MJML alternatives

Four ways to write responsive emails without MJML, what each one is best at, and how fast a coding agent writes an email with it.

1Hyper ElementsBest for coding agents, and for emails checked in every client
2React EmailBest for React teams who want Tailwind classes
3MaizzleBest for teams who know Vue and Tailwind
4jsx-emailBest for React components from an independent maintainer

How fast a coding agent writes an email

Claude Code built the same five emails with each, 16 runs each. A run was done when its email passed the same checks in Chromium, on desktop and on a phone.

Median time to a passing email

Hyper Elements33s
MJML43s
Hand-written HTML60s
React Email86s

Median output tokens

Hyper Elements1,831
MJML2,762
Hand-written HTML4,903
React Email6,215

Passed the first check: Hyper Elements and MJML 16 of 16, React Email 12 of 16, hand-written HTML 6 of 16. Maizzle and jsx-email weren't measured. The benchmark →

MJML and its alternatives, side by side

FeatureHyper ElementsMJMLReact EmailMaizzlejsx-email

Write emails inReact and TypeScriptMJML markupReactVue and TailwindReact

Email client previewsYesOutlook, Gmail and moreNoBrowser previewNoNoNo

Client support checks in CIYesNoPartlyPreview windowPartlyDev serverYesemail check

Accessibility lintYes18 rulesNoPartlyAlt textPartlyAlt textNo

Data, loops and conditionsYesTypeScriptNoAdd a templating languageYesYesYes

Brand theme with tokensYesPartlymj-attributesPartlyTailwindPartlyTailwindPartlyTailwind

Outlook tables worked outYesYesPartlyPartlyOutlook helpersPartlyConditional

Plain-text versionYesNoYesYesYes

Agent skillYesNoYesYesNo

Web pages, PDFs and imagesYesFrom one templateNoNoNoNo

Open source, MITYesYesYesYesYes

Only Hyper Elements shows it in Outlook, Gmail and Apple Mail

MJML, React Email, Maizzle and jsx-email preview your email in a browser. Hyper Elements draws it the way each email client does, free, on your machine.

The launch email as the emulator draws it in Classic Outlook — Classic Outlook97%

The launch email as the emulator draws it in Gmail — Gmail99%

The launch email as the emulator draws it in Apple Mail — Apple Mail98%

The launch email as the emulator draws it in Gmail app — Gmail app98%

The percentage is how closely each preview matches the real client. Outlook.com, Outlook for Mac, Yahoo Mail and AOL Mail are previewed too, and more clients are on the way.

Try the free previews →

The same email in MJML and Hyper Elements

MJML has no variables: {{name}} is left for a templating language. In Hyper Elements it's a typed prop.

Hyper Elements

emails/welcome.tsx

import { Button, Column, Email, Heading, Section, Text } from "@hyper-elements/react";

export default function Welcome({ name }: { name: string }) {
  return (
    <Email
      width={520}
      previewText="Welcome to Orbit"
      style={{ backgroundColor: "#f3f4f6", fontFamily: "Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" }}
    >
      <Section style={{ padding: [40, 0] }}>
        <Column style={{ backgroundColor: "#ffffff", borderRadius: 8, padding: 32, gap: 16 }}>
          <Heading style={{ fontSize: 24, color: "#101828" }}>
            Welcome, {name}
          </Heading>
          <Text style={{ fontSize: 16, color: "#4a5565" }}>
            Your workspace is ready.
          </Text>
          <Button
            href="https://example.com/start"
            style={{ backgroundColor: "#4f39f6", borderRadius: 6 }}
          >
            Open your workspace
          </Button>
        </Column>
      </Section>
    </Email>
  );
}

MJML

emails/welcome.mjml

<mjml>
  <mj-head>
    <mj-preview>Welcome to Orbit</mj-preview>
    <mj-attributes>
      <mj-all font-family="Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" />
    </mj-attributes>
  </mj-head>
  <mj-body width="520px" background-color="#f3f4f6">
    <mj-section padding="40px 0">
      <mj-column background-color="#ffffff" border-radius="8px" padding="32px">
        <mj-text font-size="24px" font-weight="700" color="#101828" padding="0 0 16px">
          Welcome, {{name}}
        </mj-text>
        <mj-text font-size="16px" color="#4a5565" padding="0 0 16px">
          Your workspace is ready.
        </mj-text>
        <mj-button href="https://example.com/start" background-color="#4f39f6" border-radius="6px" align="left" padding="0">
          Open your workspace
        </mj-button>
      </mj-column>
    </mj-section>
  </mj-body>
</mjml>

Hyper Elements

Best for coding agents, and for emails checked in every client

React components your agent writes, rendered to email HTML that works in Outlook, checked as it renders, previewed in every email client, and kept on brand with a theme.

