I’m trying to help users spread the word about my site by sending emails to their friends. The problem is that typing email addresses one by one is really tedious and most people won’t bother doing it.
Does anyone know of a widget that’s free to use? I need something that can connect to popular email services like Gmail, Yahoo Mail, or Outlook. The idea is that users could log into their email account, pick which contacts they want to message, and then send invites directly from my site.
Currently my site only has a basic email form where people have to enter addresses manually, which hardly anyone uses.
have you checked out cloudSponge? i’ve been using it for 6 months and it’s awesome for Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook. there’s a free tier but it limits how many contacts you can grab. integration is easy, just add their js widget.
OpenInviter was perfect for this but they killed it years ago. Now I use AddressBook.js on the frontend plus custom OAuth for Gmail and Outlook APIs. More setup work, but you control the whole user experience. The pain point? API changes - Google constantly tweaks their auth flow. Yahoo’s stuck with their old contacts API that works but feels ancient. If you can handle backend dev, roll your own. Most third-party options either cost money or hit you with usage caps.
Had this exact problem 18 months ago building a referral system. Went with a hybrid approach that worked great. Skip importing contacts entirely - add social sharing buttons next to your email form and make the manual entry much smoother. I added comma-separated bulk entry and autocomplete for previously entered addresses. Here’s the thing: most people only want to invite 3-4 close contacts anyway, not their whole address book. Social shares cover the broad reach, improved email form handles personal invites. Conversion jumped 40% without OAuth headaches or privacy issues.