We’ve taken a look at five of our favorite email template design apps you can use for your next marketing campaign or even with transactional emails. We’ll give you the pros and cons of each, telling you our honest opinion of what we like and dislike about each of these:
1. Designmodo Postcards
2. Smore Newsletter
3. BeeFree
4. CoffeeCup
5. ThemeForest
This post does not contain any referral/ affiliate links and is the sole expression of the author’s views.
Designmodo Postcards
Best for: Design-oriented, email junkies
This has to be our all-time favorite web app to design stunningly gorgeous email newsletter campaigns. It’s what we at PostApex use to create our monthly email newletter.
PROS:
· Gorgeous email templates with easy editing
· Modular drag-and-drop email design system
· Templates for every kind of email (marketingemails and transactional emails)
· Very good support (they replied to us within aday)
CONS:
· Postcards is pricey (pricing starts from $260 ayear)
· Free plan is quite limited and only lets youaccess ten of the hundreds of email template modules
· You have to self-host your images (or pay evenmore for them to host your images)
· Limited integration with other email marketingplatforms (only supports Mailchimp and Hubspot)
Overall, we really enjoy using Designmodo despite the heftyprice tag. For non-techies that wantsomething that looks professional and is easy to build, Designmodo is a goodchoice if you can afford it.
Check Designmodo Postcards out here: https://designmodo.com/postcards
Smore Newsletters
Best for: Multilingual email marketing
No matter the medium or the message, Smore Newsletters always look great. They are an industry favorite, especially for those looking to send themed email updates that remain consistent. They have a ton of features,and their editor also integrates directly into their email sending platform, so you don’t need to export your HTML email design.
PROS:
· Translates your entire email in one click
· Hundreds of stunning templates to choose fromand very easy to edit with your content to create consistent email templates
· Open marketplace to browse email templatessubmitted by others
· Many templates for educators and PRprofessionals
CONS:
· Geared more towards educators and schoolsdespite wide applicability of use
· Free plan only lets you send 200 monthly email sand create 3 newsletters
· Newsletters are locked for 4 weeks after publishing before you can edit again on the free plan
· If you decide to upgrade, they don’t accept PayPal at checkout
Overall, we think Smore is a good option if you want a robust and solid method of creating multilingual email newsletters styled consistently and with professionalism.
Check Smore Newsletters out here: https://www.smore.com
BeeFree
Best for: Widest variety of templates
BeFree is a fan favorite of ours. When we first started our newsletter back in2019, we loved using this. You can startwith a blank canvas to build your email from scratch or kickstart your designprocess with one of their read-to-go email templates. It’s super easy to export your templates –just remember to host your images somewhere!
PROS:
· Thousands of templates to pick from
· Completely free to design and export email designsin HTML
· Integrates with Mailchimp, MailUp, Hubspot andmore
· Very easy drag and drop editor
CONS:
· Free plan won’t let you save your design forfuture use/editing
· You need to self-host your own images on theirfree plan
· You need a pro plan to access their entire catalogueof templates
· Pricey if you also have to pay for an email sending service
Overall, we think BeeFree is something every newsletter should try out. BeeFree is great if you’re just starting out and want a newsletter which looks catchy and easy to use. The only snag is that on their free plan you can’t save your designs, so if you need a one-off template (e.g., for transactional emails) this might be really good for you.
Check BeeFree out here: https://beefree.io
CoffeeCup
Best for: Greatest design flexibility
CoffeeCup is the only tool on our lit which is not aweb-based app. With CoffeeCup, you will need to download software onto yourcomputer, but you’ll get some of the most powerful email editing tools at yourfingertips, as it allows you to edit your newsletter’s raw code. CoffeCup Email Designer integrates beautifullyin any email marketing platform and gives you full control of your email designand content.
PROS:
· Great compatibility with your designs across devices,email clients, and browsers
· Ability to use web fonts to use almost any fontfrom Google Fonts in your newsletter
· Grid based design feels like designing for themodern web, rather than an email
· Gives complete creative freedom by allowing you toedit the raw HTML in-app and set classes and IDs.
CONS:
· Limited-time free trial, followed by a one-timepurchase to download the full license (better than a subscription?)
· Not a great availability of templates to startfrom
· Complex set up and steep learning curve tounderstand their software
· You need to self-host any images you use
This is a great option if you’re looking for a custom andbespoke email newsletter design. Onceyou’ve mastered CoffeeCup, it is also quite satisfying to use this particularsoftware. There are many online tutorials,but it is worth trying out the free version before committing to pay for thelicense.
Check CoffeeCup out here: https://www.coffeecup.com/email-designer
ThemeForest
Best for: Cost effectiveness
ThemeForest is a digital marketplace that currently has over1,900 email templates and designs. You can explore items created by their global community of independent designers and developers. Given how competitive their marketplace is, you can get an exceptional deal on stunning email templates. However, be careful, as some templates only support HTML email designs (requiring you to manually edit the HTML code). Other templates support importing them into a drag-and-drop builder.
PROS:
· Almost 2,000 email templates for you to choose from
· Well priced and always running promotions (e.g.,a 30+ modular startup email template would cost $12)
· Beautifully designed email templates to fit every industry and purpose
· Ability to import templates to your Mailchimpaccount (but check if you can edit the design in their drag-and-drop builder,as not all templates support it)
CONS:
· If you have an issue, support can be slow fromthe template author
· Not always clear what kind of template you’regetting (e.g., HTML design vs. importable drag-and-drop design)
· Difficult set-up if you’re new to emailnewsletters
· You’ll need to self-host your images if you endup using HTML template
ThemeForest is definitely something you should consider ifyou want an elegant design at an affordable price. Be sure to read the reviews before you makeany purchases and also look to see what kind of support the seller/author is giving.
Check ThemeForest out here: https://themeforest.net/category/marketing/email-templates
What do self-hosted images mean?
We’ve used the term self-hosted images many times in this article, so we think it’s worth explaining the concept. When you send an email that contains an image, that actual image itself needs to be stored somewhere. This image is then retrieved from that source when the user opens their email. When you send an email using a platform like Mailchimp, any images you upload are stored by Mailchimp themselves.
If like us, you want something more elegant than one of MC’s standard templates, using one of the email design tools above is definitely for you. However, you will need to make sure that images you add to your newsletter design are saved ONLINE so that when the recipient receives your email, the image can be retrieved from an online source.
You shouldn’t have any media files in your email larger than500px or 500kb in size. Otherwise, itwill decimate your subscriber’s inboxes!
