Add a modern email editor without vendor lock-in
Use GrapesJS and React to launch a white-label email experience your users actually enjoy. Build templates visually, keep your data in your stack, and export clean HTML for any provider.
Launch Snapshot
Production ReadySetup Time
< 30 min
Core Cost
$0 license
Export Format
HTML + CSS
Rendering
MJML ready
What your users get on day one
Visual template composer
Drag blocks, edit copy inline, and create reusable sections without touching code.
Responsive previews
Switch between desktop and mobile previews to catch layout issues before send.
Brand consistency
Lock logos, colors, and legal footers while still giving customers creative freedom.
Safe collaboration
Control who can edit, approve, and publish templates inside your existing account model.
Clean export pipeline
Send generated HTML/CSS into your ESP, queue worker, or campaign service automatically.
No licensing traps
Self-host and scale without per-seat editor fees eating your margin.
Implementation blueprint
View React integration details1. Mount the editor
Create a client-side wrapper component and initialize GrapesJS in useEffect with newsletter preset.
2. Sync content state
Listen for change events and store HTML/CSS as drafts in your API for autosave and history.
3. Add team controls
Enable role-based publishing so marketers can edit while admins manage locked sections.
4. Deliver at scale
Push exported templates to your campaign pipeline and run test sends before production release.
Quick start
This starter snippet gives you a working React email editor with live export hooks.
import { useEffect, useRef } from 'react';
import grapesjs from 'grapesjs';
import grapesjsNewsletter from 'grapesjs-preset-newsletter';
import 'grapesjs/dist/css/grapes.min.css';
export default function EmailEditor({ onChange }) {
const editorRef = useRef(null);
useEffect(() => {
const editor = grapesjs.init({
container: editorRef.current,
plugins: [grapesjsNewsletter],
pluginsOpts: {
[grapesjsNewsletter]: {},
},
storageManager: false,
});
editor.on('change:changesCount', () => {
onChange?.({
html: editor.getHtml(),
css: editor.getCss(),
});
});
return () => editor.destroy();
}, []);
return <div ref={editorRef} style={{ height: '600px' }} />;
}Recommended plugin stack
Start lean, then add capabilities your customers ask for most.
MJML Newsletter Preset
React-ready MJML email builder
React Email Wrapper
Drop-in React component for email editing
Email Block Library
Header, footer, CTA, and content blocks
HTML Exporter
Export inlined HTML for any ESP
Responsive Preview
Test at mobile, tablet, and desktop sizes
Dark Mode Emails
Automatic dark mode media query support
Decision matrix: GrapesJS vs Unlayer
| Feature | GrapesJS + GJS.Market | Unlayer (react-email-editor) |
|---|---|---|
| Open source | ✓ MIT | ✗ Proprietary |
| Pricing | Free | $149–$2,499/mo |
| MJML support | ✓ | ✗ |
| Self-hosted | ✓ | ✗ Hosted only |
| Custom blocks | Unlimited | Limited |
| White-label | ✓ Free | ✓ Paid plans only |
High-impact use cases
Email SaaS
Build a standalone email template builder as a SaaS product with subscription billing.
CRM platform
Embed an email designer inside your CRM so users can create campaigns without leaving your app.
Marketing platform
Add a template editor to your email marketing tool and let users design their own newsletters.
Pre-launch checklist for teams
Configure autosave and template versioning
Set brand-safe locked sections (header/footer/legal)
Test Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail rendering
Create approval flow before campaign publish
Track block usage analytics to improve defaults
Prepare fallback text for image-heavy templates
Frequently Asked Questions
Related guides
Build your email experience this week
Pick your starter plugin stack, connect your editor, and ship a branded template workflow your users trust.