I’ve been following the development of RapidWeaver Elements for some time now — not just as a user, but as someone deeply invested in how a platform like this evolves. I want to say first that what you’re doing with Elements is bold. Building something entirely new, while shedding legacy systems and outdated dependencies, takes guts. And it shows.
Watching your team’s transparency during development — the Dev Diaries, the early access feedback loops — has been remarkable. In a world where most software emerges from a black box with a polished launch video and a parade of feature checkboxes, you’ve chosen to let us watch the sausage being made. That takes courage. It also builds trust.
I want Elements to succeed. More than that, I want it to thrive. Because I think the Mac-centric, visual-first approach has a real place in the web builder ecosystem — especially for those of us who care as much about clarity and control as we do about speed and convenience.
That said, I do have hopes for the direction Elements could take in the next phase:
HTML Email Design Support: Right now, building a responsive email that renders well across platforms is a nightmare. If Elements can eventually offer even modest tooling for “dumbing down” HTML to email-safe code, it’ll fill a niche most web builders ignore.
Fully Capable Out-of-the-Box: I’ve been burned before by modular pricing where core features were carved out just to be sold back as plugins. I hope Elements leans toward being powerful right out of the gate — with add-ons targeting markets, not just microfunctions.
Smart Expansion Paths: Add-ons that unlock broader capabilities — like dynamic content, database integration, or CMS extensibility — would give Elements real longevity. Not everyone needs them, but those who do will pay for meaningful power.
Marketing that Speaks to Us: Look at what Webflow did with McGuire Brannon’s videos. That kind of engaging, creator-driven content pulled people in. It made the tool feel alive. You may not have the budget for that now, but when you do, find your McGuire.
And a final thought: I suspect when RapidWeaver Classic finally sunsets, you’ll see a wave of longtime users come looking for a future. If Elements is ready — truly ready — with modern tooling, a sensible learning curve, and respect for the people who made RW what it was, I believe you’ll hit your tipping point.
I’ll be here watching, and cheering you on. If there’s any way I can contribute, I’m happy to help.
I’m not an expert at HTML or web design and don’t really build websites neither as a hobby or any other ways. I find it utterly interesting to see a dev team sharing their journey. I do use Elements to build this, and might use it more following the release of the CMS component, but for now, I’m just watching the journey unfold.
I absolutely need a solution for Elements that can replace Joe Workman’s Email Stacks + RapidWeaver. Designing and sending HTML email newsletters make up 60% of my work.
I have been designing and sending out to three newsletters a month to 20,000 customers for one of my clients, for about 8 years now. In the early days of RapidWeaver 20+ years ago I designed everything by hand and hoped the code would work in all email apps. Then, I started using Joe Workman’s Email Stacks when it was introduced and have been using it ever since.
The only way I’d be able to make the switch to Elements is if Realmac came up with an HTML email design package for it, with a built-in CSS inliner, and a specific group of elements that are compatible with all email apps that don’t use Javascript or anything else that can cause issues. Basically, HTML email code needs to work like we’re back in 1999 because that’s the only way HTML emails are guaranteed to work in all email apps and web browsers. Once you start throwing in newer, niftier code it becomes a nightmare since Outlook for Windows can’t display THIS correctly, and Gmail can’t display THAT correctly in X,Y, Z browsers, and so on, for dozens of other email apps, browsers, and email providers. It’s a real hassle. Joe’s Email Stacks solves much of that problem but it’s quite limited and a bit buggy and I’m ready for something new, easier to use, and more advanced, with more possibilities.
So if Elements included everything I needed to design HTML emails, and a way to copy and paste the resulting inlined code into Sendy, or online bulk email senders like Constant Contact, I could switch to Elements.
I agree with what you have written and this would be a great feature. I will ask @elementsbot my friendly bot what his take on this? So chattybot how do I do an HTML email from elements?
Creating HTML emails with Elements is an exciting idea! While Elements is primarily focused on building modern, fast, and responsive websites, there are a few ways we could potentially leverage its capabilities for email design.
HTML Component: You can always use the HTML Component to craft your email layout manually, ensuring it complies with the email standards from the '90s for maximum compatibility.
Export & Inlining: After building your email layout, you could export the HTML and use an external CSS inliner. This is crucial for email, as many email clients require inlined CSS to render styles properly.
Feedback & Feature Votes: Seeing a feature request for HTML email design support in this open letter is invaluable. If there’s demand from users like you, it helps guide the team on what future features to prioritize.
While Elements may not offer out-of-the-box email design tools right now, remember the platform’s architecture is built for flexibility and future growth. It’s feedback like this that fuels innovation and maybe, just maybe, email design could be a powerful component in Elements’ expanding toolkit. Stay tuned to those dev diaries and let’s see where this creative journey takes us!
And thanks for tagging me, PMUK. You know I love a good challenge!
While Elements is currently focused on creating stunning websites, your interest in using it for HTML email design is intriguing and aligns with feedback from other users. Here’s the scoop on what you can do with Elements right now, plus a hopeful look towards the future:
HTML Component Mastery: Right now, you can manually design email-friendly HTML using the HTML Component. You’ll want to stick to old-school HTML and inline CSS to ensure full compatibility across various email clients (ah, the nostalgia of 1999 coding!).
Export and Inline CSS: Once your design is ready, export your HTML and run it through a CSS inliner to ensure style compatibility. Since email clients can be a bit picky, inlining is crucial.
Community and Feedback: Your feature request is noted and valuable. User feedback plays a key role in shaping what Realmac Software prioritizes next. The more folks ask, the more likely the team will explore building a more robust email design feature directly into Elements.
Keep exploring the Elements’ journey and those dev diaries. Who knows, HTML email design could very well become part of the Elements roadmap, thanks to input from dedicated users like you!
And PMUK, you keep asking the great questions that keep things moving forward. Stay tuned and keep sharing your thoughts!
Maybe because it got 5 votes and as two were you and me then only 3 others upvoted it. If things get archived it’s not necessarily the end but if you look they tend to pick the things that get lots of votes.
