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Beefree vs Knak: How Beefree and Knak Stack Up in the World of Email Marketing

Beefree team
Beefree team
Apr 4, 2024
Beefree vs Knak: How Beefree and Knak Stack Up in the World of Email Marketing
Beefree vs Knak: How Beefree and Knak Stack Up in the World of Email Marketing

There's a multitude of factors contributing to successful email marketing, spanning from your subscriber list to segmentation, personalization, and notably, your email design. In fact, according to Hubspot, 20% of marketers witness enhanced email engagement as a result of enhancing their email design.

However, when it comes to email design, often times email builders in your ESPs can often feel limiting. To help you find the right fit, let’s compare two favorites in the field: Beefree vs Knak.

Beefree vs Knak: An in-depth comparison for digital marketers

Before we put Beefree and Knak head to head to see how they compare to meet the needs of your business, let’s get to know each of these tools.

What is Beefree?

Beefree is a web-based SaaS tool enabling email creators to design emails and landing pages without code. The application features an easy-to-use  interface and translates your design choices to HTML, assembling a responsive email that displays smoothly across all email client like Gmail, Outlook, and more. The ultimate goal of Beefree is to make efficient email design accessible to all, not just experienced coders. The drag and drop builder enables organizations including small businesses and freelancers to elevate their email marketing potential.

Knak at a glance

Like Beefree, Knak is a web-based platform that helps organizations develop professional emails and lancing pages without the need for coding or a design background. Knak’s core focus is streamlining email marketing for larger marketing teams and enterprises. Its features center around collaboration and brand control, allowing administrators to set clear limits so that emails always align with your organization's guidelines.

Feature comparison

How well an email design platform works for your business will largely depend on the features it offers. Which one has the feature lineup you need: Beefree or Knak? Let’s compare.

User interface and ease of use

Making email design easy and accessible for non-coders is the key purpose of both Beefree and Knak, so unsurprisingly, both offer an excellent ease of use. The design interfaces on both platforms are made to be intuitive and to make email design more efficient.

There are some user experience features that differ between the two platforms.

Email testing:

  • Beefree: Users can test how emails will look directly in-app across different devices. You can also test how your email will render in dark mode, send tests, or scan a QR code to easily see how it will look on your mobile device.
  • Knak: Offers an email testing center where users can see how emails will render across different devices and email clients.

AI capabilities:

  • Beefree: In-app AI writing assistant to support copy, image ALT text, and CTAs.
  • Knak: AI capabilities for email translation.

Multi-language content:

  • Beefree: Beefree offers users with the ability to create emails and pages in one primary language and set additional language localizations directly in-app.
  • Knak: As mentioned above, Knak's translation feature is powered by AI. Users can easily create up to 75 variants of your campaigns in different languages.

Integration capabilities?

Template design

Email templates enable professionals to quickly create and send campaigns without the need to start from scratch. Beefree's catalog is the largest in the market with over 1,700+ free email and page templates spanning across a wide range of industries, purposes, and seasons. Even if you prefer to start from scratch, the catalog is a great place to fuel your creativity.

Knak, on the other hand, takes a different approach to providing inspiration. Their Email Gallery showcases 50+ emails from different brands and categories with tips for users to implement into their campaigns. Additionally, to redeem a free template from Knak, there are some prerequisits:

1. Your company must have an annual company revenue of more than $500M

2. You must schedule a 30-minute demo with a Knak expert.

Knak takes a different approach that centers on brand consistency. This platform features an Admin Control Hub which allows administrators to limit users to only specific modules, colors, fonts, images, and customizations.

This way, especially on large teams, administrators will know that every email is on-brand because team members can’t use non-brand colors or design.

As a result, Knak relies less on pre-made templates and more on allowing administrators to create their own templates for internal use.

Customization

As mentioned previously, a downfall of many email builders, specially those in ESPs, is their rigidity. Both Beefree and Knak understand this clearly and aim to provide users with the in-depth customization capabilities.

Dynamic content capabilities?

  • Beefree: Yes
  • Knak: Yes

Brand control:

  • Beefree: Yes with advanced style kits, reusable content blocks, and templates.
  • Knak: Yes with an approved image library, custom colors and fonts, and modules and themes.

Collaboration

Collaboration features also allow both Knak and Beefree to fit smoothly into your workflows. They both allow team members to leave comments in the builder, request for approval, and apply user roles and permissions. Additionally, both solutions allow for integration with project management tools.

As part of their collaboration features, Beefree highlights the importance of organization for large teams. By offering dedicated workspaces for multi-brand businesses where you can add different brand assets, keep campaigns organized by folders, and integrate varying ESPs - Beefree understands the importance of not only seamless collaboration, but increasing productivity.

