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Your ESP's email builder isn't the ceiling 🎨
Hi again, {{name|Friend}}!
We're back with Volume 6 of our Email Tools TLDR, and this one's a bit of a full-circle moment.
Cast your mind back to Vol. 1, where we introduced you to Stripo and their GenAI email builder.
That was over a year ago. A lot has changed since then (in AI, in email, and in our community), so we thought it was only right to go back, take a proper look at what Stripo has become.
Why? Well, most email senders don't think about this enough, but:
You don't have to rely on your ESP's native email builder to send great emails.
Your ESP handles the sending. The segmentation. The automations. The analytics….but the builder? That's often where things get somewhat limiting. Restrictive templates, clunky drag-and-drop editors, minimal interactivity, and design ceilings can seriously cap your creativity before you've even started.
Stripo sits in a different lane entirely. It's designed to plug into your existing setup, let you build something better, and then push it to your ESP for sending.
And they've been busy since we last checked in.
So, allow us to reintroduce Stripo.
(PS: These are exclusive to our Email Advice in Your Inbox community. If you’d like to stop receiving these, simply hit this link or the preferences button to choose what you’d prefer to hear from us.)
More about Stripo
Let’s begin by asking ourselves a tough question: Is our ESP holding us back?
Most ESPs build their email editors to be functional. Good enough. They'll get the job done for a standard campaign with a header, some body copy, a button, and a footer. And for many senders, that's fine.
But "fine" has a shelf life.
The moment you want custom fonts, interactive elements, modular design systems, AMP-powered content, or the ability to push one email to multiple platforms without rebuilding it from scratch... your ESP's builder starts sweating a little.
That, folks, is where Stripo comes in.
Stripo is a dedicated email design platform with over 1.7 million users and 1,650+ pre-built templates. They integrate with 90+ ESPs and email clients, meaning you build once and export anywhere. Mailchimp, HubSpot, Brevo, Klaviyo, ActiveCampaign... the list is hella long.
And if your ESP isn't on it, there's always Zapier, Webhook, or a good old HTML download.
Look, they're not trying to replace your ESP. They're essentially trying to make your ESP better at the one thing it probably isn't great at: building emails worth opening.
Whether that claim holds up is exactly what we went to find out.
So, how did the playing go?
We spent proper time digging into Stripo's features, and, boy, all we can say is that it's stacked.
If you remember our Vol. 1 review, we were mostly focused on their AI assistant. This time, we went a tad wider. And the breadth of what's available for email senders of all kinds (newsletter operators, e-commerce brands, agencies, in-house teams) is genuinely impressive.
Here's what stood out:
The drag-and-drop editor is mature. Not "new platform trying to compete", mature. We're talking years of refinement. Basic blocks (image, text, button, spacer, socials, menu, banner) are all there, but the real good stuff sits in the advanced blocks and modules.
Content Modules deserve a special mention. You design a recurring email element once (a header, a product card, a footer, whatever), save it to your personal library, and drag it into any future template. One update to the module updates it everywhere, so if you're building emails at scale, this alone is a time-saver that compounds.
Custom fonts? Upload yours in under five minutes and use them across your designs. Try doing that in most ESP builders (we'll wait, but not likely).
Email annotations for Gmail let you surface product images, promo codes, and sale dates in the inbox before the subscriber even opens the email. Clever stuff for e-commerce senders, especially.
And the ability to switch between drag-and-drop and raw HTML editing means you're never locked into one way of working. For the brave souls who code their emails (respect), this flexibility is a non-negotiable.
Still reading? Good. Because we're about to get into the fun stuff.
Interactivity is the name of the game
We've talked about AMP in email before (remember Vol. 5 with Mailmodo?), and our stance hasn't changed: interactive emails are becoming a genuine differentiator in email as adoption grows.
Stripo was actually one of the first builders to implement AMP4Email technology, and their interactive features page shows just how far they've taken it.
Here's the quick rundown:
AMP Carousels and Accordions: Collapsible sections for product showcases, email digests, or manuals. Your subscribers browse without scrolling through a wall of content. Compact, clean, functional (what we all want, both as readers and senders, right?)
AMP Forms: Feedback collection, polls, quizzes, contact capture... all happening inside the inbox. No sending readers away from your perfectly curated emails!
Gamification: This is the bit that always excites us! We're talking scratch cards, spin-the-wheel, quizzes, and yes... puzzles. In your inbox. Built without code.
The Stripo team can create custom game templates based on your idea and brand style, and studies they've shared suggest gamification can boost conversion rates by up to 400% (take that with the usual pinch of context, but the direction is kinda clear).
The best part? Every AMP game you build gets saved as a reusable module. No code duplication, so you build it once and deploy it whenever you need it.
