Communicating with your contacts via email is an excellent strategy for your business, but do you know what type of email to send?
There are two main email document formats—HTML and plain text. Emails that are sent in HTML format are more visually appealing, showing pictures and colors. HTML documents are used to create the format of web pages and online publications.
Plain text is more for text clarity and will not show images. You can use it for both mobile and PC email documents. If you are unsure about HTML vs plain text emails, we have broken down everything you need to know below.
What Are the Differences Between HTML vs Plain Text Emails?
There are several critical differences between what is an HTML email and what is a plain text email.
Responsiveness
Plain text emails are inherently reliable across devices — since they contain no layout or styling to break, the text simply wraps to fit whatever screen it’s displayed on, whether that’s a phone or a desktop client.
HTML emails, on the other hand, need to be built with responsive design in mind to achieve the same reliability. Different email clients (Outlook is a common offender) support CSS and HTML inconsistently, so an HTML email that looks great in one inbox can render broken or jumbled in another unless it’s carefully tested and coded for compatibility.
Design
HTML emails are more visually appealing and can be more easily customized to match a brand’s style. However, they can also be more difficult to read on smaller screens and load more slowly.
Plain text emails are simpler and can be more easily read on any device, but they can look less polished. Ultimately, it’s up to the sender to decide which format is best for their message and audience.
Images
Images are an integral part of HTML emails as you can use them to add visual appeal to the email and make it more engaging for the recipient. Plain text emails do not support images, meaning any images included in the email will not be visible to the recipient. This can be a disadvantage if you are trying to communicate a message heavily reliant on images, such as a marketing email.
Links
For HTML emails, you can use clickable links, which can help direct recipients to your website or specific landing pages. With plain text emails, the links are not clickable, and recipients need to manually type them into their browser to be taken to their desired destination.
Animation
HTML emails can contain animation, while plain text emails cannot. This is because HTML is a markup language that allows for the inclusion of visual elements, while plain text is a simple text format.
Which One Is for You?
Email marketing is a huge part of many businesses online presence. It’s a great way to reach out to customers and prospects and a cost-effective way to stay in touch with your audience.
When deciding whether to send an HTML vs plain text email, consider your audience and your goals for the email campaign. If you want a more visually appealing email with personalization and branding, HTML is the way to go — just be sure it’s tested across major email clients, since rendering isn’t guaranteed the way it is with plain text. If reliability and simplicity matter more than design, plain text remains the safer, more universally consistent choice.
