Email marketing has the potential to take brands to a whole new level.
But customers expect high-quality, professional emails, or they’ll simply delete your mail.
That’s why businesses are turning to free email builder software that lets them customize stunning templates without a single line of code.
If the myriad of email newsletter software out there has got you confused, this blog should help. Here are 10 of the best email builders on the market. Read on to discover the key features, pros and cons of each product, so you can make the best choice for your business.
Email marketing is one of the strongest channels for good ROI but traditionally, designing professional emails was expensive and time-consuming.
Free email builder software turns that on its head.
It provides a user-friendly way to produce engaging, beautiful HTML email newsletters using ready-made templates and a drag-and-drop builder.
Anyone can create on-brand emails that recipients want to read and engage with. You then simply export HTML emails to Outlook, Gmail or another email provider, where you can send them straight to your database.
Email builders, such as Publicate, are tools that should be used in any email marketing efforts. Here’s why.
Email builders come with hundreds of ready-to-use, beautiful templates. You can customize them with your branding and content in minutes. Plus there are built in approval flows, to get your email out faster than ever.
The best email template builders have drag-and-drop editors. That means there’s no learning curve, and you won’t need coding or design experience to create stunning emails.
By customizing existing templates or building your own from scratch, you can create your perfect email with ease. There is even a built in image editor so everything you need is in the platform.
As online tools, all of your designs are stored in your content library, so anyone in your team can log onto a shared workspace and work on emails together.
If you're looking for even more collaborative functionality a tool like Publicate is the only email builder that lets you design newsletters with teammates in real-time.
There is also an approval process with user permissions built in, so only people you invite can access your workspace. This gives you the peace of mind that your brand is safe.
Easily upload your own fonts, brand colors, content styles and pre-approved templates into your email builder. They’re ready to be used for future newsletters, so emails are instantly on-brand. This is key for consistency for any organization.
Email builder software lets you design beautiful and professional emails by customizing a varied set of templates.
To find the best free email template builder, there are some characteristics to look out for.
Look for a feature-rich template builder. The best email builder software gives you creative control while prioritizing user-friendliness and even performance analytics.
An email builder like Publicate helps you save time during the design process with multiple handy features. From dynamic scraping for web articles to stock image integrations and in-line image editors, designing stunning emails that follow best practices is in-reach for everyone.
While Publicate isn’t free, it’s a platform that's worth every cent. Publicate has more advanced features like detailed analytics no matter where you send your emails from, as well as time-saving features and hundreds of templates for maximum design flexibility and customization.
This removes the need to design emails from scratch or hire a design or coding expert - saving you time and money.
Publicate offers a free trial so you can be sure it’s the best software for your needs, without the commitment.
Choose an email builder with responsive designs. This ensures your emails look great on every device and email platform, which is key for engagement.
You should be able to customize modules, add content and update templates with your own branding, hassle-free. Opt for drag-and-drop email builders that offer a streamlined design process from start to finish.
The best email builder libraries have hundreds of free templates, with a template to suit every topic.
Also look for software with simple filtering, so you can quickly find the right template for your needs.
Design emails like a pro, even if you don’t have coding skills or the budget to hire a designer.
We’ve gathered some of the best email template builder software, with free trials and free plans to take advantage of.
Publicate is an email builder loved by small teams through to global organizations like Microsoft and eBay. It’s an easy-to-use HTML email-building software that cuts the email creation time down to minutes.
Teams use it to create engaging newsletters, internal comms and promotional emails. Publicate has a direct integration with Gmail, Outlook and many other email service providers, so it couldn’t be easier to send HTML emails from any existing email platform.
Choose from hundreds of professional, engaging and fully customizable templates that are coded to load quickly, be responsive and look great across every platform or device.
A powerful drag-and-drop builder means you don’t need any design or coding skills to create stunning emails. Publicate’s content library overshadows that of other tools. Save and organize content from anywhere, from web articles to videos, Slack channels and GIFs.
The platform dynamically scrapes web content, so you can share relevant information without having to save and upload images, and add titles, descriptions and calls to action. Everything is done for you, and the process takes just seconds!
