Selva Mail vs
Keila
Free and open source, self-hosted Elixir application.
What Keila does well
A clean, well-built newsletter tool with a pleasant editor and a privacy-first stance, built on Elixir. For a small organization that wants to own its newsletter, it is a sound choice.
Where the pricing model hurts
A smaller feature set and a smaller community than the alternatives, with no transactional API and limited automation. You are also running and upgrading an Elixir app.
What it costs at 5k, 10k and 25k
Assumes four emails per contact per month. Selva Mail is a one-time $497 license, then AWS bills you for what you actually send.
| Contacts | Keila | Selva Mail (AWS) | Annual saving | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5,000 | free software | ≈$2/mo | — | never — you are already cheaper |
| 10,000 | free software | ≈$5/mo | — | never — you are already cheaper |
| 25,000 | free software | ≈$12/mo | — | never — you are already cheaper |
Public list prices, 2026. Where a competitor is free software, the saving column is blank on purpose — the cost you are comparing is your own server and your own hours, not a license fee.
Selva Mail costs $497 once, then AWS at cost — about $6/mo at 50,000 emails. It is priced per email sent, not per contact, so it does not grow with your list.
Migrating from Keila
Export contacts as CSV. Sending moves to your own SES identities. Campaigns rebuild in the visual builder.
Stop paying for the same contacts
every month.
$497 once. Runs on your infrastructure, sends through your own AWS SES account. Launch buyers get agency rights permanently — unlimited client workspaces. First 100 licenses.