Beefree (now RGE Studio) vs Mela
Beefree (now RGE Studio)
beefree.io
Mela
usemela.comSide by side
| Figure | Beefree (now RGE Studio) | Mela |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $25/mo | $33/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 9 | 3 |
| Spec score · Email Design Software | 9.2 (#2) | 8.7 (#6) |
| Audience | The designer solution is aimed at designers who need speed, brand consistency, customization, and team collaboration. | Mela says it is built for freelance developers, agencies and studios, and small business owners. |
| Email builder | The editor provides visual blocks for composing and exporting HTML email designs. | Email Builder is an add-on for visually designing emails and exporting inbox-safe HTML. |
| Integrations | Native connectors include Mailchimp, HubSpot, Klaviyo, Salesforce, Marketo, ActiveCampaign, Campaign Monitor, Gmail and others. | Mela's pricing page lists Brevo, Mailchimp, and Resend form integrations as $9/mo add-ons. |
| Product | RGE Studio, formerly Beefree, is a web-based builder for on-brand emails and landing pages. | Mela describes itself as a multi-site CMS for creating and managing sites from one dashboard. |
| Rating on Capterra | 4.8 out of 5 from 207 reviews. | Capterra's Mela page reports 4.7 out of 5 from 22 reviews for construction-management software, which is a different product from usemela.com. |
| Rating on GetApp | 4.8 out of 5 from 207 reviews. | GetApp shows 4.7 out of 5 from 23 reviews, but the page identifies this as Mela Works construction field-service software rather than the usemela.com CMS. |
| Rating on Trustpilot | 3.4 out of 5 from 22 reviews. | Trustpilot shows 3.8 out of 5 from 2 reviews for Usesela at usesela.com, a different domain and company from usemela.com. |
| Support | Plans include Help Center, Beefree Academy, email support, and two-factor authentication, with premium support and Okta SSO listed for higher tiers. | Mela lists [email protected] for general inquiries and [email protected] for security inquiries. |
| What it does | RGE Studio is a browser-based drag-and-drop editor for creating responsive emails, landing pages and related content without coding. | Mela describes itself as a multi-site CMS for creating, managing and publishing client websites from one dashboard. |
Plans
Beefree (now RGE Studio)
- StarterFree
- StarterFree
- Professional (annual billing)$25 a month
- Professional$30 a month
- Professional$30 a month
- Business (annual billing)$134 a month
- Business$160 a month
- Business$160 a month
- EnterprisePriced on request
In their own words
Beefree (now RGE Studio)
RGE Studio, formerly Beefree, is a web-based builder for on-brand emails and landing pages. Its drag-and-drop editor includes more than 1,700 templates, and users can save reusable rows or synced rows that update across designs. Designs can be exported through native connectors, copied as HTML, or downloaded as ZIP files; custom connectors can serve platforms outside the native integration list. Native connections include services such as Salesforce Marketing Cloud, HubSpot, Adobe Marketo Engage, Mailchimp, Klaviyo, Gmail, Outlook, and SendGrid. Smart Check flags issues including missing links, missing subject lines, and oversized images or HTML files. The AI Assistant can add alt text and identify typos and translation issues. Mobile design mode, dark-mode preview, and structured semantic HTML aligned with WCAG 2.2 accessibility principles are also included. Roles and permissions are available on Professional, Business, and Enterprise; Business and Enterprise also support multiple workspaces. Starter is free, while Professional costs $30 a month, billed $25/mo billed yearly. RGE Studio creates content, but sending, automation, and data remain in an ESP or CRM.
Mela
Mela is a multi-site CMS for creating and managing websites from one dashboard. It is aimed at freelance developers, agencies, studios, and small business owners. A site can begin from a blueprint or a blank slate and is live and editable when created. Mela supports visual content modeling and front ends built against a typed, versioned contract.
Every site includes forms with a submissions inbox, cookieless analytics, redirects, SEO controls, media, localization, and role-based access. Optional add-ons include visual page building, an email designer, and an AI site generator. The Email Builder exports email-safe HTML, but it does not send emails or include contact lists, scheduling, or open- and click-tracking. Brevo, Mailchimp, and Resend form integrations are listed as $9/mo add-ons. Developers can use a Next.js theme framework with a versioned theme contract, while the MCP server works with Claude Code, Cursor, or another MCP client for content modeling, site imports, media uploads, and typed frontend scaffolding.