The Best HTML Email Template Builders + Free Options Included

Estimated reading time: 17 minutes

What was the last email you received that you remember? Recall what it looked like. Most likely, it had a well-designed template and content that is relevant to you (and, of course, it was delivered to your inbox, not spam). These are the three main pillars that make any email marketing campaign successful: the right template, engaging content, and strong deliverability.

The truth is, most emails go unnoticed in overcrowded inboxes. But a well-crafted, responsive email can stop the scroll and present your brand to the reader. And that’s great that nowadays you don’t need to be a designer or developer to make it happen.

Email template builders make crafting professional-looking emails easier than ever. With drag-and-drop editors, pre-designed modules, responsive layouts, and even AI-powered assistants, you can build pixel-perfect HTML emails in minutes with no code required. Most of these platforms also offer free plans, so you can explore, experiment, design, and choose the perfect one. But here’s the thing: not all email creation software is built the same. Some are full-featured ESPs where you can build and send emails from a single platform. Others are design-only tools, perfect for exporting HTML into your current email service. That’s why we’ve categorized and reviewed the best email template builders available today, highlighting features, pricing, and their ability to integrate with your ESP. Let’s dive into the best tools that make email design feel effortless.

Email Template Builder vs Full ESP: What’s the Difference?

Some platforms are email template builders only: they help you design HTML emails, but don’t send them. Others are Email Service Providers (ESPs), giving you everything you need in one place: design tools, automation, subscriber management, and delivery.

Email Template Builders

These tools focus exclusively on the design process. They offer drag-and-drop builders, responsive layouts, and export features. You’ll need to copy/paste or export the HTML to your ESP for sending.

These are ideal if:

• You’re already using a separate ESP;
• You want more advanced or flexible design options;
• You work with clients across different platforms.

Full-Service ESPs

ESPs combine email design, delivery, and analytics in a single interface. You can craft custom-coded designs or use a library of pre-built email templates, and also automate, send, and track campaigns in one place. Many of these platforms today also include multichannel marketing, CRM, landing pages, segmentation, behavioral targeting, AI assistants, transactional emails, and A/B testing.

These are ideal if:

• You want an all-in-one solution for one subscription plan;
• You prefer simplicity and a minimal setup;
• You’re managing your campaigns from start to finish.

Below, we’ve grouped separate lists of tools that let you send directly and which require integration, with free plan options, so you can try before you purchase.

Full ESPs: Design and Send Emails with Free Options

Brevo

Brevo is a powerful all-in-one marketing solution that combines a visual email builder with email sending, SMS, WhatsApp, live chat, transactional emails, and a sales platform. You can create a design from scratch with the drag-and-drop editor or use a ready-made template without design skills.

Key Features:

• Drag-and-drop editor plus full HTML mode
• Multi-channel automation (email, SMS & WhatsApp, Web & mobile push)
• Reliable infrastructure with a 99% delivery rate
• AI-powered subject line and content suggestions
• CRM integration and contact segmentation
• A/B testing,
• Performance tracking dashboard

Free Plan: Up to 300 emails/day, unlimited contacts, access to customizable email templates, drag & drop editor, SMS & WhatsApp campaigns, transactional email sending (API, SMTP, Webhooks), AI content generator, and real-time email statistics.

Paid plans: Begin at $9/month for 5,000 emails with no daily sending limit and no Brevo logo, and grow with features like multi-user access, marketing automation, and advanced statistics.

Mailchimp

Mailchimp is one of the leading ESPs that provides a user-friendly email builder, audience segmentation, and marketing automation, wrapped in a well-designed interface ideal for beginners.

Key Features:

• Intuitive drag-and-drop editor
• Pre-designed template gallery
• Generative AI features
• Advanced audience segmentation & reporting
• Basic automation workflows and A/B testing
• Customizable Popup forms Multi-channel campaign capabilities

Free Plan: Up to 500 contacts and 10,000 email sends/month, with templates, basic segmentation, email support for the first 30 days, and limited reporting & analytics.

Paid Plans: Start at $13/month with advanced features like 10X contacts for email sending, up to 4 automation flow steps, customer success management with 30k contacts +, Mailchimp branding removal, and more.

