# 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](./heroku) | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | Your AWS account, direct AWS pricing, and access to the full AWS service catalog |
| [Kamal](./kamal) | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ | Managed compute and data in one workflow; your team must provision servers and wire in databases |
| [Railway](./railway) | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | Your AWS account, direct AWS pricing, and use of your AWS credits and discounts |
| [Fly.io](./fly) | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | Your AWS account, direct AWS service integration, and use of your AWS credits and discounts |
| [Kubernetes](./kubernetes) | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | Partial | A small operational surface; your team assembles and upgrades the cluster and add-on stack |
| [Terraform](./terraform) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | A ready application model; your team authors the infrastructure and assembles deployments and operations |

## Pick your comparison

- [**Heroku**](./heroku) — keep the workflow, own the infrastructure
- [**Kamal**](./kamal) — deploy apps, not servers and SSH keys
- [**Railway**](./railway) — keep the platform workflow while your resources and bill stay in AWS
- [**Fly.io**](./fly) — keep a focused app workflow while gaining the full AWS catalog
- [**Kubernetes**](./kubernetes) — deploy without operating a cluster or add-on stack
- [**Terraform**](./terraform) — keep reviewable infrastructure as code and add day-to-day app operations

[Get started →](../guide/getting-started)