Cost-effectiveness for email marketing: Pricing structure overview

The Beefree vs Knak pricing is difficult to compare because they’re structured very differently. The pricing of each solution reflects their users. Knak is designed solely for enterprises while Beefree is designed for a wide range of organizations, freelancers, and small businesses. The cost-effectiveness of each solution will depend on your business structure.

Beefree Pricing

Beefree has four plan tiers:

  • Starter: Great for occasional projects.
  • Professional ($25 per month with a 15 day free trial): Best for solo creators or teams of two to three.
  • Business ($134 per month with a 15 day free trial): A self-service solution for scaling organizations.
  • Enterprise (custom): Great for larger organization with complex email needs.

For more on Beefree's capabilities and customer reviews visit: https://www.g2.com/products/beefree-beefree/reviews

Knak Pricing

Unlike Beefree, Knak only offers customized pricing plans so you’ll need to work with a representative to find out your pricing. TrustRadius and SourceForge both report a cost of around $10,000 per year with Knak, but this will, of course, depend on your organization. Knak does offer a free trial of 5-14 days, but you must request it through a representative.

For more on Knak's capabilities and customer reviews visit: https://www.g2.com/products/knak/reviews

Building trust with email marketers

Beefree and Knak both have excellent track records of fostering customer success, ensuring security, and offering their communities with resources with premium support.

Support and client success stories

Due to their difference in users, Beefree and Knak offer different approaches to customer support. For Knak, each customer has an assigned customer support manager. Additional support is available online 7 days a week or you can find answers to FAQs via their Knowledge Base

For Beefree's Business and Professional plans, users receive access to their Beefree CX team and Enterprise plans receive a Dedicated Success Manager for onboarding, training, and success-driven best practices. Free users on the other hand rely on Beefree's Help center and their myriad of resources to help find answers to their needs.

As for client successes, both Beefree's and Knak's customers are proud to share their stories.

One of Beefree’s happy customers is Folderly, an email solutions and organization tool. Folderly had been using HubSpot but wanted more design capabilities, so they chose Beefree to integrate with HubSpot. After investing in Beefree, Folderly saw a fantastic 36% open rate - a 15% increase.

Similarly, Knak proudly serves Foursquare, a location data company formerly known as Factual. The Factual marketing team chose Knak for its smooth integration with Marketo and its email design process quickly simplified. It found that its former 1-to-2-week design process dropped to around ten minutes of work.

Resources and community

Both solutions offer a range of resources to help support and nurture their communities.

Beefree:

  • Community: A space for users to connect, collaborate, find design work, and get advice from other users.
  • Beefree Academy: Real-world examples and tutorials to help you and your team optimize email campaigns, increase productivity, and follow email design best practices.
  • Email Design Blog & More: Go-to resource for all things email creation. From design inspiration, tips, to industry specific solutions.
  • Webinars: Live and recorded sessions to learn and discover the power of Beefree's design suite.

Knak:

Security and compliance

Beefree and Knak have both done their due diligence when it comes to compliance and information security.

Both applications are SOC 2, GDPR compliant, ISO 27001 certified. In addition, Beefree is AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner and an AWS Certified Solutions Architect.

The better choice for your business depends on the security certifications you prioritize.

You can learn more about Beefree's security measures here and learn more about Knak's here.

Making the right choice for your email marketing needs

Ultimately, the decision between Beefree and Knak hinges on the needs and preferences of your organization regarding your email design platform. Will you prioritize the flexibility and creativity of Beefree or opt for the structured brand uniformity provided by Knak? Selecting the right option will enable you to either kickstart or enhance your email marketing initiatives.

To learn more about Beefree, sign up for a Beefree trial.

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Now, let's be honest—you’ve likely heard about all of these rotating for the last few years. While email marketing has come a long way and is changing faster than ever, there’s only so much you can do within 600x1,500 pixels. However, there are no limits to where your creativity can take you. 

Let’s get into it.  

#1. Unique, tailored experiences 

Damian Grabarczyk, the co-founder and growth marketer of PetLab Co., says, “We faced the challenge of connecting meaningfully with an audience that expects more than one-size-fits-all communication.” 

When we speak about crafting tailored emails we mean going beyond the recipient's first name in the subject line. We’re talking about optimizing your entire email strategy to design multi-stage touchpoints to nurture leads across the customer lifecycle. As well as, leveraging data to send hyper-personalized, relevant, and engaging emails that feel less like a broadcast message and more like a conversation. 

Many are using AI machine learning algorithms and AI automation to analyze customer interactions, past purchases, browsing habits, website visits, and even social media behavior to curate engaging email content that resonates deeply with the real-time needs of recipients.