Constant Contact

Known for its rich library of ready-to-go templates, easy editing, and event-based features, Constant Contact offers a user-friendly solution for small business owners.

Key Features:

• 100s of customizable templates
• Drag-and-drop email designer with HTML access
• Designs that adjust automatically to customers’ devices
• Locked templates and airtight permissions so only the right people can edit, share, and approve them
• AI copy generator
• Basic automation (welcome emails, anniversaries)
• Event management, polls & surveys, and RSVP block
• Phone and live chat support

Free Plan: No permanent free tier, but a 14-day trial is available.

Paid Plans: Begin at $12/month with full template access, automatic posts on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn option, basic reporting, 1 automation template, and 300 integrations, like Google, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Facebook, Zapier, Canva, Vimeo, Eventbrite, Shopify, and more.

MailerLite

MailerLite is a clean, easy-to-use ESP that combines a set of digital marketing tools, including email design, automation, website and blog builders, and lead generation, perfect for small businesses.

Key Features:

• Simple drag-and-drop email editor with pre-built design blocks
• AI-generated content and AI-powered Smart sending
• Product block with e-commerce platforms integration
• Various personalization and automation options
• Dynamic content blocks for a targeted audience
• Landing pages and embedded subscription forms

Free Plan: 30-day trial of premium features,and free plan up to 1,000 subscribers, 1 user seat, and 12,000 emails/month, including automation builder and drag & drop editor.

Paid Plans: Start at $10/month for up to 500 subscribers, unlimited templates and monthly sending, 3 user seats, 24/7 email support, unlimited websites and blogs, unsubscribe page builder, and more.

Moosend

Moosend is an intuitive email marketing platform that combines affordability with automation-ready workflows and an easy-to-use template editor or HTML email builder for designing from scratch.

Key Features:

• Drag-and-drop builder with responsive design
• 131+ customizable email templates
• Custom HTML code support
• Image editing (cropping, resizing)                               
• AI-Engine product recommendations
• CC/BCC functionality
• Dynamic content, countdown timers, and conditional blocks
• Device previews and test sends
• 80+ Integrations with apps: Zapier, WordPress, HubSpot, Google, and more
• Multi-step marketing automation workflows

Free Plan: 30-day free trial with access to newsletter builder, basic and custom-coded templates.

Paid Plans: Start at $9/month for 500 subscribers, $16/month for 1,000, and $24/month for 2,000 with unlimited email sends, SMTP server, and automation options.

SendPulse

SendPulse is an all-in-one automation platform that provides multi-channel communication tools and a comprehensive set of features for creating landing pages, editing emails, developing online courses, and tracking in a free CRM.

Key Features:

• 130+ responsive templates and audience segmentation
• Drag-and-drop email builder with HTML view
• Visual automation builder
• Multi-channel messaging: emails, SMS, web push, chatbots
• Analytics of email campaign effectiveness
• Email AB-testing with multiple subject lines and body options

Free Plan: Includes up to 500 subscribers, up to 15,000 emails per month, 100 verifications, 100 МB of image storage, 3 sender email addresses, 1 domain, 1 website or bio link page, 5 flows, 1 event, and 50 elements in Automation 360, and push notifications.

Paid Plans: Start at $10/month with an unlimited number of emails, 100 sender email addresses, 3 domains, 3 users per account, and more.

Klaviyo

Klaviyo is a CRM designed specifically for B2C brands, focusing on e-commerce growth with segmentation and automation features. Leveraging its integrated data platform and AI-driven insights, it combines marketing automation, analytics, and customer service into a single, cohesive solution.

Key Features:

• Drag-and-drop email editor with dynamic content and AI
• Over 160 customizable email designs
• Deep audience segmentation by behavior, purchase history, or any other data
• Predictive analytics and forecasts
• Rich library of pre-built flows (welcome series, abandoned cart)
• 70 + customizable form templates to collect new subscribers and insights
• 350+ pre-built integrations with Shopify, Salesforce, Adobe Commerce (Magento), BigCommerce, Pinterest, Canva, and more

Free Plan: Up to 250 contacts and 500 emails, plus 150 SMS/MMS credits, built-in reporting dashboards, and email support for the first 60 days.

Paid Plans: Start at $45/month for 1,500 contacts, customer profiles with all-time data, Generative AI content creation, and more.

