Comparison

BuilderJS vs MJML: the visual builder MJML doesn't ship

These two aren't really rivals — they solve different halves of the same problem. MJML is a free, MIT-licensed markup language and transpiler: you hand-write semantic `<mj-section>` / `<mj-column>` tags and it compiles them into Outlook-safe, table-based responsive email HTML. It's excellent, it's open source, and it has no visual editor — the official "try-it-live" tool is a code pane, not a drag-drop canvas. BuilderJS is that missing visual layer: an embeddable, framework-agnostic drag-drop builder (~140KB) you mount in your own React, Vue, Angular, Svelte, or plain-HTML app. Your non-technical users compose visually, and BuilderJS produces Outlook-safe email HTML through its EmailExportPipeline (flexbox→table, MSO conditionals, CSS inlining) plus lossless JSON via getData()/load(). If you want code-first control and zero cost, stay with MJML. If you need a GUI your customers can use — and you want to own the source — BuilderJS is the layer to add on top.

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BuilderJS vs MJML, side by side

Dimension	BuilderJS	MJML
Pricing model	One-time CodeCanyon license: Regular $52 / Extended $99. No subscription, no per-seat, no usage metering, no phone-home.	Free, open source under MIT license. Optional hosted MJML REST API also described as free to use (as of June 2026).
License & source access	Commercial CodeCanyon license (item 27146783). Full source included; self-host and modify for your own product.	MIT license (copyright Mailjet SAS). Full source on GitHub; permissive enough to embed in a closed-source app (as of June 2026).
Hosting & data residency	Self-hosted. The editor runs client-side in your DOM; persistence goes to your own backend/storage, so data stays in your infrastructure.	Self-hosted as a library/CLI, so data stays local. If you use the hosted MJML API, markup is sent to Mailjet's service for transpiling.
Email output (Outlook/Gmail-safe)	EmailExportPipeline outputs Outlook-safe email HTML: flexbox→table, SVG→PNG, @media mobile-stack, MSO conditionals, CSS inliner. 200+ samples Litmus-tested across 22 clients.	Core strength: transpiles semantic markup into responsive, table-based HTML with inline CSS, compatible with most email clients. This is exactly what MJML exists to do.
Page/landing building	Builds BOTH HTML email AND web/landing pages from the same editor (dual output: page HTML or email HTML).	Email only. MJML is a responsive-email framework; it does not target web/landing pages.
Framework integration	Framework-agnostic DOM-mount bundle (dist/builder.js + builder.css). Mount in React useEffect, Vue onMounted, Angular ngAfterViewInit, Svelte onMount, or Next.js (dynamic import ssr:false). Client-side only.	Runs as a Node CLI/library or hosted API at build/compile time; framework-agnostic by nature since it just transpiles markup. No UI to integrate.
Extensibility (custom blocks)	42 element types, 59 controls, 31 overlays. Add custom Elements/Widgets/Controls via Builder.registerElement, plus themes and 20+ locale i18n with RTL — no forking.	Extensible via custom mj-* components (mjml-core / React-based component model). Extension is code-level, not a visual block palette.
Backend (save/upload/auth)	Reference PHP backends (MySQL/SQLite/S3 save + upload + auth) included to copy and own; port to Node/Go/Python. JSON via getData()/load().	None bundled — MJML only transpiles markup to HTML. Storage, uploads, and auth are entirely up to your application.
Support & updates	Author support is time-boxed (~6–12 months); you own the source permanently and update on your own schedule.	Community + Mailjet-maintained open-source project on GitHub; support via issues/PRs, no commercial SLA by default (as of June 2026).

MJML is free and open source under the MIT license, maintained by Mailjet and the community; the optional hosted MJML REST API is also described as free to use (as of June 2026, per mjml.io/faq and mjml.io/api). BuilderJS is a one-time CodeCanyon purchase — Regular $52 / Extended $99 — with no SaaS subscription, no per-seat fee, and no usage metering; you own and self-host the source. MJML's MIT license also lets you embed it in a larger closed-source app, so the two can ship side by side without licensing conflict.

Choose BuilderJS if…

Choose BuilderJS when non-technical users need to compose emails or landing pages visually, when you want to embed a drag-drop editor inside your own React/Vue/Angular/Laravel app, and when owning self-hosted source (one-time license) matters more than writing markup by hand. It builds Outlook-safe email HTML — the same kind of output MJML compiles — but from a visual canvas instead of code.

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Choose MJML if…

Choose MJML when your team is comfortable writing code, you want a free, battle-tested, MIT-licensed way to generate responsive email HTML, and you don't need a GUI. It's an outstanding code-first foundation — and since it's permissively licensed, you can keep using it underneath or alongside a visual layer like BuilderJS.

Frequently asked questions

Is BuilderJS a replacement for MJML?

No — they're complementary. MJML is a free, MIT-licensed code-first markup language that compiles to responsive email HTML; it has no visual editor. BuilderJS is the embeddable drag-drop builder that supplies the visual editing layer MJML never shipped. You can keep MJML in your stack and add BuilderJS on top for users who'd rather not hand-write markup.
Does MJML cost anything?

No. MJML is free and open source under the MIT license, maintained by Mailjet and the community, and the optional hosted MJML REST API is also described as free to use (as of June 2026 — verify on mjml.io/faq and mjml.io/api). BuilderJS is a separate one-time CodeCanyon purchase ($52 / $99); the two licenses don't conflict.
Can BuilderJS produce email HTML like MJML does?

Yes. BuilderJS's EmailExportPipeline converts the visual design into Outlook-safe email HTML — flexbox→table conversion, SVG→PNG, @media mobile-stacking, MSO conditionals, and CSS inlining — and its samples are Litmus-tested across 22 clients. The difference is that your users build visually instead of writing mj-* tags by hand.
Does MJML have a drag-and-drop visual editor?

Not in the project itself. MJML's official online tool (try-it-live) is a code editor with a live preview pane, not a drag-drop canvas. The drag-drop interface that inspired MJML (Mailjet's Passport) is a separate Mailjet product. If you need an embeddable visual builder you control, that's what BuilderJS provides.
Can BuilderJS build landing pages too, or only email?

Both. BuilderJS offers dual output from one editor: standard web/landing-page HTML or Outlook-safe email HTML. MJML is email-only by design. Note that BuilderJS is the editor you embed — it builds the markup; your application still brings the sending (for email) or hosting (for pages).

Sources

Competitor facts are dated (as of June 2026) and linked — always verify current figures on each vendor's own site.