What’s Electronic mail on Acid and What are the Alternate options?
Let’s lower proper to the chase, we could? If you’d like an Electronic mail on Acid various, you’re right here for one in every of two causes:
- You’re trying to find electronic mail testing instruments and need to examine your choices.
- You’re unhappy with Electronic mail on Acid for some motive, and also you want another.
You most likely notice you’re visiting the Electronic mail on Acid weblog proper now. And it’s possible you’ll assume we’ll be biased… that you just received’t get an trustworthy comparability of comparable instruments. That’s comprehensible.
Should you’re within the first group, we promise to do our greatest to provide you a simple rationalization of those totally different platforms and companies. Should you’re within the second group, the least you are able to do is hear us out earlier than you cancel. Proper?
What’s Electronic mail on Acid?
Earlier than we discover the options, it would show you how to to know precisely what Sinch Electronic mail on Acid does and why you’d need to use (or hold) it within the first place.
We constructed this platform to assist senders with electronic mail high quality assurance (QA). For many companies, the e-mail channel is essential for communication, advertising and marketing, and the general buyer expertise. Senders want every message and each marketing campaign to look its finest and performance as anticipated after arriving in subscribers’ inboxes.
Nevertheless, reaching electronic mail perfection is way simpler mentioned than performed. One of many largest challenges is that totally different electronic mail shoppers have diversified ranges of help for HTML and CSS. In addition they use their very own electronic mail rendering engines, which implies the way in which a marketing campaign appears in Gmail or Yahoo Mail could possibly be very totally different in Outlook or Apple Mail.
What are electronic mail previews?
A key function of our platform is the Electronic mail Preview engine, which reveals you the way an HTML electronic mail marketing campaign renders on greater than 100 shoppers, reside gadgets, and cellular working methods. This type of electronic mail testing occurs earlier than you hit ship so you’ll be able to troubleshoot and repair issues as an alternative of discovering out later that you just despatched a damaged electronic mail to 1000’s of individuals.
Our electronic mail previews are screenshots that present customers precisely how their campaigns are rendered in several situations. It could possibly be Apple Mail on an iPhone 13 in darkish mode or on a Pixel 5 in Gmail operating Android 13 (simply to call a pair). You ship a take a look at electronic mail, and we ship you again a set of screenshots for evaluate. Take a look at this pattern take a look at end result to see it for your self.
This may increasingly sound easy and simple. However maintaining issues operating isn’t as simple as you assume – simply ask our product workforce and software program engineers. That’s why there actually aren’t many comparable Electronic mail on Acid options on the market.
Some groups conduct guide electronic mail advertising and marketing QA, which implies they ship take a look at emails to colleagues for evaluate. Whereas that’s higher than nothing, it nonetheless leaves a variety of room for inaccuracy and human error.
Electronic mail on Acid options and advantages
You possibly can additionally describe Electronic mail on Acid as an automatic electronic mail advertising and marketing guidelines. That’s as a result of the advantages transcend previews. Should you’re presently utilizing our software program for previews solely, there could also be some instruments you can begin profiting from.
What else can Electronic mail on Acid do?
- Inbox Show: Optimize your topic traces, preview textual content, and sender title to enhance open charges and guarantee visibility on cellular gadgets.
- Accessibility checks: Add picture alt textual content, test coloration distinction, and optimize your electronic mail for display screen readers. This ensures each subscriber can simply have interaction with what you ship.
- Deliverability checks: Test your IP tackle towards main blocklists and spam filters earlier than you hit ship. This helps you keep away from inbox placement points that drastically cut back electronic mail ROI.
- Hyperlink Validation: Test each hyperlink in your electronic mail to make certain you by no means ship subscribers to a 404. Substitute damaged hyperlinks in actual time. Plus, add lacking UTM parameters for monitoring visits to your web site.
- Picture Validation: Optimize photos and graphics for the e-mail inbox. This function helps enhance load time and allows you to modify animated GIFs for Outlook.
- Spell Test: Make a remaining test for any typos and spelling errors earlier than your marketing campaign launches. This function features a profanity filter to assist shield your model fame. We’ll test alt textual content and preview textual content for errors too.
