Email marketing remains important for businesses seeking to engage, inform, and convert their audience into customers. Creating responsive email campaigns is paramount, but it doesn’t have to be a cumbersome task. This is why you need drag-and-drop HTML email template builders and email editors.
In this article, you’ll learn some of the best tools to revolutionize email marketing efforts. These intuitive builders empower you to design and customize your HTML email templates with unparalleled ease. No coding expertise is required.
Each tool on our list offers unique features, making it accessible to beginners and seasoned email marketers. Whether you want to create stunning e-commerce campaigns, promotional newsletters, or engaging transactional emails, this collection has the perfect solution to fit your needs.
This guide will explore the top drag-and-drop HTML email template builders and editors, highlighting their key features, user-friendliness, and flexibility. Let’s first understand the options available when creating an email.
- HTML emails vs Plain-text emails
- Benefits of using drag-and-drop HTML email template builders
- Factors to consider when choosing the best drag-and-drop HTML email template builder
- How to use HTML email templates in your email marketing platform
- Best Drag-and-Drop HTML Email Template Builders & Editors
- Conclusion on Best HTML Email Template Builders
HTML emails vs Plain-text emails
When creating an email, there are two ways to produce one: Using an HTML email editor or a plain-text email editor.
A plain text email is a text-only message without formatting. Here is the plain-text email editor in AWeber:
Plain text emails are perfect for solo ads emails in solo advertising campaigns. For example, Udimi, a solo ads website to purchase email traffic, has a plain-text email editor:
HTML email editors offer a range of design components, including a website-like page builder, and are ideal for creating newsletters.
Here are the key differences:
- Plain-text emails are easier to create as they do not need coding knowledge or design skills. It takes a lesser amount of time to create a plain-text email. On the other hand, to create an HTML email, you have to use an HTML email builder that includes designing blocks and customization options.
- Plain-text emails are mobile-responsive and have a smaller HTML size (in KBs), so they load more quickly on email clients. However, HTML email templates must be responsive to look perfect on the devices customers use. Typically, HTML email templates are higher in file size (in KBs and even MBs in some cases) and are prone to HTML errors. Therefore, it takes more time to load HTML emails entirely on clients’ email inboxes.
- HTML-rich templates appear to be being flagged by email providers as commercial emails, which means they are filtered out of a recipient’s main inbox and mostly land in the “promotional tab” on Gmail.
- According to studies like this one from HubSpot, average open rates and click-through rates for plain-text emails across various industries are higher compared to HTML emails.
- HTML emails can be tracked, and also, with integrations with services like ClickMagick, a quality link click tracking tool, you can analyze and optimize campaign performance.
- HTML email designers can add dynamic content, such as email countdown timers, which display an animated countdown with a fallback image and include dynamic URLs based on the timer’s activity.
- Only HTML email builders allow you to create AMP emails and add interactive modules, such as puzzles, games, scratchers, and quizzes.
- Some email clients block HTML content and images inside an email. So, even if you have the perfect HTML email, it’s crucial to have a plain-text version of the email.
Benefits of using drag-and-drop HTML email template builders
Utilizing the best drag-and-drop HTML email template builders and editors can offer several significant benefits, especially for businesses or individuals involved in email marketing campaigns. Some of these advantages include:
- Time-Saving: With drag-and-drop editors, you can quickly and efficiently create customized email templates. This can significantly reduce the time required to design and develop emails. Additionally, you can create your email template with your branding details and footer and reuse it.
- Responsive Design: Many HTML email template builders incorporate responsive design capabilities. This ensures the email HTML templates are optimized for various devices and screen sizes. It provides a seamless user experience across different platforms, including desktops, tablets, and mobile devices.
- Ease of Use: These email builders simplify the creation of emails. It allows you to design professional-looking emails without extensive coding knowledge. This makes it easier for marketers and designers to create engaging email campaigns.
- Customization Capabilities: These HTML email designing tools typically offer a wide range of customization options, such as the ability to add images, videos, and interactive elements, as well as to adjust the layout and formatting to match specific branding requirements. This level of customization enables businesses to create unique and personalized email campaigns that effectively resonate with their target audience.
