# Best email template builders in 2026: seven tools, by who they suit

> The best email template builders in 2026, compared honestly: Stripo, RGE Studio (formerly Beefree), Unlayer, Postcards, Mosaico, MJML, and the free Broadcast builder. Free-plan limits, HTML export, open source or not, and which one to pick.

Source: https://sendbroadcast.net/compare/best-email-template-builders

The best email template builder for you depends less on the editor and more on what happens around it. Almost every tool on this list lets you drag in a heading, an image, and a button, and exports table-based HTML that renders in Gmail and Outlook. The differences are in the free-plan limits, whether you can take the HTML to any platform, whether the tool is open source, and whether you need team features like shared libraries and approvals. This page compares seven email template designer tools on those points.

Quick answer

**Stripo** if you want the biggest template library and one-click export to 90+ platforms. **RGE Studio** (formerly Beefree) for a polished editor with a usable free plan. **Postcards** for a cheap paid plan with image hosting. **Unlayer** if you are a developer putting an editor inside your own app. **MJML** if you would rather write code than drag blocks. **Mosaico** if you need an open-source editor to self-host. The **Broadcast builder** if you want a free, no-signup editor with no export limits and do not need to save designs in the cloud.

Conflict of interest

We make [Broadcast](https://sendbroadcast.net/) and its [free email template builder](https://sendbroadcast.net/tools/free-email-template-builder), which is on this list. We have used the others. If a section reads as unfair to a competitor, [tell us](mailto:simon@furvur.com) and we will fix it.

## What to look for in email template builder software

Before comparing tools, it helps to know which of these questions matter to you.

- **Can you export plain HTML?** Some builders exist to feed one email platform. The ones on this list all give you HTML you can paste anywhere, though some cap how often.
- **How many exports does the free plan allow?** This is where free plans differ most. A handful a month is fine for a monthly newsletter and a problem for an agency.
- **Where do images live?** Email images have to be hosted at a public URL. Some builders host them for you, some only on paid plans, and some expect you to host them yourself.
- **Is it open source?** It matters if you want to self-host the editor or embed it in your own product without a per-month fee.
- **Do you need a team?** Shared template libraries, locked brand blocks, comments, and approvals are what the higher tiers charge for. Solo senders rarely need them.

## The seven builders at a glance

Prices checked September 2026. Paid prices are the monthly rate unless noted.

| Builder | Type | Free plan | Paid from | HTML export | Open source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stripo | Hosted drag-and-drop | 4 exports/month, 10 stored emails | $20/month | Yes, plus 90+ integrations | No |
| RGE Studio (formerly Beefree) | Hosted drag-and-drop | 10 designs, 6 exports/month | $30/month ($25 billed yearly) | Yes | No (SDK is paid) |
| Postcards | Hosted drag-and-drop | 10 projects, 5 exports/month | $16/month | Yes, plus ESP export | No |
| Unlayer | Embeddable editor for developers | Yes, with limits | $250/month | Via the SDK; export credits on paid plans | No (MIT wrappers, proprietary editor) |
| MJML | Markup language and compiler | Free | Free | Yes, it compiles to HTML | Yes, MIT |
| Mosaico | Self-hosted drag-and-drop | Free | Free | Yes | Yes, GPL-3.0 |
| Broadcast builder | Browser-based drag-and-drop | Free, no signup, no export limit | Free (Broadcast itself is a one-time license) | Yes | No |

## Stripo

Stripo is the tool most people land on first, and for good reason. It has a large template library, a drag-and-drop editor with an HTML code editor alongside it, AMP support, and integrations with more than 90 email platforms, CRMs, and email clients. If your platform is not on the list, you can download the HTML as a file, an archive, or copy it to the clipboard.

The free plan allows 4 exports a month, 10 stored emails, and 2 members, with premium templates excluded. Paid plans start at $20 a month (Basic, 50 exports), then $45 (Medium, 300 exports) and $125 (Pro, 4,000 exports), with about 20% off for yearly billing.