- Edit electronic mail code: While you discover a rendering situation in an electronic mail preview, you don’t have to depart the platform to repair it. Troubleshoot and regulate code with out going forwards and backwards between your ESP and testing platform.
- Electronic mail Analytics: Transcend the fundamental electronic mail metrics to achieve a deeper understanding of your contact listing. Our superior analytics function insightful engagement information comparable to Learn, Look, Delete charges. Plus, see geolocations, get heatmaps, and discover out which shoppers your subscribers are utilizing to view your emails. You possibly can even filter out prefetch opens to enhance the accuracy of reporting.
- Collaboration: Staff administration options let stakeholders evaluate, remark, and approve campaigns through the QA course of. You can even customise person roles and permissions to manage entry.
Maybe the largest advantage of utilizing Electronic mail on Acid is that we provide limitless testing with each paid plan. Meaning you’ll be able to take a look at as a lot as wanted and see as many electronic mail previews as you need. Limitless testing is a worthwhile differentiator you received’t discover with lots of our options.
Why discovering an Electronic mail on Acid various is complicated
Should you analysis electronic mail testing options on among the well-liked software program evaluate and comparability websites, you would possibly get somewhat combined up. That’s as a result of there are various kinds of electronic mail testing with particular functions.
Not all these companies talked about on tech evaluate web sites provide electronic mail previews. In reality, most don’t. Some are for electronic mail validation testing. Others are for electronic mail A/B testing, and nonetheless others could also be for SMTP testing and spam testing.
Even respected web sites like Gartner in addition to G2 appear to be lacking the mark when evaluating Electronic mail on Acid options. You’ll discover fully unrelated SaaS manufacturers listed as potential choices, together with CRMs like Salesforce. That’s simply plain complicated and inaccurate.
What Electronic mail on Acid just isn’t
That will help you determine what you actually need and resolve whether or not you’re prepared for Electronic mail on Acid or another choice, right here are some things our platform doesn’t do:
- Electronic mail on Acid just isn’t an electronic mail service supplier (ESP). Meaning you don’t use it to ship emails or handle your contact lists.
- Electronic mail on Acid doesn’t provide a WYSIWYG electronic mail builder. Whereas there’s an Electronic mail Editor in our platform that permits you to code campaigns from scratch, it’s typically used for find-and-fix performance. There is no such thing as a drag-and-drop electronic mail editor for non-coders.
- Electronic mail on Acid just isn’t for tackle validation. Verifying electronic mail contacts and conducting listing hygiene just isn’t a part of our present providing.
- Electronic mail on Acid just isn’t advertising and marketing automation. Regardless that we discuss “workflows” for electronic mail QA and assist automate the method, our software program just isn’t used to construct automated electronic mail workflows.
- Electronic mail on Acid just isn’t a whole deliverability answer. Whereas we do provides spam testing and pre-send checks to make sure you’re not on a blocklist, there are different choices that present extra complete help for improved inbox placement.
- Electronic mail on Acid doesn’t take a look at SMTP or automated electronic mail sequences. We streamline QA for electronic mail entrepreneurs relatively than for software program engineers who’re integrating electronic mail into apps and testing electronic mail infrastructure.
10 Electronic mail on Acid options: Professionals and Cons
This listing of choices focuses solely on software program that gives comparable companies to Electronic mail on Acid. It’s additionally doable that you will see that ESPs and CRMs that supply electronic mail shopper previews. In lots of circumstances, these suppliers are utilizing an API to white label the function. The previews in these platforms usually come from Sinch Electronic mail on Acid or our prime competitor.
1. Litmus
Litmus is the opposite recognizable title in electronic mail pre-deployment testing. While you come throughout on-line discussions about testing HTML emails, each manufacturers are sometimes talked about collectively.
Curiously, there are some electronic mail advertising and marketing groups who select to make use of each Electronic mail on Acid and Litmus. That tells you one thing about how vital this course of is.