- A/B Testing: Some advanced editors may include A/B testing functionality. This allows you to test different versions of their email templates to determine which ones yield the best results. This feature can help businesses optimize email marketing strategies and improve campaign performance.
- Integration with Marketing Tools: Many HTML email template creators are designed to seamlessly integrate with various marketing tools and platforms, such as customer relationship management (CRM) systems and email marketing software. Furthermore, you can download the HTML code for the email template and use it on your email marketing platform, hosted ones like AWeber, GetResponse, and MailChimp, and self-hosted software such as Mautic and Sendy.
- Cost-Effectiveness: Using a drag-and-drop email builder can be cost-effective because it eliminates the need to hire professional designers or developers to create custom HTML email templates. This can significantly reduce the overall costs associated with email marketing campaigns.
Factors to consider when choosing the best drag-and-drop HTML email template builder
Here are the features you should look for when choosing these tools:
- Collection of Pre-made Email Templates: A good email editor will let you use pre-designed templates, which is great if you’re new to email marketing, short on time, or seeking inspiration. You should also be able to create your email template within the app and have a user-friendly file manager to store your templates and images.
- High-Quality Email Output for Different Devices: Your chosen email builder should ensure that your emails look good on all devices, as this can boost open and click rates. Failing to do so might leave a negative impression on your subscribers.
- Email Service Provider (ESP) Integration: After creating your email template, it should seamlessly connect with your ESP. Before selecting an email builder platform, ensure it has built-in integration with your ESP or, at the very least, allows you to download the source code of the HTML email template.
Email editors offer various advanced functions, some of which may be necessary for specific users but irrelevant for others. Features such as personalization, automation, and dynamic content rules are typically found in advanced email service providers (ESPs) and marketing automation tools. - User-Friendly Interface: While user experience can vary, every application should adhere to UI design basics, such as a clean and straightforward interface, a structured page layout, and the strategic use of colors and fonts. Trying out different online HTML email editors can help you assess the user experience.
- Instant Email Preview: A quick preview option shows you how your email appears on various devices, while more advanced previews can save you time.
- Collaboration Tools: Some email builder platforms facilitate collaboration among design teams, copywriters, and marketers, enabling multiple users to contribute to email campaigns.
- Compatibility with Email Clients: Your email builder should generate HTML code that works across various email clients, including Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo! Mail. Use an HTML email code validation tool, such as VMail or Google Email Markup Tester, to ensure your HTML email template code is error-free.
How to use HTML email templates in your email marketing platform
Here’s a video on creating a reusable email template designed in the Stripo email creator in AWeber.
You can also use the HTML codes from the email templates in your email broadcasts, automation campaigns, and email autoresponders.
Best Drag-and-Drop HTML Email Template Builders & Editors
Stripo
Stripo is an easy-to-use tool for creating email templates. It offers a range of features to help you design and send emails through an email service provider.
Unlike other template-building tools, Stripo provides an extensive array of customizable elements, including templates, blocks, modules, and structures. Also, you can switch to a CSS/HTML editor and conveniently insert your code whenever you need to.
Key Features
- Collection of Responsive Templates: Stripo provides over 1600 complete HTML email templates. This ensures they display correctly on both mobile and desktop devices, as well as most email clients. All of Stripo’s templates are completely responsive, having undergone testing with Email on Acid.
You can decide what to hide on mobile devices, whether it’s an image, a container, an email element, or an entire row or structure. Also, you can customize various style elements, such as font size, button width, and container spacing, differently for mobile and desktop devices.
- Export Options: Stripo makes it easy to export all its free responsive email templates to major ESPs and popular email clients, including Gmail and Outlook, without requiring additional setup. If your email marketing platform isn’t listed, you can download your email templates as HTML and AMP HTML files and then import them into the ESP of your choice.
- Testing and Preview: This feature allows you to test your email content before it’s sent. It supports both traditional HTML and AMP HTML emails. You can check how your email will appear on more than 90 different devices. Additionally, you can use the preview mode to view how it looks on desktops and mobile devices.
- Integration: Stripo seamlessly integrates with major email service providers, including Mailchimp, Salesforce, and HubSpot, among others. Its seamless integration with these platforms allows you to transfer your designs to your preferred email marketing tool quickly. It will enable a seamless and efficient workflow from creation to sending.
