Why we keep Kamra open source
The question we hear most, answered in one place: why the PMS is free, who it's for, and how we pay the bills.
The problem
We build AI for hotels at HeyKoala. Again and again, hotels told us the same thing: they wanted to use AI, and their PMS wouldn't let them. Most were on outdated software with broken experiences, no room to customise, and no API or extension support. Every new idea needed the vendor's permission.
Why open source, why now
AI coding agents and vibe coding have put software within reach of people who never wrote it before. A hotel's IT person or a local agency can now build the report, workflow or integration they need, if the system underneath is open. Kamra is that system: an open-source PMS that hotels and owners can shape to their own process.
That gives you:
- Freedom to choose where it runs and who supports it.
- No licence cost. No per-room or per-user fees.
- Ownership of your data, and the choice of where it lives.
- Privacy you can inspect, because the code is public.
- Extensibility through a REST API, webhooks and the Frappe framework.
- Readiness for AI: every operation is a governed MCP tool your own AI can use.
- Building in the open: every change and fix is public on GitHub.
An option, not an attack
Many PMS products are good. We aren't against any of them. We simply think the next 100,000 hotels, chains, resorts, independent boutiques, short-term rental companies and people who love to host should have an open option too.
How we make money
We love transparency, so here is the whole list:
- Sponsorship from companies that rely on Kamra.
- Partner listing fees from implementers listed for their market.
- Custom implementation: go-live, migration, customisation and annual support, on a fixed quote.
- AI automation with HeyKoala, for hotels that want AI answering guests and handling routine work.
Details are on how Kamra makes money.
What's next
An enterprise edition is on our roadmap, for groups that want deeper customisation and AI built into the PMS. Open-source Kamra stays open and complete. If you need more customisation today, or want to hear about enterprise first, talk to us.