Keila

"An open-source (AGPLv3) email marketing platform built with Elixir/Phoenix, offering a self-hostable alternative to proprietary email tools."
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keila.io
Maker: pentacent_hq
~$500/mo MRR (creator says it has 'only just crossed that MRR threshold' after three years)

Marketing Channels

Primary

Open Source Community

AGPLv3 license drives organic discovery among developers and self-hosters

Secondary

Hacker News

Shared in the annual Show HN projects thread

Growth Levers

  • Create comparison content positioning Keila against Mailchimp, ConvertKit, and other proprietary email tools
  • Target the self-hosting community through channels like r/selfhosted, Awesome-Selfhosted lists, and Docker Hub
  • Offer managed hosting plans for users who want open source without the ops burden
  • Build integrations with popular CMS and e-commerce platforms (WordPress, Shopify, WooCommerce)
  • Leverage the Elixir/Phoenix community for developer advocacy and contributions
  • Publish case studies from paying customers to build trust and demonstrate value

First Customer Strategy

Built an open-source email marketing platform over three years. The AGPLv3 license and self-hostable nature attracted users from the open-source community, eventually converting enough to paid plans to cross the $500/mo MRR threshold.

Pricing Insight

MRR model indicates subscription-based pricing. Reaching $500/mo MRR took three years, suggesting slow but steady conversion from self-hosted free users to paying customers.

Key Takeaways

  • • Open-source SaaS can take years (3+ years in this case) to reach even modest MRR milestones
  • • Email marketing is a highly competitive space, but open-source differentiation carves out a niche among privacy-conscious and self-hosting users
  • • Elixir/Phoenix is a viable tech stack for building scalable email infrastructure
  • • Patience and persistence are essential — crossing $500/mo MRR after three years reflects the reality of bootstrapped open-source businesses

Sentiment Analysis

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