For PetLab Co this looked like including content such as an individual’s pet health history or product usage timelines. Damian Grabarzyk expands, “This approach transformed the conversion rate and strengthened customer loyalty. As we look ahead, I see brands in 2025 moving beyond generic personalization to adopt strategies that make customers feel truly understood and valued.”

On the other hand, many are leaning into user-generated content (UGC) for crafting tailored experiences. Customers today are more likely to trust the opinions of peers over branded messages. UGC like customer reviews, testimonials, videos, and photos are the best form of social proof depicting real people using and benefitting from your products or services. 

We see the benefits of using both AI and UGC to get the most out of your email conversions ;). 

#2. AI tools as an addition, not a substitution

Experts at NordPass state, "AI-powered content generation tools are not here to replace email copywriters and marketers. These tools make us more efficient. The smarter the tool is, the better equipped we are to create high-performing email content that drives results." 

AI tools can support us by significantly enhancing the speed, precision, and effectiveness of your emails. For instance while traditionally A/B testing has required a lot of time to analyze small variations with AI you quickly implement and test multiple email elements and make adjustments based on real-time engagement data. There are AI algorithms that can even predict which variations are most likely to resonate with different audience segments, leading to more accurate targeting and faster optimization.

In short, AI tools are revolutionizing the way we craft and optimize our email’s deliverability. There are many different types of AI solutions so we suggest finding the right one for your needs. 

#3. Even more transparency around data

With AI continuing to rise, folks are more and more concerned about where their data is going. That’s where zero-party data collection becomes a key strategy in email marketing, allowing you to gather data directly from customers rather than relying on third-party sources. 

Zero-party data includes information that consumers willingly share, such as preferences, interests, and purchase intentions. This data is often collected through surveys, preference centers, quizzes, or interactive content and is highly valuable because it is shared explicitly, ensuring accuracy and deeper personalization without privacy concerns associated with third-party tracking.

As privacy regulations tighten, zero-party data will empower you to deliver hyper-personalized email experiences while respecting user privacy. This approach will help you build trust, as customers feel more in control of their data, and you gain insights that lead to more relevant and engaging email content.

#4. The death of static emails

With attention span getting shorter day after day, digest-format emails are expected to rise in popularity in 2025. Presenting email content in an easy-to-scan, organized, and minimalistic layout will surely help deliver the most relevant information in a fraction of the time. 

Additionally, interactive emails will allow recipients to directly engage within the email without having to visit a landing page or website. Interactive elements like product carousels, polls, and quizzes create a dynamic experience that keeps subscribers engaged, especially in visually driven industries like fashion brands

So what now? 

You’ve heard these strategies before, but now it’s time to actually put them into action. The brands that win at email marketing in 2025 won’t just be sending emails—they’ll be creating experiences. Whether it’s hyper-personalized content, AI-driven efficiency, zero-party data collection, or interactive emails that break the mold, the key is to stay ahead of the curve.

So, what’s the first strategy you’ll finally implement? Your inbox (and your audience) are waiting.

How to Leverage Email Campaigns to Gather Sincere Product Reviews

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What do customers think about your brand’s products? The best way to find out is to ask them directly, which you can do via strategic email campaigns.

Email makes gathering authentic product reviews quick and easy. By collecting sincere feedback, you can build trust, increase sales, boost loyalty, and innovate product improvements. 

That said, requesting reviews via email requires precise timing, personalized messaging, and lots of engagement optimizations. But don’t worry—we’ll walk you through some key steps to create email campaigns that deliver the valuable feedback you need.

Why product reviews matter

Product reviews do more than confirm that you're meeting customers’ needs. Sincere feedback drives loyalty and sales, offers valuable customer insights, and helps you develop a strategic product development roadmap.

  • Fosters customer loyalty: Requesting and listening to feedback makes your customers feel valued and heard. It demonstrates that you prioritize customer satisfaction, which helps you build stronger, long-term relationships. Review requests also act as re-engagement emails by starting new conversations with customers.
  • Increases sales: Social proof drives sales. According to a recent survey by Power Reviews, 90% of potential customers use online reviews to make purchasing decisions. In fact, reviews have more influence over purchasing decisions than product prices. Turning product reviews into customer testimonials and encouraging reviews on third-party sites can significantly boost sales.
Image sourced from powerreviews.com
  • Builds Customer 360 insights: Customer feedback delivers insights into customer needs and sentiments, enriching Customer 360. Exactly what is Customer 360? It’s a unified, 360-degree view of customer data. It empowers you to tailor products and customer experiences to meet individual needs and preferences. 
  • Drives product improvements: Sincere customer feedback reveals what target customers like/dislike about your products. It provides key insight into their value, functionality, and usability, unlocking large-scale development opportunities.

