Legacy email builder transition

We have exciting updates planned for 2025: We will be consolidating the various email builders into one single, unified builder. The new builder provides a better user experience thanks to cutting-edge technology and a modern email experience with our new drag-and-drop editor for designing mobile responsive emails and landing pages, new features, and additional security.

The legacy builder was built using an older framework that is no longer actively developed or supported by the development community. Browser support for this framework will eventually go away, and the legacy builder will no longer be available.

It’s our goal to make this transition as easy as possible, and to make that happen, we are doing the following three things:

1. Automatically transitioning previously sent legacy emails and saved legacy templates to the new email builder.
2. Timing is flexible: All you need to do is convert them to the new builder whenever you’d like
3. Prioritizing feedback and suggestions to provide a robust email builder and make this transition painless.

Note: The legacy email builder described in this article is currently in maintenance mode - this means that only critical issues will be addressed moving forward.

Where is the legacy email builder?

The legacy email builder can be found when setting up an Email Broadcast or Automation in Max Classic, Pro, Max, and Ultimate:

When sending a broadcast

When setting up an Advanced Automation

The New Email Builder

The legacy builder's replacement is a more sophisticated and feature-rich tool for creating beautiful custom emails. Pro and Max users have been using the new email builder since 2021 and have enjoyed features like multi-column support, emojis, a vast stock image library, a bigger selection of starter templates, much more customization options, more content blocks like a countdown timer, and much more.

Email Consolidation Plan

Consolidating all of the various email builders into one single, unified tool will require a phased approach throughout 2025.

✔ (DONE) Phase 1: Getting started

• [Max Classic] Introduce the new email builder to Campaign Builder
• [Max Classic] Introduce the new email builder for creating an Email Broadcast
• [Pro/Max/Max Classic] Fully supports the new email builder with content publishing
• Pro/Max/Max Classic] Bring critical features to the new email builder to be at parity with the legacy email builder
• [Pro/Max] Collect feedback on the new email broadcast flow
• [Max Classic] Collect feedback on the new email builder

(LIVE) Phase 2: New On-demand Editing Experience

[Pro/Max/Ultimate/Classic]

To help you transition to the new builder, we’ll automatically copy all your legacy emails and templates (automation and broadcast emails) to the new builder. All you’ll need to do is convert your legacy email to the new builder whenever you’d like!

Click here to learn how to convert your legacy email to the new builder.

Here’s what you need to know about this process:

• We’ll automatically copy all your legacy emails to the new builder—no date-range limitations.

• This option applies to saved templates and emails not saved as templates in Automation

• We will provide an option for the “New email experience”. After selecting this option, you can edit your emails using the new email builder editor.

• Please note that Drafts will not be added to the new builder.

• This update does not affect scheduled broadcasts.

• This update does not affect published automations.

• You don’t need to worry about your automations breaking because the legacy builder emails will continue to function, even after we eventually retire the legacy builder.

• The timing is flexible. There’s no hard transition date, so you can convert your emails whenever you like as an on-demand experience.

(NOT YET STARTED) Phase 3: Other email builders

We will replace other low-usage email builders with the new email builder. Our end goal is to provide a consistent experience and reduce the learning curve in understanding and using multiple email builders.

Note: All legacy emails are currently in maintenance mode so we can focus entirely on providing a great user experience in the new builder. Please check our maintenance plan here.

General FAQs

When I convert my email, will the subject line and preview text be included?

• Email broadcast - No. If you have a legacy template with a subject line and/or preview text, this information will not be carried over when you convert to the new builder.
• Automation - Yes. If you have a legacy email with a subject line and/or preview text inside automation, this information will be carried over when you convert to the new builder.

Will emails created with the “Create HTML Email” option be carried over?
Yes, you can convert emails created with the “Create HTML Email” option to the new builder.

Does the new builder support sending emails from a custom address?
Yes. you can add any address from a domain that you have validated.

Will there be any charges involved in this process?
No, Keap isn’t planning to charge anyone when updating their emails or templates.

When should I start using the new builder?
We strongly encourage you to use the new email builder for all new emails and templates from now on.

Why is the legacy builder being removed?
The goal is to consolidate the different email builders and create a single, unified experience for all users. This transition will improve your experience when creating and sending emails and allow us to focus on developing new features you'll love.

Will legacy email templates be automatically added to the new email builder?
Yes. We will add all previously Sent legacy emails and saved legacy templates to the new builder—no date-range limitations. Please note that Drafts will not be added to the new builder.

I don't save my emails inside automation. Do I need to recreate them in the new builder or save them as templates?
No, you don’t need to save your emails inside automation as templates. You can click on “New email experience” to convert your email to the new builder whenever you like.

Will I need to update my templates manually?
No, our main goal is to add all the features included in the templates (hyperlinks, tags, videos, forms, images, etc.). Some features require an update (e.g., links with > 10 tags - the new email builder supports 10 tags per link. Please check the table below for more details.

Which features will be carried over from legacy emails to the new builder?

Will there be features not available in the new email builder that were available in the legacy email builder?
Yes. Not all features in the legacy builder are available in the new builder. Our team is working on bringing critical features to the new builder. Feature requests can be submitted via the Keap app. Check out this document to see the features included in the new builder and what’s coming soon!

Will this process affect published automation?
No. We will keep the templates and emails “as-is” in published automation. You will have time to gradually convert your templates or emails from the legacy builder to the new builder inside automation. There is no timeline for converting your emails. You can do it at your convenience as an on-demand experience.

If I used Code Builder in the legacy email builder to build my emails from scratch, would they migrate over to the new builder?
No. Our main focus is the legacy email builder. Emails created using any other builder will not be added to the new builder and will need to be created in the new email builder.

Will my emails still work after the legacy builder is no longer maintained?
Yes. Published automation will still work, and scheduled broadcasts will still send with the legacy builder. You will have time to gradually convert your templates or emails from the legacy builder to the new builder. There is no timeline for converting your emails. You can do it at your convenience as an on-demand experience.

Will emails created using the legacy-legacy email builder be migrated over to the new builder?
No. Our main focus is the legacy email builder. Emails created using any other builder will not be added to the new email builder and will need to be created in the new email builder.

Can I still send emails using the legacy email builder from the Contacts page in Ultimate/ Max Classic?
No. You can only send email broadcasts using the new email builder when you select Contacts/ Click on Actions/Select Send a broadcast. This update also applies to Referral partners, Opportunities, and Reports. Everywhere the Actions menu is available in Max Classic/Ultimate with the option to Send a broadcast, users will only have access to the new email builder.