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You can cancel your subscription at any time. 

We prefer that you initiate the cancellation so you can preview the possible refund that will be given.

To do so, simply log-in to your account and click the “Cancel Subscription” link on your member Dashboard, located just below the subscription details.

We hope that you visit us again for any future email testing!

We offer two different technologies for previewing your HTML email:

Screen Captures

The first approach is to send your email through each email client application and parse together a screen capture of the final result. Using this technique, your email is sent to each individual email client as soon as you submit an email for testing. From there, test results will return in the order that they are received and processed.

Screen captures are displayed as one, large, JPG image so you will not be able to click on or test outside links nor can you preview animated gif images.

Code Based Simulations

We generate a code based simulation of your email by analyzing and parsing your HTML and CSS code much like each of the actual email clients do.  We then display your test results from within a web browser.  When it comes to web based email clients, we display the email as it would appear in the browser you are using to run your test.

Check out this article for a more in-depth look at each technology: Email Renderability Testing: Code Based Previews vs. Screen Captures

Generally it takes 1-2 minutes to process your email test results.  This includes your SPAM analysis as well as a preview of your email in each of our supported clients and mobile devices!

We guarantee that our test results are 100% accurate or we will refund your money!

If you run an acid test and find an inconsistency between our simulation and the way your email actually renders in any of our supported clients - we want to hear about it!  For that reason, we have a “Report a Discrepancy” feature built into our user interface.  When using this feature, there is no need to re-submit your code or URL because we include your email, web browser, and operating system in the support ticket.

It is important to note that when using web based email clients (such as Hotmail, AOL, G-Mail, or Yahoo) recipients can receive your email using any of the popular web browsers (IE, Firefox, Opera, Chrome, or Safari). Our acid test is designed to display web email client results as they would appear in the web browser you are running your test in. Here are the steps we recommend:

1.) View your email in each of the standard web browsers until you are satisfied
2.) Run an acid test in Firefox, then open IE and run the same acid test again from your archive.
3.) You can run the same test from your archive in as many browsers as you wish.

In our email simulation tool, we use the term “discrepancy” two different ways:

1.) Code Analsys - For those of you who are new to our system, we generate a code analysis for each email client.  In that analysis, we flag lines of code that are not supported in red.  This helps you to identify issues and make necessary changes to your code.  In the top of the results screen, we list the number of discrepancies that were found for each email client.

Please do not confuse a discrepancy with a coding error.  In fact, the conflict may or may not alter the final layout in a way that is undesireable.  In many instances, a programmer may use certain CSS properties or HTML attributes that work for a majority of email clients but not for others. There might also be other circumstances when they are forced to use code that is not supported in all clients just so that their design will render correctly in all of them.  When certain properties or elements are not “supported” the email client in question simply ignores that code.

2.) Reporting Rendering Issues - The second usage for the term “discrepancy” is intended for customer service and support.  If you run an acid test and find inconsistencies between our simulation and actual email client results - we want to hear about it!

For that reason, we have included a “Report a Discrepancy” feature in our user interface.  When using this feature, there is no need to re-submit your code or URL because we will include your email in the support ticket.  To report a discrepancy, simply open your test result (either from your dashboard or archive), then mouse over the “Developer Tools” button in the top right and select “Report a Discrepancy.”

Our system does not support MIME image attachments mainly because we want to avoid malicious attacks and security risks.

In general, adding MIME attachments is not recommended because they will dramatically increase the size of your email. 

With that said, we suggest using external links to your images when testing on our platform.

For Outlook 2007 and 2010, we send your email through the physical application and parse together a screen capture of the final result with and without your images blocked.  This, takes time to process and upload.  When you run a full featured test in our system, most of the time is spent on generating a result in these two clients.  If you include all of our clients minus Outlook 2007 and 2010, your results will generally come up within 30 seconds.

The other factor is if or if not you are running a SPAM analysis with your test.  In order to generate that result, your email is being sent through each of those 3rd party filters.  This too, can affect the resulting load time for your acid test.

Even if you run a free test we scan your email through all of our filters in order to give you an idea of how many discrepancies were found in other clients.

Here is error message in question:

We have detected that one or more of your TABLES have width attributes that do not match the cumulative width of each table cell.

As you know, when using web based email clients (such as Hotmail, AOL, G-Mail, or Yahoo) recipients can receive your email using any of the popular web browsers (IE, Firefox, Opera, Chrome, or Safari). Also, when your email is opened in various desktop email clients, each are using a specific rendering engine, for example, Outlook 03 is using Internet Explorer whereas Mozilla Thunderbird is using a Firefox engine.

