Keila vs MailerSend: Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of Keila and MailerSend to help you choose the right tool for your business.
Last updated: November 2026
Keila
5.8/10
Open-source, AGPL-licensed newsletter platform from Germany for sending email campaigns and running sign-up forms, available as an EU-hosted cloud service or self-hosted with Docker.
MailerSend
6.9/10
MailerSend is a transactional email and SMS API with SMTP relay and a template builder, aimed at developers and businesses sending app-triggered messages.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 5.8/10 | 6.9/10 |
| Scalability | 5/10 | 7/10 |
| Ease of Use | 6/10 | 8/10 |
| Customization | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Security | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Support | 4/10 | 8/10 |
| Cost | 9/10 | 7/10 |
| Integration | 3/10 | 7/10 |
| Analytics | 4/10 | 6/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | €8/mo Keila XS | $7/mo Hobby |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | €8/mo Keila XS | $110/mo Professional |
| Features | ||
| Email Marketing | ||
| Segmentation | Not listed | |
Keila vs MailerSend cost by team size
| Team size | Keila | MailerSend |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | €8/moKeila XS | FreeFree |
| 5 users | €8/moKeila XS | $7/moHobby |
| 10 users | €8/moKeila XS | $110/moProfessional |
| 25 users | €8/moKeila XS | $110/moProfessional |
| 50 users | €8/moKeila XS | $110/moProfessional |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Keila
- Higher Cost score (9/10 vs 7/10)
- Higher Customization score (7/10 vs 6/10)
Why choose MailerSend
- Has a free plan (Keila does not)
- Higher Support score (8/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Integration score (7/10 vs 3/10)
- Better fit for enterprise (6/10 vs 3/10)
- Better fit for mid-market (6/10 vs 3/10)
Pros & Cons
Keila
Pros
- Fully open source under AGPLv3, with no proprietary premium features, so it can be self-hosted free with Docker.
- Pricing is based on emails sent and every plan includes unlimited contacts, which helps large lists that send rarely.
- The cloud is hosted in Germany and France, which suits organisations with GDPR concerns.
- Several editing modes are available, including a block editor, Markdown, MJML and plain text, plus Liquid personalisation.
- Mail can go out through your own SMTP, SES, Mailgun, Postmark or SendGrid account.
Cons
- There is no free cloud plan, and pricing is listed only for monthly billing.
- Automation is basic, and the template library is small, according to comparison reviews.
- There are few integrations, and the Zapier connector is still in private beta.
- No security certifications are published.
- It has no e-commerce, SMS or landing page builder features.
MailerSend
Pros
- Developers can send through a REST API or an SMTP relay, with SDKs and connectors for Laravel, Django, Rails, Symfony, Supabase and Firebase.
- A free tier of 500 emails and a $7 Hobby plan make it cheap to start.
- Capterra reviewers repeatedly praise its responsive support and clear documentation.
- Built-in blocklist and DMARC monitoring help teams protect deliverability.
- Starter and higher plans add an SMS API, and a WhatsApp add-on is available.
Cons
- It is built for transactional email, not full marketing campaign management.
- Reviewers report sudden throttling or account suspensions after bounce or complaint thresholds are crossed.
- Free and Hobby plans keep only one day of activity history.
- SMS is limited to the USA and Canada.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
MailerSend scores higher on our Marketing criteria: 6.9/10 against 5.8/10 for Keila. The largest gap is in Integration: 3/10 for Keila and 7/10 for MailerSend.
MailerSend has a free plan; Keila does not list one.
MailerSend is the better fit for enterprise: we rate it 6/10 for them, against 3/10 for Keila.
