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Keel compared
Keel combines a platform-style workflow with infrastructure in your own AWS account. These comparisons focus on ownership, operations, pricing, and the level of abstraction each tool provides.
Why teams choose Keel
A small operational surface. Describe your app in keel.yml, provision it with keel up, and release it with keel deploy.
Direct AWS ownership. Resources and billing stay in your AWS account, so AWS credits, Savings Plans, and enterprise discounts apply.
No hosted control plane. Keel runs locally and does not sit in the request path or store your application data.
Standard infrastructure. Keel creates familiar AWS resources that your team can inspect and operate directly.
Side by side
Keel is the only option here that combines AWS ownership and direct billing with managed compute and data and a built-in application workflow.
| Tool | App and data stay in your AWS account | Pay AWS directly | Managed compute and data | Deployments and operations included | What you give up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keel | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Heroku | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | Your AWS account, direct AWS pricing, and access to the full AWS service catalog |
| Kamal | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | Managed compute and data in one workflow; your team must provision servers and wire in databases |
| Railway | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | Your AWS account, direct AWS pricing, and use of your AWS credits and discounts |
| Fly.io | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | Your AWS account, direct AWS service integration, and use of your AWS credits and discounts |
| Kubernetes | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | Partial | A small operational surface; your team assembles and upgrades the cluster and add-on stack |
| Terraform | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | A ready application model; your team authors the infrastructure and assembles deployments and operations |
Pick your comparison
- Heroku — keep the workflow, own the infrastructure
- Kamal — deploy apps, not servers and SSH keys
- Railway — keep the platform workflow while your resources and bill stay in AWS
- Fly.io — keep a focused app workflow while gaining the full AWS catalog
- Kubernetes — deploy without operating a cluster or add-on stack
- Terraform — keep reviewable infrastructure as code and add day-to-day app operations