Email Marketing

9 Best Email Design Agencies for Startups (Reviews & Pricing)

When it comes to marketing as a startup, there’s nothing more important than emails, especially in 2024.

Why?

It’s because emails return as much as $40 for every dollar invested and that’s quite reassuring amidst the funding winter and investors’ newfound dislike of the “burn rate.”

Another alluring aspect of email marketing is “owning your audience” once they opt in as opposed to other platforms where you pay to reach out. Moreover, there’s no competition for attention as you own the screen real estate once a recipient opens your email.

However, how well you engage your subscribers depends on email design, and creating emails that stand out is easier said than done. That’s where email design agencies for startups come into the picture.

Read on to find 9 of the best email design agencies that are perfect for startups.

How We Chose the Best Email Design Agencies for Startups

Here are some of the key factors we considered to create this list of the best email design agencies for startups.

  • Services Offered: The agencies on this list offer a mix of services, from email template design to coding other technical services. These email design agencies cater to varying customer needs.
  • Online Reputation: We checked customer reviews and ratings for all these agencies and ensured that only the most reputable and trustworthy ones made the list. So, you can rest assured that each of these email design agencies for startups offers reliable services and tools.
  • Price: We’ve included a good mix of agencies for different budgets and needs. You’ll find email design agencies for startups with fixed plans and those that offer custom pricing. There’s something for everyone on this list.

Best Email Design Agencies for Startups: Our Top 9 Picks

Though Attrock also provides email marketing and design services, we believe it wouldn’t be fair to include ourselves on the list. We offer end-to-end services, not just email design, so it wouldn’t be a like-for-like comparison anyway.

That’s why we’ve decided to give a shoutout to email design agencies for startups that are doing a hell of a job.

Here are our top picks for the best email design agencies for startups.

1. Email Uplers – Scalable Solutions

Image via Email Uplers

Today, no discussion on email design agencies is complete without discussing Email Uplers—a custom email template design agency with a top-tier client portfolio.

It has clients like Disney and National Geographic in its portfolio and experience in handling fast-paced, high-volume design needs. This expertise can be easily applied to small businesses that can benefit from its learnings and experience working with industry giants.

Based on client reviews, Email Uplers tops the chart in following a process-driven approach and quick turnarounds. The company’s flexible engagement models and scalability make it an ideal pick for startups and enterprises alike. It also offers white-label services for agencies.

Key Services

  • PSD to HTML email conversion
  • Custom email design and coding
  • Interactive/kinetic template creation
  • Modular/master email template production
  • Email newsletter development
  • Integration support for 50+ email service providers

Pros

  • Clear and transparent pricing
  • Numerous email design services

Cons

  • Some users claim to have faced issues with templates not meeting the brief

Pricing

  • PSD to Email: Starts at $59 for a 72-hour delivery
  • Custom Email Design and Coding: Starts at $159 for a 6-day delivery
  • Modular Email Template Production: Custom pricing
  • Interactive/Kinetic Email templates: Custom pricing
  • Email Template Audit: Starts at $499

2. SmartMail – Ecommerce Email Experts

Image via SmartMail

SmartMail is a specialized email marketing agency for startups that caters exclusively to the ecommerce sector.

With a team of experts in strategy, design, coding, and client success, it offers a full range of services to help online merchants optimize their email campaigns throughout the customer lifecycle.

What sets SmartMail apart is its focus on delivering high-converting, trigger-based email campaigns that are fully managed by its team.

From growing subscriber lists and personalizing campaigns to creating responsive templates and executing data integrations, SmartMail has the knowledge and experience to drive results.

Key Services

  • Responsive email template design
  • Custom email newsletter design
  • HTML email design
  • Native ESP integration
  • Multiple revisions

Pros

  • 100% money-back guarantee for unsatisfied customers

Cons

  • Pricing information is not available on the website

Pricing

  • Custom pricing

3. ActionRocket – Interactive Email Innovators

Image via ActionRocket

ActionRocket is a boutique email design agency that pushes the boundaries of what's possible in the inbox. It specializes in using advanced tactics like gamification, animation, and dynamic content to create interactive email experiences.