Whereas there are variations between our two platforms, their foremost function is analogous. Litmus provides extra superior options like a solution to centralize model property, a drag-and-drop visible editor, and electronic mail personalization instruments.
Litmus is actually the costliest Electronic mail on Acid various. You’ll must resolve if the extras that include Litmus are useful. If you have already got instruments to design and personalize electronic mail campaigns, it’s possible you’ll not need to pay for what you don’t want.
You’re most likely good sufficient to not fall for these product comparability pages that inaccurately spin issues to make one model look excellent and the opposite look horrible. However simply in case you need to see them:
Litmus – Professionals
Like Electronic mail on Acid, Litmus gives complete electronic mail shopper previews. Though, our screenshots do generally ship totally different outcomes for a similar shoppers and gadgets.
Litmus may also be used as a software to construct electronic mail campaigns. Nevertheless, you’ll nonetheless want an ESP to ship emails. And that platform you’re utilizing might have already got a enough electronic mail constructing answer.
The personalization options from Litmus could possibly be a worthwhile solution to improve electronic mail engagement, assuming you don’t have already got an enough answer for personalization.
Litmus – Cons
Apart from a better price ticket, the largest draw back of Litmus is that you’ll not get pleasure from the good thing about limitless testing. Paid plans from Litmus have a set variety of month-to-month electronic mail previews. While you exceed the quantity restrict, you’re charged for overages.
Right here’s what a Reddit person needed to say about receiving overages from Litmus:
“I simply acquired discover that my utilization of electronic mail previews far exceeds what the fundamental account construction allocates — which was information to me that it even counted it that manner!
I am pinging you all right here to get a greater understanding of one of the simplest ways to make use of Litmus as it’s marketed, with out incurring–quite frankly–insane overcharges.”
You don’t have to fret about that with Electronic mail on Acid (simply sayin’).
2. Mailgun Optimize
Mailgun Optimize is a complete deliverability suite. It consists of electronic mail previews which can be powered by Electronic mail on Acid’s expertise.
Pairing electronic mail deliverability with electronic mail previews makes a variety of sense. The way in which an electronic mail renders is a part of deliverability. Rendering is a bit just like the grand finale of inbox placement. For instance, if an vital marketing campaign reaches the inbox, nevertheless it’s unreadable on a well-liked electronic mail shopper like Outlook, it might as nicely land in spam. That’s as a result of your subscribers received’t have the ability to have interaction with it. So, what’s the purpose?
Whereas previews are a superb function of Mailgun Optimize, the platform excels at offering insights to enhance inbox placement. That features sender fame monitoring, options for electronic mail validation, and inbox placement studies. Customers can combine with companies like Google Postmaster Instruments in addition to Microsoft SNDS.
Mailgun Optimize – Professionals
You don’t have to make use of Mailgun as your ESP to benefit from Mailgun Optimize. So, if you’re on the lookout for a deliverability answer in addition to electronic mail previews, it is a handy choice.
Should you’re involved concerning the 2024 sender necessities from Gmail and Yahoo Mail, this software may even show you how to test to verify electronic mail authentication protocols are working appropriately whereas maintaining tabs in your sender fame with Gmail.
Mailgun Optimize – Cons
Like Litmus, Mailgun Optimize has limits to the variety of month-to-month previews accessible to customers. Not like Litmus, Mailgun is rather more clear about overages – itemizing them on the pricing web page.
Whereas Mailgun Optimize has extra strong deliverability instruments than Electronic mail on Acid, it doesn’t present the identical options for electronic mail QA which can be accessible inside our automated Marketing campaign Precheck workflow.
3. Everest from Validity
Everest from Validity payments itself as an “electronic mail success platform” that focuses on deliverability and elevated engagement. It consists of some options which can be just like Mailgun Optimize. It doesn’t, nonetheless, provide as a lot in the way in which of electronic mail shopper previews.
As soon as upon a time, Everest was often known as the separate companies ReturnPath and 250ok, which used Electronic mail on Acid’s preview engine. Then there was this complete lawsuit factor that we’re not at liberty to debate on our weblog.
