Best Email Tracking Software in 2024 to See Who Opens Your Emails 

You’ve just wrapped up crafting an important email campaign, one that could really make a difference for your business. 

As you hit the send button, a familiar sense of uncertainty sets in. You find yourself wondering if these carefully crafted emails will even get noticed. It’s a frustrating feeling. 

But what if you could see the impact of your emails in real-time?

This is where email tracking software tools step in. Let’s unpack what they are, how they help you, and how to pick one that fits your needs. 

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What is Email Tracking Software? 

Email tracking software is a tool that monitors and records the activity of the emails you send. Its function is to give senders detailed information about how recipients interact with their emails. 

The technology usually works by embedding a tiny, invisible image, called a tracking pixel, into the email. When the recipient opens the email, this pixel gets downloaded, and the server records the details. Some tracking tools notify the sender when the recipient opens the email.

So, who has the most use for this type of software? Here’s an overview: 

User Group	Reason to Use Email Tracking Software
Marketers	Assess the impact of their email campaigns.
Sales teams	Measure client interest.
Small business owners	Gain feedback on email effectiveness.
Individuals	Track personal emails for a response.

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Best Email Tracking Software 

There are plenty of email tracking tools in the market, each with its unique features. Plus, any decent email marketing platform will have its own tracking features. 

If your only purpose is to see who opens your emails, we recommend Mailtrack. It’s simple and inexpensive. Plus, the free version will give you basic tracking functionality, but it includes the company’s branding. 

But if you need other functionalities or want to use email tracking as part of your sales outreach, you need to look for other, more elaborate tools. 

Here’s a brief overview of the best email tracking software in 2024. We’ll review each one in depth later on. 

Software	Best Use Case	Our Rating	Gmail	Outlook	Free Version	Price
Mailtrack	Email Tracking for Gmail	4.8	✅	✅	✅	Starting at $5.99 per month
My Signature	Gmail Tracking for Small Businesses	4.5	✅	❌	❌	$6 per month per user
Streak	Email Tracking and CRM for Gmail	4.7	✅	❌	✅	Starting at $19 per month
HubSpot Sales	Free Email Tracking Software	4.2	✅	✅	✅	Starting at $20 per month
MixMax	Sales Engagement with Email Tracking	4.4	✅	✅	✅	Starting at $29 per month
Yesware	Sales Email Tracking Software	4.1	✅	✅	✅	Starting at $19 per month
Saleshandy	Email Tracking Software for Outlook	4.4	✅	✅	✅	$9 per month
Staffbase	Internal Email Tracking Software	4.4	❌	✅	❌	Contact for quote

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Can You Put a Tracker on an Email?

Yes, you can put a tracker on an email.

You usually can’t add a tracker to an email manually. That’s because you need to configure the email server to detect your tracking method and act accordingly. 

But there are plugins and tools for almost all platforms. We’ll list out some of the most popular ones later on. 

Sometimes, tracking an email isn’t a smart choice, though. There should be a balance between the need for information and respect for privacy. So, before adding a tracker to an email, consider why you want to do it and whether it’s necessary. 

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Can You Track an Email After It Has Been Sent?

You can’t track an email after you send it. You need to set up the tracking beforehand, since email tracking works through pre-embedded trackers. 

Whether you use a tracking pixel or a read receipt, you can’t modify the email content once it leaves your outbox. 

While some email services, like Gmail, let you undo your emails for a short period (30 seconds max), email technology isn’t designed to provide an editing feature. That’s because your email isn’t stored on a server beyond your reach. 

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Benefits of Email Tracking Tools

Email tracking tools sharpen your email marketing strategies and enhance your communication with clients. Let’s explore their most important benefits in detail.

Know if Your Emails Land in the Inbox

Email tracking lets you monitor your deliverability rates. You’ll know if your emails are reaching the inbox or if they’re landing in the spam folder. 

If you see low open rates, maybe your emails aren’t landing in front of your audience. Advanced tracking software isn’t limited to open rates, though. You can analyze your spam complaints, unsubscribe rates, delivery rates, and more to monitor your overall deliverability. 

Once you identify the cause, you can adjust your approach, test different solutions, and track the change in deliverability. 

See Who Opens Your Emails and When

Email tracking assigns unique IDs to each email you send. So, you can see exactly who opens each email and when. 

This feature especially comes in handy for sales teams. You can identify which potential clients are showing interest in your message so that you can send targeted follow-ups. Cold outreach teams can also benefit from this feature, but at Campaign Refinery, we’re completely against cold email. 

