Besides various drag-and-drop email editors and custom HTML templates, there’s another powerful way to streamline and accelerate the email creation process: Email frameworks.
Think of them as a toolbox filled with essential building blocks: buttons, columns, spacers, and more. Forget endless lines of code – frameworks streamline the process, saving you time without sacrificing quality.
So, whether you’re a coding pro or a marketer seeking a simpler solution, this guide is for you. We’ll explore the top-rated frameworks and show you how to leverage them to build emails that resonate with your audience and conquer the inbox.
To ensure we’re all on the same page, let’s quickly look at HTML emails before diving into email frameworks.
Email Frameworks With And Without Custom Tags
HTML emails are created using Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), the same language that builds web pages. HTML serves as the building blocks of your email, defining the structure and organization of the content. Imagine placing text, headings, buttons, and images in your email—all of that is laid out with HTML.
But HTML on its own wouldn’t make your email look very exciting. That’s where CSS comes in! Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) dictate how the email elements are displayed. They control visual aspects like fonts, colors, backgrounds, and image layouts.
Enter email frameworks.
Email frameworks are like pre-built toolkits for email developers. They offer a collection of ready-made HTML and CSS components that you can snap together to build emails quickly and efficiently.
You can use an email framework as a base to write your code. Frameworks provide structure, define rules, and offer the essential tools to create a project.
Here’s the breakdown of the two main framework types:
- Frameworks with Custom Tags: These use a special coding language on top of HTML/CSS. This can be helpful for teams with strong coding skills who want to avoid writing a lot of HTML/CSS from scratch or who want to automate parts of the email-building process.
- Frameworks without Custom Tags: These rely solely on clean HTML and CSS code. This approach offers more flexibility and is generally easier to learn for beginners.
Some tools even combine elements of both approaches, giving you more options.
With the foundation laid, let’s dive into the heart of the matter: the top five frameworks for building HTML emails in 2024.
5 Must-Have Frameworks For Stunning HTML Emails In 2024
MJML
Overview:
MJML, originally an internal project by email marketing specialist Mailjet, is now an open-source framework designed to simplify responsive email development. It offers a library of pre-built components and a user-friendly interface, allowing developers to build emails faster with cleaner code.
Key Features:
Custom Markup Language: MJML employs a unique templating language that resembles HTML but uses its own tags. The MJML engine then compiles these tags into clean, responsive HTML code.
Pre-built Components: MJML provides a wide range of reusable components, such as text blocks, images, buttons, columns, and sections. This eliminates the need to write repetitive HTML code for common email elements.
Responsive Design Built-In: MJML automatically handles responsiveness, ensuring your emails seamlessly adapt to different screen sizes.
Open-Source: MJML is free to use and offers full access to its source code, promoting transparency and customization for developers.
User-Friendly Interface: The drag-and-drop interface allows for intuitive email building. Developers can visualize their emails in real-time as they add and arrange components.
Offline Mode: Unlike some frameworks, MJML offers an offline engine that lets developers work on their emails without an internet connection.
Community-Driven: MJML is free to use and boasts an active community that shares templates, components, and tools to enhance the platform.
Pros:
Easy to Learn: Beginner-friendly syntax and clear documentation for quick ramp-up.
Saves Time: Pre-built components and responsive design reduce coding complexity.
Excellent Documentation: Comprehensive guides and community resources for ongoing learning.
Open-Source: Freely available with opportunities for modification and contribution.
Multiple Usage Options: Online editor, desktop app, Node.js integration, and various plugins for popular editors.
Cons:
Limited Features & Bugs: MJML is relatively new and may have limitations in functionalities or display issues across some email clients (e.g., background images, Outlook rendering).
Complex Converted HTML: While responsive, the generated HTML code can be intricate, potentially causing challenges for those less familiar with HTML/CSS.
Large File Sizes: Converted HTML can be bulky due to the code needed for multi-client rendering. To avoid exceeding email client size limits, this might require minification.
