# Campaign Monitor vs Keila (2026): Free Alternative to Campaign Monitor

Canonical: https://caniforkit.com/vs/campaign-monitor-vs-keila
Last updated: 2026-08-10

Compare Campaign Monitor ($12/mo) vs Keila ($0/mo open source AGPL-3.0+ alternative to Campaign Monitor). Side-by-side breakdown of pricing, self-hosting setup, data storage, and practical trade-offs.

## Side-by-Side Comparison Matrix

| Feature / Metric | Campaign Monitor | Keila |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $12/mo | $0.00 / month |
| 1-Seat Annual Cost | $144/yr | $0.00 / year |
| 5-Person Team Annual Cost | $720/yr | $0.00 / year |
| 10-Person Team Annual Cost | $1,440/yr | $0.00 / year |
| License Model | Proprietary Commercial SaaS | AGPL-3.0+ |
| Hosting / Runtime | Vendor Cloud | Local or hosted |
| Data Ownership | Stored on vendor servers | Self-hosted subscribers, campaigns, and job state live in PostgreSQL; uploaded campaign assets live on persistent server storage. |
| GitHub Stars | Closed Source | ★ 2.2k |
| Code Repository | None | https://github.com/pentacent/keila |
| The Catch / Trade-off | Recurring subscription cost | Keila gives you a friendly campaign editor and tracking, but delivery reputation, SMTP configuration, backups, and upgrades become your responsibility rather than Campaign Monitor's. |

## About Keila
A friendly campaign editor, forms and tracking without contact pricing; delivery is your SMTP provider's job.

- **Installation**: Keila Cloud signup or Docker image plus PostgreSQL
- **Setup Notes**: Self-hosting requires Docker, PostgreSQL, a public HTTPS domain, and credentials for SMTP, SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, or Postmark.
- **Data Storage**: Self-hosted subscribers, campaigns, and job state live in PostgreSQL; uploaded campaign assets live on persistent server storage.
- **Supported Platforms**: web, self-hosted, docker to self-host
- **The Catch vs Campaign Monitor**: Keila gives you a friendly campaign editor and tracking, but delivery reputation, SMTP configuration, backups, and upgrades become your responsibility rather than Campaign Monitor's.

## Cost Savings Breakdown
Switching from Campaign Monitor to Keila eliminates ongoing per-seat subscriptions:
- **Solo / 1-seat**: Save **$144/year**
- **5-person team**: Save **$720/year**
- **10-person team**: Save **$1,440/year**

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Is Keila a good free alternative to Campaign Monitor?
Yes. Keila is a verified open source (AGPL-3.0+) replacement for Campaign Monitor. A friendly campaign editor, forms and tracking without contact pricing; delivery is your SMTP provider's job.

### What is the catch when switching from Campaign Monitor to Keila?
Keila gives you a friendly campaign editor and tracking, but delivery reputation, SMTP configuration, backups, and upgrades become your responsibility rather than Campaign Monitor's.

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