KeelStack vs Passionfroot
A discovery marketplace where creators list their inventory and sponsors browse. The CRM layer is bolted on; the marketplace is the product. Free core product with transaction-fee pricing: 5% on self-sourced deals, 15% on network-sourced partnerships. Includes Zest AI agent for campaign planning, Stripe-powered payments, and storefront-based creator discovery. Takes 5–15% of every deal — the better you do, the more they take. No native CRM integration (HubSpot/Salesforce), no ESP integrations, and the 15% network fee becomes expensive at scale.
Built for one-person newsletters and podcasts running 3–15 direct sponsorship deals. Flat $39/mo (Starter) or $59/mo (Pro). No percentage of revenue, ever. The magic-link portal is the wedge — sponsors upload their own assets without creating an account.
- 5-stage Kanban pipeline with drag-and-drop
- Magic-link portal — sponsors upload assets, no account needed
- 30/14/7-day renewal reminders via email
- Branded performance reports, print-ready
- Revenue dashboard with MRR, renewals, at-risk alerts
- CSV import, audit trail, GDPR export — all built in
Starting price: $39/mo · 2 months free on annual
A discovery marketplace where creators list their inventory and sponsors browse. The CRM layer is bolted on; the marketplace is the product. Free core product with transaction-fee pricing: 5% on self-sourced deals, 15% on network-sourced partnerships. Includes Zest AI agent for campaign planning, Stripe-powered payments, and storefront-based creator discovery.
Starting price: Free + 5–15% of revenue
Limitation: Takes 5–15% of every deal — the better you do, the more they take. No native CRM integration (HubSpot/Salesforce), no ESP integrations, and the 15% network fee becomes expensive at scale.
Feature-by-feature: where KeelStack wins.
Every row is a thing you will actually use. One column is built for you. The other is built for someone else.
| Feature | KeelStack | Passionfroot |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Flat $39 / $59 per month | Free + 5–15% of revenue |
| Sponsor pipeline Kanban | 5-stage drag-and-drop | Inbox-style listings |
| Magic-link sponsor portal | Yes — no sponsor account, 24h expiry | Marketplace listing page |
| 30 / 14 / 7-day renewal reminders | Automatic, from notify.keelstack.me | Marketplace renewals only |
| Branded performance reports | One-page branded, print-ready | Social platform metrics only |
| ESP integrations | Platform-agnostic (any ESP) | No ESP integrations |
| Percentage of revenue taken | 0%, ever | 5% self-sourced, 15% network |
| Built for solo creators (3–15 deals) | Yes — ICP is solo creators | No — built for brands finding creators |
| GDPR export & delete | One-click, built in | No public GDPR tools |
| Append-only audit trail | Every action logged | No audit trail |
Passionfroot is a marketplace. KeelStack is an operations layer. If you already have sponsors, you don't need a marketplace — you need a system that doesn't take a cut.
Flat pricing. No revenue cut. Built for one person running direct deals.
Why solo creators switch from Passionfroot.
Three things KeelStack does that Passionfroot does not — or charges extra for.
Passionfroot takes 5–15% of every deal. On a $4k/mo book, that's $2,400+ a year — versus KeelStack's flat $468.
Passionfroot has a marketplace listing — not a portal. Sponsors browse, they don't upload. KeelStack is the reverse — sponsors upload, no marketplace.
Passionfroot has no renewal reminders. They make money when you bring new deals to the marketplace, not when your existing sponsors renew.
Migrate from Passionfroot in an afternoon.
Start a 14-day free trial, add your sponsors, generate their portal links. If KeelStack doesn't fit, walk away — no credit card, no contract, no clawback.