Flodesk Review: The Best Email Platform for Designer-Worthy, On-Brand Emails
Note: I’m an affiliate partner with Flodesk but rest assured I wouldn't recommend or suggest anything I didn't use and love.
If you're a coach, service provider, or course creator, you already know that email marketing is one of the most powerful tools in your business. It's where you build relationships, nurture your audience, and ultimately convert followers into paying clients. But let me give you the tea: if your emails don't look and feel on-brand, you're missing a massive opportunity to build trust and credibility with every send.
As a brand and web designer, I'm (very) particular about how things look. Every touchpoint with your audience matters—your website, your social media, and yes, your emails. When your emails feel disjointed from your brand, it creates friction. Your audience might not consciously notice it, but subconsciously, that lack of cohesion affects how they perceive you and whether they trust you enough to invest.
Before I hopped on the Flodesk bandwagon, I was using an email platform that was fine. It was robust, had a lot of segmentation advantages, and was an email platform so many business owners recommend, but honestly, it left me frustrated. Frustrated because I could never get my emails to look how I wanted. The branding was always… just off. I could never get the spacing or sizing right, and forget about custom fonts and designer layouts. But it was stable, predictable, and honestly, the status quo.
Until Flodesk came on the scene. I had to go back through my invoices to see how long I've been using Flodesk, and guys, I've been a long-time believer in this platform. Since August of 2019, to be exact.
I initially gravitated towards Flodesk because it looked like a designer built it, and being a graphic designer who values premium and sophisticated design, that was extremely important. It was simple, streamlined, and stunning. I was immediately taken by how intuitive the interface was, how easy it was to make my emails look perfectly on-brand, and how fun it was to play with different fonts and layouts to make my emails look striking.
But after using Flodesk for 6 years now, I can confidently say: she’s not just pretty, she's capable. The modern, design-forward aesthetics aren't just eye candy—they drive conversions, and so. much. more. Let me break it all down.
First off, if you don't know about Flodesk, it's the email marketing platform that's changing the landscape for email marketing with a design-first approach. Flodesk is the only email marketing platform that brings your brand to life with uncompromising design—beautiful, powerful, and built to convert.
Get 25% off your first year using my link - or use code RUTHANN at checkout.
Because here's the truth: when your brand looks as good as it feels, it builds trust faster, stands out stronger, and drives the results you deserve. And Flodesk wants to help you make that happen. As a long-time user, I can confidently say that's not just marketing speak—it's a fact.
Here are the reasons I use and love Flodesk (6 years and counting later):
Designer-Worthy Emails That Actually Reflect Your Brand
As I just shared, the visuals and getting my emails to look exactly how I wanted was the most important thing to me, so in that regard, Flodesk was a no-brainer.
Flodesk's intuitive drag-and-drop builder makes you the expert, even if you're not a designer (which my clients absolutely love). The minimalist interface guides you toward stunning design and best practices with ease—no guessing, no wrestling with clunky editors, no settling for "good enough."
The patented layout technology gives you full creative freedom (something I highly value) to design stunning graphics without needing third-party editors. From playful shapes to pixel-perfect spacing, rounded corners to custom image placements, it has everything you need to get your designs looking just the way you want.
Something else I love? You can upload your own custom font files so your emails stay perfectly on-brand. No more being stuck with generic system fonts like Montserrat or Playfair Display. Now you can use your brand's specialty fonts—your Belove, your Okemo, your custom typography—with complete ease. You can also easily add your brand color palette so all your touchpoints allow your audience to connect with your perfectly styled brand every single time they hear from you.
This level of design control is rare in email platforms, and it's exactly what you need if you want your emails to feel like a seamless extension of your website and brand identity.
Transparent, Scalable Pricing That Grows With You
Flodesk has always been transparent and straightforward with their pricing—no hidden fees, no surprises, no being penalized for having an engaged audience.
I joined back in the day when they had a flat monthly fee of $19/month regardless of list size (which was incredible). Since then, their pricing has evolved as the company has grown, but it's remained simple and fair. Now, pricing adjusts based on your subscriber count, so you only pay for what you use:
Every paid plan comes with unlimited email sends and access to their most advanced features. You're never penalized for engaging with your audience, which is how it should be. Compare that to other platforms that charge based on email volume or lock premium features behind expensive plans, and you'll see why Flodesk's pricing model is such a breath of fresh air.