Unsurprisingly, ActionRocket's portfolio has impressive examples of the same including product carousels, quizzes, and even in-email purchases.

It’s an ideal fit for startups that need more than beautiful-looking emails—functional and conversion-optimized assets that drive engagement and revenue.

Key Services

  • Email design
  • Interactive email campaign creation
  • Rich media and animation creation
  • Brand storytelling and copywriting

Pros

  • Specializes in creative design and is great for designing engaging emails
  • Can also be used for creating visuals that can be used in emails as well as other forms of marketing

Cons

  • Not a specialized email design service, it’s one of the many offerings
  • Pricing is not disclosed on the website

Pricing

  • Custom pricing

4. eFocus Marketing – Strategic Design Approach

Image via eFocus Marketing

If you’re looking for an agency that not only designs emails but helps you map out a cohesive email marketing strategy, then this is it. With a specialization in the ecommerce space, it can help you create email designs for different stages of the funnel, from welcoming new subscribers to recovering abandoned carts.

It provides extensive email marketing training to clients and considers their goals and audience to guide their email marketing strategy. This is great for startups who want to learn from the experts and then build in-house expertise.

Key Services

  • Responsive HTML email design
  • Modular email template design
  • Email campaign design
  • Email copywriting

Pros

  • Also offers email copywriting services, which many competitors don’t
  • Specializes in email marketing and design

Cons

  • Pricing is not disclosed on the website

Pricing

  • Custom pricing

5. Indiemark – Proven Track Record of Email Excellence

Image via Indiemark

Founded in 2008, Indiemark is a full-service email marketing agency built on the insights and passion of a team of email marketing veterans.

It focuses on helping clients build loyalty and generate revenue through practical guidance, creative design, and technical expertise to make the most out of every email marketing opportunity.

It helps clients in critical areas like deliverability and automation on top of training services, making it an ideal fit for startups.

Key Services

  • HTML coding
  • Graphic design
  • Responsive email design
  • Installation service for various ESPs
  • Training programs
  • Email copywriting

Pros

  • Offers forever support for any emails the company designed
  • Has over two decades of experience in email design

Cons

  • Pricing details are not available on the website

Pricing

  • Custom pricing

6. MailBakery – Coding Experts

Image via MailBakery

Mailbakery is an email design studio with over 10 years of industry experience. It specializes in designing, coding, testing, and implementing reusable HTML email templates.

If you want to convert your existing sketches or PSD files into an HTML format to be used for emails, then it can help with that as well. The agency has a team of coding experts that take care of technical aspects of email design along with the aesthetics.

Its team does an exceptional job with animations, making it a great fit for any startup that wants to leverage visual storytelling to its full extent.

Key Services

  • HTML email and newsletter coding and design
  • PSD/sketch to email conversion
  • Custom newsletter template design
  • Responsive email design
  • Integration with various ESPs
  • Existing email design enhancements

Pros

  • Has a no-questions-asked refund policy for dissatisfied clients
  • Claims quick revisions that are sent back within one day
  • Offers unlimited revisions on email templates

Cons

  • One-day delivery can cost almost twice the regular price, in some cases

Pricing

  • HTML Coding: Starts at $98 for 5-day delivery
  • Email Design: $258 and a two-day standard delivery
  • Mobile Optimization: Starts at $48 for 5-day delivery
  • Other Services: Custom pricing

7. MH Digital – Your Partner for Email & SMS Marketing Success

Image via MH Digital

MH Digital is a full-service email and SMS marketing agency that specializes in delivering comprehensive lifecycle marketing programs to drive growth and fortify revenue. Its team of experts balances both creativity and technical know-how to design effective campaigns.

MH Digital specializes in custom integrations, especially for Braze and Klaviyo, to maximize the potential of these platforms for ecommerce companies.

