Can I make an animated email banner for free?
Yes. Bannerly's editor is free to use with no account: you can design a banner with your logo, images, text, colours, fonts and animations, preview it live and export it. The free export is advert-supported and treated as final. Pro exists for saving projects so you can re-open and re-edit them later.
Key facts
- Cost
- Designing, previewing and exporting a banner in Bannerly is free.
- Account
- No account is required to create and export a banner.
- What Pro adds
- Saving editable projects so you can reopen and change them later.
- Export
- Animated GIF, rendered in the browser from the live preview.
- Canvas sizes
- 600 × 150, 600 × 100 and 600 × 200 px.
What Bannerly's free plan includes
- The full editor — no locked panels or trial timer.
- Your own logo and images, plus background colours, gradients and video backgrounds.
- Text, supporting copy and a CTA button, positioned freely on the canvas.
- Fonts, colours and per-element animations and text effects.
- Live animation preview while you design.
- Export, unlocked by watching a short advert.
What free does not include
Free exports are final: the project is not saved for later editing. If you want to come back next month, tweak the dates and export again, that is what Pro is for — saved projects you can re-open and re-edit while subscribed.
| Free | Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Full editor | Yes | Yes |
| Logo, images, backgrounds, fonts | Yes | Yes |
| Animations and text effects | Yes | Yes |
| Live preview | Yes | Yes |
| Export | Advert-supported, treated as final | No export adverts |
| Save and re-edit projects | No | Yes, while subscribed |
| Account required | No | Yes |
- Free
- Yes
- Pro
- Yes
- Free
- Yes
- Pro
- Yes
- Free
- Yes
- Pro
- Yes
- Free
- Yes
- Pro
- Yes
- Free
- Advert-supported, treated as final
- Pro
- No export adverts
- Free
- No
- Pro
- Yes, while subscribed
- Free
- No
- Pro
- Yes
What to look for in any free banner tool
Free tools differ mostly in what they hold back until you pay. These are the things worth checking early, whichever tool you use.
Is the export watermarked?
A watermark makes the output unusable in a professional signature. Check by exporting a throwaway design before investing time in the real one.
Can you export an animated GIF, not just a static image?
Plenty of free editors will animate in the preview and then only export a still.
Can you set the exact canvas size?
If you are locked to a template ratio, you cannot match your signature width.
Can you upload your own logo and images?
Some tools reserve uploads for paid accounts, which rules out branded work.
What happens to your design afterwards?
Know whether it is saved, and for how long, before you rely on being able to reopen it.
Making a free banner that does not look free
- 1Use two colours and one accent
Most amateur banners are busy rather than badly made. Pull the colours from your logo and stop there.
- 2Pick one font and two sizes
A bold headline and a lighter supporting line is all the hierarchy a 600 × 150 canvas can carry.
- 3Give the CTA real contrast
A solid pill in your accent colour reads as a button. Outlined text does not.
- 4Leave the edges alone
Margin is what makes a small banner feel considered.
- 5Animate one thing
The headline or the button. Not both, not the logo as well.
Where to go next
If you know what you want to make, the sizing guide will save you a redesign and the installation guide will get it into your signature. If you are still deciding whether to animate, the comparison guide covers it fairly.
Key terms
- Email banner maker
- An email banner maker is a tool for designing the wide promotional image used in an email or email signature and exporting it as an image file.
- Free export
- A free export is a finished, watermark-free banner file you can download without paying or creating an account.
Common questions
No. The Bannerly editor is open without an account. An account is only needed for Pro, which saves projects for re-editing.