Keila vs listmonk (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Keila grades higher than listmonk: 2.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Keila grades higher on value for money, ease of use and platforms. listmonk grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Keila
Open-source newsletter tool, self-hosted or EU-hosted cloud
Which one is for you
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
Pick listmonk if
- Fits if you can run a server and want a mailing list you fully control
- Works for developers who want a transactional and newsletter tool without a monthly fee
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you do not want to host and update a server
- Skip it if you want automation journeys, which the pages do not describe
- Watch out: you supply a Postgres database and an SMTP provider, which cost money
- Watch out: the latest release shown is a v7 beta from 10 Nov 2026
- Skip it if you want one-click hosting backed by the project: third-party hosts exist, and the project says it has no affiliation with them
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAKeilaFair | 2.0GPAlistmonkFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | CThe software is free, but you need a server and an SMTP provider for sending, so it is not free in practice. Software that is free only if you host it yourself needs a server, so it sits at an ordinary C. |
| Free plan and trial | DNo free cloud plan or trial. The open-source edition costs nothing but needs your own server and your own email sending. | BFree and open source with no subscriber cap on record, but you pay for hosting and an SMTP service yourself. |
| Features | CVisual, Markdown and plain-text editors, segments, forms, analytics and an API. Automation workflows aren't listed on its pages. | CLists, segmentation, templates, analytics, transactional messages and access control. The pages read describe no automation journeys or paid subscriptions. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. The cloud version is a web app, though you'll connect a sending domain; self-hosting means Docker. | DYou self-host it: a server, a Postgres database and an SMTP provider, plus updates. No rating on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with an API and connections to Zapier, AWS SES, Mailgun, Postmark and Sendgrid. | CWeb only, with no integrations listed on the pages read. |
| Best for | a newsletter tool you can host yourself | self-hosted mailing lists for people who run servers |
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: Keila and listmonk. How we grade
Price against what you get
Keila starts at about $8.94 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. listmonk has no paid plan and scores 1.7.
Keila scores higher, and starts $8.94 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other email marketing and newsletter tools on the chart, 5 score higher than Keila for less, and none scores higher than listmonk 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 also covers Markdown and forms.
- listmonk also covers transactional email.
At a glance
| Keila | listmonk | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | €8 per month for 2,000 emails a month | Free |
| Free plan | No free cloud plan; the open-source edition is free to run on your own server. | Free and open source; you host it yourself and supply your own SMTP service. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Keila | Kailash Nadh |
| Price read from | keila.io | listmonk.app |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
listmonk
- You install, host and update it yourself, and supply a Postgres database and an SMTP provider for sending.
- It is a one-way mailing list tool; the pages read do not describe automation journeys or built-in paid subscriptions.
- The latest release shown is a v7 beta, released 10 Nov 2026.
- Third-party one-click hosting exists, but the project says it has no affiliation with those providers.
Key features
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.
listmonk
- Lists and segmentation
- Manage single and double opt-in lists with millions of subscribers, and query and segment subscribers with SQL expressions.
- Templates and editors
- Go-templated emails with logic and 100+ functions, written in a visual drag-and-drop builder, a WYSIWYG editor, Markdown or raw HTML.
- Analytics
- Built-in analytics show campaign performance, bounces and top links across campaigns.
- Transactional messages
- An API sends arbitrary messages from pre-defined templates, and messenger interfaces can send SMS or WhatsApp through HTTP webhooks.
- Access control and privacy
- OIDC single sign-on, granular roles, scoped API tokens, and subscriber data export and deletion on request.
Plans
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.
listmonk
Self-hosted$0
Free and open source; you host it yourself on a server with a Postgres database.
Ways to pay less
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.
listmonk
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Keila or listmonk?
As of Nov 13, 2026, listmonk is cheaper to start with: it is free, against about $8.94 a month for Keila. Keila starts at €8 per month for 2,000 emails a month, and listmonk is free.
Which has a free plan, Keila or listmonk?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Keila and listmonk 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.