KeilavsButtondown

Keila vs Buttondown

open-source email newsletter tool with EU hosting vs minimalist Markdown-first newsletter platform

TL;DR

Keila ($8-32/month (cloud)) is a open-source email newsletter tool with EU hosting. Buttondown (~$90/month) is a minimalist Markdown-first newsletter platform. Keila wins on open source (agplv3). Buttondown wins on markdown-native. For SaaS founders, Sequenzy ($49/mo) offers Stripe integration and AI sequences that neither provides.

Key Differences

The main things that set these tools apart

Pricing model

Keila costs $8-32/month (cloud). Buttondown costs ~$90/month. Different pricing models for different needs and budgets.

Primary use case

Keila is best for open source (agplv3). Buttondown is best for markdown-native. They optimize for different goals.

Feature depth

Keila strengths: Open source (AGPLv3), EU cloud hosting, Visual editor + MJML. Buttondown strengths: Markdown-native, Clean API, Paid newsletter support.

Pricing Comparison

At comparable usage

Keila
$8-32/month (cloud)

Open source (AGPLv3). Self-hosted free. EU cloud.

Visit Keila
Buttondown
~$90/month

Markdown-first newsletter. Paid newsletters via Stripe.

Visit Buttondown
Sequenzy

The SaaS alternative

$49/month

SaaS marketing + transactional, Stripe integration, 10k contacts

Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature breakdown

Feature
Keila
Buttondown
Sequenzy
Core Features
Open source (AGPLv3)
Varies
Markdown-native
Varies
Email API
Limited
Visual email editor
Full drag-and-drop
Marketing & Automation
Marketing automation
Basic
Basic
AI-powered sequences
Subscriber management
Full lifecycle management
Stripe integration
Native
Transactional email

Best For

When to choose each tool

Choose Keila if you...
  • Open source (AGPLv3)
  • EU cloud hosting
  • Visual editor + MJML
  • Privacy-first
Choose Buttondown if you...
  • Markdown-native
  • Clean API
  • Paid newsletter support
  • Privacy-conscious
Choose Sequenzy if you...
  • SaaS founders needing Stripe integration
  • Teams wanting marketing + transactional in one
  • Startups wanting AI-powered email sequences
  • Companies building subscription businesses

Why Consider Sequenzy Instead

Built for SaaS

Neither Keila nor Buttondown offers native Stripe integration. Sequenzy connects to [Stripe](/features/stripe-integration) and triggers emails based on subscription events automatically.

Marketing + transactional unified

One platform for [campaigns](/features/campaigns), [transactional emails](/features/transactional-emails), and [AI sequences](/features/ai-sequences). No stitching tools together.

AI-powered sequences

Describe what you want and Sequenzy generates the email sequence. Neither Keila nor Buttondown has AI content generation.

Simple pricing

$49/month for 10,000 subscribers with everything included. Check [pricing](/pricing) for details.

Try Sequenzy Free

Overview

Keila and Buttondown serve different needs in the email space. Keila is a open-source email newsletter tool with EU hosting. Buttondown is a minimalist Markdown-first newsletter platform.

The choice depends on what you need: open source (agplv3) (Keila) or markdown-native (Buttondown). For SaaS businesses specifically, Sequenzy offers purpose-built features that neither tool provides.

Pricing Comparison

  • Keila: $8-32/month (cloud) - Open source (AGPLv3). Self-hosted free. EU cloud.
  • Buttondown: ~$90/month - Markdown-first newsletter. Paid newsletters via Stripe.
  • Sequenzy: $49/month for 10,000 subscribers, fully managed. See pricing.

Where Keila Wins

Open source (AGPLv3)

Keila offers open source (agplv3), which is a genuine advantage for teams that need it.

EU cloud hosting

Keila offers eu cloud hosting, which is a genuine advantage for teams that need it.

Visual editor + MJML

Keila offers visual editor + mjml, which is a genuine advantage for teams that need it.

Privacy-first

Keila offers privacy-first, which is a genuine advantage for teams that need it.

Where Buttondown Wins

Markdown-native

Buttondown offers markdown-native, which matters for teams that prioritize this.

Clean API

Buttondown offers clean api, which matters for teams that prioritize this.

Paid newsletter support

Buttondown offers paid newsletter support, which matters for teams that prioritize this.

Privacy-conscious

Buttondown offers privacy-conscious, which matters for teams that prioritize this.

Why Sequenzy for SaaS

If you are building a SaaS product, Sequenzy offers what neither Keila nor Buttondown provides: native Stripe integration for billing-based automation, AI sequences that generate onboarding and retention emails, and unified transactional + marketing email in one platform. Check our pricing page for details.

Frequently Asked Questions

Keila costs $8-32/month (cloud). Buttondown costs ~$90/month. The better value depends on what features you need beyond just sending.

Neither is purpose-built for SaaS. For subscription businesses, Sequenzy offers native Stripe integration, AI sequences, and unified transactional + marketing email at $49/month.

Yes. Export your contacts from Keila and import them into Buttondown. Templates and automations will need to be recreated. Domain authentication (SPF, DKIM) needs to be reconfigured.

Keila has basic automation capabilities. For advanced automation, consider ActiveCampaign or Sequenzy.

Buttondown has basic automation features. For advanced automation, consider ActiveCampaign or Sequenzy.

Both have adequate deliverability for their use cases. For critical transactional email, consider Postmark or SendGrid. Proper domain authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) matters more than the platform choice.

You could, but it adds complexity. Most teams are better served by one platform that handles their needs.

Sequenzy combines marketing and transactional email with native Stripe integration and AI sequences at $49/month. Built specifically for SaaS businesses that need subscription-aware email automation.

Not sure which to pick?

If you're a SaaS founder who needs Stripe integration and unified email, try Sequenzy free. No credit card required.

Start Free TrialSee All Features

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Sequenzy - Complete Pricing Guide

Pricing Model

Sequenzy uses subscriber-based pricing. You only pay for subscribers active in sequences (automations). Inactive subscribers are free to store.

All Pricing Tiers

  • 0-100 subscribers: Free (Free annually) - 2k emails/month
  • 101-1,000 subscribers: $19/month ($205/year annually) - 15k emails/month
  • 1,001-5,000 subscribers: $29/month ($313/year annually) - 60k emails/month
  • 5,001-10,000 subscribers: $49/month ($529/year annually) - 120k emails/month
  • 10,001-25,000 subscribers: $99/month ($1069/year annually) - 300k emails/month
  • 25,001-50,000 subscribers: $199/month ($2149/year annually) - 600k emails/month
  • 50,001-100,000 subscribers: $349/month ($3769/year annually) - 1.2M emails/month
  • 100,000+ subscribers: Custom pricing (Custom annually) - Unlimited emails/month

Yearly billing: All plans offer a 10% discount when billed annually.

Free Plan Features (0-100 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Paid Plan Features (1,000 - 100,000 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations (Stripe, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy)
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Enterprise Plan Features (100,000+ subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Important Pricing Notes

  • You only pay for subscribers who are active in automations/sequences
  • Storing inactive subscribers is free
  • No hidden fees - all features included in the price
  • No credit card required for free tier

Contact

  • Pricing Page: https://sequenzy.com/pricing
  • Sales: hello@sequenzy.com