- Collaboration and Approval Workflow: This function enables multiple team members to work simultaneously on a project, allowing for seamless collaboration and approval processes. Teams can leave comments and suggestions directly within the platform, facilitating smooth coordination to ensure the final output meets high standards.
- Automation and Triggers: Stripo facilitates automation by allowing you to create email sequences based on triggers. This feature enables marketers to send targeted messages to specific audiences at optimal times, thereby enhancing the likelihood of conversions.
- AMP-powered emails: AMP enables interactive email features, such as forms, carousels, and accordions. You can display real-time information, such as stock prices, weather updates, or live tracking data. Also, you can integrate interactive surveys and feedback forms directly into emails. This encourages recipients to engage with the content without needing to visit a website.
- Sharing and Preview: Template sharing is exclusive to paid plan users. You can preview the mobile, desktop, HTML, and AMP versions of the template. Stripo also identifies any errors in your template code, which you can edit directly in the editor.
- Stripo Plugin: Stripo offers a plugin feature that can be embedded into various ESPs, CRM systems, and websites. This enables you to create and edit attractive, appealing emails more efficiently. The plugin feature provides a high degree of customization. For example, you can choose where to store images and multimedia by selecting a specific server domain.
Stripo Pricing
Stripo is a free HTML email template builder that offers up to 4 exports per month, 10 stored emails, and 5 test emails per day. For premium templates, additional features, and increased limits, you must subscribe to a paid plan starting at $20 per month.
Tabular
Tabular offers a simple drag-and-drop email template editor with easy layout editing. This editor helps you create an HTML email template hassle-free.
The editor automatically adjusts row and column widths as you move blocks around. Adjust the layout easily by dragging the dots and lines on the side of any block. This feature makes it effortless to create responsive email layouts, even for intricate designs.
Key features
- Export Email HTML for Free: Tabular employs an innovative algorithm that automatically converts your email design into HTML. This ensures it looks perfect in every inbox and on all devices, including Outlook desktop clients. You can download the HTML for free or upload it directly to your marketing platform of choice. This HTML can be used as templates for transactional emails or incorporated into your email marketing campaigns.
- Email Editor: With Tabular’s user-friendly drag-and-drop editor, you can create emails quickly, with no coding required. It provides essential building blocks for crafting intricate email layouts.
- Pre-designed Templates: Tabular offers over 200 ready-made email modules based on those building blocks. These modules save you time and effort by allowing you to easily incorporate standard email components such as headers, content, products, social media icons, and footers. You can even create reusable team blocks to streamline email creation across multiple emails with shared elements.
- Mobile Responsiveness: The editor lets you visually adjust how your email appears on mobile devices. By switching to mobile design mode during the creation process, you can make styling changes specifically tailored for mobile devices, providing a more personalized experience for mobile readers.
- Integrations: Tabular enables you to send emails through various platforms, including VBOUT, Mailchimp, Brevo, SendPulse, and more. You can design your emails within Tabular and seamlessly use them in your preferred email-sending platform, either through integrations or manual HTML export.
Tabular Pricing
Tabular is a free HTML email template generator. However, the free plan is limited to 3 stored emails, 3 exports per month, 5 email previews per day, and 20GB CDN quota per month. Higher limits are available on paid subscription-based plans.
Postcards
Postcards, an HTML editor for online emails, is a tool within Designmodo’s suite of design resources. It allows users to create their initial email templates without any delay swiftly.
In contrast to other editors, Postcards provides distinct blocks for different segments of the email. These blocks mimic mini-templates and are organized by functions such as transactional, e-commerce, and call-to-action, among others.
This facilitates simple tasks, such as formatting text and tables, importing images from your device, and managing templates within projects. The platform also features an email tester to preview emails on both desktop and mobile devices, ensuring they are responsive.
The drag-and-drop email builder enables fast customization of emails without the need for coding. You can easily personalize their content by inserting images, text, and links. Also, you have the option to select from over 1,400 Google Fonts to enhance your design.
Exporting the template to your email marketing platform can be done with just one click, or you can choose to save it as a plain HTML file for use elsewhere.
It has a version history feature that ensures quick collaboration and efficient tracking. You’ll also find cloud image hosting and support for retina-ready displays to enable the addition of high-quality images to your emails.