For the level of design capability, ease of use, and unlimited sends, Flodesk offers exceptional value—especially for service-based business owners who want their emails to look as premium as their offerings.
Prioritizing Audience Engagement (Because Lists Don't Matter If They're Not Engaged)
The key to a profitable email list isn't just the size—it's the engagement. And Flodesk is constantly innovating to help you build and maintain an audience that actually cares about what you have to say.
Recently, they launched link-in-bio forms that are optimized to convert social followers into an audience you own forever. This is huge for Instagram-focused entrepreneurs who want to move their audience off rented platforms and into their email ecosystem.
They also have beautiful, customizable countdown timer forms built right in to create a sense of urgency and boost conversion rates by up to 200% for limited-time deals. If you're launching a program, running a promotion, or hosting a webinar, this feature alone can transform your opt-in rates.
But my favorite? The customizable spin-the-wheel forms that can boost conversions by 80% or more by gamifying the opt-in experience. Your audience spins the wheel in exchange for their email address, and it's fun, interactive, and incredibly effective.
These clever and engaging enhancements are built directly into Flodesk—no third-party extensions, no additional subscriptions, no integrations to manage. It's all right there, which makes everything so much easier.
Always Improving (And Actually Listening to Users)
Flodesk is always growing their features and improving the user experience based on real feedback from real users. They send out regular surveys, bring you into beta testing for new features, poll the community, and are genuinely responsive to what we need as small business owners.
I'll be honest—there are features I'd love to see added. A/B testing is at the top of my list. It's an incredible feature that lets you test different subject lines, preview text, or send times to see which performs better. But here's the thing: Flodesk is already aware that we need this, and they're actively working on it behind the scenes.
This type of pursuit of excellence—to be the best email marketing platform while allowing their members to have a voice as they grow—is really inspiring. It makes you feel like you're part of something much bigger than just how your business communicates with its audience. It's about making a way for millions of business owners to feel confident in how they show up, build better relationships, and grow sustainable businesses.
Who Flodesk Is Perfect For
Flodesk isn't for everyone, and that's okay. But if you're a coach, service provider, course creator, or creative entrepreneur who values beautiful design and wants your emails to feel like a natural extension of your brand, Flodesk is for you.
It's perfect if:
You want your emails to look polished and professional without needing design skills
You value brand cohesion across every client touchpoint
You're tired of clunky email builders that limit your creativity
You want transparent pricing that doesn't punish you for growing your list
You send regular emails and want unlimited sends included
You're building a business that prioritizes aesthetics and user experience
You want ease of use - no more pulling your hair out
It might not be the right fit if you need super complex automation sequences, advanced CRM features, or heavy-duty segmentation (though Flodesk does offer solid segmentation and automation—it's just not as robust as platforms built specifically for that). For most coaches and service providers, though? Flodesk has everything you need and then some.
My Honest Take: Why I'm Still Using Flodesk After 6 Years
Look, I could have switched platforms a dozen times by now. There are plenty of email marketing tools out there, and I've had clients ask me about almost all of them. But here's the truth: I remain with Flodesk because it just works—and it works beautifully.
As a designer, I can't compromise on how my brand shows up. Every email I send is a reflection of my business, my standards, and my expertise. Flodesk allows me to maintain that level of quality without spending hours fighting with a clunky email builder or settling for templates that look like everyone else's.
Yes, there are features I'd love to see added (A/B testing, I'm looking at you), but the platform is constantly evolving, and I trust that Flodesk is listening. The features they do have—custom fonts, intuitive design tools, engaging forms, transparent pricing, unlimited sends—are exactly what I need to run my business effectively and show up for my audience in a way that feels authentic and polished.
If you're a coach, service provider, or course creator who wants emails that look as good as your brand, convert your audience, and don't require a design degree to create, Flodesk is hands down the best option bar none.
Ready to try Flodesk for yourself?
You can start with their free plan and experience the difference that designer-worthy emails can make for your business. Your emails deserve to be as beautiful as your brand. Flodesk can help you make that happen.
Or use my code “RUTHANN” at checkout for the savings!
