Open Rate

Definition

Open rate measures the percentage of delivered emails that recipients opened. It is one of the most widely tracked email marketing metrics because it indicates how effective your subject line, preview text, and sender name are at capturing attention in a crowded inbox.

Email open rate is tracked using a transparent tracking pixel embedded in the email HTML. When a recipient loads the images in their email client, the pixel fires and registers an open. This means open rates are not 100% accurate — some recipients read emails with images disabled, and Apple Mail Privacy Protection automatically loads tracking pixels regardless of whether the email was opened.

Formula

Open rate is calculated using the total number of unique opens divided by the total number of delivered emails.

Open Rate = (Unique Opens / Delivered Emails) × 100

Variable	Description
Unique Opens	Number of individual recipients who opened the email at least once
Delivered Emails	Total emails sent minus bounces

Average Benchmark

Average open rates vary significantly by industry. Here are the benchmarks across key sectors:

Industry	Average Open Rate
Agriculture	23.4%
Ecommerce	18.7%
Education	25.1%
Finance	20.2%
Healthcare	22.6%
Media & Publishing	21.9%
Real Estate	24.5%
SaaS & Technology	19.8%
Travel & Hospitality	17.5%
Nonprofit	25.3%

Overall average across all industries: 18-22%. A good open rate for most businesses is above 20%. Rates above 30% are considered excellent but are increasingly difficult to achieve due to Apple Mail Privacy Protection and inbox changes.

How to Improve Open Rate

• Write better subject lines: Aim for 40-60 characters. Use curiosity, urgency, personalisation, and relevance. Test different approaches with A/B testing.
• Optimise sender name: Use a recognisable name rather than a generic company address. Personal sender names (e.g. "Sarah from Brand") often outperform brand-only names.
• Segment your audience: Send targeted emails to smaller, relevant lists rather than blasting your entire database. Relevant emails get opened more often.
• Clean your list regularly: Remove inactive subscribers who have not opened in 90 days. They drag down your open rate and hurt deliverability.
• Test send times: The best send time depends on your audience. Try different days and times and track which get the highest open rates.
• Use preheader text: The preview text that appears next to the subject line is valuable real estate. Use it to complement the subject line, not repeat it.

Example Calculation

If you send a campaign to 10,000 subscribers, 200 emails bounce, and 1,960 unique opens are tracked:

Delivered Emails = 10,000 - 200 = 9,800
Open Rate = (1,960 / 9,800) × 100 = 20%

This means 20% of your successfully delivered emails resulted in an open. This is right around the industry average.

Related Tools

• Open Rate Calculator: Calculate your open rate instantly at email open rate calculator

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good email open rate?

A good email open rate is between 18% and 22% across all industries. Rates above 25% are above average, and anything above 30% is considered excellent. However, benchmarks vary significantly by industry, audience quality, and email type.

Does Apple Mail Privacy Protection affect open rates?

Yes. Apple Mail Privacy Protection (MPP), released in 2021, automatically loads tracking pixels for all Apple Mail users regardless of whether they opened the email. This artificially inflates open rates. As a result, open rate is becoming less reliable as a primary metric, and many marketers now focus more on click rates and conversions.

Is a higher open rate always better?

Not necessarily. A high open rate with a low click rate may indicate misleading subject lines that drive opens but fail to deliver on the promise. Always measure open rate alongside click-through rate to understand full engagement.