The 17 Best Free and Low-Cost Email Testing Tools in 2022

The effectiveness of email marketing depends on testing. To get you started, we’ve included some of our favorite email testing tools below.

Every marketer wants to deliver the appropriate message to the right customer at the right moment, but in order to achieve so, you must first think about what may go wrong. You may test some of the most significant problems that influence open and click-through rates before you click “send.” The likelihood that your email will even reach your clients is reduced if you choose not to optimize certain components of it.

Testing on a regular basis is essential for keeping subscribers and raising engagement. The good news is that you can automate practically everything you need to know with the correct email testing tools. These technologies provide thorough testing capabilities for marketing teams of any size and financial situation. To enhance the effectiveness of your email marketing, include them into your workflow.

Tools for domain security and reputation

Deliverability gauges the likelihood that consumers will really get your communications. You should verify it first since all other checks are useless if no one can see your emails. Although it’s not the end of the world, a low inbox placement % indicates that you need to verify certain setups and alter some procedures.

Depending on their content or the reputation of your domain and mail server’s IP address, your communications may be flagged as spam. If spam or phishing emails originate from one of your domains, your Sender Score, which indicates the likelihood that your emails will be sent to a spam folder, will drop. Deliverability difficulties may be reduced by securing your system and checking your material against spam filters afterwards.

Our top tools for measuring spam and email security are:

A free application called Sender Score from Validity allows you to share the numerical score assigned to your IP address. The website also provides a baseline to make the findings easier to grasp. A Sender Score of 80 or more is excellent; if it falls below 70, you should take action to restore your reputation.
You may see and check your Domain-based Message, Authentication, Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) record with dmarcian’s free DMARC Record Checker. This protocol stops spammers from impersonating your domain while sending emails. Run a free check on your SPF and DKIM records while you’re at it as email providers also use them to confirm your identity.
Continuous DMARC, SPF, and DKIM monitoring is offered by GlockApps DMARC Analytics starting at $15/month. With the help of this program, you can stop any suspicious behavior in its tracks before any harm is done.
Additionally, dmarcian, available for $19.99/month, continually checks your DMARC, SPF, and DKIM data to stop spammers from utilizing your domain. Additionally, rather than delivering you raw XML logs, the platform visualizes data.
A free tool called mail-tester newsletter spam test creates an email address for you to send your message to. Then it examines your content and looks for configuration issues in your back-end setup.
The freemium SendForensics Email Deliverability Test evaluates your emails and provides deliverability data and standards for your target market.
Using a browser, Postmark Spam Test is a free tool. You only need to put your email address into the text field to get a free SpamAssassin spam score. If you want a simple SpamAssassin configuration that can be included into your current tech stack, Postmark also provides a JSON API.

Tools for verifying email lists

To prevent your emails from ending up in spam folders and your email address from being added to blacklists, you must verify your email lists. Your sender reputation might suffer from both high bounce rates and poor open rates. Email list maintenance and verification are ongoing processes since email list deterioration develops organically.

This service is offered by several tools. No service is free, but each address that is checked costs one credit, therefore the price varies with the size of your email list. To determine the most cost-effective email validation methods, we compared the costs of 5,000 credits across many services:

Clearout ($35)
Pabbly ($15)
BriteVerify ($40)
Emailable ($30)

Tools for optimizing content

If your subject line isn’t compelling enough to get the reader to open the email, it can be their only impression of you. Use subject line testing tools to identify the ideal wording and length to give yourself the highest chance of converting a buyer.

The body content of your email must also be interesting, legible, and understandable if you want to convert readers into paying clients. Although you can evaluate how assistive devices interact with your message using OS-level tools like Apple’s VoiceOver screen reader, it’s far simpler to utilize the following tools for a thorough check (and advise on how to address any errors):

Beyond what Microsoft Word’s built-in grammar, spelling, and clarity checkers can do, Grammarly is free.
By flagging lengthy or convoluted phrases, passive voice, and adverbs, among other content writing errors, the free Hemingway Editor aids in improving readability.
The free CoSchedule tool Headline Analyzer rates the clarity, mood, and word balance of your subject line.
A free program called Send Check It Email Subject Line Tester provides a real-time rating that considers things like scannability and grade level. Its previewer, which simulates your subject line in desktop and mobile views, and language checker, which checks for offensive or otherwise dubious terms, are even more useful.
Free website accessible-email.org reads your HTML email in a code editor and highlights potential accessibility problems. For a complete report on any previous email campaign, you may also connect to the online version of it.

Tools for evaluating email functionality and previews

The most crucial step in any email marketing strategy may be to optimize an email for every customer and screen size. If an email doesn’t appear correct on their device, more than 70% of consumers trash it in less than three seconds, and 15% completely unsubscribe.

All mobile applications, desktop browsers, and operating systems must support your advertising. Gmail and Apple’s iPhone mail app presently hold the bulk of the market share, but if you solely tailor your email design for these services, you’ll lose out on a lot of clients. Designing for a variety of email clients and devices makes it hard to achieve complete homogeneity. Instead, concentrate on consistency and usefulness. All of your consumers will have a positive email experience if the formatting is professional, the links are clickable, and the space is appropriate.

By sending emails to team members who use various devices or email clients, you can test how they display, but inbox preview and validation tools provide a more full (and effective) perspective. This feature is included into several email providers, such as Campaign Monitor. Unfortunately, the majority of stand-alone services are expensive (such Litmus PutsMail and Email on Acid). One email testing tool stands out for being both inexpensive and functional:

Testi@ offers everything from email screenshots and HTML validation to a browser add-on, with prices starting at $20 per month. Additionally, since it is a pay-as-you-go service, you may test it out without having to commit much.

A list of the top email testing programs

Here is a list of the tools we suggest for email testing and optimization in case you missed any of them: Tools for domain security and reputation:

Tools for email list verification

Tools for content optimization

Tools for email preview and functionality testing

Testi@

Achieve dominance in email marketing.

Once you’ve improved your email deliverability and open rates by doing the aforementioned pre-send testing, it’s time to move on to the next round of evaluations. You may (and should) utilize A/B testing to identify which email content and presentation get the most positive reaction from your audience.

The problem — and the beauty — of email marketing is that there are always new methods to engage with your audience. Tests that are skipped are missed chances to increase engagement and conversion rates. Do not pass up the opportunity to make your next email marketing campaign the most successful ever. Take a few minutes now to set yourself up with the tools described in this piece, and you will enjoy the rewards in the future.