Now, the reality check (because we keep things honest here): AMP support is still primarily Gmail and Yahoo Mail. Apple Mail supports HTML5 interactivity, which Stripo also handles. For clients like Outlook... you'll get a standard HTML fallback. That's the trade-off. But it's a trade-off worth making when the upside for supported clients is that significant.
A hill we'll die on: interactive email is where things are heading (and Stripo's been building for that future longer than most).
For all you SaaS builders
Here's a section we wanted to include specifically for a different kind of reader.
If you're building a SaaS product, a CRM, or any platform where your users need to create emails, Stripo's Plugin is a game-changer....
It's essentially a white-label, embeddable version of Stripo's editor (an SDK) that you can integrate directly into your own product. Your users get the full drag-and-drop experience, the template library, the module system... all within your platform, under your branding.
The plugin is JavaScript-based, receives HTML + CSS, and returns HTML + CSS after modification. You control which blocks are visible, which features are available, and how it looks within your UI (nifty, huh?).
For context: HyperPortal integrated Stripo's plugin into their automation platform and enabled 300,000 emails monthly through it. That's not something you’ll simply vibe-code (and willing to put money on it).
If you've been thinking about upgrading your platform's email builder without building one from scratch (because why would you?)... this is the kind of shortcut that actually works.
And their AI tools?
We covered Stripo's AI assistant extensively in Vol. 1, so we won't retread old ground. But the AI suite has evolved since then, and it's worth the update.
The AI Hub is now a genuine entry point for building campaigns, not just that final “polish” step.
You can generate entire email campaigns from a prompt (your goal, your audience, your product), and the output includes structure, layout, and copy. Not just filler on a blank canvas (yep, all of it).
AI image generation is now built directly into the editor, with multiple image models supported. And alt text? It's auto-generated during image creation, which is an accessibility win that matters more than most people realise (and a legal requirement in many spaces too).
Smart Modules use AI to suggest and optimise reusable content blocks based on your previous builds and patterns.
And here's one for the security-conscious: role-based access lets admins decide who can use AI features and where, with prompt logging controls for teams in regulated environments.
The AI layer isn't the reason you'd choose Stripo (the email building ecosystem is). But it's becoming the reason you stay and build faster (win in our minds).
Our honest verdict?
Stripo has matured significantly since we first featured them in Vol. 1.
What started as a solid email builder with a promising AI tool has become a comprehensive email design ecosystem. The "build here, send there" model is seriously compelling because it removes the creative ceiling your ESP might be imposing without asking you to leave your ESP behind.
The gamification and AMP features are ahead of most competitors. The plugin offering opens an entirely different market. And the template library and modular design system mean you're building with efficiency baked in from the start.
What we like most:
The "build once, push anywhere" model across 80+ ESPs. Your emails aren't trapped in one platform.
AMP and gamification capabilities that are genuinely production-ready (not experimental).
Content Modules for building at scale without the repetitive grind.
The Plugin for SaaS builders who need an email editor without building one from scratch.
AI features that enhance the workflow rather than trying to replace the email sender.
Because these overviews are objective, here are improvements we’d love:
AMP client support remains limited: This isn't a Stripo problem (it's an industry thing and we’re getting there), but the interactive experience is still primarily reaching Gmail and Yahoo users. HTML fallbacks are solid, but the full experience isn't universal just yet.
Learning curve for advanced features: The breadth of what Stripo offers is impressive, but new users may find the sheer volume of options a bit overwhelming at first. A more guided onboarding for specific use cases (newsletter sender vs. e-commerce vs. agency) could help.
Pricing for teams: The free plan is generous for individual senders (unlimited emails, 4 exports/month), but scaling to team plans jumps quickly. For small teams testing the waters, a middle ground would be welcome.
Overall, Stripo has earned its spot as a serious email design platform worth considering, especially if your ESP's builder has been the ceiling you didn't know you had.
Where to try Stripo?
If building better emails without switching your ESP sounds like your kind of thing, Stripo's free plan lets you create unlimited emails with access to most features (4 exports per month, which is plenty for testing).
Paid plans start at $20/month for individuals, scaling up through team and enterprise tiers depending on your needs.
But honestly? The best way to see if it clicks is to just play with it.
Hit the button below to try Stripo's demo builder and see for yourself 👇🏻
(FYI: This email is part of our collaborative work with Stripo, but our views remain our own and are in no way influenced. Some links may contain affiliate links, which help support these emails and keep them free, and keeping you looped is the right thing to do)
If taking your email game beyond the limitations of your ESP is becoming a need, we hope today’s email ticks the right boxes!
Keep an eye on your inbox later next week as we bring another expert insight from a friend to our community with brilliant B2B insights you’ll wanna read!
Your friend in email,
Des 💌
