Beefree SDK guide
The Complete Guide to Beefree™ SDK Add-Ons: What They Are, How They Work, and Which Ones Are Worth Installing
If you have the Beefree™ SDK embedded in your platform, your email builder can already do a lot. AddOns extend that builder with tools like QR codes, calendar links, blog cards, stock snapshots, maps, logos, holidays, and quotes without your team writing a line of additional code.
What Are Beefree™ SDK Add-Ons?
Beefree™ SDK AddOns are additional Content Tiles that appear in the Content tab of the builder's sidebar. Your end users see them alongside the default content options, drag them into emails, configure them, and insert finished blocks without knowing anything about how they are built or hosted.
In practice, that covers a wide range of useful content: QR codes, calendar event links, map images, holiday content, logos, blog article cards, market data, and quote blocks. These are features your customers have probably asked for. AddOns let you deliver them.
Partner AddOns vs. Custom AddOns
Partner AddOns are built, hosted, and maintained by third-party companies that have partnered with Beefree. You install them from the Beefree™ SDK Console, set up any required account with the partner, and your end users get access immediately. No dev work is required on your side after the install.
Custom AddOns are ones your team builds for your specific application. You control the logic, the UI, and the hosting. Custom AddOns require the Beefree™ SDK Superpowers plan or above and carry ongoing development and maintenance cost.
The distinction matters because most feature requests from your users, like QR codes, calendar links, logos, and quote blocks, are already solved problems. A Partner AddOn covers them without a dev ticket.
How Add-Ons Appear in the Editor
Once an AddOn is installed, it shows up as a new tile in the Content tab of the Beefree™ editor sidebar. Your end users drag it into the layout just like any other content block. The plugin UI opens in a modal or panel, the user configures the block, and the result drops directly into the email as a properly formatted row or image module.
Your end users never see the word BuzzWorks. The experience is seamless inside your platform.
Which Beefree™ SDK Plans Support Add-Ons?
Partner AddOns are available to any Beefree™ SDK plan. You install them from the AddOns section inside your application's configuration in the SDK Console. Custom AddOns require the Superpowers plan or above. If you want to extend the editor without a plan upgrade or dev overhead, Partner AddOns are the practical path.
Why Teams Use AddOns Instead of Custom Features
The Real Cost of Custom Development in an Email Builder
Building a custom AddOn means designing a UI, writing an API, hosting an endpoint, documenting the feature for your team, and then owning every bug that surfaces after launch. That is a real engineering commitment for a feature that, at the end of the day, puts a QR code or a calendar link in an email.
For most SaaS platforms, the math does not work. Engineering sprints are expensive. Partner AddOns trade a small subscription cost for the equivalent of dozens of dev hours.
What "Install Once, Use Everywhere" Means
BuzzWorks installs as a single AddOn into your Beefree™ SDK integration. That one install unlocks every plugin in the BuzzWorks library, today and as new plugins ship. You do not repeat the process for each plugin. Your end users get access to all of them from a single configuration step.
The Available Beefree™ SDK Partner Add-Ons
Here is a current look at every plugin in the BuzzWorks library, what each one does, the use case it is built for, and how it uses credits.
BuzzCode - QR Code Generator with Scan Tracking
BuzzCode generates branded QR codes inside the Beefree™ editor. Supported QR types include URL, plain text, email, SMS, phone, vCard, and WiFi. Users can upload a logo to center inside the code.
Built for: Event check-ins, mobile action emails, in-store offer campaigns, contact or WiFi sharing.
Credit usage: 1 credit per view, 1 credit per scan.
BuzzDates - Calendar Event Links for Any Provider
BuzzDates turns an event into one-click calendar actions for Google Calendar, Outlook, Office 365, Yahoo Calendar, Apple Calendar, and ICS downloads. Users configure the event title, location, date, time, and timezone inside the plugin.
Built for: Webinar registrations, appointment reminders, product launch announcements, conference session emails.
Credit usage: 1 credit per click.
BuzzMap - Location Maps Inside Email
BuzzMap generates a map image and optional directions link from an address, then inserts them as a Beefree row. Users choose a layout: overlay, image-left, image-right, or image-top.
Built for: Event venue confirmations, store and pop-up announcements, appointment-based campaigns for clinics, showrooms, and service teams.
Credit usage: 1 credit per view.
HiveDays - Holiday and Occasion Content
HiveDays gives your email team access to a library of holidays, observances, and cultural moments. Users search by date or month, browse matching royalty-free images, pick a layout, and insert a finished Beefree row.
Built for: Newsletter teams, ecommerce marketers, and community teams who want timely campaign hooks.
Credit usage: 1 credit per view.
HiveMarks - Brand Logo Library
HiveMarks lets users search for company logos by name and insert them as image modules inside the editor. No hunting through file storage or pasting hosted URLs manually.
Built for: Agencies managing multi-brand campaigns, event teams placing sponsor logos, partner announcement emails, co-marketing and integration campaigns.
Credit usage: 1 credit per view.
