HTML for Email 3.0

Beefree App is now RGE Studio!
The email design suite you already know and love just leveled up. We’re working hard to update our help center, but you still may see some references to the old product name.

Overview

HTML for Email 3.0 launched in 2022. This version offers several improvements over the previous version, including:

• Faster design rendering
• Reduced output file size
• Simpler, cleaner HTML output
• Wider email client compatibility, including reduced Gmail clipping

About HTML for Email

When you create a design, our builder saves it as a JSON file. The HTML for Email component transforms these files into ready-to-use HTML5 emails. "HTML for Email 3.0" is our internal name for this component in RGE Studio.

In the past, we updated our HTML output with minor changes. Sometimes a more comprehensive update is needed. HTML for Email 3.0 was the result of long-term research and experimentation. Our goal was optimized cross-platform email compatibility.

HTML for Email 3.0 was a major revision. Our priority was to reduce HTML file size without sacrificing code quality.

Improvements

HTML File Compression

The average HTML file size decreased considerably compared to previous builds. We based these findings on testing over 600 designs.

• Faster loading and rendering
• Reduced mobile clipping
• Reduced bandwidth consumption

HTML Rendering

In version 3.0, we moved to a standard table layout. Previously, we used a DIV-based fluid hybrid design. This reduced conditional comments and CSS media queries. HTML files were smaller and more efficiently coded.

• Migration from <div> to <table> formatted codebase
• Most content blocks were re-coded for conciseness
• Transparent dividers were automatically converted into padding

Bug Fixes

HTML for Email 3.0 included several bug fixes. Most addressed rendering inconsistencies across Outlook versions. Key fixes included:

• Enhanced in-editor email preview
• Better icon text alignment on mobile devices
• Improved pasted text behavior (particularly when content includes line breaks)
• Improved button rendering in dark mode (Outlook only)

Our HTML for Email Evolution

RGE Studio's original HTML for Email was table-based. It was in use from 2014 until March 2017. Our focus was mobile responsiveness using a fluid hybrid design technique. This resulted in large HTML files. Many users encountered clipping issues in Gmail and Yahoo.

HTML for Email 2.0 was our first attempt to reduce file size. It was inspired by Rémi Parmentier's Fab Four technique. This DIV-based approach achieved responsiveness without media queries. It still relied on VML and conditional comments for older Outlook clients. HTML for Email 2.0 was live from March 2017 until March 2022.

The conditional code in version 2.0 sometimes caused clipping issues. Version 3.0 combined a table-based approach with conditional comments used only when necessary. This produced our cleanest and most concise HTML output to date.

HTML for Email 3.0 was our last complete revamp of the HTML approach. We continue to improve it as the industry and email clients evolved.

In 2023, we began investing in the accessibility of our HTML output. This work culminated in the release of Smart Check in 2025.

In 2024, we developed an Outlook App connector. It transforms RGE Studio HTML into OFT and EMLTPL files. These are Microsoft's proprietary formats for Outlook emails.

In 2025, we revamped our button content block again to improve Outlook rendering. We also released the HTML Minifier. It compresses HTML output to reduce Gmail clipping.