Maizzle
Overview:
Maizzle is an email development framework that leverages Tailwind CSS and Node.js to build responsive emails. It offers an alternative to frameworks with custom tags by relying on standard HTML and Tailwinds utility classes. This eliminates the need to learn a new templating language.
Key Features:
Tailwind CSS Integration: Style emails efficiently using Tailwind’s utility classes, streamlining development and reducing file switching.
GitHub Flavored Markdown Support: Embed markdown content directly in your emails.
Inline CSS with Transformers: Maizzle’s build process automatically inlines CSS for optimal compatibility with email clients.
AMP-Ready Layouts: The default email layout is built with AMP compatibility in mind.
Full Control Over Email Code: Maizzle offers complete control over the underlying HTML and CSS, allowing for deep customization of styling and accessibility.
Pros:
No Need to Learn New Language: Maizzle leverages familiar HTML and Tailwind CSS, eliminating the need for a new templating syntax specific to the framework.
Efficient Development: Tailwind’s utility classes and features, such as Ninjucks templating, promote faster development by streamlining styling and code organization.
Optimized Email Rendering: Automatic CSS inlining ensures emails display consistently across various email clients.
AMP Compatibility: The framework’s default layout provides a strong foundation for emails that meet AMP requirements.
Deep Customization: Full control over the underlying code allows for extensive customization of email design and accessibility.
Cons:
No Shortcuts: Maizzle relies on standard HTML and Tailwind classes, potentially eliminating shortcuts offered by frameworks with custom tags.
Bojler
Overview:
Bojler is an email development framework designed to simplify the creation of lightweight, responsive HTML emails. It empowers developers with modern tools and technologies to build emails that render flawlessly across popular email clients.
Key Features:
Built-in Automation: Bojler streamlines the development process with built-in automation for tasks like SASS compilation, CSS inlining, and CSS linting.
Boilerplate Template: A pre-built template provides a solid foundation for quickly starting new email projects.
Automatic CSS Inlining: Eliminate the need for manual CSS inlining or third-party tools. Bojler automatically inlines your CSS with every change, ensuring consistent rendering.
SASS Integration: Bojler leverages SASS for easy modification, extension, and improved code maintainability.
Responsive Design Tools: Built-in responsive utility classes, custom breakpoints, and a modern grid system empower developers to create responsive email layouts effortlessly.
Solid Typography Foundation: Bojler offers predefined typography styles, system font stacks, and reset classes for lists, providing a strong base for email content.
Customizable Utility Classes: High-specificity selectors and helper classes offer granular control over styling elements like backgrounds, spacing, and typography.
Optional Pre-Built Components: Bojler includes a library of optional pre-built code blocks) that can be used to accelerate email template creation.
Pros:
Faster Development: Automation features, boilerplate templates, and automatic inlining significantly reduce development time.
Improved Code Quality: SASS integration and built-in tools promote cleaner and more maintainable code.
Effortless Responsive Design: Built-in features simplify the creation of responsive email layouts.
Strong Typography Foundation: Pre-built styles and reset classes provide a solid base for email content.
Customizable Styling: Granular control over styles with utility classes.
Optional Pre-Built Components: Reusable components can accelerate email template development.
Cons :
Learning Curve: While user-friendly, there might be a slight learning curve for those unfamiliar with SASS or the framework’s specific syntax.
Foundation For Emails
Overview:
Foundation for Emails (formerly Ink) is a framework by Zurb that streamlines the creation of responsive emails. It offers a comprehensive development environment, pre-built components, and a templating system to help developers build emails that render consistently across various devices and email clients.
Key Features:
Starter Kit: A comprehensive development environment with pre-configured tools and Node.js commands for efficient project setup and workflow.
Organized File Structure: Clear folder and subfolder structure promotes code organization and simplifies team collaboration.
Boilerplate Template: A well-structured and annotated template provides a starting point for email development.
Built-in Inliner: Automatically converts SASS/SCSS styles to inline styles for optimal email client compatibility.
12-Column Grid System: A flexible grid system based on 12 columns allows for precise layout control.