HoneyFeed - Live Blog Content in Email
HoneyFeed reads Open Graph metadata from a public article URL and turns it into a formatted email module: title, description, image, and link. Users enter a URL, HoneyFeed fetches the data, and the article card drops into the layout as a Beefree row.
Built for: Newsletter editors, content teams, and lifecycle marketers who promote recently published posts or run article roundup emails.
Credit usage: 10 credits per URL fetched. Views are free.
HoneyTicker - Stock Symbol Display
HoneyTicker pulls price data and the company logo for a given stock ticker from NASDAQ and NYSE, stores the result as a snapshot at build time, and inserts it as a Beefree content block.
Built for: Investor relations teams, financial education newsletters, fintech onboarding emails, market commentary campaigns.
Credit usage: 1 credit per view.
The Sting of Wisdom - Famous Quote Generator
The Sting of Wisdom lets users pick a quote category, browse matching quotes, select one, and pair it with a royalty-free image. The finished block inserts into the email as a styled row with quote text, author attribution, and selected image.
Built for: Thought leadership emails, motivational series, newsletter openers, and seasonal campaigns that need a human line of copy.
Credit usage: 1 credit per view.
How to Install BuzzWorks Add-Ons
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Step 1 - Install the BuzzWorks AddOn
Log into your Beefree™ SDK Console. Navigate to your application's Details page, scroll to the Application Configuration section, and click AddOns. From there, click Browse Partner AddOns and locate BuzzWorks. Install it once. Every plugin in the BuzzWorks library is now available in your editor.
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Step 2 - Choose Your Billing Model
User Pays: Each end user subscribes to their own BuzzWorks plan and manages their own credit allocation. The AddOn install is free for your platform. This model fits SaaS platforms, marketing automation tools, and CRMs where individual users manage their own software spend.
Team Pays: Your account owner or admin subscribes to a single plan. Credits pool across everyone on the team under one bill. This model fits agencies and companies that centralize tooling costs.
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Step 3 - Start Using Plugins in the Editor
No deployment, no configuration file, no pull request. Once the AddOn is installed and a plan is active, the plugins appear in the Beefree™ editor sidebar for any user in the account.
Pricing and Credit Usage
Each BuzzWorks plugin draws from a shared credit pool based on actual usage. Most plugins use 1 credit per view, meaning you spend credits when recipients open the email and the content block renders. BuzzCode is an exception: it also charges 1 credit per scan for tracking-enabled QR types. HoneyFeed charges 10 credits at fetch time and zero on subsequent views.
You can estimate your usage with the credit calculator on buzzworks.studio.
| Plan | Credits/Month | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Worker Bee | 250,000 | $19.99/month |
| Queen Bee | 1,000,000 | $49.99/month |
| Hive Master | 2,500,000 | $99.99/month |
All plans include access to every plugin, a 5-day free trial, and a free Playground so you can test every plugin before committing to a billing model.
Who Should Use Beefree™ SDK Add-Ons?
Best Fit
- SaaS platforms with embedded email builders. Your users want more from the editor. AddOns let you deliver it without expanding your engineering roadmap.
- Marketing automation tools. Campaigns that touch events, locations, or content promotion benefit directly from BuzzDates, BuzzMap, and HoneyFeed.
- Internal tools using the Beefree™ SDK. Teams building company-wide email tools can offer QR, maps, calendar links, and logo search to internal users with zero maintenance overhead.
- Agencies managing client campaigns. HiveMarks for sponsor logos, HiveDays for seasonal hooks, and The Sting of Wisdom for editorial tone are practical tools that save production time on every send.
Not the Right Fit
If your product is a standalone ESP that does not embed the Beefree™ SDK, BuzzWorks does not apply. The AddOn system is specific to the Beefree™ SDK integration, and the install step requires access to the Beefree™ SDK Console.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a specific Beefree™ SDK plan to use add-ons?
Partner AddOns, including BuzzWorks, work on any Beefree™ SDK plan. Custom AddOns (ones you build yourself) require the Superpowers plan or above.
Can my end users access the plugins without knowing what BuzzWorks is?
Yes. Once the BuzzWorks AddOn is installed in your Beefree™ SDK integration, the plugins appear as native content tiles inside your editor. End users interact with them the same way they use any other block. BuzzWorks branding is not visible in their editing experience.
What happens when I run out of credits?
Plugin functionality pauses until credits are replenished or a plan upgrade adds capacity. The credit calculator on buzzworks.studio helps you size the right plan before you hit a limit.
Is there a free trial?
Yes. Every BuzzWorks plan includes a 5-day free trial and a free Playground environment where you can test every plugin without launching a live campaign.
Do all eight plugins come with one install?
Yes. Installing the BuzzWorks AddOn once in your Beefree™ SDK Console unlocks all eight plugins immediately. There is no separate install for each plugin.
All eight Beefree™ SDK AddOns are one install away
BuzzWorks is built specifically for the Beefree™ SDK ecosystem. If your team wants QR codes, calendar event links, location maps, holiday content, logo search, blog article cards, stock data, or quote blocks inside your Beefree™ editor, BuzzWorks brings them together in one AddOn.
Get started with a free trial