Plain Text vs HTML Email: Which Should You Send?

Should your next email look like a designed brochure or like a note from a colleague? That is the plain text vs HTML email question. Neither format is always better. The right choice depends on the goal of the message.

What each format means

• HTML email uses images, colours, buttons, columns and custom fonts.
• Plain text email has words, line breaks and links, and nothing else.

Many tools also send a plain text version alongside the HTML one, so readers whose apps cannot display HTML still see something readable.

When HTML works well

• Product launches and catalogues where visuals sell
• Newsletters with several sections
• Festival offers and sale announcements
• Brand-led messages where look and feel matter

When plain text works well

• Personal-style outreach and founder notes
• Account and support follow-ups
• Re-engagement messages that should feel human
• Anything where one clear link is the whole point

Trade-offs to weigh

1. Look and brand. HTML wins. Plain text feels basic but personal.
2. Load and reliability. Plain text has no images to block or break.
3. Tracking. Link clicks can be tracked in both. Open tracking usually relies on a tiny image, so it works differently in plain text and is unreliable in either case.
4. Effort. HTML takes design and testing across apps. Plain text takes only good writing.
5. Accessibility. Plain text is naturally easy for screen readers, while HTML needs alt text and sensible structure.

Deliverability myths

People often claim one format always reaches the inbox and the other lands in spam. In practice, reputation, authentication and list quality matter far more than format. A heavy image-only HTML email can look suspicious, but a well-built one is fine. See our email deliverability checklist for what really counts.

A middle path

Many businesses use light HTML: a clean single column, a short logo, real text and one button. It looks tidy yet loads fast. Our post on email design best practices explains how.

Hypothetical example

A freelance trainer in Pune sends a monthly newsletter in HTML with article cards, but sends the follow-up to people who attended a webinar as plain text signed with her name. She tests both over a few weeks and keeps whichever gets more replies for each purpose.

How to decide

• Write down the single action you want.
• If it needs visuals, use HTML. If it needs a reply, try plain text.
• Test, and judge by clicks or replies rather than opens.