Plain text email vs HTML (graphically designed) email – What to use?

Choosing between plain text & HTML email has been always a relatively old debate when talking about email deliverability. It’s been said that a smart email marketer should choose which format best suits the intended audience and purpose to obtain the best email deliverability results.

So, before we dig deeper into this, it is significant to learn the difference between plain text and an HTML Email.

What is a plain text email?

Plain text email, as the name implies, includes plain, simple text, without any enhancements. It is typically composed of only written text, without any visual graphics.

What is an HTML email?

An HTML Email, as you may already know, stands for HyperText Markup Language which is used to create email templates with formatted text, images, and links. HTML emails have everything plain text emails don’t have—color, style, images, and sometimes multimedia. It provides the reader with a visual experience.

Majority of the time email providers, like Outlook, will automatically turn off images. You may have the prettiest email template out there but once it is received by your recipient, all those images are turned off.

Now that we understand the difference between the 2 email formats, the next thing we need to know is which of the 2 performs better.

Which is better?

Honestly speaking, it is highly recommended to use both plain and HTML email formats. Additionally, a combination of plain (dominant plain text) and graphically designed email format can also be efficient. 

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