Maizzle vs MJML: Tailwind CSS vs Custom Markup for Email

Overview

Maizzle and MJML both help developers build HTML emails, but they approach it differently. MJML abstracts away email HTML complexity with custom components. Maizzle embraces HTML tables but lets you style with Tailwind CSS.

Maizzle Approach

Maizzle is for developers who want Tailwind CSS in their email workflow. You write HTML (yes, including tables) and style with familiar utility classes.

<table class="w-full">
  <tr>
    <td class="p-6 bg-indigo-500">
      <h1 class="text-2xl font-bold text-white m-0">
        Welcome!
      </h1>
      <p class="text-indigo-100 mt-4">
        Thanks for signing up.
      </p>
      <a href="https://example.com"
         class="inline-block px-6 py-3 mt-4 bg-white text-indigo-500 rounded">
        Get Started
      </a>
    </td>
  </tr>
</table>

The build process handles inlining CSS, purging unused styles, and transformations. You get consistent styling between web and email projects.

MJML Approach

MJML provides semantic components that abstract table structures. You write cleaner markup and let MJML handle the messy HTML generation.

<mj-section background-color="#6366f1">
  <mj-column>
    <mj-text font-size="24px" color="white">
      Welcome!
    </mj-text>
    <mj-text color="#c7d2fe">
      Thanks for signing up.
    </mj-text>
    <mj-button background-color="white" color="#6366f1">
      Get Started
    </mj-button>
  </mj-column>
</mj-section>

Less control over output, but also less chance of breaking things. MJML components are tested across email clients.

The Tailwind Question

If your team uses Tailwind everywhere, Maizzle extends that consistency to email. Same utility classes, same design tokens, same mental model. Onboarding is minimal.

If you do not use Tailwind, MJML's syntax is probably easier to learn than both Tailwind AND email HTML quirks. The abstraction handles complexity you do not need to understand.

Abstraction vs Control

Maizzle gives maximum control. You write the actual HTML structure. Need a custom layout? Build it. The framework transforms your styles but does not impose structure.

MJML abstracts structure. Components like mj-section and mj-column generate tested HTML patterns. Less flexibility, but also fewer ways to break things.

Build System

Maizzle includes a full build pipeline. CSS inlining, minification, templating, transformations. Think of it as a complete email build tool.

MJML is primarily a compiler. Convert MJML to HTML. For build pipelines, integrate it with your existing tools (webpack, gulp, etc.).

The Verdict

Choose Maizzle if you use Tailwind, want maximum control over output, or prefer working closer to raw HTML with better tooling.

Choose MJML if you want more abstraction, cleaner syntax, or a more established ecosystem with extensive documentation.

From template to sending

Whichever framework wins, the compiled HTML still needs a home: sending infrastructure, automation, and lifecycle context. Both Maizzle and MJML are free and open-source, so the budget they save can fund the platform that actually sends. Sequenzy at $19/month is the natural counterpart — import the HTML either tool produces, then attach billing-aware sequences, trial automation, and revenue attribution that no build pipeline provides on its own.