At this time, what Everest provides are Design Exams. The positioning means that that is extra for seeing how your electronic mail campaigns are displayed on totally different display screen sizes (desktop, smartphone, pill).
Everest – Professionals
An fascinating side of the Everest platform is its Aggressive Intelligence function, which may assist senders differentiate themselves when it comes to issues comparable to topic traces and ship occasions.
It’s designed to help electronic mail efficiency by way of deliverability and engagement enhancements, nevertheless it’s missing when it comes to previews for pre-send electronic mail testing.
Everest – Cons
Everest is rather more restricted with regards to the breadth and depth of previews accessible for testing. It states it provides practically 20 electronic mail shopper previews (or 70+ electronic mail purposes) whereas Electronic mail on Acid and Litmus present greater than 100.Design checks from Everest are additionally restricted primarily based on the plan. You’ll get zero of those electronic mail checks on the lowest pricing tier.
4. Electronic mail Preview Companies
Electronic mail Preview Companies (EPS) is a SaaS firm primarily based in Ukraine. Because the title suggests, previews are the primary function of this service.
EPS additionally has spam testing, gives some analytics, and has an HTML electronic mail editor for constructing or fixing campaigns.
Like Electronic mail on Acid and Litmus, this various sends its customers screenshots from inside reside inboxes to evaluate for issues. Nevertheless, the breadth and depth of shoppers and machine previews accessible is significantly lower than the main choices.
Electronic mail Preview Companies – Professionals
Like Electronic mail on Acid, EPS clients get limitless electronic mail previews every month. If previews are all you want, this additionally gives a less expensive, but less-comprehensive various. The positioning presently solely lists round 50 shoppers. Lacking, for instance, are previews from gadgets operating the most recent Android working system. As of this writing it’s additionally lacking previews for the most recent iPhones.
As a result of new variations of smartphones are well-liked with customers, and cellular carriers push folks towards frequently updating their telephones, you’ll need to make sure you’re getting previews from the most recent gadgets.
Electronic mail Preview Companies – Cons
Whereas testing previews could also be an important step within the electronic mail QA course of, it often comes on the very finish – as soon as all the opposite doable issues are addressed. What EPS customers are lacking is a full high quality assurance answer for electronic mail advertising and marketing.
There aren’t any accessibility checks, no inbox show previews for topic traces, no picture or URL validation for graphics and hyperlinks. It’s additionally lacking collaboration options, which permit groups to remark and approve screenshots earlier than a marketing campaign launches.
5. Mailosaur
Mailosaur is software program for testing each electronic mail and SMS. The platform’s most strong capabilities contain testing automated electronic mail and SMS workflows.
Whereas it does provide some options for entrepreneurs, its energy could also be in serving software program engineers and those that are programming purposes. Mailosuaur gives options like a developer sandbox and integrations with different testing platforms, together with Cypress, Playwright, and Selenium.
Whereas Mailosaur talks up its electronic mail previews, it seems this function is barely accessible as a “bolt-on,” which we predict is a cool manner of claiming you must pay additional for it.
Mailosaur – Professionals
Should you want an answer that gives electronic mail and SMS automated workflow testing, Mailosaur appears like a legitimate choice. As an Electronic mail on Acid various, nonetheless, it’s not fairly comparable. The platforms appear to serve totally different main audiences, and electronic mail previews aren’t a core a part of the Mailosaur product. It does present different key pre-send testing options comparable to checking for damaged hyperlinks.
Mailosaur – Cons
As talked about, electronic mail shopper previews are solely accessible as an add-on to the Mailosaur product. There’s no clear info on the web site about what these extra prices are. Whereas it might be very best for electronic mail automation QA, it lacks some vital options for electronic mail advertising and marketing QA.
6. Parcel.io
Parcel is an electronic mail design and improvement software that’s grow to be very fashionable with electronic mail geeks who write code. Our personal Megan Boshuyzen makes use of Parcel to code campaigns and run a component-based electronic mail design system.
