Email rendering testing tools compared: Litmus vs Email on Acid vs free alternatives

Email rendering varies wildly across clients. Here is our comparison of testing tools.

Litmus ($99+/mo)

The gold standard. 90+ email client previews, analytics, collaboration features. Worth it for teams sending frequent campaigns.

Email on Acid ($74+/mo)

Similar to Litmus but more affordable. Previews are slightly slower but quality is comparable.

Free alternatives

• Email Preview by Parcel: Limited free previews, good for occasional testing
• Manual testing: Send to your own accounts across Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail
• React Email preview: If you use React Email, the built-in preview catches most issues

Our recommendation

If you send more than 4 campaigns/month, Litmus or Email on Acid pays for itself in avoided rendering bugs. For occasional senders, manual testing and React Email preview are sufficient.