SendX

SendX WYSIWYG Email Editor for designing beautiful email newsletters without knowing HTML and coding skills. ‍Their drag-and-drop editor is meant for marketers to design professional-looking emails with ease.

Key Features:

• Drag-and-drop email builder with intuitive functionality
• Instant preview for desktop and mobile options
• 50+ responsive email designs
• Personalization, tagging & segmentation
• More than half a million royalty-free stock photos library
• Forms and landing pages

Free Plan: 14-day free trial.

Paid Plans: Start at $9.99/month up to 1,000 contacts and unlimited sending per month.

HubSpot

HubSpot offers a robust email template builder as part of its all-in-one marketing and CRM platform. You can build templates directly within your HubSpot dashboard or even from your Gmail inbox using the HubSpot Sales Chrome extension.

Whether you’re sending marketing campaigns or sales emails, HubSpot allows you to save time with reusable templates, tailor messages with personalization tokens, and track performance effortlessly. The drag-and-drop builder helps you craft visually polished emails that align with your brand and display perfectly on any device.

Key Features:

• Drag-and-drop builder with responsive, modular design
• Built-in library of sales and marketing email templates
• Sales automation: sequences, documents, and meeting tools
• Performance analytics and effectiveness tracking
• Private template storage and sharing across teams
• Integrated AI assistants for writing and content generation
• Marketing automation features in the CRM

Free Plan: Free tools for up to 2 users, including email marketing, forms, live chat, and limited automation features.

Paid Plans: Marketing Hub Starter starts at $9/month per seat, unlocking increased limits, removal of HubSpot branding, and access to support, insights, and simple automation.

ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign is a feature-rich email marketing platform that seamlessly blends email design, marketing automation, CRM, and analytics. You can start by choosing one of their 250+ mobile-responsive templates, customize it using the intuitive drag-and-drop editor, or import your HTML template. The platform allows dynamic content with timers, menus, video embeds, and split testing to optimize engagement. ActiveCampaign also offers a free email design service with all Marketing plans: simply pick a template and their design team will customize it with your logo, colors, and content with no extra cost.

Key Features:

• Drag-and-drop modular editor supporting rich content blocks (countdowns, video, menus)
• Full HTML editing for advanced customization
• Extensive library of responsive, pre-tested templates
• Dynamic and conditional content blocks for personalization
• Generative AI for content and image creation (on higher plans)
• A/B split testing, predictive sending, and inbox previews
• Basic spam check through SpamAssassin spam filter
• Built-in CRM with segmentation, sales automation, and site tracking

Free Plan: 14-day free trial (no credit card required) and includes a free email template design service for marketing users.

Paid Plans: Begin with the Starter plan for $15/month, which offers email-only drag-and-drop design and A/B testing, 1 user, standard and inline forms, 5 actions per automation, 900+ integrations, and limited segmentation.

Design‑Only Email Template Builders: Export & Integrate

Stripo

Stripo is a powerful email design tool that offers complete creative freedom. This platform is widely used in the industry and supports exporting to over 80 ESPs and email clients, so you won’t have integration issues with the service you use.

Key Features:

• Drag-and-drop with responsive, modular design
• HTML & CSS code editor
• 1600+ free prebuilt HTML email templates
• Fully responsive email templates with a strong level of mobile-friendly design
• Content Modules, Smart Elements, email banner generator, and more pre-built blocks for building templates
• AI assistant
• AMP (accelerated mobile pages) email support
• Team collaboration and role-based access
• Template testing and preview tools

Free Plan: Allows 5 test emails a day, 2 users, 4 HTML exports, and 10 stored emails.

Paid Plans: Begin at $20/month, allowing 2 users, 50 test emails daily, 50 exports, 50 stored emails, sharing preview links, and premium templates.

Beefree

Beefree is a design-first platform offering responsive templates and easy exporting. This service is loved by users for its simplicity, efficient design capabilities, and a large collection of free, ready-to-send templates for different purposes.

Key Features:

• 1,700+ mobile-responsive templates
• Drag-and-drop and HTML/CSS editor
• Individual workspaces for teams and departments.
• One-click export to most ESPs and marketing platforms
• Built-in template testing and previews
• On-brand emails and landing pages
• Preheaders and UTM parameters configuration

Free Plan: Starter plan for single projects with basic design tools, 1,700+ templates, mobile optimization, simple platform integrations, and limited collaborations, exports, and brand controls.

