The production platform vs. the governance platform
Knak coordinates the full email and landing page production workflow, from Figma through personalization to MAP deployment. Stensul centers its platform around governance and brand controls for enterprise email creation. Both serve enterprise teams. The difference is where each platform starts and how far it reaches.
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The quick take
Knak is a marketing production platform that connects every step of the email and landing page lifecycle. Designers push from Figma. Marketers personalize and translate. Reviewers approve through tiered workflows. Assets sync natively to Marketo, Eloqua, SFMC, Pardot, or HubSpot. Governance is built into the process, alongside everything else the workflow requires.
Stensul is a governance-first email creation platform. It positions itself around "Governed Creation," with controls, permissions, and approval structures as the core of the product. The platform serves enterprise teams focused on maintaining consistency and brand compliance across email programs.
Both platforms address enterprise email creation. Knak treats governance as one layer in a broader production system that spans design tools, creation, personalization, and MAP deployment. Stensul treats governance as the organizing principle of the platform.
How Knak compares to Stensul
| Feature | Knak | Stensul |
|---|---|---|
| Platform scope | Email and landing pages in one platform | Email-first; landing pages are secondary |
| Governance model | Tiered: fast lanes for routine work, escalated review for custom campaigns | Uniform controls across all work |
| Design tool integration | Figma-first: one-click push from Figma to Knak, no manual rebuild | Figma plugin available but not prominent in the workflow |
| Integration model | Native bi-directional sync with Marketo, Eloqua, SFMC, Pardot, HubSpot | Integrations with select MAPs |
| Brand compliance | Built into creation: locked modules, approved palettes, defined boundaries before the first asset is built | Central to the platform: controls, permissions, and approval structures |
| AI capabilities | Subject lines, alt text, translations, brand-aware content generation | AI recommendations within governance framework |
| Security and compliance | SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA | Enterprise security |
| Customer profile | Meta, Google, Amazon, Nvidia, Palo Alto Networks, Uber | BlackRock, Cisco, Siemens, Thomson Reuters |
| Best for | Enterprise teams that need the full production workflow coordinated across design, creation, and deployment | Enterprise teams where governance is the primary purchase criterion |
What enterprise production looks like
Knak and Stensul both serve enterprise marketing teams. The difference is scope. Stensul organizes the platform around governance. Knak organizes the platform around the full production workflow, with governance as a built-in layer.
From Figma to your MAP in one pipeline
Knak connects design to deployment in a single flow. Designers create in Figma and push to Knak with one click. Marketers add personalization, dynamic content, and translations without touching the MAP. Reviewers sign off. The finished asset syncs directly to Marketo, Eloqua, SFMC, Pardot, or HubSpot.
Stensul has a Figma plugin, but the design-to-creation handoff is not a central part of the workflow. The platform focuses on what happens after design, in the creation and governance steps.
For teams where the designer handoff is the slow step, the difference is significant. Multi-day handoff cycles collapse to hours when the pipeline is connected.
Tiered governance vs. uniform controls
Enterprise teams don't treat every email the same. A regional newsletter doesn't need the same approval chain as a rebrand launch. Knak's tiered governance model reflects that reality: locked brand elements protect what matters, while flexible sections let marketers create within defined boundaries. Routine work flows through fast lanes. High-stakes campaigns get the full review chain.
Stensul applies a consistent governance model across all work. That approach provides uniformity, which works well for teams where every asset requires the same level of oversight. For teams producing a mix of routine and custom work, uniform controls can slow down the campaigns that don't need them.
Email and landing pages together
Knak treats email and landing page creation as equal priorities in one platform. Emails and landing pages share the same brand controls, approval workflows, and MAP integrations. One production workflow for the full campaign.
Stensul leads with email creation. Landing pages are available but not the primary focus of the platform.
Native MAP integration
Knak integrates natively with Marketo, Eloqua, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Pardot, and HubSpot. Assets built in Knak live inside your MAP. Personalization tokens, dynamic content, and Velocity scripting sync automatically. No export step, no manual code work.
Anyone on the team can create launch-ready assets without MAP training. That's what took Palo Alto Networks from two email builders to nearly 200.
Which platform is right for you?
Consider Knak if
- You need the full production workflow coordinated from design through deployment
- Your designers work in Figma and the handoff to email production is the slow step
- You run campaigns across Marketo, Eloqua, SFMC, or multiple MAPs and need native integration
- Your team produces a mix of routine and custom work that needs tiered governance, not one-size-fits-all
- You need email and landing pages in one platform with shared approval workflows
- Enterprise security (SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, CCPA) is a procurement requirement
Consider Stensul if
- Governance is your primary requirement and you want a platform organized around it
- Your team operates in regulated industries where uniform controls are expected
- Your workflow is email-focused and doesn't require equal landing page support
- You need a structured methodology for auditing and improving your creation process
What customers say
We avoided $2 million in incremental costs, allowing us to scale and grow at the necessary pace.”
Charles Eichenbaum
Director of Demand Operations and Marketer Enablement, Google
No one needs to know how to code, we went from two builders at Palo Alto to now nearly 200.”
Gina Novacco
Senior Global Digital Campaign Ops, Palo Alto Networks
User-friendly and primed for scale - it's just what we needed to speed up our campaign deployment.”
Patrick Monk
Head of Marketing Strategy and Operations, Uber
Frequently asked questions
Most teams are building their first assets within days. Full team adoption happens in two to four weeks. A dedicated customer success team maps your current process and configures the platform to match your workflows.
Knak integrates natively with all major marketing automation platforms, including Marketo, Eloqua, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, HubSpot, and others. These are bi-directional syncs, not one-way exports. Assets, tokens, and personalization flow between systems automatically.
They don't need them. Marketers build responsive emails and landing pages in Knak's visual editor. For teams that need advanced personalization, Velocity scripting and dynamic content work within the same editor.
Tiered permissions control who can modify what. Locked brand elements protect the things that should never change. Flexible sections let marketers create within defined boundaries. Routine emails flow through fast lanes. Custom campaigns get the review they need. Different teams can have different permission levels based on their role and the type of work.
Designers create in Figma and push to Knak with one click. The design arrives in Knak ready for marketers to add personalization, dynamic content, and translations. No manual rebuild, no interpretation errors, no multi-day handoff.
SOC 2 Type II certified, GDPR compliant, CCPA compliant, and HIPAA ready.
Dedicated customer success manager, comprehensive onboarding, ongoing training, and responsive technical support.
See Knak in action
Get a custom demo using your own brand assets and campaign goals. See how enterprise teams at Google, Palo Alto Networks, and Uber coordinate email production at scale.