Panini Build Tool: Panini, a custom library, compiles HTML pages using layouts and supports Handlebars syntax for templating customization.
Responsive Design Approach: Defaults to desktop view first, then scales for smaller screens, ensuring compatibility across email clients with limited media query support.
Mobile Breakpoint Control: Configure a single mobile breakpoint to switch between desktop and mobile layouts.
Pros:
Faster Development: Starter kit, pre-built components, and templating system promote efficient email development.
Improved Code Maintainability: Organized file structure, SASS support, and built-in inliner contribute to cleaner and more maintainable code.
Consistent Rendering: Focus on cross-client compatibility ensures emails display correctly across various email clients.
Simplified Team Collaboration: Clear file structure and conventions facilitate seamless teamwork.
More Precise Control Over End Results: The framework empowers developers with a high degree of control over the final appearance of the email.
Great Documentation: Comprehensive documentation aids learning and ensures effective framework usage.
Cons:
Steeper Learning Curve: Custom templating language (Inky) and build tool (Panini) might require additional learning compared to simpler frameworks.
Potentially Clunky Workflow: Some users might find the workflow less intuitive than certain frameworks.
Limited Breakpoint Control: Only one mobile breakpoint for switching between desktop and mobile layouts might restrict responsiveness for complex designs.
Large Project File Size: The framework and associated files can occupy significant disk space.
Less Intuitive Component Parameters: Customizing pre-built components might be slightly less straightforward than frameworks with predefined parameters.
Fewer Components Available: The library of pre-built components might be more limited than some other frameworks.
HEML
Overview:
HEML is an open-source email development framework built as an NPM module for Node.js. Inspired by HTML, HEML offers a familiar syntax that simplifies email coding and reduces the need to learn entirely new languages or complex frameworks.
Key Features:
HTML-like Syntax: HEML utilizes a syntax closely resembling HTML, making it easy for developers with existing HTML/CSS knowledge to learn and use.
Customizable Elements & Styles: HEML empowers developers to create custom elements and styling rules, extending the framework’s functionality.
Community Sharing: HEML fosters a collaborative environment by allowing users to share and utilize custom-built components and styles.
Optional CSS Inlining: HEML offers built-in CSS inlining for improved compatibility across email clients, but you can disable it if you prefer.
Clean HTML Integration: HEML integrates seamlessly with standard HTML, allowing developers to leverage both languages within the same project.
Pros:
Fast Learning Curve: The familiar HTML-like syntax minimizes the learning curve for developers with existing HTML/CSS skills.
Simplified Development: HEML streamlines email development by offering an intuitive syntax and reducing the need for complex frameworks.
Code Reusability: The ability to create and share custom components promotes code reuse and collaboration within the HEML community.
Straightforward Setup: The readily available quick-start guide facilitates a smooth learning experience.
Cons:
Potential for Limited Features: Compared to more complex frameworks, HEML might offer a less extensive range of built-in features.
Reliance on Node.js: HEML requires Node.js for installation and usage, potentially introducing an additional dependency for developers unfamiliar with the environment.
Conclusion
We’ve explored a range of frameworks, each with strengths and quirks. From MJML’s user-friendly, drag-and-drop interface to Bojler’s deep customization, there’s a framework out there to suit every developer’s needs and preferences.
The Takeaway:
- Consider your skillset: Are you a seasoned coder or a marketer seeking a simpler solution? Choose a framework that aligns with your comfort level.
- Think about workflow: Do you value a visual interface or prefer the control of writing code? Explore frameworks that cater to your preferred development style.
- Prioritize features: Do you need a vast library of pre-built components, or is a clean, HTML-like syntax your top priority? Identify the features most important to your projects.
Remember, frameworks are there to empower you, not replace your creativity. Use them as a springboard to craft stunning emails that capture attention and drive results.
Ready to take the plunge? Head over to the websites of the frameworks you find most intriguing. Many offer extensive documentation, tutorials, and even online communities to support you on your email development journey. Happy building!