Each of these browsers handle TD width attributes differently, especially if they do not add up to the total width attribute of their parent TABLES.  For that reason, and to guarantee accuracy, we notify you when we see something that doesn’t add up.  You, of course have the option to forgo this error message an proceed with your acid test.

Including a DOCTYPE is not required for any specific email client, however, we check for it in order to run our HTML validation tool.

The DOCTYPE tells our validator which version of HTML to use in checking the syntax of your email.  Each DOCTYPE (strict, loose, etc) have different requirements. 

You may bypass our validation errors but it is difficult for us to guarantee the accuracy of our test results, especially if you have critical errors.  For example, if you have a stray </div> you could interfere with a web based user interface like Gmail.  Technically, our system can accommodate standard HTML and CSS markup for purposes of simulating a result, however it is nearly impossible to accurately emulate the infinite number of potential errors one might have in their code.

It is important to note, if you forward your results to a friend, they will not see these initial warnings.

If we change our pricing, it will only affect future purchases. 

In other words, if you have a subscription your payment will not change no matter what term you have signed up for and it will auto-renew without an increase in price. However, if you want to sign-up for a new subscription or switch to a different subscription term the cost will be based on our new pricing model. If you cancel your account or if your account gets canceled due to a failed re-occurring membership charge, you will be subject to the new pricing if you choose to sign up again.  

The same thing goes for pre-purchased credits.  The new pricing only applies to new credit purchases.

Our acid test is designed to display web email client results as it would appear in the web browser you are running your test in.  For that reason, it is good practice to run a test in each browser, then log back into your account on another browser and re-run your test from your archive.

This way you can accommodate for every possible combination.

In the interest of saving time, test your email in popular browsers before running an acid test.  This will help you catch any rendering issues from one browser to the next.  From there, run your acid test in IE and Firefox at the bare minimum.

Even if your test stalls, we have already added it to your archive so there is no need to attempt to start a new test over and over.

You might have had a lapse in your connection to the internet so we recommend that you try clearing your browser cache and then re-run your test from your archive.  If you are running a SPAM analysis it could take a little longer to complete.

If your results are still taking longer than 2 minutes to process, please don’t hesitate to contact us!  To do that, simply fill out our contact us form and include your operating system, web browser and the email in question.  It also helps if you let us know if you are trying to run a SPAM analysis with your test. 

We will get back to you within 24 hours, guaranteed!

Our application was primarily designed as a developer tool which allows users to see exactly which lines of code are altered by each email client.  This code based analysis helps our users learn the in’s and out’s of what is supported by each client without having to guess.

For Outlook 2007 and 2010, we also provide the Outlook interpretation of your original HTML code.  This can often help you resolve issues faster.

Last, but not least, we offer several tips and tricks for common email renderability issues for each client.  These tips are available from within your test results.

Sometimes our confirmation emails get blocked by SPAM filters.  Please check your junk or deleted folders for your confirmation email. 

If you still can’t find it, contact us and be sure to include your username and email address.  From there, we will be happy to activate your account manually.

We currently support the following 27 email clients:

Web Based:
Gmail, AOL, Hotmail, Yahoo (Classic), Yahoo (New), Yahoo (Beta)

Applications:
Outlook Express, Outlook 2003, Outlook 2007, Outlook 2010, Live Mail, Windows Mail, Apple (Mac) Mail, Entourage 04, Entourage 08, Thunderbird 2, Thunderbird 3, Lotus Notes 6.5, 7.0, 8.0, and 8.5.

Mobile Devices:
Android 2.2, Android Gmail 2.2, BlackBerry (8800 series), iPhone, iPad, iPad Gmail

Yes, you certainly can.

To do so, login and you will find your subscription details at the top left of the member dashboard.  Click on the link that says “Edit Payment Profile” and follow the steps to change your payment information.

If you signed up before we changed our pricing and your account gets canceled due to a failed re-occurring membership charge, you will be subject to the new pricing structure.

The bottom line is that if you send email campaigns, you will most always run into spam filter issues. On average, you can expect 10-20% of your emails to get blocked,  mostly due to overzealous spam filters and user settings. The unfortunate fact is that innocent email marketers who send permission-based emails get spam filtered all the time.

