The 10 Best Email Template Builders for 2025: Top Tools for Creating Stunning Emails

Introduction

Picking the right email template builders makes a big difference in today's world of email marketing. Good templates are about engaging, converting, and retaining subscribers. But what makes the tool the best email template builder, or among the best email builder platforms? You want intuitive design, responsive layouts, integrations with your ESP/CRM, collaboration features, and, if possible, a "free email template builder" option so you can test before committing. In this review, we'll compare email builder tools, email template tools, email design software, and email template software to help you pick the right fit.

1. Stripo – The best overall email template builder

Overview

Stripo is an email template builder tool that enables digital marketers to design responsive, engaging emails without heavy coding. It stands out in the category of email design software and email template software for its ease of use, rich template library, and strong integrations.

Key Features

• Drag‑and‑drop editor plus HTML export, so you can use as no‑code or code‑adjacent.
• Large library of premade 1600+ templates for quick design.
• Advanced interactive support: AMP emails, carousels for better user experiences.
• Strong integration with a number of ESPs: easily export to any email service provider.
• Freemium model: there is a free plan, which is why it's among the best options for free email templates builders.

Pros

• Very flexible: suits beginners (drag‑and‑drop) and more advanced users alike (HTML modules).
• Great variety of templates for different purposes, allowing for easier usage of the tool as a "free email templates builder" for testing.
• Strong integration options and export capabilities: You design once, export to the ESP of your choice.
• Good for teams and agencies that need consistent design systems and reusable blocks.

Cons

• While the core features are free, some advanced integrations/exporting may require paid plans.
• Additional features such as full email testing across clients/devices or sharing may require extra cost.
• Because it's so capable, there may be a learning curve for absolute beginners that want minimal setup.

Pricing & Plans

• Free plan: allows unlimited email creation (some limitations).
• Paid plans start at around $20/month (depending on features, number of users, exports). (Exact pricing may vary)
• Strong value for money given the features as email design software.

Why Stripo is better than other services

In the context of email template builders, there are many players, but Stripo always comes to the top; for instance, in one comparison of "9 best email template builders and editors (most are free!)", Stripo was rated as the best, called "our top email template builder" due to its extensive library, integrations, and the strength of its free plan. Stripo offers both depth in advanced features, interactivity, and breadth in ease of use, the number of templates, and a free plan. Therefore, it rises above many other tools that are either too simplistic or too costly and complex. As a result, when choosing the best email builder for designing templates, not full campaign automation, Stripo is the smart choice.

2. Chamaileon – Best for collaboration & teams

Overview

Chamaileon is built with teams in mind: if your workflow involves a group of people (designers, marketers, approvers), then this email builder tool is tailored to that scenario. It’s one of the stronger email template software solutions when teamwork is important.

Key Features

• Drag‑and‑drop builder for creating email templates without code.
• Real‑time collaboration: multiple team members can work on the same draft.
• Brand management: Save modules, create design systems so that your brand is kept consistent across emails.
• Integrate with major ESPs and CRMs, such as Mailchimp, Klaviyo, or Salesforce, so you can export your designs into your workflow.

Pros

• Great for organizations that have many stakeholders and various different workflows.
• Great for scaling email production: teams can reuse modules, maintain brand consistency, and iterate faster.
• Encourages email quality because designers/marketers collaborate directly within the builder.

Cons

• Pricing is higher than simpler tools; thus, it may be overkill for lone marketers or small teams.
• Some users point out there are fewer free templates or limited export capabilities without higher‑tiers.

Pricing & Plans

• No lifetime free plan; free trial available.
• Plans scale based on number of users, integrations, brand asset libraries.

Why choose Chamaileon

If you work in a team and need a strong email template builder that supports collaboration, brand system reuse, and integrations, Chamaileon is one of the best picks among the email builder tools out there – right behind Stripo (depending on your priorities).

3. Beefree – Best free‑friendly email template builder

Overview

Beefree, or BEE Pro, is one of the most well-known drag‑and‑drop builders for email templates and landing pages. It's a good example of a free email template builder when you want to start without cost.

Key Features

• Intuitive drag-and-drop editor; no coding required.
• Large template library, responsive layouts, integrations for export.
• Also supports landing page creation (so dual‑use for email templating + web).

Pros

• Free plan available (though with limitations) – good for testing the tool.
• Strong ease-of-use makes it fit for non-technical marketers.
• Offers flexibility in the creation of email templates and basic design systems.

Cons

• Export limits are on the free plan, meaning you may want to upgrade for full usage.
• Some advanced functionality might be lacking, for instance, detailed analytics or ultra‑custom code editing.
• Some of the reviews mention problems with integrations, or how the code renders in particular email clients.

Pricing & Plans

• Free plan: basic usage, limited exports.
• Team/Business plans: e.g., $25/month for 3 users (as per recent review) including unlimited exports.
• Enterprise plans: custom pricing with white‑label and advanced features.