Key Services

  • Custom email template design
  • Responsive, dark mode, and dynamic content design

Pros

  • Offers technical email design services, such as dynamic email design

Cons

  • Doesn’t specialize in design services, but in email and SMS marketing
  • No pricing information is available on the website

Pricing

  • Custom pricing

8. Designmodo – Affordable, High-Quality Templates

Image via Designmodo

If you are running on a tight budget and would be happy to use templates that aren’t customized down to pixel level to meet your expectations, Designmodo is the best choice for you. It is an online marketplace of professionally designed, affordable email templates.

Since these templates are created by experienced designers and optimized for various devices and email clients, they provide a fast and reliable way to ramp up your email marketing efforts.

Also, it provides the source files with each template, giving startups full control to customize the designs to match their branding.

Key Features

  • Customizable pre-designed email templates
  • Drag-and-drop email builder app

Pros

  • Great for those who need an email template quickly and don’t want the to and fro
  • Offers a free plan for the template builder app

Cons

  • Does not offer custom email template design services

Pricing

Postcards (template builder app)

  • Free
  • Plus: $19 per month
  • Pro: $29 per month

Pre-designed email templates are also available for free.

9. The Better Creative – Personalized email design

Image via The Better Creative

The Better Creative is an email design agency that builds, tests, and implements emails on various email service providers. It is a high-touch, custom solution that takes clients’ requirements to create tailor-made email designs.

Depending on the plan, three to six dedicated designers work with you to design each email. You also get a dedicated project manager to handle your account and all your email requirements.

It charges per email and doesn’t bind clients with a monthly contract. The price per email reduces with the number of emails, so you get more value for your money with bulk orders.

Key Services

  • Custom email design and development
  • Email testing and implementation

Pros

  • 3-6 dedicated designers work on each email
  • It allows unlimited revisions for all emails
  • It offers a 30-day money-back guarantee for dissatisfied clients

Cons

  • Paying 100+ USD per email may be expensive for bootstrapped startups

Pricing

  • Better Business: $150 per email, for up to 25 emails
  • Better Agency: $125 per email, for 25-75 emails
  • Custom Plan: Custom pricing for over 75 emails

FAQs

Q1. How much should an email design cost?

A. It can cost anywhere from $100 to thousands of dollars, depending on the complexity or design. On average, you can expect to spend a few hundred dollars for custom email designs by professional email design agencies.

However, if you’re ok with predesigned templates, you will get those for much less, even for free.

Q2. What is an email design agency?

A. An email design agency specializes in creating email templates for clients, based on their specific requirements. Some such agencies also offer email copywriting, coding, and testing services.

Q3. Which is the best email design agency for startups?

A. That depends on your business needs and budget. Our top three picks for the best email design agency for startups are:

  • Email Uplers
  • SmartMail
  • ActionRocket

Q4. Which is the best email marketing company?

A. While there’s no right answer to this question, as it depends on various factors, some popular options include Mailchimp and Brevo. These are affordable email service providers that are often preferred by small businesses.

Q5. Is email marketing still worth it?

A. Absolutely yes! Email marketing is an evergreen marketing strategy that still remains effective. It gives you a chance to connect with your prospects directly and engage them without spending much.

Wrapping Up

Email marketing is an evergreen and cost-effective marketing tactic, but without great design, it fails to capture the audience’s attention.

That’s where email design agencies can help. They design engaging and responsive email and newsletter templates that are on-brand and help your emails stand out.

Some of these agencies for startups also offer email coding and copywriting services, which can further help you create high-performing emails.

We’ve listed some of the best email design agencies for startups to supercharge their email campaigns and get the best results.

If you need more comprehensive, end-to-end, email marketing services, then contact our team and they’ll design a custom strategy for your business.

Gaurav Sharma

Gaurav Sharma is the Founder and CEO of Attrock, a results-driven digital marketing company. Grew an agency from 5-figure to 7-figure revenue in just two years | 10X leads | 2.8X conversions | 300K organic monthly traffic | 5K keywords on page 1. He also contributes to top publications like HuffPost, Adweek, Business2Community, TechCrunch, and more.

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