Pick Stripo if you send to a big ESP, want a template to start from for every occasion, and will use its integrations. The export cap is the thing to watch on the free plan.

## RGE Studio (formerly Beefree)

Beefree renamed its email and landing page builder to **RGE Studio** in May 2026, after joining Really Good Emails. The company says features, pricing, and accounts carried over unchanged. The embeddable **Beefree SDK** for software companies keeps its name and is a separate product.

The editor is one of the most polished in the category, and the free Starter plan is usable: up to 10 designs, 6 exports a month, unlimited users without roles, and HTML export by copy and paste. Professional is $30 a month, or $25 a month billed yearly, with unlimited designs and exports for 2 seats. Business is $160 a month, or $134 billed yearly.

Pick RGE Studio if you want a refined editor with more free exports than Stripo, and the Really Good Emails gallery for inspiration is a bonus.

## Postcards by Designmodo

Postcards is a drag-and-drop builder built around ready-made modules, with more than 100 of them. You can start without signing up. Exports go to HTML, to image and PDF formats, or straight to platforms such as Mailchimp, HubSpot, Klaviyo, SendGrid, and Brevo.

The free plan gives you 10 projects and 5 exports a month, with no AI credits and no image hosting. Plus is $16 a month and adds unlimited projects, 20 exports a month, and hosted images. Pro is $24 a month for unlimited exports, a CDN for images, and 3 teammates.

Pick Postcards if you want a low monthly price for a paid plan and hosted images, and you like building from modules rather than a blank canvas.

## Unlayer

Unlayer is a different kind of product. It is mainly a developer platform: an editor for emails, pages, popups, and documents that software companies embed inside their own apps, with wrappers for React, Vue, and Angular. The wrappers are MIT licensed, but the editor itself is proprietary and loads from Unlayer's servers.

There is a free plan, and developers can call the editor's export function to get HTML and the design JSON back. Paid plans start at $250 a month (Launch), which adds white-labeling and a cloud API. Server-side export to HTML, image, PDF, or ZIP uses export credits, which are an add-on on paid plans.

Pick Unlayer if you are building a product that needs an email editor inside it. If you just want to design your own newsletter, the tools above are a better fit.