What really sets Publicate apart is its unmatched analytics. Measure your campaign’s performance to double down on what works and optimize future campaigns. No matter where you send emails, Publicate lets you track important metrics like click-through and open rates.
Having this knowledge at your fingertips is the only way to really recognize the value of your email marketing, and continually improve your emails.
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Cons
Postcards has a simple user interface and claims to speed up the creation of email templates by 20x. However, it’s more straightforward to create emails from scratch than to use templates on this platform.
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Another user-friendly, drag-and-drop email template builder, Unlayer is designed for eCommerce stores and small businesses.
It’s one of the best free email template builders for basic functionality, such as customizing templates and landing pages. However, more advanced features are only available on a paid plan and you might run into a few limitations with the free version.
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Dyspatch unlocks access to free email template designs, which you can edit and use the HTML files anywhere.
The paid platform enables interactive content blocks, like email surveys and in-email product reviews.
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The Stripo drag-and-drop email template builder contains endless templates, modules and content blocks. It provides the option of adding custom HTML elements for those with coding knowledge.
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Tabular is a no-code email template builder that lets users create mobile-friendly emails for a range of purposes.
It affords full control over mobile email design, so users can create different emails for mobile and desktop.
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Ideal for beginners, Topol lets you create emails in minutes using a drag-and-drop editor.
It is packed with customization options, with folders to keep your designs organized.
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Moosend lets you design emails using templates, and export them to other platforms for sending, or send them directly from Moosend.
It has good automation capabilities as well as reporting, but it’s not clear if analytics are available when you send emails from other ESPs, or how many integrations are available.
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Another drag-and-drop HTML editor in the list, Beefree speeds up the email process with simple design and export capabilities.
With a large collection of templates to choose from, and good image editing options, Beefree provides plenty of creative freedom.
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Craft stunning emails with a few drags and drops. Chamaileon is another no-code email builder platform for brands that want to create professional emails on limited budgets.
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Make sure your email builder has the features that make the design process fast, easy and seamless.
Read on for our pick of must-have features.
Does the email builder let your team work together, in real-time on an email design - regardless of their geographic location and in real time?
This is key in the age of remote working. Look for email builders that put collaboration at the forefront.
They should make all your brand assets available to every person logged into your platform, and provide real-time editing and approvals for a seamless, scalable process.
Some email builder software lets you send HTML emails in Gmail, Outlook or over 50 other email clients. Others don’t.
You can look forward to a simpler process when your software offers direct integrations. It’s best if you can send emails from your chosen ESP with just a click or two.
Your subscribers expect engaging, interesting emails, but it’s easy to waste hours trawling the web for content.
Choose an email builder that lets you discover fresh content right inside the platform. Many connect to stock image and GIF sites, and can link up to your company’s Slack channel and other websites.
That means all the content you need is ready and waiting.
Good-looking emails are great, but how do you know how well they’re performing?
The best email-building software includes detailed analytics that track performance across all platforms, including all-important metrics like open rates and click-through rates.
Bonus points if your software offers heat maps to visually track how readers are engaging with your content, and audience insights that let you get to know your readers for more personalized email campaigns.
Publicate is the only email builder to offer analytics to its users, who get access to all of the features mentioned in this section - and more!
Avoid sticking to free email-building software when looking for the best email design tool.
Many of the free platforms have limited capabilities and hidden costs, and paid email builders are usually more affordable than you might think (with way more features!)
To choose the best email builder, look out for:
More and more companies are realizing they don’t need to blow their budgets to pay coders to build their emails. Instead, they’re leveling up with the many free email builder software options out there.
To find the best one for you, consider features as well as price, as the free options aren’t always the best.
Many companies sign up for free software and quickly run into roadblocks and limitations. They then have to switch to a new tool, which is a hassle. Instead, consider choosing paid platforms that offer full functionality from the start with options to suit every budget.
Want to give it a go? Try Publicate as an email-building tool, with a 14-day free trial.
It’s the only platform that lets you track the performance of your emails whether you send them from Gmail, Outlook or another USP. It’s also unmatched when it comes to a content library that becomes a hub for your saved content and royalty-free items from a variety of sources.