Some marketers might ask if email marketing is dead<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the truth is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Email marketing is inarguably the most effective marketing strategy, and here\u2019s why:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Creating effective email marketing campaigns requires effort and the use of a quality email template builder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps you even ended up here because you want to create responsive email templates for your business, but aren\u2019t sure where to begin and have a smaller budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If so, you\u2019re not alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s the good news \u2014 to help get you started, we\u2019ll be discussing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s get started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before we dive into the benefits of using email template builders or the top software platforms to use, it\u2019s essential to understand the basics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Email templates can be built using two main methods: email coding<\/strong> or drag<\/strong>–and<\/strong>–drop email builders<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Email coding<\/strong> is a very technical procedure for creating responsive email templates, where you\u2019re usually building an outline from scratch. This method requires in-depth knowledge of HTML code, CSS, and various email rendering methods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If this sounds extensive, it\u2019s because it is. However, some see this as a benefit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlike most email template builders where the code quality varies<\/a> from provider to provider and can be limiting, coding your own responsive emails gives you complete control over every aspect of how information is displayed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep in mind:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Email coding is typically done using standalone software, which means you would still need to incorporate the use of an email service provider (ESP)<\/strong> to deploy the emails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Drag<\/strong>–and<\/strong>–drop email builders<\/strong> allow those who are less technical to create attractive email templates without the need for any HTML code or coding skills. Instead, they generally rely on WYSIWYG<\/a> (What You See Is What You Get) editors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Essentially, to create emails with WYSIWYG drag-and-drop editors<\/strong>, you put your text or graphic in the email template where you want it, and what you see in the editor will look as close to the end result as possible. Hence, what you see on the screen is nearly<\/em> what you\u2019ll get when you\u2019re finished building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This method requires significantly less effort and is great for beginners with no coding skills. You can use drag-and-drop email editors as standalone software or within your ESP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you prefer this design method, you\u2019ll be happy to hear there are plenty of WYSIWYG website builders<\/a> out there, as well as, of course, email template builders for creating email templates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the downside, WYSIWYG editors can offer limited functionality and customizability because you generally can't change the HTML code. For example, they may only allow you to move custom blocks of text within certain margins of the template.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Regardless of the method you choose, email template builders offer many benefits:<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a novice, it can be challenging to find the right email template builder for your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While choosing your email building tool, you should consider these key features:<\/p>\n\n\n\n To help you compare tools and get started, we\u2019ve compiled the 11 best free email template builders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n HubSpot\u2019s Email Marketing Software is an ESP solution that features a built-in email editor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s developed on top of HubSpot\u2019s all-in-one, free customer relationship management (CRM) platform. As such, it comes with the platform\u2019s suite of free marketing tools to power your email newsletter campaigns from start to finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With this email marketing platform, you can choose from dozens of templates for responsive emails, easily customize the design using the drag-and-drop editor, and change email template colors to ensure brand alignment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n HubSpot\u2019s free version<\/a> also lets you create custom email templates based on a subscriber\u2019s list membership, stage in the sales lifecycle, or relevant contact information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The HubSpot ESP does allow custom coding as well, but only for premium-tier plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once built, you can schedule and send your email newsletter<\/a> \u2014 with up to 2,000 email sends per month. Best of all, you have access to a free analytics dashboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Venngage is a visual communication tool that offers, among other types of visuals, email newsletter templates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Their email templates can be fully customized using their simple drag-and-drop editor. Their design features include a library of over 40,000 icons, thousands of stock photo images, and widgets for creating charts and infographics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Achieving a cohesive look across your newsletter communications is easy, thanks to Venngage's Brand Kit <\/strong>feature. The Brand Kit adds your logos, brand colors, and brand fonts to any email template with just a click.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You also have the option to save your customized newsletter designs as email templates. Their Team Folders then make it easy to share your newsletter email templates with your teammates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Venngage currently offers three pricing plans: Free, Premium, and Business. Their Business plan offers a suite of handy features to make your communications more effective and consistent, including their Brand Kit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mailchimp is the leading ESP on the market based on Datanyze\u2019s<\/a> 2020 data, which revealed Mailchimp\u2019s market share at more than 68%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This platform also has a built-in email template editor and it offers multiple pricing structures \u2014 including a free plan with all of the beginner essentials included.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Though limited, the free version of Mailchimp gives you access to basic, featured, and themed responsive email templates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With their drag-and-drop builder, you don\u2019t need any technical knowledge or coding skills to create responsive emails that wow your recipients. So stop waiting for designers to power through your HTML code for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While there are many alternatives available<\/a>, Mailchimp stands out with its new artificial intelligence (AI) design tool, Creative Assistant, which automatically develops and resizes designs responsive emails for you after you share input about your brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also store media assets in Mailchimp\u2019s Content Studio to easily access them later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Similar to HubSpot\u2019s Email Marketing Software, custom HTML code is only available for Mailchimp\u2019s premium-tier plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After polishing your email templates, you can send up to 10,000 email newsletters a month to 2,000 contacts using this email marketing software program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Self-touted as the fastest and easiest drag-and-drop email builder, BEE Free allows you to create mobile-responsive email templates for free. No signup is required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The acronym, \u201cBEE<\/strong>,\u201d stands for \u201cBest Email Editor.