Unfortunately, there is no quick fix. The only way to avoid spam filters is to understand how they work…

Spam filters look at a long list of criteria. In particular, they scan for spammy phrases like “CLICK HERE!” or “FREE! BUY NOW!”. They assign points each time they see one of those phrases. Certain criteria get more points than others.

Here are some sample criteria from Spam Assassin:

1. Talks about lots of money (.193 points)
2. Talks about opting out (lowercase version)
3. Gives a lame excuse about why spam was sent
4. Claims you can be removed from the list
5. Contains urgent matter (.288 points)
6. Money back guarantee (2.051 points)
7. Why Pay More? (1.249 points)

Click here for a complete list of specific criteria from Spam Assassin.

If your campaign’s total “spam score” exceeds a certain threshold, your email is flagged as SPAM. The threshold is different for every server. It’s determined by the person who installed the spam filter software.  If the person is really sick of spam, they’ll set the threshold extremely low and about everything will get filtered.

The list of “spammy” criteria is constantly growing and adapting, because spam filters “learn” what junk looks like, every time someone clicks the “This is spam” button in their email program. Spam filters even sync-up with each other online, to share what they’ve learned.

We recommend that you avoid these common mistakes:

1. Using phrases, like “Click here!,” “Once in a lifetime opportunity!” or “Free”
2. Multiple exclamation points!!!!!!
3. USING ALL CAPS (especially in the subject)
4. Coloring with bright fonts like red, or green
5. Creating an HTML email that’s nothing but one big image, with little or no text (since spam filters can’t read images, they assume you’re a spammer that’s trying to trick ‘em).
6. Using the word “Test” in the subject line
7. Sending a test to multiple recipients within the same company (that company’s email firewall can only assume it’s a spam attack)
8. Designing HTML email in Microsoft Word, and exporting the code to HTML (that code is sloppy, and spam filters can easily detect it)

The reason that most SPAM blocking companies are so vague is because they do not want people learning how to get through their filters.  Unfortunately this is the industry standard.

We currently accept American Express, Discover, MasterCard, and Visa. 

If you are purchasing Pay-as-you-go credits, you also have the option of paying through Paypal merchant services.

Up-front payments by check are accepted for special instances, please contact us if this is your only option.

Some fonts are not standard from one operating system to the next.

For example, Helvetica isn’t a standard font in Windows but it is on a Mac, therefore we report it in our analysis filters for Windows desktop email clients only. In those instances, it is best to use a font stack, for example: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana.

Please note, if you forward your results to a friend for review, they will not see the code validation nor the code analysis reporting.

Our code analysis was primarily designed as a developer tool which allows users to see exactly which lines of code where altered by each email client.  This code based simulation helps our users learn the in’s and out’s of what is supported by each client without having to guess.  If you review a screenshot, it is not always obvious what to do to resolve issues.

Conflicts that are reported in our code analysis may or may not alter the final layout and in many instances, a programmer may use certain CSS properties or HTML attributes that work for a majority of email clients but not for others. There might also be other circumstances where they are forced to use code that is not supported in all clients just so that their design will render correctly in all of them.  When certain properties or elements are not “supported” the email client in question simply ignores that code.

When you submit each acid test, we run it through a code validation tool in order to guarantee the accuracy of our test results.  This scans your code to ensure that there are no critical errors that might impact our simulation.  It also helps you identify precisely which lines of code you should alter before running your test again.

If you are running a free test or if you are using a credit, we do not charge you for this code validation and reporting feature.  If you wish to bypass the error warnings you have the option to proceed with your acid test.

We are very sorry, at this time we only accept major credit cards.

This is generally caused by browser caching. To fix the issue please do the following:

1. Clear your browser cache
2. Log out
3. Log in
4. Run the test again from your Test Archive (located on your Dashboard)

If the test still does not return any results please let us know.

You can print out past receipts from our website. Just log into your account and at the bottom of the “Dashboard,” you will find your purchase history.

Receipts are also sent out via email as soon as each transaction occurs.

The best way to change the subscription term is to cancel your current subscription and purchase a new one with the desired term. You can either do it now and possibly receive a pro-rated refund (this depends on how many test you have run during the month) or you can wait until the day before your subscription is going to renew.

To cancel the current subscription log into your account and click on the “Cancel Subscription” button on the Dashboard, located just below the subscription details.

After cancelling, click on the “Payment Options” link to purchase a new subscription.

