Broadcast vs Keila
Both run on your own server, and both take data ownership seriously. Keila is a free, open-source newsletter platform built in Germany, with the most polished UI in open-source email. Broadcast is a paid platform ($250 one-time) that ships the automations Keila still has on its roadmap, with support included.
At a Glance
Straight answer: if open source is a requirement and a newsletter is the whole job, Keila is the best-designed open-source option and we’d point you to it without hesitation. Choose Broadcast when you need welcome sequences and triggered drips this quarter, not on a roadmap, and someone to email when a send goes sideways. We sell Broadcast, so discount our take accordingly. But we’d rather you pick the right tool than refund the wrong one, and this page is an honest look at where that line falls.
Feature Comparison
Where Broadcast and Keila each pull ahead
| Feature | Broadcast | Keila |
|---|---|---|
| Software cost | $250 one-time | Free (AGPLv3) |
| Managed cloud option | No, self-hosted only | Keila Cloud, €8–256/mo, EU-hosted |
| Subscribers (self-hosted) | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Drip / welcome sequences | Built-in | Planned |
| Triggered / conditional automations | Yes | Planned |
| Segmentation | Tags, lists, custom fields | Visual editor, custom logic |
| Signup form builder | Yes | Yes, with double opt-in |
| Email editors | Rich text, HTML & blocks | Blocks, Markdown, MJML |
| Transactional email API | Yes | Yes |
| ESP choice | SES, Postmark, Mailgun, any SMTP | SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, any SMTP |
| AI agent / MCP integration | API + MCP server | REST API only |
| Data ownership (self-hosted) | Your server | Your server |
| Support | Email support included | Community / GitHub |
| Runtime | Rails app + Postgres | Elixir app + Postgres (Docker) |
The “planned” rows deserve context. Keila has shipped over 50 releases, and marketing automations and A/B testing are on its public roadmap. They may well arrive. But a roadmap can’t send your welcome series this quarter, and that timing question is most of this comparison. Worth saying plainly, too: Keila’s editing experience is good. Between the block editor, Markdown, and MJML support, it’s the closest thing open source has to a modern SaaS composer.
What each one actually costs
Keila’s software is free, and there’s a paid cloud if you’d rather not run a server. Broadcast is a one-time $250. Neither number is the whole story: the real difference is whose job it is to build what’s missing. Here’s the full bill for each.
Keila
- Software: $0 (AGPLv3 open source)
- Hosting: ~$6–20/mo VPS, official Docker image
- Sending: your SMTP/SES (~$0.10 / 1,000 emails)
- Managed option: Keila Cloud from €8/mo for 2,000 emails, hosted in the EU. No free tier
- Your time: scripting any automation against the API; self-supporting via GitHub and community
Best value when a newsletter is the whole job and open source is a requirement, not a preference.
Broadcast
- Software: $250 one-time, every feature in every license
- Hosting: ~$6–20/mo VPS, automated installer on Ubuntu
- Sending: your SMTP/SES (~$0.10 / 1,000 emails)
- Your time: sequences, segmentation, and forms ship in the product; email support included
- Risk: 30-day money-back guarantee
Best value when the automations you need would otherwise mean roadmap-watching or custom scripts you maintain.
Where They Differ Most
Automations & Sequences
The biggest gap, and it’s about timing. Keila lists marketing automations and A/B testing as planned. Today, a welcome series on Keila means external scripts against its API, and that’s work you own. A typical onboarding sequence (four emails over two weeks, skipping anyone who already upgraded) is an afternoon of configuration in Broadcast. On Keila right now, it’s a small application you write, host, and debug yourself.
Open Source & the AGPL
Keila wins this outright. AGPLv3 means you can read the code, patch it, and fork it if the maintainers ever stop. For ordinary self-hosting the AGPL costs you nothing; it only bites if you modify Keila and offer it as a service, which obliges you to publish your changes. Broadcast is commercial: no copyleft obligations, but not open source. If OSS is a hard requirement, this comparison ends here. Use Keila.
EU, DSGVO & Data Residency
Self-hosted, both land in the same strong position: subscriber data on a server you control, in the jurisdiction you choose. That’s the setup we walk through in E-Mail-Marketing selbst hosten, and it avoids the US-transfer problems covered in our ActiveCampaign & DSGVO assessment. Keila adds one thing Broadcast doesn’t offer: a managed cloud, made in Germany and hosted in the EU, for teams that want the DSGVO story without operating a server. If your DPO wants an EU vendor and you don’t want a VPS, that’s a real point for Keila. If you’re willing to run a server on Hetzner or a German host, both tools give you the same residency; Broadcast gives you more product on top of it.
Support & Agent Integrations
Every Broadcast license includes email support and updates, and the API plus MCP server lets AI agents manage campaigns for you. If you already automate parts of your business with agents, a platform they can operate changes day-to-day work. Keila has a capable REST API and a public GitHub, but self-hosted Keila is self-supported: when something breaks an hour before a send, you’re reading issues, not emailing a vendor who answers.
Who Should Choose What
An honest take on when each tool makes sense
Choose Broadcast if you…
- Need welcome series and triggered drips today, not on a roadmap
- Want email support included when something breaks before a send
- Want AI agents driving campaigns over the API and MCP
- Run a full marketing program, not only a newsletter
- Value the scripting and maintenance you’d otherwise do at more than $250
Keila might be better if you…
- Require open source (AGPL) as policy, not preference
- Send a newsletter now and can wait for automations to ship
- Want a modern UI without paying for software
- Like having an EU-hosted cloud from the same maintainers as a fallback
Frequently Asked Questions
Own your email stack, with automations already built
Keep the ownership Keila gets right. Add the sequences and support a full email program needs, today rather than on a roadmap.
Still deciding?
Comparisons cover the tradeoffs. How To covers whether Broadcast does the specific thing you need, organized by what you are trying to accomplish rather than by feature name. If the answer is no, it says no.
Choose Your License
One-time payment, unlimited emails forever
"I was tired of spending hundreds per month on Beehiiv. Then I found Broadcast and now I can scale at my own pace without burning money I worked hard for."
@bensnichedsitesRegular License
For technical founders & developers
- Single server deployment
- Unlimited email campaigns
- Free updates for version 2.x
- Email support included
Extended License
For agencies and consultants managing multiple client deployments
- Up to 25 servers deployment
- Everything in Regular License
- Designed for client management