghq.com/actions/app_builder.md) SKUs include free unlimited executions when triggered by events from these products. ## Pricing model{% #pricing-model %} ### Definition of workflow execution{% #definition-of-workflow-execution %} A workflow execution refers to one full run of a published workflow, regardless of how many steps, actions, iterations, or retries it includes. Billing is recorded one time when an execution starts. Runs that are rejected before starting—for example, due to spec validation errors, admission limits, or a workflow being marked inactive—are not billed. Executions can be triggered through: - Manual starts in the Datadog UI - API or programmatic triggers - Event-based triggers (monitors, incidents, etc.) - Workflows triggered from other workflows - **Note**: When a workflow triggers another workflow, billing is determined by the original (root) trigger of the chain. If the root trigger is a billed source (such as a monitor or API call), every workflow in the chain is billed. If the root trigger is a free source (for example, Incident Management, On-Call, or App Builder), the entire chain is free, regardless of depth. Unpublished (test or draft) runs are **not billed**. {% alert level="info" %} Failed executions are not exempt from billing. All published executions are billed once they successfully start, regardless of success or failure. This includes runs that: - Fail due to an error. - Are interrupted or canceled. - Time out mid-run. {% /alert %} ### Billing metrics{% #billing-metrics %} Workflow Automation is billed **per execution**. This means that each workflow run counts toward your bill. The two billing options are committed executions and on-demand executions. Committed executions are purchased in advance, while on-demand executions are billed as they occur. Prepaid executions cost less than on-demand executions. ### Usage tracking{% #usage-tracking %} The best source of truth for billing is on your [Datadog Plan & Usage page](https://app.datadoghq.com/billing/usage?selected_cost_products=workflow_execution), where execution usage is continuously tracked. Under Products, select only Workflow Executions for the filter. If you have multiple Datadog orgs, you can filter for them under Sub-Orgs. You can also filter further by team or any other tag in the Usage Attribution tab. Other sources of usage tracking that do not include billing metrics are the [Workflow Automation API](https://docs.datadoghq.com/api/latest/workflow-automation.md) and the [Workflows Overview dashboard](https://app.datadoghq.com/dash/integration/30994/workflows-overview?fromUser=false&refresh_mode=sliding&from_ts=1760203373269&to_ts=1762885373269&live=true). Through the API, you can view granular information such as [all instances of a given workflow](https://docs.datadoghq.com/api/latest/workflow-automation.md#list-workflow-instances). The Workflows Overview dashboard is based on execution metrics, before any billing considerations take place. Additionally, the dashboard does not reflect billing complexities such as free allotments of workflows. ## Included workflow allotments by SKU{% #included-workflow-allotments-by-sku %} Certain Datadog SKUs include Workflow Automation allotments as part of their pricing: | SKU | Included Workflow Executions | Allotment Basis | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------- | --------------- | | [CSM Pro](https://www.datadoghq.com/pricing/?product=cloud-security#products) | 5 executions per host | Monthly | | [DevSecOps Pro](https://www.datadoghq.com/pricing/?product=infrastructure-monitoring#products) | 5 executions per host | Monthly | | [CSM Enterprise](https://www.datadoghq.com/pricing/?product=cloud-security#products) | 20 executions per host | Monthly | | [DevSecOps Enterprise](https://www.datadoghq.com/pricing/?product=infrastructure-monitoring#products) | 20 executions per host | Monthly | These included executions are automatically applied to your account each month and used before any committed or on-demand executions. They are not reflected in [your Plan & Usage page](https://app.datadoghq.com/billing/usage?selected_cost_products=workflow_execution) and do not show up on your bill. ### Included automations{% #included-automations %} Workflows triggered automatically or manually by events from the following products are **free** and included in their respective SKU pricing: - [**Incident Management**](https://docs.datadoghq.com/incident_response/incident_management.md) - [**On-Call**](https://docs.datadoghq.com/incident_response/on-call.md) - [**App Builder**](https://docs.datadoghq.com/actions/app_builder.md) This means that if your automation originates from one of these services, those executions **do not count** toward your Workflow Automation bill. For example, a workflow triggered by an incident creation or an on-call handover does not incur a cost.