You are entitled to a pro-rated refund of a subscription plan depending on the number of tests that were run. If your membership terms started on the 1st of the month and you notify us that you want to cancel your subscription on the 20th day of the month and you ran 2 tests during that month, we would pro-rate the cost of the subscription and then subtract the cost of the 2 tests from the refund amount. Each test is worth $5.00.

If you purchase a yearly subscription and you decide to cancel the subscription within 3 months you will given a pro-rated refund.  However, that refund depends on how long the subscription was active and how many tests were processed during the term. Each test is $5 so if you run 100 tests in 3 months you will not get a refund because price of tests run (100*5 = $500) is more than the yearly subscription price of $251.88.

One test credit includes the following:

1. A preview of your email in each of our supported clients
2. Code analysis for each client
3. SPAM filter testing
4. Send results to a friend
5. Embedded CSS to inline code conversion
6. Generate text version
7. Code validation
8. Email client tips & tricks

*Your test will remain in your archive for up to 3 months.

*You must make your email client selections when you run your test, you will not be able to change those later.

*If you want to run a SPAM filter test, you must include the “from” address when initiating your test.

When you cancel your subscription you should no longer see your subscription details in the upper left corner of your dashboard.  Instead you will see options to purchase pay-as-you-go credits or sign up for a subscription.

If you are unable to cancel because the card that we are attempting to refund is no longer valid.  Try changing the card that we have on file and then re-process your cancellation.  To do this, go to your dashboard, click on “Edit Payment Profile” in the top left, just under your subscription details.  Then when you have completed that process, try unsubscribing again.  If you do not have another card and do not wish to receive a refund, please contact us directly.

If you are unsure if you have other accounts that are under an auto renewing subscription plan, please contact us and we will help you identify those accounts mannually.

As soon as you initiate your cancellation we attempt to process your refund.  If the refund is unsuccessful, you will be notified during the cancellation process.

If you are unable to cancel because the card that we are attempting to refund is no longer valid.  Try changing the card that we have on file and then re-process your cancellation.  To do this, go to your dashboard, click on “Edit Payment Profile” in the top left, just under your subscription details.  Then when you have completed that process, try unsubscribing again.  If you do not have another card and do not wish to receive a refund, please contact us directly.

Unfortunately our merchant bank does not give us very much information as to why a transaction may have failed. 

If you are attempting to pay through Paypal and the transaction is unsuccessful, your best bet is to contact Paypal merchant services directly to resolve the issue. Sometimes they will suspend your account due to a change in address. 

If you still feel that there should be no reason for your transaction to fail, please contact us and let us know the error code that you are receiving so that we can investigate the issue manually.

Unfortunately, CAPTCHAs are a necessary evil.  More than likely you are behind a proxy server and we are unable to verify your IP address. 

To create an account, please contact us with the following fields:

1. Username
2. Password
3. Email Address

First, try checking your archive.  Even if there was an interruption such as accidently closing the browser window, an issue with your internet connection, or a stalled result due to a third party email client, you can always check back to your archive for the completed test results.

If you are using the “Re-run” feature on the top right of the test result interface, this will use up another credit.  That feature is designed to let you run a second test quickly, without having to reselect your email clients.

If you have an email that is really long (over 40 inches in height), sometimes our system will have difficulty processing your request.  Again, check your archive and if you don’t get the results eventually please contact us so that we can refund your credit.  Unfortunately in those circumstances, you might have to break your email up into two parts and send two tests.

If none of this situations pertain to you and our system is acting buggy, try clearing your browser cache and re-running your test from the archive.  If that doesn’t work, try it from another browser and if that still doesn’t work, by all means, reach out to us so we can look into it.

Our address is as follows:

Email on Acid
P.O. Box 36263
Denver, CO 80236

Happy testing!

To unsubscribe from Email on Acid, click here.  That will remove you from all future communication.

If you wish to delete your entire account along with your archive and personal information, please contact us so that we can do that manually.

If you are having issues running a new test or when running a previous test from your archive, more often than not, it’s a caching issue.  Try clearing your browser cache and re-run the test from your archive.  You must also allow cookies in order for your test to run correctly.

If that doesn’t work, you might try running the test from a different browser or a different computer.  Sometimes our users have conflicts if they are behind a strict firewall or they are using a conflicting browser plugin.

If you feel that you have identified a specific bug or issue, please let us know about it.

Due to the fact that there are so many advertisers and so few people who want to be advertised to, deliverability is an incredibly complex topic and there are several factors involved:

1.) Email Server Reputation - Web-based email clients check the reputation of the server sending the emails. If the servers have a bad reputation, emails sent from them will most likely be considered SPAM. You can check your email server’s reputation here (http://mxtoolbox.com).

