Keila review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Open-source newsletter tool, self-hosted or EU-hosted cloud
Black Friday: is there a Keila sale?
Keila report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for a newsletter tool you can host yourself
Keila is an open-source newsletter tool with campaigns, segments and forms, hosted in Germany and France or run on your own server. There's no free cloud plan, the vendor says there never will be one, and automation workflows aren't listed.
Who Keila is for
- 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
Who Keila is not for
- 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
Why Keila gets a 2.2
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- BValue for money€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.
- DFree plan and trialNo free cloud plan or trial. The open-source edition costs nothing but needs your own server and your own email sending.
- CFeaturesVisual, Markdown and plain-text editors, segments, forms, analytics and an API. Automation workflows aren't listed on its pages.
- CEase of useNo store rating on record. The cloud version is a web app, though you'll connect a sending domain; self-hosting means Docker.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, with an API and connections to Zapier, AWS SES, Mailgun, Postmark and Sendgrid.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Keila's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/keila#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/keila.svg" alt="Keila: 2.2 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Keila stands among email marketing and newsletter tools
Keila's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 42 of the 102 other email marketing and newsletter tools we grade, and level with 24.
It stands best on value for money (B, above 81 of 102) and worst on free plan and trial (D, above 28).
Its paid plans start at about $8.94 a month, against a middle price of $19 for the category: 9 of the 78 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 5 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 103 email marketing and newsletter tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Keila’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 81 of 102, level with 15
- DFree plan and trialAbove 28 of 102, level with 4
- CFeaturesAbove 4 of 102, level with 42
- CEase of useAbove 11 of 102, level with 86
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 31 of 102, level with 71
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 82 email marketing and newsletter tools. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Keila, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Keila you would be making newsletters sent to thousands of people that still reach the inbox. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It costs $107.25 a year. Keila is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself.
What you could make
- Markdown and forms: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Newsletters sent to thousands of people that still reach the inbox.
- It plugs into other products, Zapier, AWS SES and Mailgun among them, and has an API.
What this rests on. Keila’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Keila?
Keila is an open-source newsletter tool for managing contact lists, designing campaigns and sending them. It can be self-hosted with the official Docker image or used as a paid cloud service hosted in Germany and France. Cloud plans are priced by emails per month, with unlimited contacts and projects.
Worth knowing
- 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
- 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.
Keila pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, Keila has a free plan, and paid plans start at €8 per month for 2,000 emails a month.
- Starts at
- €8 per month for 2,000 emails a month
- Free plan
- No free cloud plan; the open-source edition is free to run on your own server.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Keila XS | €8per month for up to 2,000 emails a month | Unlimited contacts and projects; send with Keila or bring your own email server. |
| Keila S | €16per month for up to 5,000 emails a month | Unlimited contacts and projects; send with Keila or bring your own email server. |
| Keila M | €32per month for up to 15,000 emails a month | Unlimited contacts and projects; send with Keila or bring your own email server. |
| Keila L | €64per 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. |
Read from keila.io on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Keila before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Other savingsDiscounts 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.
Stated on keila.io
Works with
Keila alternatives
- Keila vs Mautic
Free plan · from €247.50/mo
- Keila vs Mailcoach
Free trial · from $9.99/mo
- Keila vs Sendy
From $69 one-time
- Keila vs Buttondown
Free plan · from $9/mo
Common questions
Does Keila have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Keila is listed for Web.
Does Keila have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Keila is listed for Web.
Is Keila open source?
Yes. Keila is open source, according to its own site. It can also be run on a server of your own.
Does Keila have an API?
Yes. Keila offers a public API, according to its own site.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026.