How to pick an email builder: Top choices that don’t require HTML skills
| April 23, 2021
Most email marketing tools come with a drag-and-drop email builder and a great selection of templates to get you started. But you don’t have to limit yourself to the templates that come with your email service provider. Many third party email builders will also help you craft beautiful emails – even if you don’t know a thing about HTML.
We’ve rounded up some of the top email builders, so you pick the one that’s right for you.
1. BEE
BEE is a drag-and-drop email editor for creating stunning, mobile responsive emails. They offer nearly 700 customizable templates designed to pair with popular email marketing tools like Mailchimp and Hubspot.
BEE’s templates look great, but if you want something a little more customized, they can also connect you with a professional designer.
Pricing
BEE Free offers a stripped-down version of their email builder at no cost. For full functionality, BEE Pro paid plans start at $15/month for individuals and $30/month for teams.
2. Stripo
Stripo is another drag-and-drop email builder with a gorgeous library of templates. They’re compatible with over 60 email service providers, including Mailchimp, Hubspot, Gmail and Outlook.
Stripo’s emails are AMP compatible, meaning you can include interactive elements like carousels and purchase buttons without your subscribers needing to open a new tab to visit a website.
Pricing
The free version includes Stripo’s basic email builder and four exports/month to an email service provider. For a higher volume, their full-feature plans start at $125/year ($10.42/month). Paid plans unlock Stripo’s full template library and an excellent email testing tool, which lets you see how your email will appear in the most popular email clients and on different devices.
3. Unlayer
Unlayer is a great email builder for anyone who values customization above all else. You can save custom blocks and reuse them, and even create your own tools in the platform. If you know HTML, you can easily adapt Unlayer’s templates however you want to add your own spin.
Unlayer has fewer email service provider integrations than Stripo, but most of the big names are there.
Pricing
Unlayer’s free version is pretty bare-bones. You’ll need to upgrade to at least an individual subscription ($15/month) for features like exporting to email service providers. With a team subscription ($30/month), you’ll also get dynamic content elements and multiple user roles.
4. Chamaileon
Chamaileon offers all the basics of a drag-and-drop email builder, plus extra collaboration features that make it a great choice for teams. It’s a bit like Google Docs for email. Multiple people can work on the same email and see each other’s edits in real time. They also have review and approval workflows that make quality control on larger teams a snap.
Pricing
Chamaileon’s free plan offers one seat (you can still invite collaborators) and a handful of email exports each month. Paid plans for teams offer more seats and higher export volumes. They start at $20.
Which one is right for you?
All these email builders offer the same basic features at similar price points. Whichever one you pick, you’ll get a great drag-and-drop builder, mobile responsive design and some lovely templates.
Which would I recommend? That depends on what you need.
- BEE offers all the basics you could want from an email builder, with lots of free templates
- Stripo has the best email preview feature, with an insane number of client/device combinations.
- Unlayer is the best choice for flexible customization.
- Chamaileon is the obvious winner for teams that create emails collaboratively.
Once you’ve picked an email builder, it’s time to get those creative juices flowing and design some killer emails. Need some fundamentals to get started? Be sure to check out our email design guide for tips and best practices.