A sender’s reputation is made up of a combination of IP Address + Domain + From Email Address so it’s important that you maintain consistency. Some ISPs filter email by domain versus only IP address.

2.) Local Configuration Settings - Every email client and/or SPAM blocking application has its own local settings and configuration tools.  In other words, users who receive email have the ability to customize their client to be strict or forgiving when it comes to SPAM.  In our test, we have everything set to the default settings.

3.) Blocked Senders and Address Book - Several email clients use different levels of SPAM blocking based on if or if not the sender is considered “trusted” by the receiver.  If the receiver places the sender into his or her address book, future emails are less likely to be blocked.  When the receiver places the sender in their blocked list, future emails are blocked.

4.) Email Content and Subject Lines - SPAM filters look for spammy sounding words in your subject line and the body of your email.  Most work on a point system.  The more points you have against you, the more likely you are to be placed into SPAM.  Unfortunately most email clients will already start penalizing you for using HTML within your email.

5.) Mailing List Quality - If you have several subscribers in your mailing list that no longer have valid email addresses, you run the risk of getting blacklisted.  This is why several email service providers are very strict about this.  There are several affordable email list cleaning services available today and most email service providers remove individuals on your list who no longer have valid email addresses.  With that said, it’s best to stick with one provider and/or export your list of valid addresses if you plan to change providers.

6.) Engagement - Several ISPs keep track of the way their users interact with their email. Factors include what messages are opened, what messages are moved between folders and how quickly mail is deleted.

7.) Sending Server Configuration - Rate limiting will occur for high complaints and poor reputation. Servers should be configured to allow for simultaneous connections with throughput set at 20 emails per connection. Authenticating email with SPF and DKIM is recommended.

In the end, our system can only test the reputation of the sender address, subject lines and content using the default SPAM settings that come standard within email clients and popular SPAM filters.

1.) You might try running the test from a different browser or a different computer.  Sometimes our users have conflicts if they are behind a strict firewall or they are using a conflicting browser plugin.

2.) If you have an email that is really long (over 40 inches in height), sometimes our system will have difficulty processing your request.   Again, check your archive and if you don’t get the results eventually please contact us.  Unfortunately in those circumstances, you might have to break your email up into two parts and send two tests.

You might be using a particular character in your URL string that our system is blocking.  Please contact us with the exact URL you are attempting to use so that we can resolve the issue quickly.

To unsubscribe from Email on Acid, click here.  That will remove you from all future communication.

In order to make a purchase with Email on Acid, you must first create a member account.  From there, simply log-in and click on the “Payment Options” link in top navigation.

The simple answer to this question is yes, each time you run a new test, it requires one credit.

However, when you initialize your test, we run it through our code validation.  This will report back any critical errors based on the DOCTYPE you have used.  When you receive this initial list of errors, you have the option of exiting out of the test and saving your credit or proceeding with the email preview and SPAM analysis.

If you are using the “Re-run” feature on the top right of the test result interface, this will use up another credit.  That feature is designed to let you run a second test quickly, without having to reselect your email clients.

At this time, we only support the Blackberry 8800 series.  The email client on this device only supported plain text.  We have plans to add the Blackberry Curve which does offer support for HTML emails however we do not have an exact date as to when that will be released.

You can cancel your account at any time and receive a pro-rated refund based on the number of days in the month and the number of tests you ran.  So for example, if you get billed for a second month, you can cancel that day and get a full refund.

Monthly subscriptions are good for 30 days, the renewal will go through on the 31st day.  Therefore, a second option is to mark down the renewal date in your calendar and cancel one day prior.

To cancel, simply login and click on the “Cancel Subscription” link in the top left of your member dashboard.

There are three ways to run a test:

1.) You can insert your URL

2.) You can cut/paste your HTML code

3.) You can send an email directly to your Email on Acid account.  To do this, login and look for the “My Inbox” feature in the top right of the member dashboard.  There you will find instructions for sending emails to your EOA account.

Once you initiate your test, you can wait for the results and review them as they come in or you can check your archive at a later time.  If your test results are incomplete, be sure to check your archive.  If there is a lag caused by a third party web based email client, your results will remain in the queue until processed.

Yes, you can send an email directly to your Email on Acid account.  To do this, login and look for the “My Inbox” feature in the top right of the member dashboard.  There you will find instructions for sending emails to your EOA account.