Customers can see reside previews of various display screen sizes whereas they’re coding. They’ll additionally ship take a look at emails to get screenshots despatched again from a wide array of shoppers and gadgets. Parcel gives electronic mail previews on greater than 80 shoppers and gadgets
Parcel – Professionals
If you wish to take a look at and preview HTML electronic mail campaigns as you code them, Parcel makes that very handy. It’s an incredible software for electronic mail builders as a result of it additionally permits you to construct a library of reuseable parts.
For the non-coders in your workforce, there’s additionally a visible editor and workforce administration options for collaboration.
Parcel – Cons
Parcel’s Inbox Previews are an add-on to the platform that begins at $49 for 500 previews per thirty days and gives a pay-as-you-go mannequin for added previews.
7. Mailtrap HTML Checker
Mailtrap is an identical answer to Mailosaur in that it claims to assist dev groups take a look at, ship, and management electronic mail infrastructure from one place. Past that, the platform additionally provides an HTML electronic mail checker that appears for code compatibility amongst well-liked electronic mail shoppers.
On this Mailtrap weblog publish protecting totally different electronic mail preview instruments, the author even lists the product as higher for software program engineers than entrepreneurs, separating Electronic mail on Acid and Litmus into the advertising and marketing software class.
Mailtrap – Professionals
The previews in Mailtrap’s options are an appropriate various for software program engineers who want previews together with different forms of electronic mail testing and QA for sending. It claims to supply probably the most electronic mail shoppers available on the market, however doesn’t present a definitive quantity. Mailtrap could also be a great way for electronic mail entrepreneurs and software program engineers who’re growing automated workflows to attach and collaborate.
Mailtrap – Cons
As they level out, whereas it does present previews, Mailtrap isn’t essentially a software for electronic mail advertising and marketing groups. In case your aim is to optimize newsletters and promotional electronic mail campaigns for various inboxes, it’s possible you’ll find yourself with a extra technical software that’s lacking useful options for entrepreneurs.
8. HTML Electronic mail Test
HTML Electronic mail Test is a platform that primarily retains electronic mail builders in thoughts. The choices are separated into validation options and utility instruments. Validation companies embrace issues comparable to HTML and CSS validation in addition to hyperlink and picture validation. It additionally lists options to validate accessibility and cellular responsiveness.
To be clear, this software program doesn’t embrace electronic mail validations, which confirm the legitimacy of electronic mail contact information for improved listing hygiene.
The utility instruments embrace checks for darkish mode and an HTML editor amongst others.
HTML Electronic mail Test – Professionals
It is a software that particularly targets folks coding HTML emails, which is sweet. It’s constructed to assist electronic mail builders discover and repair issues with their code primarily based on identified finest practices, electronic mail shopper help, and potential points. However it’s lacking a key part that helps electronic mail builders overcome electronic mail shopper rendering inconsistencies.
HTML Electronic mail Test – Cons
Should you’re on the lookout for a service that delivers precise screenshot previews from the most well-liked electronic mail shoppers and gadgets, you received’t get that from HTML Electronic mail Test.
The Visible Editor and Visible Editor Inspector instruments explicitly state they’re for “non-client particular gadgets”. Take that to imply you’ll see how an electronic mail will seem on desktops, tablets, and cell phones (display screen sizes), however not from inside precise electronic mail inboxes.
Additionally, in case you want a collaborative answer for an electronic mail advertising and marketing workforce, this software is especially helpful to coders.
9. Inbox Pirates
Inbox Pirates is a Chrome extension that goals to supply preview companies with a click on. What’s not so clear is how nicely it really works for previews of HTML electronic mail campaigns. The demo on the location solely reveals somebody utilizing a plain textual content electronic mail despatched from a Gmail account.
Inbox Pirates does say that it integrates with a number of well-liked platforms like Mailchimp and Hubspot in addition to SendinBlue and Apollo.io. The main focus additionally appears to be on inbox show previews relatively than how an HTML electronic mail appears as soon as it’s opened.
Inbox Pirates – Professionals
Inbox Pirates previews embrace how a message seems within the notification bar/lockscreen of cell phones. That’s an fascinating function because it’s usually the primary place a contact sees your topic line and preview textual content.
