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Now open sourceView on GitHub Star

An open-source email editor with the features other editors paywall.

Custom blocks, full theming, advanced merge tags, and display conditions — open-source in Templatical, paid tier elsewhere. Drop into any app with one init() call. JSON in, MJML out.

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// npm install @templatical/editor @templatical/renderer

import { init } from '@templatical/editor'
import '@templatical/editor/style.css'

const editor = await init({
  container: '#editor',
  onChange(content) {
    // JSON content — store, version, send anywhere
    console.log(content)
  },
})

// MJML out — render in browser or on your server
const mjml = editor.toMjml()
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Templatical vs. the alternatives

An honest, side-by-side look at how Templatical compares to Beefree, Unlayer, and GrapesJS — including where each one is the better pick.

Mature hosted editor with the deepest feature set on the market, priced for funded startups and enterprises.

License
Closed source
Pricing
Free + $350–5,000+/mo paid
Self-hostable
Iframe only

Where Templatical wins

  • Fully self-hostable — Beefree only ships as a hosted iframe.
  • MJML output instead of proprietary JSON via a vendor render API.
  • Open API for custom blocks today — Beefree gates custom blocks behind Superpowers ($2,500/mo).
  • Free and stays free; FSL-1.1-MIT licensed (auto-MIT after 2 years).
  • End-to-end TypeScript types, not just SDK type defs.

Where Beefree SDK wins

  • 1,500+ pre-built templates available as a Template Catalog add-on.
  • Email + page + popup + document builders in one product.
  • 21-language editor UI out of the box.
  • Established commercial product with a long track record in the email-editor space.

More with Templatical Cloud

In development

These capabilities are coming as the Templatical Cloud tier. The feature code is open-source under FSL-1.1-MIT today — use the managed Cloud when it ships, or self-host the same code.

  • AI rewrite and AI chat
  • Real-time collaboration with block-level locking
  • Comments and review threads
  • Snapshots and version history
  • Saved modules across templates
  • Hosted media library
  • Design-to-template conversion
  • Test email sending
  • MCP integration
  • API access and multi-tenancy

How Beefree SDK handles these

Beefree gates these behind paid tiers — real-time collaboration on Superpowers ($2,500/mo); AI features (writing assistant, image gen, alt-text) span multiple paid tiers.

Learn more about Templatical Cloud

When to pick Templatical

Pick Templatical if you want to own your editor — open code, MJML output, and the premium features without paywalls.

When to pick Beefree SDK

Pick Beefree if you need a turnkey hosted editor, multi-product builders, and an extensive template library — and have the budget for paid tiers.

Already on Beefree SDK?

See migration guide
See the full comparison

Need managed hosting?

Templatical Cloud offers team collaboration, API access, multi-tenancy, and managed infrastructure — so you can focus on your product.

Try Templatical Cloud

Start building email templates today

Open source, free forever. Get started with the docs, star the repo, or sponsor development.

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