Of course, legitimate tracking platforms give your aggregate data or remove information that might reveal the recipient’s identity. And, as a responsible sender, anonymized information should be enough to help you understand your audience. 

Run Effective Email Campaigns

You can use your tracking data to amp up your email campaigns. Say your tracking tool shows a high open rate but low click-throughs. This could mean your subject lines are catchy, but the email content isn’t driving action.

Try more compelling call-to-actions or clearer links. Run A/B tests with different email versions. For example, one has a bold button for a call-to-action, and another uses a hyperlinked sentence. Compare the results and keep refining. 

With these tweaks, you can optimize your emails for engagement and boost your campaign metrics. 

Pinpoint the Perfect Send Times

Tracking tools show you when your emails get the most attention. 

Let’s consider an example: You send a batch of promotional emails and, thanks to tracking, you can see that half your list opened them within the first hour. You can use this insight to spot patterns — maybe most opens happen on Tuesday mornings or right after lunch breaks. 

This way, you can find the best time to send your next campaign at the right time to boost your chances of getting noticed.

Send Perfect Follow-Ups 

Creating follow-up emails can feel like a tightrope walk — you want to be persistent without being pushy. Email tracking can be your guide here. 

When you keep an eye on how recipients interact with your emails, you get a clear picture of their interest levels. 

For example, consider someone who opens your email multiple times without taking action. They might need more information or a gentle nudge. You can address potential questions or highlight key points they might have missed.

On the other hand, if your initial email doesn’t get opened, it might be time to switch tactics. Maybe try a new subject line or send the follow-up at a different time of day.

Personalize Your Emails 

Personalization is the secret to making your emails stand out in a crowded inbox. The goal is to make each recipient feel that your email was crafted just for them.

Every time someone interacts with your email, they give you a clue about what captures their interest.

Use this data to shape your content and write emails that capture attention. If storytelling hooks your audience, weave more into your emails. If subscribers interact with your product updates, send more of those. And if detailed updates are a flop, keep them short and sweet. 

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Mailtrack: Email Tracking Software for Gmail 

Mailtrack is a user-friendly Gmail plugin to track emails, although it supports Outlook, too. According to the company, the plugin is GDPR-compliant and audited by Google. 

You have to install the plugin from the Chrome Web Store and connect it to your gmail account. It seamlessly fits into the Gmail interface, almost as if it was a native feature. You can view reports, run campaigns, and change your settings. 

The plugin also adds a button to the compose screen to let you control tracking settings for individual emails. You’ll get a notification as soon as the recipient opens your email. 

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My Signature: Gmail Tracking Plugin for Small Businesses and Freelancers 

As the name suggests, My Signature’s primary goal is to help you generate on-brand email signatures. But the signature doubles as a tracking pixel. It lets you track email opens and interactions. So, it’s a great option for freelancers and small businesses who want to promote themselves while also tracking their emails. 

To use My Signature, you need to install its Gmail plugin to get real-time notifications when someone opens your emails or clicks on a link in your content. 

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Streak: Email Tracking and CRM for Gmail

Streak offers a unique approach to email tracking and customer relationship management directly from Gmail. 

It adds a button to the Compose window in Gmail. This way, you can control which emails you want to track. Like most tools on our list, Streak sends a desktop notification when a recipient opens your email. 

Another cool feature in the free version is the ability to create snippets. This is helpful if your emails contain repetitive information. You can quickly send similar emails without typing or copy/pasting the same information multiple times. 

Streak also gives you a dashboard to view all your tracked emails in chronological order. So, you can follow up individual emails based on when they were opened. 

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MixMax: A Sales Engagement Platform with Email Tracking 

MixMax is an email-based sales engagement tool that lets you unify your email interactions with various prospects. It comes with sequencing features that help you follow up with prospects efficiently. 

It also features an email tracking tool that notifies you when each recipient opens your email. You can integrate the feature with Slack, so that you’re not limited to desktop notifications. 

What makes MixMax more powerful than many other competitors is the reporting features. You can pinpoint which content generates the most opens, clicks, and conversions. Plus, you can embed dynamic content, such as polls and surveys in your emails. 

However, MixMax is overkill if you’re a one-man team. It’s designed to simplify sales engagement tasks for teams. And the price is higher than other platforms on this list. 

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Yesware: Sales Email Tracking Software

Yesware is a comprehensive email tracking and outreach tool for sales teams. You can schedule, send, and track a high number of emails. It keeps you on track with your outreach and reminds you when you need to re-engage prospects. 