\u201d A fitting description as the tool has been used by over one million people<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can choose from hundreds of free, stylish templates for responsive emails or start with a blank slate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlike Mailchimp, BEE Free\u2019s drag-and-drop editor is more flexible. It allows you to move entire rows in addition to moving individual custom blocks. You can also clone blocks for easy rearrangement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also preview your email template structure on desktop and mobile as well as send a test email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the downside, you can\u2019t save and edit multiple email templates with the free version of BEE Free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a standalone drag-and-drop builder, you\u2019re responsible for exporting the HTML template and uploading the HTML template to your ESP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to integrate BEE Free with your email client to push the HTML template to your ESP quickly, you\u2019ll need to upgrade to BEE Pro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Used by companies such as Vans and National Geographic, Chamaileon is a drag-and-drop, WYSIWYG email editor for building mobile-optimized email templates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is exceptionally flexible with over 1,000 built-in custom blocks for customization. You can also choose from more than 100 free, responsive email templates as a framework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What sets this email template builder apart from competitors is its uniquely collaborative nature, which allows multi-user teams to work together on a single template. Like Google Docs, Chamaileon\u2019s free plan lets you share a link with team members to preview an email and make edits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also send unlimited test emails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additional noteworthy benefits of Chamaileon\u2019s free plan include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stripo is a responsive email template builder that offers the best of both worlds. It features a drag-and-drop editor for those with no HTML coding skills and an HTML code editor for users who like to tweak their emails manually with custom HTML code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Their free version lets you choose from over 350 free templates, save custom templates in a library, and see what your email will look like in more than 90 test environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Arguably Stripo\u2019s best feature is its built-in AMP email<\/a> support for dynamic and interactive in-mail elements like image carousels and feedback polls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Similar to Chamaileon, Stripo allows free users to integrate templates with popular email service providers such as Gmail and Outlook for easy transfer. You can also download emails as a PDF or a pure HTML code\/AMP code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trusted by brands like Uber and Spotify, SendGrid offers a free email template builder with its free plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can use it to customize your free email templates using HTML code, the drag-and-drop editor, or mix it up. Their email builder has a user-friendly interface that lets you add your company logo and update colors to ensure brand alignment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Compared to email template builders like Stripo and Chamaileon, SendGrid\u2019s library of free responsive email templates is limited. Also, you only get three test emails a month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the upside, the free email marketing tools<\/a> included in their free plan include A\/B testing, segmentation, and detailed analytics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TOPOL.io is an easy-to-use email builder that features an intuitive editor and over 100 free, pre-designed, responsive email templates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the free plan, you can add video, change the colors of custom blocks, and control the width of your responsive emails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like BEE Free and Mosaico.io, you don\u2019t need to sign up to get started with TOPOL.io. The email tool allows you to begin building responsive emails and responsive templates immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It also offers an auto-save option via your browser, access to a stock photo library, and popular ESP integrations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ready for the final touches?<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can preview your email on desktop and mobile, then send test emails all from within the email template editor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlike the other email template builders on this list, Mosaico is an open<\/strong>–source email template builder<\/strong>, which means anyone can download and alter the source code of this builder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This free email tool was built for quick, responsive design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of pre-designed email templates, Mosaico offers a choice between two email template layouts: versafix<\/strong>–1<\/strong> and versafluid<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n Mosaico.io\u2019s email editor capabilities depend on the email template itself<\/em> and are not hardwired into the interface, providing more flexibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After you choose a layout, you can add and edit custom blocks and upload images using click-based design. Depending on the template layout, you can also change fonts and colors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Need to save your project for later? No sweat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mosaico.io allows you to save your design in the email template editor and stores a copy in your browser. When you go back to the platform using the same browser, your template will be available under Saved Sessions<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlayer is a free HTML email template builder, perfect for those who like simplicity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can choose from any of their hundreds of mobile-responsive email templates or start from scratch<\/a> using their simple editor and custom blocks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Short on images? No problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlayer has a built-in image library of royalty-free photos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For easy reference, you can also save your responsive email templates after creating a free Unlayer account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To integrate directly with Gmail, there\u2019s a free Chrome extension. Otherwise, you can simply download your email template from this responsive email template builder to manually transfer it to your ESP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n AWeber is one of the oldest and most reliable email service providers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To build responsive email templates using their free plan, you can use the drag-and-drop editor or the AI-powered smart designer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, AWeber allows you to select from hundreds of free email templates, incorporate dynamic content, and integrate ecommerce solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Have any questions or need help?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Their free plan offers 24\/7 phone, email, and chat support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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The Basics of Email Template Building<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Email Coding<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Drag-and-Drop Email Builders<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Benefits of Using an Email Template Builder<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Which Free Email Template Builders Are the Best?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
1. HubSpot\u2019s Email Marketing Software<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"email](\"https:\/\/shanebarker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/HubSpot.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n#2. Venngage\u2019s Online Newsletter Creator<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Image](\"https:\/\/shanebarker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Venngage.png\" "\\"\\"")
#3. Mailchimp<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"mailchimp\"](\"https:\/\/shanebarker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Mailchimp-1.png\" "\\"\\"")
#4. BEE Free<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Image](\"https:\/\/shanebarker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/BEE-Free.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n#5. Chamaileon<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"image](\"https:\/\/shanebarker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Chamaileon.png\" "\\"\\"")
\n
#6. Stripo<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Image](\"https:\/\/shanebarker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Stripo.png\" "\\"\\"")
#7. SendGrid<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Image](\"https:\/\/shanebarker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/SendGrid.png\" "\\"\\"")
#8. TOPOL.io<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Image](\"https:\/\/shanebarker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/TOPOL.io_.png\" "\\"\\"")
#9. Mosaico.io<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Image](\"https:\/\/shanebarker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Mosaico.io_.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/shanebarker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Mosaico.io-1.png\" "\\"\\"")
#10. Unlayer<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Image](\"https:\/\/shanebarker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Unlayer.png\" "\\"\\"")
#11. AWeber<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Image](\"https:\/\/shanebarker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/AWeber.png\" "\\"\\"")