Why choose Beefree

If you are looking for a best free email template builder (or at least a cost‑friendly start) to make effective email template design with no coding, Beefree is a strong contender among the email template tools. Though it doesn't have all of the bells and whistles of either Stripo or Chamaileon, it is a strong value, particularly for early-stage email design.

4. ActiveCampaign – Best for automation + email design

Overview

ActiveCampaign is best known for its marketing automation, but it includes an email builder that lets you design templates and campaigns. If you're looking not only for template creation but also workflow, segmentation, and personalized journeys, this is a strong option.

Key Features

• Drag‑and‑drop email builder within the platform.
• Advanced automation: triggers, segmentation, scoring, multistep campaigns.
• Templates and design tools integrated with the broader marketing automation platform.

Pros

• Combination of design and automation: you create emails, but also define the user journeys.
• Powerful integration ecosystem: CRM, analytics, third‑party tools.
• Good if your needs go beyond just designing email templates to full campaign flows.

Cons

• Price is higher compared to simpler email template software or email design platforms.
• The design/editor will not be as deep as a dedicated email template builder; you might have to give up some design‑specific functionality for automation features.
• Might be overkill if you just want simple email template tools without automation.

Pricing & Plans

• Entry plans start around $15/month for basic features; full design + automation will require higher tiers.
• Pricing scales with number of contacts, number of users, and feature tiers.

Why consider ActiveCampaign

If your focus is on building campaigns and automating them-which implies more than just designing templates-ActiveCampaign offers a great mix. It may not have one of the deepest template-specific builders among email builder tools, but its strength is in full marketing-stack capabilities.

5. Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) – Budget‑friendly email builder + automation

Overview

Brevo is an affordable platform that combines email creation, automation, and even SMS marketing in one place. As an email design software and email template software, it's well-suited for small to medium businesses looking for value.

Key Features

• Drag‑and‑drop email builder creating responsive templates.
• Workflow/automation tools (sender segmentation, triggers).
• SMS marketing included in certain plans.
• Free plan available, making it part of the “free email templates builder” category for starters.

Pros

• Good value for money compared to many full‑stack email/marketing platforms.
• Solid builder + automation mix, meaning you get more than just email template tools.
• Suitable for small teams or startups on a tighter budget.

Cons

• Template library, builder depth or fine‑grain design control may be less rich than premium dedicated builders.
• Advanced features like deep analytics, complex workflows may take more superior plans.
• It may not scale as well for large enterprise teams compared to some of the more expensive platforms.

Pricing & Plans

• Free tier: allows a number of emails per month, though perhaps with limitations such as daily send caps.
• Paid plans start at about $9/month (depending on volume) and increase with features.
• Good value for what you get.

Why pick Brevo

When budget is a strong constraint and you still want decent email builder tools and automation, Brevo stands out. It may not be the absolute "best email template builder" purely in terms of design depth, but for many marketers, the cost-to-benefit ratio is excellent.

6. MailerLite – Best for beginners in email template tools

Overview

MailerLite is a very user-friendly and affordable solution for email marketing, with nice simplicity in its email design software and builder tools. This product would work well for those who are beginners in email marketing or for those who want simple, no-frills templates with little complexity.

Key Features

• Easy drag‑and‑drop builder combined with a landing page builder, maybe even pop‑ups.
• Free plan available, although with some limitations-like fewer templates on the free tier.
• Simple and clean UI ready for beginners.

Pros

• Very user‑friendly; less of a learning curve. Great for small businesses or solo marketers.
• Affordable pricing, thus more accessible to people, especially for starting up.
• Good support resources, tutorials, etc.

Cons

• Fewer advanced features compared to full‑blown email design software or enterprise grade tools.
• On free plan, access to templates may be limited; that means less "free email template builder" potential.
• If you scale and need advanced automation, segmentation, deep design features, you may outgrow it.

Pricing & Plans

• Free plan: decent for small lists/testing.
• Paid plans: start around $9/month for basic paid usage.
• Value oriented for beginners.

Why use MailerLite

If you're new to email marketing and want to focus on the design of email templates without spending heavily or wading through complex systems, MailerLite gives you a strong entry into the email template tools space.

7. Moosend – Affordable email design software with automation

Overview

Moosend strikes a good balance between an email builder/editor and some automation features for a relatively modest price. It falls into the category of email builder tools that are affordable yet capable.

Key Features

• Drag-and-drop editor and prebuilt templates to create your emails.
• Automation workflows-including triggered e-mails and segmentation-built-in.
• A/B Testing Capabilities of Email Campaigns

Pros

• Very good value especially for budget‑conscious marketers who want both template design and some workflow automation.
• Easy to handle and set up.
• Allows creating templates and running campaigns without high overhead.

Cons

• While great for most use cases, it may not quite match the design flexibility, module depth, or even team-collaboration features that a dedicated email template builder would provide.
• Integrations and advanced enterprise-level features may be more limited compared to the top-tier platforms.

Pricing & Plans

• Free plan available (for smaller contact volumes/features).
• Paid plans start around $7/month (depending on contacts).
• Good cost‑to‑feature ratio.