Pick it if

You want typed props, loops and conditions in TypeScript, with no templating language on top
You want a preview in Outlook, Gmail and Apple Mail on every change, free and on your machine
You want problems caught as each email renders, in your tests and CI, with what to write instead
An agent writes your emails: 1.3× faster, with 1.5× fewer output tokens, than with MJML in our benchmark

Keep in mind

Templates are React components, in TypeScript or JavaScript
No converter from MJML yet

Compare with MJML →Get started

React Email

Best for React teams who want Tailwind classes

React components for email from Resend, with Tailwind support and a preview server that checks CSS support, links and images.

Pick it if

You write React and want Tailwind classes in your emails
You send with Resend

Keep in mind

Its checks run in its preview window, not in render() or CI
Email HTML only

Compare with Hyper Elements →react.email

Maizzle

Best for teams who know Vue and Tailwind

A framework for HTML emails with Vue components and Tailwind CSS, with a dev server that flags CSS email clients don't support.

Pick it if

Your team writes Vue and Tailwind
You want unsupported CSS flagged while you work

Keep in mind

Moving from MJML means rewriting your markup as Vue
Its checks run in the dev server, not in the build

maizzle.com →

jsx-email

Best for React components from an independent maintainer

React components and helpers for email from an independent maintainer, with a CLI that checks client support.

Pick it if

You want React components with familiar names (Html, Section, Button)
You want client support checked from the command line

Keep in mind

Community-driven, with one maintainer
Needs React 19.1 and Node.js 22

jsx.email →

On brand, in every email

Write your brand once with defineTheme(). The template names no colors or fonts: swap the theme and the same email is someone else's. MJML sets defaults with mj-attributes, and React Email, Maizzle and jsx-email share a brand through a Tailwind config.

theme={north}North

theme={bloom}Bloom

How themes work →

Questions about MJML alternatives

What is the best MJML alternative?

It depends on how you work. If you want typed data and logic in TypeScript, every email checked and previewed in Outlook, Gmail and Apple Mail before you send, or a coding agent writes your emails, Hyper Elements. If you write React and want Tailwind classes, React Email. If your team writes Vue and Tailwind, Maizzle. If you want React components from an independent maintainer, jsx-email.

Can I keep my MJML templates?

Yes. There's no converter from MJML yet, so keep them as they are and preview their HTML in classic Outlook, Outlook.com, Gmail, Apple Mail, Yahoo Mail and more with Hyper Elements' email client emulator, free and on your machine. Write your next emails in Hyper Elements.

How do I put data in an email without a templating language?

Write the email as a component. In Hyper Elements, React Email and jsx-email a template is a function: its props are its data, and loops and conditions are plain TypeScript or JavaScript. In Maizzle they're Vue. MJML has no variables, loops or conditions; its docs suggest adding a templating language such as Handlebars or Liquid.

Do the alternatives handle Outlook like MJML does?

Hyper Elements writes the tables and conditional comments classic Outlook needs, as MJML does, and also works out every width in px, tells you what classic Outlook will show differently, and previews the email as classic Outlook draws it. React Email's components are tested in Outlook, Maizzle has Outlook components, and jsx-email has a Conditional component for Outlook's comments.

Which MJML alternative works best with AI coding agents?

In our benchmark, Claude Code built the same five emails with each approach. Its median time to a passing email was 33 seconds with Hyper Elements, 43 with MJML, 60 with hand-written HTML and 86 with React Email, and Hyper Elements and MJML both passed the first check every time. Maizzle and jsx-email weren't measured. Hyper Elements, React Email and Maizzle each publish an agent skill.

Are the MJML alternatives free?

Yes. Hyper Elements, React Email, Maizzle and jsx-email are all open source under the MIT license, like MJML. Hyper Elements' email client emulator is free too.

Start your next email with Hyper Elements

Keep your MJML emails and preview their HTML free, or write the next one as React components.

Get started →Try the free previews

Also see: Hyper Elements vs MJML · React Email alternatives · Litmus alternatives