In terms of tracking, Yesware tells you when someone opens an email, clicks on a link, or downloads an attachment. It integrates with both Gmail and Outlook, giving you an interactive sidebar with aggregate and email-specific data. 

Yesware also offers tools for team members to stay organized and synchronize their tasks. 

But Yesware does have a few limitations. For one, integrating it into your existing CRM system can be challenging. So, if your operations are CRM-heavy, you should look for another tool. What’s more, the meetings feature is supposed to simplify meetings, but it isn’t as intuitive or effective as specialized tools. 

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Saleshandy: Email Tracking Software for Outlook

Saleshandy is an email tracking and automation tool for sales professionals. But it also has a dedicated email tracking plugin for Outlook. 

Although Outlook already has a feature for read receipts, Saleshandy’s plugin gives you extra functionality: You can see how many times each user opens each email. 

The plugin supports real-time email tracking, which notifies you on your desktop when the recipient opens your email. You can also configure it to track every time a user clicks on each link in your email. 

If you’re a premium Saleshandy user, this integration with Outlook streamlines your processes. 

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Staffbase: Internal Email Tracking Software

Staffbase (formerly known as BananaTag) is an internal communications and email tracking platform for large organizations. It takes an email marketing approach to internal emails.

Staffbase integrates with Office 365. This feature is excellent for companies that use SharePoint, Outlook, or other Microsoft products. 

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How to Choose an Email Tracking Tool

When choosing email tracking software, you need to go through a detailed process to analyze different aspects of your choice.

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Email Tracking Limitations

Email tracking tools are powerful, but they’re not flawless. As a sender, you need to understand that a few factors can influence tracking data’s accuracy and reliability. 

Here’s an overview before we get into the details: 

Limitation	How	Impact	Solutions
User Settings	Recipient doesn’t enable images	Email open won’t be recorded	Include text to encourage enabling images.
Accuracy concerns	Automatic email opening by privacy tools or false opens.	Inflated open rates and inaccurate tracking data.	Cross-reference with other metrics like click-throughs.
Privacy and legal boundaries	Recipients may view tracking as a privacy invasion.	Potential legal issues and loss of recipient trust.	Be transparent, obtain consent, adhere to privacy laws.
Quantitative vs. qualitative data	Reliance on quantitative data without qualitative insights.	Incomplete understanding of audience engagement.	Complement with qualitative feedback like surveys or direct replies.

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User Settings 

Email tracking depends heavily on how recipients interact with your email. For example, if they don’t enable images in their email settings, your tracking pixel won’t load, and you won’t know if the recipient opened your email. 

To mitigate this, you might include enticing text content near images to encourage the recipient to enable image viewing. But, ultimately, user behavior is out of your control and can impact your tracking accuracy.

Accuracy Concerns 

Tracking isn’t always spot-on. Besides user settings, privacy and security tools automatically open emails to check for spam. This can register a false open — the tracking pixel loads but the user doesn’t actually open the email. Apple’s privacy protection mechanism is notorious for inflating open rates. 

Plus, some email clients or security firewalls block tracking pixels or links. So, even if your recipient opens the email, it might not register in your tracking data.

You need to take these scenarios into account. Don’t take the data at face value. Cross-reference your tracking data with other metrics, like responses or click-throughs, for a more accurate picture.

Privacy and Legal Boundaries

Your recipients might view tracking as an invasion of their privacy. That’s why you should always be transparent about what you track and how. Explain everything in your terms of service and obtain explicit consent. 

This way, you’ll build trust with your audience, and you’ll stay on the right side of the law. Some jurisdictions have strict laws about recording user data, such as the GDPR in Europe or the California Consumer Privacy Act. 

Quantitative Data with Qualitative Insights

It’s easy to get caught up in numbers — opens, clicks, etc. But these metrics don’t tell the whole story. A low open rate doesn’t always mean a lack of interest from your audience. Perhaps the email landed in the spam folder, or your personalization strategy didn’t work the way you intended. 

You need to complement quantitative insights with qualitative feedback like surveys or direct replies to get a fuller understanding of your audience’s engagement.

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How To Prevent Software From Tracking Me When I Open Email

Recipients use various methods to maintain their privacy, which can impact the accuracy and effectiveness of your tracking efforts. Understanding these challenges is key to adapting your email strategies and ensuring you still gather useful data. 

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Optimize Your Email Campaigns with Precision Tracking and Intuitive Analytics