Email campaigns form an important part of a successful marketing strategy. When it comes to marketing, email campaigns continue to have the highest return on investment. For every dollar spent, the ROI is around $36. Email is also the preferred method of customer acquisition for small businesses, with 64% of them relying on email to attract new clients.
However, to benefit the most from your campaigns, they have to be personalized, branded, and carefully crafted. Keep reading to discover the HTML email creators to help your business craft eye-catching email campaigns.
What Is an HTML Email Builder?
An HTML email template builder is a tool used to create reusable HTML files that can be used for email campaigns. The benefit of using one of these tools instead of a regular email client like Gmail is that they give you more creative freedom. You can adjust the layouts and add images, forms, headers, and branding elements, all to create striking and visually appealing emails.Â
In the past, individuals had to code these HTML templates themselves. However, these days, there are tools available to simplify the process. Now, anyone can create branded and unique email campaigns without coding.
Tips for Creating HTML Email Templates
For your email campaigns to be successful, they need to catch the reader’s attention immediately, and the reader needs to recognize the brand instantly.
Here are a few tips to help you create the best possible email template:
- Always include a content hook or pre-email header to catch the reader’s attention.
- Use images sparingly, and make sure they’re appropriate for the topic and brand.
- Always include appropriate links to blogs, landing pages, whitepapers, and more.
- Place sufficient and clear call-to-actions throughout the email.
- Focus your call-to-action on a single outcome and not too many different ones.
10 Best HTML Email Template Builders
When you start looking for an HTML editor for email, there are a few things to consider. The most important is to ensure the email builders you use are compatible with your email client. Other features that can be quite helpful include an extensive template library, a preview option, a built-in image editor, collaboration tools, and more.
Let’s take a look at some of the best HTML email builders and see which one might be the best HTML email template creator for you.
Overview of Mailchimp
Mailchimp is among the most popular HTML email builders and email service providers (ESP). They have an easy-to-use interface with drag-and-drop features so that you can build any type of email you need. They have a few basic campaigns that you can use as a starting point.Â
The community is quite active, so you’ll be able to find and import many more templates if you can’t find one you like. Once you’ve created your email, you can export the HTML file to your email client. However, you can also use Mailchimp to send your email campaigns.
Mailchimp has a free version, and the paid versions start from $13/month. There’s also a month-free trial available.
Pros and Cons of Mailchimp
Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of Mailchimp.
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Drag and drop features
- Simple templates
Cons:
- Autonomy of the design of emails is limited
Overview of Moosend
Moosend is an all-in-one email marketing platform with a useful HTML mail editor. The HTML email designer has an extensive template library with ready-made responsive designs. Once you choose a template, you can make it your own by adding branding elements, colors, and relevant images. The tool includes an image picker that uses stock photos, Google Drive, and social media, making sourcing images easier.
Moosend plans start from $9/month. They also offer a 30-day free trial period.
Pros and Cons of Moosend
Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of Moosend.
Pros:
- Drag-and-drop email HTML designer
- Extensive templates library
- Responsive templates for desktop, mobile, and tablet
Cons:
- No free version
Overview of HubSpot
HubSpot offers many useful tools across marketing, customer relations, sales, and more. It’s very easy to integrate these tools for an all-in-one solution. HubSpot’s email HTML builder offers drag-and-drop functionality, making it easy to use. They also have a lot of templates that can be searched according to your topic, content type, customer persona, and where the customer is in your sales pipeline. This makes it extremely easy to choose the perfect layout for your needs.
HubSpot has a limited free plan available for single users, and their paid plans start from $20/month on the Starter plan for small teams.
Pros and Cons of HubSpot
Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of HubSpot.