Postcard Pricing
Postcards is another free HTML email builder with up to 10 template projects, 5 monthly email template exports, and 10 daily test emails.
Beefree
BEE is an abbreviation for Best Email Editor, a user-friendly drag-and-drop tool for creating HTML email templates. You can also manually write HTML code and save the template’s source code using BEE tools.
Key Features.
- Customizable Templates: Beefree offers a vast selection of HTML email templates, totaling over 1,500 options. These templates simplify your work process, help create effective marketing campaigns, and improve your brand’s email marketing quickly. Their user-friendly editor lets you easily adjust the templates to match your brand’s identity by customizing elements such as colors, fonts, images, and layouts.
- Mobile Design Mode (MDM): Beefree’s Mobile Design Mode is designed to create mobile-responsive emails and pages. This dedicated staging area provides complete design freedom, enabling you to hide specific elements, manage columns, and more, resulting in a better mobile experience that drives conversions.
- Integration with Other Platforms: Beefree seamlessly integrates with popular email-sending platforms, including Mailchimp, HubSpot, and Salesforce Marketing Cloud, making it a versatile choice for users seeking to connect their email marketing efforts with these services.
- Email Deliverability: Beefree has designed its templates to follow the best practices for ensuring that your messages land in recipients’ inboxes rather than being marked as spam. This optimization for different email clients and devices enhances the likelihood of successful email delivery.
- Collaborative Teamwork: You can collaborate with your team members in real-time, allowing simultaneous editing, design-specific feedback, and instant design modifications. This streamlines communication, ensuring that everyone is on the same page without the need for lengthy email exchanges.
- Email-to-Page Conversion: It permits you to easily transform your emails into editable landing pages with just one click. This feature enables you to expand the reach of your email campaigns beyond traditional inboxes.
- Enhanced Security: Safeguard your data and privacy using Beefree’s two-factor authentication (2FA) option. This extra layer of security ensures that only authorized individuals can access your profile, enhancing overall data protection.
- Preview and Testing: Before sending out your emails, you can preview and test them to ensure optimal appearance across different devices. The real-time preview feature, combined with the drag-and-drop builder and Mobile Design Mode, enables you to make necessary adjustments for seamless email delivery to all recipients.
Beefree Pricing
Beefree is another HTML email template creator with a free plan. The free plan is limited to 6 email exports per month. For unlimited exports and increased features, check out its paid plans starting at $30/month.
Unlayer
Unlayer is a tool that lets you design and edit HTML email templates. Just like the TOPOL.io platform, it allows you to import your HTML code to enhance your email further.
For those who want to dig into the code, Unlayer allows you to export your creations as HTML. This gives you the freedom to further customize or use them outside the platform.
You can use its editor just like a regular email designer, either using standard blocks (such as dividers, images, or text) or creating custom ones. Unlayer also offers useful features, such as merge tag support.
Key Features
- HTML Email Template Library: Unlayer offers access to a diverse collection of pre-designed email templates, catering to various industries and styles. You can use these templates to customize and align with your brand identity, saving valuable time.
- Drag-and-Drop Editor: Unlayer is a drag-and-drop email editor that enables you to quickly design email templates from scratch or utilize hundreds of professionally designed templates for Mautic. By using Unlayer, you can customize your own responsive HTML emails.
- Real-Time Collaboration: The platform facilitates collaboration, enabling teams to work together seamlessly on email campaigns and web projects. Multiple team members can access, edit, and comment on projects simultaneously.
- Responsive Design: Unlayer’s responsive design capabilities automatically adjust the content to fit various devices, ensuring a seamless user experience.
- Seamless Integration: It easily integrates with popular email marketing platforms, including Mautic, Mailchimp, SendGrid, and Moosend, as well as other tools.
Unlayer Pricing
Chamaileon
Chamaileon is a tool that helps professionals and teams construct email templates. It allows you to generate an HTML email template, import your existing HTML email to create a template, or build your email from scratch.
Upon setting up your personalized email design system, this platform offers comprehensive video training to educate your team on no-code email construction and efficient email production. Furthermore, it allows the migration of your current email templates into Chamaileon.