Based mostly on the demo, the software appears to be designed primarily for gross sales groups seeking to preview chilly emails.
Inbox Pirates – Cons
Inbox Pirates says it gives previews from 20+ electronic mail shoppers, which is much lower than most different options. In line with the Chrome internet retailer, as of this writing, the Inbox Pirates extension was final up to date in October of 2022. New gadgets have been launched since then.
Inbox Pirates doesn’t present limitless previews. Its pricing construction is complicated. The Primary plan, for instance, limits customers to 4 previews/day or 10 previews/month. That makes it sound such as you’d hit your restrict in lower than three days.
10. Testi@
Testi@ is one other service that is purely devoted to electronic mail rendering previews. Like InboxPirates, it additionally provides a Chrome extension. The positioning signifies it has the flexibility to generate screenshots from greater than 100 rendering situations on totally different shoppers, gadgets, and working methods.
Testi@ provides a free model, however that features previews for simply two webmail shoppers. In line with its FAQ web page, they’re Gmail and Yahoo Mail on a Chrome browser. Along with the screenshots, you may also use Testi@ to ship take a look at emails to as much as 15 addresses for guide evaluate.
Testi@ – Professionals
It is a cheaper various that gives a pay-as-you-go mannequin as an alternative of a subscription. Quite than auto-renewing, you’ll be able to select the variety of customers and months you need to use the service. This may be choice for senders who select to check their electronic mail templates often relatively than testing each marketing campaign earlier than they ship. However there are dangers that include not testing each electronic mail each time. You will discover the worth doubles with each month or person you add.
Testi@ – Cons
If electronic mail previews are all you need, this might work. However you may be lacking lots of the extra checks that may add worth and assist optimize emails for efficiency and deliverability. Extra superior companies will provide recommendation on the right way to repair points with electronic mail code, and a few will even make automated changes. Testi@ is restricted to producing previews.
Testi will not let you know in case your emails are assembly accessibility requirements, for instance. You can also’t use it to test your hyperlinks (except you do it manually), spell test electronic mail copy, or preview inbox show.
Free Electronic mail on Acid options
There’s no such factor as a free lunch. There are some free electronic mail testing and preview instruments accessible, however you’re principally going to get what you pay for.
PutsMail: This a free software for guide electronic mail testing that Litmus acquired in 2014. PutsMail makes it simpler to ship take a look at emails to as much as 10 inboxes for evaluate. You paste in electronic mail code and enter electronic mail addresses for sending checks. Entry to precise previews/screenshots is locked, and you may be pressured to join Litmus.
MailNinja: For the worth of your contact data, MailNinja will ship you a hyperlink to its free electronic mail preview software. It helps you to paste in code to see the way it appears on cellular and desktop in addition to with photos on or off. It doesn’t present you electronic mail previews from particular shoppers and gadgets or warn you about any issues to repair.
Have in mind, lots of the subscription and pay-as-you-go choices above additionally provide a free model or free trials of the e-mail testing platforms.
Bought extra questions? We may help.
There’s so much to digest right here, we all know. In case you have questions on how Electronic mail on Acid works or anything associated to our platform, don’t hesitate to ship a message and phone us.
You can even request a customized demo to search out out extra about how your group can benefit from Electronic mail on Acid. Should you’d relatively test issues out for your self, benefit from our 7-day free trial and provides our instruments a take a look at drive.
Should you’re a present person who’s feeling pissed off, we welcome your suggestions and we’re right here to assist. Please get in contact with buyer help. Stay chat will doubtless get you the quickest response. You can even publish questions or issues about our product in our vendor channel on the Electronic mail Geeks Slack.
Simplify the Electronic mail QA Course of and Ship Perfection
What’s one of the simplest ways to run by way of your pre-send guidelines? With Sinch Electronic mail on Acid’s Marketing campaign Precheck, we’ve simplified the method and set all the things up for you. Use it to double-check your content material, optimize for deliverability, guarantee accessibility, and preview how campaigns look on greater than 100 of the most well-liked shoppers and gadgets. All earlier than you hit ship!
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