MergelineDo tracking pixels hurt email deliverability?
Updated October 29, 2026
There is no Google statement that pixels send you to spam, but many practitioners turn them off. They report that Gmail can show a banner on emails with tracking images, next to a one-click spam report, and that untracked emails get more replies. Open numbers are unreliable anyway because Apple Mail preloads images. For cold email, turning tracking off is the safer default.
What is known and what is reported
| Claim | Status |
|---|---|
| Apple Mail Privacy Protection preloads images and inflates opens | Documented by Mailchimp |
| Gmail shows a banner on some tracked emails near a spam report button | Reported by users, not stated by Google |
| Tracking hurts inbox placement | Widely believed among cold emailers, not proven |
Why many cold emailers switch it off
A thread in r/coldemail put the worry plainly: “That mark as spam option is what kills deliverability.” Another asks why people say not to track opens at all, and the answers keep coming back to two points: the numbers lie, and the pixel adds risk without adding replies. Tools like lemlist let you disable tracking for this reason.
If you keep tracking
- Use it only on mail to people who know you.
- Never decide follow-ups based on opens; use replies.
- Avoid click tracking that rewrites links through a shared domain.
Mergeline’s choice
Mergeline adds no pixels and no link redirects, on every plan. Your emails look exactly like ones you typed. It reports replies, bounces and unsubscribes instead, which is what decides your next step anyway. See why open rates are inaccurate.
A simple test
If you are unsure, run two small batches of the same email to similar people, one with tracking and one without, and compare replies after a week. Replies are the result you care about, and they cannot be faked by an image loading.
What it costs your readers
A pixel also tells a third party when and roughly where someone read your email. Some readers and workplaces block images for that reason, which is one more reason open counts are patchy.
Read the full guide: Open tracking pixels
Related answers
Sources
- r/coldemail: does open tracking harm deliverability?
- r/coldemail: why some say don’t track open rates
- Mailchimp: Apple Mail Privacy Protection FAQ
- lemlist help: disable email tracking
Facts checked October 29, 2026. Google and other vendors change their limits and prices, so check the source before you rely on a number.
Mergeline does this from your own Gmail. Free for 60 emails a day with merge tags and no branding. Pro is $12 a month or $99 a year for follow-ups, scheduling and attachments.