Key Features
- User-Friendly Email Builder: Chamaileon provides a drag-and-drop email builder with a wide selection of pre-designed templates. You can easily personalize your emails to align with your brand and campaign requirements. Additionally, this builder enables the effortless addition of images, text, buttons, and other elements, ensuring visually appealing and on-brand emails.
- Responsive Email Design: The tool ensures your emails look great on any device. Emails created in Chamaileon are automatically optimized for mobile, tablet, and desktop screens. It adjusts elements to fit different screen sizes. This guarantees that your message reaches your audience effectively, regardless of the device they’re using.
- Real-Time Collaboration: It offers real-time collaboration features that allow team members to work together seamlessly on email designs. Multiple team members can edit and provide feedback simultaneously. This will reduce the need for back-and-forth emails and ensure everyone is on the same page.
- Content Blocks and Modules: The platform allows email creation with a library of pre-designed content blocks and modules. These components, such as headers, footers, product showcases, and social media links, can be easily inserted into your emails. This saves time and effort in designing from scratch, maintaining a consistent and professional appearance across various email campaigns.
- Integration Capabilities: It integrates with various email marketing platforms like HubSpot, MailChimp, and SendGrid. This makes it easy to incorporate your email designs into your existing email marketing workflow. Also, it reduces the time and effort required to move designs from Chamaileon to your chosen email service provider.
- A/B Testing: The tool features A/B testing capabilities, allowing you to create different versions of your emails and determine which one performs better. This data-driven approach enables businesses to make informed decisions about email content, design, and messaging, thereby maximizing engagement and conversion rates.
- Customer Support: Chamaileon offers 24/7 human-run chat support beyond addressing technical issues and providing expert advice and assistance.
Chamaileon’s pricing is not presented on their website. However, they claim that it starts at $400 per month or $ 4,800 per year. For more details, please contact their support.
Litmus
Litmus allows you to create code modules and HTML email templates from scratch using their email builder. It eliminates delays in production and complicated email editors, thereby reducing the time required for email development.
Key Features
- Intuitive Drag-and-Drop Interface: Its user-friendly interface enables you to drag and drop elements effortlessly, allowing you to design visually stunning and responsive emails without requiring coding expertise.
- Comprehensive Template Library: With a diverse array of pre-designed templates catering to various industries and purposes, the Litmus Email Builder offers many options to kickstart email marketing campaigns. These templates are not only aesthetically appealing but also optimized for different devices. It guarantees a consistent and engaging experience for recipients across all platforms.
- Litmus AI Assistant: Use AI to produce engaging content more quickly with Litmus Assistant. You can create attention-grabbing subject lines and adjust your content’s tone to deliver high-performing emails to the market effectively.
- Previews and Testing: One of the standout features of Litmus is its ability to provide real-time previews of how emails will appear on various devices and email clients. This feature lets you identify formatting issues beforehand. Ensuring the final email delivers a seamless and immersive experience to every recipient.
- Collaboration: It facilitates team collaboration and seamless approval workflows. Teams can work together in real time, share feedback, and track changes, fostering a more efficient and cohesive approach to email campaign development.
- Integration Capabilities: The platform seamlessly integrates with well-known email service providers and CRM systems, enhancing overall performance. This connection enables you to align your email campaigns with existing processes and information, creating a cohesive marketing setup that enhances productivity and success.
- Analytics and Reporting: The Litmus Email Builder provides detailed insights into the performance of emails, including the number of people who open them, click on links, and take action. This enables marketers to utilize data to make informed decisions and optimize their email marketing strategies for optimal results.
Litmus Pricing
Litmus’s prices start from $99 per month.
Conclusion on Best HTML Email Template Builders
After reviewing these email template builders, choosing the right one shouldn’t be as difficult. We are aware that several drag-and-drop HTML email template editors are available online. However, since you understand what to look for, you don’t need to try nearly all of them. Check for high-quality, responsive email layouts, integration, ease of use, and compatibility features.
If you’re new to email marketing, start with any of the tools on this list to learn how to utilize an email builder. And if you’re familiar with HTML, don’t be scared to try out one of the email builders that enable HTML editing.
Also, there are open-source email builders available online, such as Mosaico. Nevertheless, they are limited in email template editing features, a wide range of templates, integrations, and support.