About this block

Cost Transparency Chart opens the books on the spending side. Five cost categories run as horizontal shadcn bars, people on top and deliberately dominant, beside a header pairing the monthly total with the profitable since claim. The lede editorializes the shape, mostly salaries, which is what a software company should be made of.

Built on ui/chart in vertical layout with a single key config, the data array is the edit surface. Horizontal bars suit category comparisons because the labels read at full width without rotation.

When to use

Reach for this block on open metrics pages beside the revenue charts, costs complete the credibility, revenue alone is a highlight reel. It also serves bootstrapped positioning, the profitable since line plus visible payroll is the whole argument against the funded competitor. Pair with mrr-growth-chart so both sides of the ledger sit on one page.

A natural flow around it on a Marketing Pro page:

Before

• Revenue charts showing what the costs produce

After

• About blocks like about-with-stats carrying the independence story
• Careers where the people line item becomes faces

What you can display

One strong use is monthly burn by category for an open startup. Other ledgers:

• Nonprofit allocation. Program, operations, and fundraising split, the chart donors actually want.
• Agency cost structure. Where retainers go, for radical transparency positioning.
• Unit cost breakdown. Per customer serving costs for a product defending its pricing.

Tip: let people stay visibly the largest bar, hiding payroll inside operations is the tell readers look for.