## MJML

MJML is not a drag-and-drop builder. It is an open-source markup language, originally from Mailjet, where you write tags like `` and `` and a compiler turns them into responsive, table-based HTML with inline CSS. It is MIT licensed and actively maintained, with version 5.4.1 released in September 2026. You can use it through the free online editor on mjml.io, the official Visual Studio Code extension, or from the command line and Node in a build pipeline. Pick MJML if you are a developer, want your templates in version control, and would rather write code than drag blocks. For non-technical senders it is the wrong tool. ## Mosaico Mosaico is an open-source email editor, GPL-3.0 licensed, that you host yourself. Its idea is that the template defines what can be edited: you prepare an HTML template with Mosaico's template language and people fill in the blocks. It ships with one well-tested template, Versafix. It needs a small backend to serve the editor and handle image uploads and resizing, and releases are infrequent. The latest, 0.18.11, came out in August 2025, two years after the one before it. The open-source newsletter tool Mailtrain, for one, embeds it. Pick Mosaico if you need an editor you can self-host or embed without a subscription, and someone on the team can run and maintain it. ## Broadcast free email template builder This is ours, so read it with that in mind. The [Broadcast email template builder](https://sendbroadcast.net/tools/free-email-template-builder) is a free drag-and-drop editor that runs entirely in your browser. There is no signup and no export limit. You add headings, text, images, buttons, columns, social links, and a footer, and export table-based HTML with inline styles, bulletproof VML buttons for Outlook desktop, and a mobile breakpoint. Merge tags are written as `{{ name }}` so you can map them to your platform. There are [12 starter templates](https://sendbroadcast.net/tools/free-email-template-builder/templates) to begin from. The limits are real and worth knowing: - **Designs live in your browser.** The builder autosaves to local storage on the device you are using. There is no account and no cloud library, so a design stays on that browser. The exported HTML is your copy. - **No image hosting.** You paste the URL of an image that is already online. You cannot upload from your computer. - **No team features.** No sharing, comments, locked brand blocks, or approvals. - **No sending or testing.** It exports HTML. Sending and inbox previews happen elsewhere. Inside the paid Broadcast product, the same editor adds a brand kit that every design starts from, saved templates, a preview as any subscriber, and sending through your own email provider. Broadcast is self-hosted email marketing software sold for a $250 one-time license. More in [our post on the builder and brand kit](https://sendbroadcast.net/blog/drag-and-drop-email-builder-with-a-brand-kit). Pick the Broadcast builder if you want to build and export an email right now, for free, without an account, and you are fine hosting your own images. ## How to choose an email template designer 1. **You send through a big ESP and want lots of templates.** Stripo. 2. **You want the most polished editor with a decent free plan.** RGE Studio. 3. **You want a cheap paid plan with image hosting.** Postcards. 4. **You are building a product that needs an editor inside it.** Unlayer, or Mosaico if it must be open source. 5. **You are a developer and want templates in Git.** MJML. 6. **You want a free editor with no signup and no export cap.** The Broadcast builder. 7. **You need shared libraries and approvals for a team.** The paid tiers of Stripo or RGE Studio. The free tools on this list are not built for that. ## Frequently asked ### What is the best email template builder? For most people who send through a large email platform, Stripo or RGE Studio (formerly Beefree). Both have strong editors and export HTML. If you want a free tool with no signup and no monthly export limit, try the Broadcast builder. Developers who prefer code should use MJML. ### What is the best free email template designer tool? It depends on how often you export. Stripo's free plan allows 4 exports a month, RGE Studio's 6, and Postcards' 5. MJML and Mosaico are free and open source but need technical setup. The Broadcast builder is free with no export limit, but designs are saved in your browser and images must already be hosted online. ### Is there an open-source email template builder? Yes. Mosaico is an open-source drag-and-drop editor (GPL-3.0) that you host yourself. MJML (MIT) is an open-source markup language rather than a visual builder. Unlayer's framework wrappers are MIT licensed, but the editor itself is proprietary. ### Can I use the exported HTML in Mailchimp, Klaviyo, or my own platform? Yes, with all seven tools. Each one exports HTML you can paste into any platform that accepts custom HTML emails. Stripo and Postcards also export directly to many platforms. ### Do I need to host my images somewhere? Images in email have to be on a public URL. Stripo, RGE Studio, and Postcards' paid plans can host them for you. The Broadcast builder and MJML expect a URL you already have. Mosaico needs its backend set up to handle uploads. ## Related - [Mosaico alternatives: open-source email editors](https://sendbroadcast.net/compare/mosaico-alternative) - [Mailchimp alternatives](https://sendbroadcast.net/compare/mailchimp-alternative) - [The best self-hosted email marketing platforms](https://sendbroadcast.net/self-hosted/email-marketing-software) - [Open-source email marketing alternatives](https://sendbroadcast.net/self-hosted/open-source-alternatives) - [Drag-and-drop email builder with a brand kit](https://sendbroadcast.net/blog/drag-and-drop-email-builder-with-a-brand-kit) - [Free email template builder](https://sendbroadcast.net/tools/free-email-template-builder) - [Free email templates](https://sendbroadcast.net/tools/free-email-template-builder/templates)

## Build an email now, free

The Broadcast email template builder runs in your browser. No signup, no export limit, and HTML that holds up in Outlook. Start blank or from one of twelve templates.

[Open the free builder](https://sendbroadcast.net/tools/free-email-template-builder) [Browse templates](https://sendbroadcast.net/tools/free-email-template-builder/templates)