3 Best Frameworks For Stunning Responsive Email Templates In 2025

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November 8, 2024 Marketing

The need for responsive email design is no secret. 71.5% of customers most often use mobile devices to check emails. Despite that, designing and developing responsive email templates is still the biggest challenge for 36.1% of senders.

If you send out large numbers of responsive emails every day, coding that responds to different screen sizes can feel like dragging a ball and chain. The challenge only gets multiplied as new devices and mobile operating systems hit the market.

Thankfully, there is an efficient way for developers to accelerate the coding process of responsive email templates- email frameworks. Instead of starting from scratch every time you want to build a responsive email template, the framework gives you pre-built components to help you build faster and with fewer mistakes.

In this blog, we will walk you through the best 3 responsive email frameworks to help you accelerate your responsive email design process.

What Is a Responsive Email Framework?

A framework for responsive email templates is a set of code for quicker development. It saves you time and effort by providing a foundation because the framework handles the tricky parts of creating responsive emails. Which in turn enhances email deliverability with responsive designs.

Frameworks are like your email template’s blueprint. They offer you the structure and tools you need to write your code without reinventing the wheel every time. Some frameworks come with pre-written code; others let you create code using simple commands.

Either way, they account for all the display issues your email templates might face. The biggest advantage of this is that you don’t have to track changes in how emails are displayed on different platforms and devices.

3 Best Frameworks for Responsive Email Templates

1. MJML

Why It’s Great

With MJML (Mailjet Markup Language), you get a library of pre-built, standard components. Columns, Sections, images, groups, tables, accordions, social links, etc. These components cut down on the manual work of complex coding while giving you the flexibility to customize your templates. It’s free to use.

Key Features

Two-Panel Editor: MJML’s online editor shows a real-time preview of your email. You instantly have a preview of how your design will look across devices.
Simplified Markup: You can use simple tags like <mj-section> and <mj-column>, and MJML will automatically convert them into the correct responsive HTML and inline CSS.
Open Source & Community-Driven: It’s an open-source framework. The enthusiastic community of developers contributes templates, components, and improvements, enabling you to keep up with the latest industry needs.

Benefits for Marketers

Marketers can create responsive email templates without relying heavily on technical skills. It curates a collection of 20 free templates tailored to different purposes and industries. The result is that you save time and reduce instances of errors.

How It Helps Build a Stunning Responsive Email Template

By translating its simplified code into responsive HTML and CSS, MJML ensures that your emails render to the T on all devices and email clients. It handles responsiveness automatically. Meaning that the template components stack from multi-column to single-column without the developer’s active intervention.

2. Foundation for Emails

Why It’s Great

Foundation for Emails, a free-to-use email framework developed by ZURB, simplifies responsive email template development with its powerful templating language, Inky. The streamlined workflow helps both beginners and seasoned developers create responsive emails. You can choose between two versions: CSS or Sass. Each offers flexibility depending on your level of customization needs.

Key Features

Inky Templating Language: It makes writing HTML for emails easier by replacing complex code with simple tags like <container>, <row>, and <column>.
Two Versions Available:

CSS Version: Comes with boilerplate HTML, 11 pre-designed email templates, and all necessary CSS files. But you’ll need to run it through the Web Inliner tool before sending emails to ensure the styles are embedded correctly for better email client compatibility.

Sass Version: For developers looking for more control, the Sass version offers a complete build process and allows you to customize your email designs further.

Up-to-Date Framework: ZURB’s team ensures that Foundation for Emails works as per the latest compatibility standards.
Extensive Documentation and Learning Resources: Detailed guides and free and paid lessons to get a better hang of the responsive email framework. A fully annotated boilerplate template helps beginners understand how to extend it with their code.

Benefits for Marketers

Foundation for Emails is perfect for marketers who need reliable, responsive email template designs that work across most email clients, including (even tricky ones like Outlook). It’s customizable to fit your specific campaign needs—whether it’s a newsletter, promotion, or announcement.

How It Helps Build a Stunning Responsive Email Template

Its built-in tools, like the Web Inliner and live reloading server, make real-time testing easier. The Sass version offers more control and customization, especially for complex projects that require advanced styling and dynamic elements. With pre-built templates and an intuitive templating language, you can quickly build responsive emails that are visually appealing and compatible with a wide range of email clients.

3. HEML

Why It’s Great

HEML is designed for developers who want the feel of building websites in email development. It’s an open-source, free XML-based markup language designed to simplify the quirks of HTML email coding. For those familiar with HTML and CSS, HEML does not have to learn any complex new rules or structures.

Plus, HEML allows you to share and use custom assets created by other users, turning email coding into a collaborative experience.

Key Features

Native Feel with Familiar Syntax: Because it’s similar to HTML, there’s no steep learning curve.
Flexibility with Custom Elements: You can create custom elements and style rules and share them with the broader community. Collaboration lets you build on others’ work or contribute your own.
Automatic Inlining: One of the biggest headaches in email development is inlining CSS. With HEML, this is done automatically. Meaning you can focus more on design and functionality rather than spending hours on inline styles.
Responsive Grid System: There is a built-in 12-column grid system. All containers default to 100% width, with a max width of 600px, so your emails will adapt perfectly to both desktop and mobile screens.
Comprehensive Documentation: The detailed documentation and a quick-start guide make it easy to set up, even if you’re new to email development.

Benefits for Marketers

The ability to create custom elements allows marketers to work with developers to build unique responsive email designs that align with brand guidelines. Plus, the built-in grid system ensures that every email will look polished and professional on any device.

How It Helps Build a Stunning Responsive Email Template

HEML’s automatic inlining and responsive grid system takes much of the guesswork out of email coding. Developers can code as they would for a webpage. You get the flexibility of creating beautiful, responsive designs without the headache of troubleshooting inconsistencies between platforms like Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the right framework depends on what your responsive email template project needs. MJML is great for quick turnaround and flexible designs, while Foundation for Emails gives you more control over detailed layouts. HEML is a good choice if you’re comfortable with HTML and want flexibility similar to web development.

Whichever responsive email framework you choose, always test how your email looks across all major clients. Frameworks make the design process easier, but testing ensures your emails look great in every inbox.