Why consider Moosend

When you want to design effective email templates and run campaigns with some automation but you're on a tighter budget, Moosend is a smart choice for email design software and email template tools.

8. Sender – Simple and straightforward email builder tools

Overview

Sender is a more basic email marketing solution focused on simplicity and ease of use. Being one of the simpler email template tools, it is perfect for businesses that do not need complex workflows or huge teams but just want to get emails out easily.

Key Features

• Drag‑and‑drop email builder with responsive templates.
• Basic personalization, list management, simple automation.
• Clean interface, easy onboarding.

Pros

• Very affordable - great for smaller businesses or one-person teams.
• Simple and straightforward. You can start off almost instantly.
• Enough design features for many common use‑cases (newsletters, promotions, announcements).

Cons

• Limited in advanced design features, templates library, team collaboration, integrations compared to more premium email design software.
• You'll encounter limitations if you need to scale, have sophisticated automation, or need complex design systems.

Pricing & Plans

• Free plan available with limited contacts/emails.
• Paid plans: start around $10/month for basic usage.
• Very cost‑effective for straightforward design and sending needs.

Why pick Sender

If your primary need is a simple email builder tool to design email templates and send campaigns without much complexity, then Sender is a sensible option: minimal fuss, minimal cost.

9. Mailchimp – The widely‑known platform with strong email template software

Overview

Mailchimp is one of the most recognized names in email marketing. Its platform includes a solid email builder for designing templates, along with segmentation, analytics, and integrations. As a combination of email template software with a full marketing platform, it offers broad capabilities.

Key Features

• Drag‑and‑drop builder and prebuilt templates for email creation.
• Good analytics, segmentation, multichannel marketing capabilities.
• Large integration ecosystem (e‑commerce platforms, CRMs, etc).

Pros

• Well-established platform: many tutorials, community, integrations.
• Strong for all-in-one solutions in design, campaign, and growth for businesses.
• Good template library and builder features, as well as broader marketing tools.

Cons

• The cost can be higher than tools designed purely for creating templates.
• Some of the additional features might be overkill for the simplest of email design needs.
• Some users comment that the interface can feel bulky or complex if you don’t use all the features.

Pricing & Plans

• Free plan available (with limitations).
• Paid plans start at around $9.99/month (depending on contacts/features).
• Cost increases significantly as list size grows or advanced features are needed.

Why consider Mailchimp

If you plan on scaling your email marketing beyond designing templates into automation and multichannel campaigns, to even CRM integrations, then Mailchimp sets a very good foundation. As an email template builder, it is very capable; as a broader marketing tool, it's even stronger.

10. Braze – Advanced multi-channel engagement

Overview

Braze is a customer engagement platform, designed to let brands orchestrate personalization at scale within messaging, from email to push, SMS, in-app, web, and more. It allows marketers to collect and unify first‑party data-behavioral, demographic, real‑time-and then trigger messages based on those insights.

Key Features

• Collect user data from multiple touchpoints and build rich user profiles.
• Create audiences from behaviors, preferences, and events; then move users in and out of dynamic segments.
• Use variables, dynamic content, and Braze’s AI - BrazeAI™ - to select channel, send time, offer, etc.

Pros

• Excellent for large-scale personalized and multi-channel campaigns: if you have diversified digital touchpoints (mobile + web + email), it stitches together data and messaging well.
• Strong real‑time responsiveness: messaging based on events, behavior, and context-not just scheduled sends.
• Good for advanced segmentation and dynamic content: You can tailor messages deeply.

Cons

• Complexity & Setup Effort: Since it is a powerful tool, the process of setting up-data integrations, SDKs, events, building journeys-sometimes requires the effort of a developer or analyst.
• If you just send simple newsletter blasts, then you may not be using the full breadth of what Braze offers, and lighter tools will be easier/faster.
• For marketing teams new to behavior-triggered, cross-channel campaigns, there could be a higher learning curve.

Pricing & Plans

• Pricing is custom; based on data usage, channels, volume, and features.
• Some sources suggest that for full enterprise use- multi‑channel, data heavy-you might be looking at tens of thousands of dollars annually.

Why Choose Braze?

Braze will be an excellent choice for a business looking to scale its customer engagement through personalized, multichannel marketing. It's ideal for companies that need advanced segmentation, real-time messaging, and cross-channel orchestration, allowing for highly targeted campaigns across email, push, SMS, and more.

Conclusion

By comparing the features of email template builders, email builder tools, email design software, email template software, and even free email templates builders, a decision is predominantly based on your particular needs:

• If your focus is on designing email templates quickly, with high flexibility, strong template libraries, and export options, then Stripo is the best overall.
• If you're a team collaborating and needing brand‑systems and workflow governance, then Chamaileon is your go-to.
• If budget is tight and you want to get started with a free email templates builder that still delivers strong value, consider Beefree.

Because it offers the best balance between usability, design depth, integrations, and a strong free tier, I lean toward Stripo as the best email builder for most marketers with template creation as a primary concern. Pair that with an ESP or platform you already use for sending, and you're getting a powerful design system without locking into a full ecosystem.