Pros:
- Many email templates across various sectors
- Many integrations
- Free plan
Cons:
- Higher-tiered plans become expensive
Overview of Stripo
Stripo is an email HTML template builder for someone who’s experienced with email marketing campaigns and HTML builders, as it does require some experience. However, the features make it worthwhile. Like most builders, it offers a drag-and-drop interface. However, it allows image rollover. This means you can create truly responsive and striking emails easily. Furthermore, Stripo has numerous templates and also supports a preview function and many integrations.
Stripo has a free plan available for a single user, and the Basic plan starts at $15/month.
Pros and Cons of Stripo
Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of Stripo.
Pros:
- Image rollover feature
- Multiple preview versions, including mobile
- Syncs with many popular ESPs
Cons:
- Steep learning curve
Overview of BEE Free
BEE is an acronym that stands for Best Email Editor. But does the email builder live up to this claim? BEE has many useful features you’d expect from an email editor in HTML. BEE offers a powerful HTML editor for email with drag-and-drop functionality. The tool offers more than 540 email templates to choose from, or you can build your design from scratch.
Best of all, BEE is completely free to use. The email HTML editor BEE Pro has paid plans that start from $30.00/month. These combine to make it one of the best email HTML editors.
Pros and Cons of BEE Free
Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of BEE.
Pros:
- Drag and drop functionality
- Easy to use
- Integrates with Vimeo
- Free
Cons:
- Other integrations require a paid plan
Overview of Campaign Monitor
This email HTML creator, Campaign Monitor, is one of the easiest and most intuitive ones on this list. It only has a few templates, but these are all top-notch. Alternatively, there’s also a blank template so you can create yours from scratch. It also offers collaboration tools which makes it easy for teams to work together.
Campaign Monitor has a free version available, and the Basic plan starts at $9/month.
Pros and Cons of Campaign Monitor
Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of Campaign Monitor.
Pros:
- Intuitive design
- GDPR compliant
- Collaboration features
Cons:
- Templates are limited
Overview of Sender
Sender is an affordable but powerful HTML editor for email. The drag-and-drop email builder makes it easy to create striking campaigns. Once you’ve got your templates set up, you can use the automation tools to set email campaigns straight from the platform. Sender also offers useful segmentation features to make your campaigns more successful.
Sender has a free forever plan available, and the Standard plan starts at $10/month.
Pros and Cons of Sender
Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of Sender.
Pros:
- Drag-and-drop functionality
- Easy to use
- Includes Google Analytics and tracking
- Many templates
Cons:
- The free plan includes Sender branding
- Automation only available on certain paid plans
Overview of Chamaileon
Chamaileon is a smart HTML email generator. The app comes with a handy email builder in HTML but also includes a detailed marketing workflow to keep all the members of your team on track with what needs to be done. It also enables users to set roles to protect their email templates from changes.
Chamaileon offers its email design system to selected brands for free, including 3-months of free access to Chamaileon’s other features. Alternatively, their plans start from $300/month, including a 14-day free trial.
Pros and Cons of Chamaileon
Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of Chamaileon.
Pros:
- Includes marketing workflow
- Can set user roles
- Email Design System offered for free to selected brands
Cons:
- No free plan
Overview of Unlayer
Unlayer offers a great HTML email template builder that supports drag-and-drop functionality. Unlayer supports a vast library of email templates for you to choose from, and they can be sorted in many different ways to find what you need. With Unlayer, you can create dynamic and responsive email campaigns.
Unlayer is completely free to use, but you may need to pay to use certain templates.
Pros and Cons of Unlayer
Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of Unlayer.
Pros:
- Drag-and-drop functionality
- Easy to use
- Library of templates
Cons:
- Lacking some advanced features
Final Thoughts
Email campaigns are an essential part of business marketing. However, to be effective, they need to be striking and grab the reader’s attention. The best way to do this is by using an email generator for HTML to craft branded and unique campaigns.
If you want to monitor the success of your campaigns, take a look at the InboxCRM Chrome extension from PandaDoc. This tool works straight in your Gmail inbox and makes it easy to monitor your emails.