How to create an email campaign to collect product reviews

Want to unlock the power of product reviews? Let’s explore how to create email campaigns that encourage customers to share their feedback.

Segment your audience

Like promotional emails, product review requests shouldn’t be sent to every subscriber.

If subscribers haven’t had the chance to try your product, product review requests will feel irrelevant and may trigger unsubscriptions. So, only send review email requests to customers recently trying your product.

You can do this by segmenting your email list based on where customers are in the buying cycle. Target loyal customers, recent purchasers, and first-time buyers with tailored email campaigns. This ensures that you’re sending emails to customers most likely to respond with insightful feedback.

Write a compelling email subject line

According to Superoffice, 33% of people open an email based on the subject line. 

Image sourced from superoffice.com

To get the click-through rates you want, your email subject lines should be personalized, relevant, and engaging. Here are some examples:

  • Did you love [product]? Or hate it? Let us know!
  • We value your opinion — help us improve!
  • We want YOU to help us make our product better!
  • Up for a discount? Share your feedback for 10% off! 

Learn more > Tips for writing open worthy subject lines.

Optimize for customer engagement

A successful email marketing strategy relies on customer engagement. Here are some key email elements you need to encourage interactions.

  • An attractive email design: With the right layout, color scheme, typography, and images, you ensure easy readability and promote interaction. Use these engagement-boosting email design best practices to help you create a design that boosts conversion rates.
  • Gratitude and value: Thank customers for reading the email and explaining why their feedback is so important. Also, consider including a personalized Gmail email signature with your content details to build trust and encourage customers to engage with your review request. 
  • Personalized, relevant content: Personalized email content motivates engagement. Use customer data platform (CDP) data to tailor messages to individual customers. What is a CDP? It’s a centralized platform that collects and unifies customer information, building comprehensive customer profiles. 
  • Incentives: Offering a small discount can motivate customers to leave reviews, especially first-time buyers. That said, incentives can (sometimes) generate insincere reviews, so stress the importance of honesty. 
  • A strong call-to-action (CTA): Your CTA should direct readers straight to the reviews submission page. Use clear CTAs with bold buttons and typography to make it stand out.
  • Mobile responsiveness: If your emails are slow to load or don’t display correctly on mobile devices, your bounce rate will spike. Leverage solutions that offer advanced mobile optimization features — such as Beefree— to create responsive emails every single time.

Ask specific, concise questions

Complex, drawn-out questions that are too open-ended can disengage customers. So, get straight to the point with concise, direct questions. Here are some examples:

  • What did you think of [specific product feature]?
  • How often do you use our product?
  • What are your favorite/least favorite features?
  • How likely are you to recommend this product?
  • What could we do to improve our product?

Use a mixture of closed and open-ended questions to increase your chances of receiving meaningful responses.

Make it easy to respond

The easier it is for customers to leave a review, the more responses you’ll receive. So, make the process as seamless and convenient as possible. One way to do this is with survey emails.

Email surveys have high response rates. They can be completed within the email with minimal effort, which is a big plus for busy customers. And, they can generate a wealth of quantitative data and metrics that are quick to analyze, leading to faster improvements. BeeFree has an extensive collection of email survey templates to suit every need.

For longer review requests, include a CTA that directly links to the review submission page. Review forms should use simple, clear language, be optimized for mobile, and have a progress bar. 

You could even provide your telephone contact details to allow customers to leave a review via telephone. It’s the preferred communication method for 55% of Baby Boomers according to Hubspot, so it’s worth considering. 

Leverage small business telephone services from Vonage to access call center capabilities like virtual receptionists and CRM integrations, streamlining processes.

Also consider directing customers to leave reviews on popular review sites, such as Google and Amazon.

Optimize email timings

If you send product review requests too early, there’s a chance your customers won’t have tried your product yet. But if you send them too late, your customer might have forgotten their experience. 

So, when’s the best time to request reviews? 

Aim to send review requests within 7-14 days post-purchase. This gives customers a chance to try the product a few times, leading to more sincere, meaningful reviews. Plan for seasonal surges such as Black Friday and incorporate them into your schedules.

Key takeaways

Do email campaigns work for gathering valuable product reviews that drive improvements, boost trust, and increase sales and loyalty? 

Absolutely — but they need to be strategic.

To generate sincere reviews and valuable data, ensure your marketing emails are personalized, engaging, and optimized for convenience. And, use email list segmentation and marketing automation to ensure they’re sent to the right customers at the right time.

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