Buttondown vs Keila (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Buttondown grades higher than Keila: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Buttondown grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Buttondown
Newsletter software priced by active subscribers, with add-ons
Keila
Open-source newsletter tool, self-hosted or EU-hosted cloud
Which one is for you
Pick Buttondown if
- Fits if you write a newsletter and want markdown and a custom sending domain
- Works for small lists, where the $9 step covers 1,000 subscribers
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: 100 subscribers
- Watch out: automations, sponsorships, multiple newsletters and custom-domain archives are $29 a month each
- Pricey if you want teams or whitelabeling, which are $79 a month each
- Watch out: prices assume one email a day to the whole list, and heavier sending needs a custom quote
- Skip it if you want an app on your phone or desktop, as it is web only
Pick Keila if
- Fits if you want a small newsletter tool priced by emails sent, with unlimited contacts
- Makes sense if you want open-source software you can move to your own server later
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free plan or a trial: the vendor says it won't offer one
- Not for you if you need automated email sequences, as workflows aren't listed
- Pricey if you grow: the price doubles with each step, reaching €256 a month at 250,000 emails
- Watch out: self-hosting means running your own server and your own email sending
- Watch out: prices are in euros
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAButtondownFair | 2.2GPAKeilaFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$9 a month for up to 1,000 subscribers is inside the cheapest quarter of this category. But tagging, paid subscriptions, comments and analytics are $9 each and automations $29. | B€8 a month for 2,000 emails, with unlimited contacts and projects. That's inside the cheapest quarter of email marketing tools, which start at $10. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree for up to 100 subscribers with the editor, custom sending domain and archives. A small list fits, but 100 is a cap you will reach. | DNo free cloud plan or trial. The open-source edition costs nothing but needs your own server and your own email sending. |
| Features | CEditor, archives, automations, segmentation, paid subscriptions and an API, but most of them are add-ons at $9 to $79 each. It does newsletters, not much beyond. | CVisual, Markdown and plain-text editors, segments, forms, analytics and an API. Automation workflows aren't listed on its pages. |
| Ease of use | CA web app with no rating on record. Writing an issue is simple, but each add-on is something to switch on and set up. | CNo store rating on record. The cloud version is a web app, though you'll connect a sending domain; self-hosting means Docker. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with an API and connections for Discord, Memberful and YouTube. | BWeb, with an API and connections to Zapier, AWS SES, Mailgun, Postmark and Sendgrid. |
| Best for | plain newsletters from one writer | a newsletter tool you can host yourself |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Buttondown and Keila. How we grade
Price against what you get
Buttondown starts at $9 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Keila starts at about $8.94 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Keila starts $0.06 a month lower. Of the other email marketing and newsletter tools on the chart, 5 score higher than Buttondown for less, and 5 score higher than Keila for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Keila is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Buttondown also covers marketing automation and paid newsletters.
- Keila also covers Markdown and forms.
At a glance
| Buttondown | Keila | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $9 per month for up to 1,000 subscribers | €8 per month for 2,000 emails a month |
| Free plan | Free for up to 100 subscribers, with a rich text or markdown editor, custom sending domain and hosted archives. | No free cloud plan; the open-source edition is free to run on your own server. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Buttondown | Keila |
| Price read from | buttondown.com | keila.io |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Buttondown
- Most extras are paid add-ons: tagging, paid subscriptions, comments, analytics and RSS-to-email are $9 a month each.
- Automations, sponsorships, multiple newsletters and custom-domain archives are $29 a month each; whitelabeling and teams are $79 each.
- Prices assume sending at most one email a day to the whole list; heavier sending needs a custom quote.
- The page does not say whether the monthly figures change with annual billing.
Keila
- There is no free cloud plan or trial; the vendor says it will not offer one.
- Cloud prices are in euros and rise with monthly email volume, from €8 at 2,000 to €256 at 250,000 emails.
- Automation workflows are not listed among the features; the pages describe campaigns, segments and forms.
- Self-hosting means running your own server and email sending.
Key features
Buttondown
- Editor and archives
- Write in a rich text or markdown editor, send from a custom domain, and publish a hosted archive of past issues.
- Automations and segmentation
- Automations ($29 a month add-on) and tagging and segmentation ($9 a month add-on) target the right people with the right message.
- Paid subscriptions
- Paid subscriptions are a $9 a month add-on, and the homepage says Buttondown takes no fees from paid subscribers.
- API
- The homepage describes a feature-complete API for building custom tools on top of the platform.
- Concierge migration
- Buttondown says it will migrate a whole list from another platform within one business day, on request.
Keila
- Several ways to write emails
- A visual block editor, Markdown (with or without a WYSIWYG view), MJML for custom layouts, or plain text.
- Segments and custom data
- Segments from contact data and tags, and Liquid templates to personalize emails from custom JSON data.
- Forms
- A form builder with custom fields, double opt-in and captcha protection through hCaptcha or Friendly Captcha.
- Analytics and privacy options
- Open and click tracking, which can be turned off entirely.
- Sending options
- Send with Keila's own delivery or bring your own SMTP, AWS SES, Mailgun, Postmark or Sendgrid.
- API
- An API to manage contacts and campaigns; a Zapier integration is described as being in private beta.
Plans
Buttondown
Free$0
Up to 100 subscribers, with a rich text or markdown editor, custom sending domain and hosted archives.
Basic$9
per month for up to 1,000 subscribers
Same base features as Free; the price rises with active subscribers. Add-ons are extra.
Standard$29
per month for up to 5,000 subscribers
The step for lists of 1,001 to 5,000 subscribers. Add-ons are extra.
Professional$79
per month for up to 10,000 subscribers
The step for lists up to 10,000 subscribers; $79 a month at 10,000. Add-ons are extra.
Advanced$139
per month for up to 20,000 subscribers
The step for lists up to 20,000 subscribers. Add-ons are extra.
Keila
Keila XS€8
per month for up to 2,000 emails a month
Unlimited contacts and projects; send with Keila or bring your own email server.
Keila S€16
per month for up to 5,000 emails a month
Unlimited contacts and projects; send with Keila or bring your own email server.
Keila M€32
per month for up to 15,000 emails a month
Unlimited contacts and projects; send with Keila or bring your own email server.
Keila L€64
per month for up to 50,000 emails a month
Unlimited contacts and projects. Larger steps: €128 for 100,000 emails (XL) and €256 for 250,000 (XXL).
Self-hosted$0
AGPLv3-licensed; you host it yourself with the official Docker image. The vendor says there are no proprietary premium features.
Ways to pay less
Buttondown
- Nonprofit
50% off for registered non-profits
Registered 501(c)(3) non-profits, or the local equivalent, can get 50% off a plan by emailing proof of registry.
Keila
- Other savings
Discounts for open source and nonprofits
The pricing page says discounts may be possible for open-source projects, nonprofits and small businesses that have trouble affording a plan; you contact the vendor.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Buttondown or Keila?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Keila is cheaper to start with: about $8.94 a month, against $9 a month for Buttondown. Buttondown starts at $9 per month for up to 1,000 subscribers, and Keila starts at €8 per month for 2,000 emails a month.
Which has a free plan, Buttondown or Keila?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Buttondown and Keila have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.