10 best drag-and-drop responsive email builders for 2024

Email marketing is still the undisputed champion when it comes to building and maintaining relationships with your target audience. From large corporations to local small business owners, everyone needs high quality responsive emails for effective communication.

Why use an email template builder?

Using an email template builder is the easiest way to optimize the quality and effectiveness of your email newsletters and campaigns. Some of the benefits are:

• Easy to use. Almost every email template builder has built-in drag-and-drop editing capabilities, which allows you to design emails without any coding experience.
• Efficiency. By either using available templates or designing your own reusable template, you can save a lot of time. A lot of the email template builders listed below offer free customizable templates. You can tailor an existing email template to your needs by using the available content options (fonts, images, buttons, etc.) in the email builder.
• Collaborate with marketeers and designers. Most email template builders allow you to work together on email templates. This way, the whole team can collaborate on the same email campaign.
• Easy access. Most if not all email template builders autosave your templates, so you can work on your template whenever you like.
• Compatibility with a wide range of email clients. An email template builder automatically converts your design to code and makes sure the design is compatible with most major email clients. This eliminates the need for email client preview services.

What features make a good email template builder?

Now that you’ve learned the benefits of using an email template builder, you’re probably wondering which one to use. It all depends on your preferences, but it’s important to keep in mind the following features:

Drag-and-drop editing

A drag-and-drop builder is necessary for every email template builder to work effectively. Drag-and-drop builders are ideal for people who don't have the time, skills, or desire to learn how to code, whereas code-based and HTML code builders allow for more customization.

Mobile compatibility

The way people interact and respond to email marketing campaigns changes as more people shift away from desktops and toward mobile devices. In fact, mobile devices account for 60% of email campaign engagement, compared to desktops (10%) and webmail clients (29%). Nowadays, it’s no longer a luxury to have mobile-friendly emails, it’s a necessity.

Responsive email design

You want your email to look good whether people are reading it on a phone, laptop, or tablet. Responsive design is a characteristic of good email template builders, because in today’s era, emails should appear excellent on any screen.

ESP integration options

You should be able to integrate your email template into your ESP after designing it. Check to see if your email service provider is compatible with your email builder. The various email editors include a ton of amazing features that some users will need while others would never use. Most high-end ESPs typically offer personalization and automation. At the very least, make sure you have the option to download your design in HTML, so you can import your design to your ESP.

Preview option

An option that allows you to preview what your design looks like on a phone or desktop will save you a lot of hassle. The importance of this feature can be easily overlooked but is important to keep in mind.

Email client compatibility

The HTML email code generated by your email builder platform should function on the majority of email clients, such as different versions of Outlook, Gmail, Apple Mail, and Yahoo!Mail.

Collaboration features

The design team, email copywriters, marketing team, and occasionally even partners communicate back and forth regularly while creating email campaigns. Some email builder platforms allow several users to work together on an email marketing campaign to facilitate that process. Users with different accounts are able to contribute their ideas, comments, and revisions to the campaign. Even if you're running a one-man company and you rarely collaborate, it's still recommended to at least have access to this feature.

Bonus tip:

Look for an email builder that adapts and evolves. Email marketing is a highly dynamic field, so you want to make sure you are always ahead of the competition. Research the company and check out their social media channels. Do they have a roadmap? Is R&D a priority? Do they listen to and interact with their clients?

Email template builders comparison table

Now that you know what to look for in an email builder, let’s find out what’s available out there. Check out this comparison table with the best email template builders available in 2024.

How to pick an email builder that fits my needs?

We are aware of how overwhelming choosing a builder can be, so we encourage you to simply try above builders out and see what works for you. Everyone is unique, so at the end of the day it all depends on your needs and preferences. You can take advantage of the free versions or trials that above email builders offer.