Paid Plans: Start at $25/month for solo creators or small teams, offer unlimited exports, creative brand controls, and simple organization tools. Business plan starts at $134/month with advanced options.

Unlayer

Unlayer is a white-labeled and fully customizable HTML email builder ideal for embedding design into SaaS platforms or internal systems.

Key Features:

• Forever-free drag-and-drop editor
• Complete content creation suite
• Landing page and document builder
• Mobile-responsive templates and design blocks
• Unsplash and other media integration
• API-ready for export and embedding
• Enterprise-grade features for business security, reliability, and support 

Free Plan: Unlimited use of the Email, Page, Document, and Popup Builders with device preview for 1 domain.

Paid Plans: Launch plan starts from $250/month with a 14-day free trial, white-labeling feature, API, and more.

Chamaileon

Chamaileon provides a collaborative environment for email design with team workflows. It offers a powerful but simple no-code email template generator, perfect for creating complex campaign designs efficiently on a larger scale.

Key Features:

• Flexible drag & drop email builder
• No-code design/content workflow
• Real-time co-editing and approval systems
• Dynamic content
• Role-based access control
• Built-in testing and device previews
• Export to HTML or ESP-specific formats
• Integration with your preferred email/marketing tools, CRMs, and automation platforms.

Free Plan: Available, though details are aimed at team license inquiries.

Paid Plans: Every subscription includes onboarding and training. Generally, annual subscriptions begin at $4,000 with no hidden fees.

TOPOL.io

TOPOL.io is a lightweight and efficient email template maker perfect for basic needs, so you can create your HTML email design quickly. No graphic designers or coders are needed.

Key Features:

• Full-featured drag & drop editor
• Intuitive templates for professional‑looking emails
• Reusable content blocks
• Clean HTML export option
• Responsive email design

Free Plan: 14-day trial on PRO and 60-day FREE trial on Plugin. Allows unlimited basic template creation and export.

Paid Plans: PRO plan $10/month billed annually or $15/month with more features and services. Plugin price for startups starts at $70/month.

Designmodo Postcards

Designmodo’s Postcards is a polished, no-code responsive email builder loved for its speed and elegance. Its advanced editing tools allow you to craft and personalize emails based on your own brand guidelines. Colors, fonts, graphics, and call-to-action buttons to align with your own brand identity.

Key Features:

• Drag-and-drop modules (100+), clean HTML export
• Mobile display controllers and tested dark-mode templates
• Collaboration links and multi-ESP integration

Free Plan: Start Plan offers 10 projects and 5 exports/month.

Paid Plans: $16/month for unlimited projects and 20 exports; Pro Plan $24/month for unlimited exports, image hosting, AI tools, and up to 3 team seats.

Why Deliverability Testing of Your Email Template Is a Must

A beautifully designed email template is great for your customers, but it doesn’t mean that it will be perceived as good by spam filters. Regardless of which tool you choose, ensuring your emails land in the inbox is critical.

GlockApps Inbox Insight tests placement across major spam filters (Google, Barracuda, SpamAssassin), evaluates spam score, checks your content for images and link validity, HTML code compatibility with different ESPs, email authentication records, and IP and domain reputation.

You can set up automated tests for your templates with stable content, run seed list tests on autopilot and receive alerts for ongoing issues like spam rate spikes or blacklisting. It will help you save time and ensure consistent inbox placement without sender reputation loss.

Conclusion

Regardless of the type of email campaign you’re running, design matters not only for how it looks, but also for how your message is received and remembered. Luckily, you don’t need to be a designer or developer to build a beautiful email anymore. In this article, we’ve gathered the best modern email template builders for you to make email creation a pleasure. These services are divided into two categories: full-service email providers and design tools. The first one is ideal for easy management of everything at once: design, automation, and delivery in one place. The second one will come in handy if you already have an ESP and want additional flexibility and functionality in designing your newsletters, welcome series, and other email campaigns.

But keep in mind: deliverability matters as much as design. And for any email creation software you choose, combining it with GlockApps spam testing ensures your emails not only look great but also reach your audience, delivering real results.