Stack
Loops
An email platform for SaaS products that handles transactional, marketing, and lifecycle email in one tool.
What it actually does
Loops combines the three kinds of email a SaaS product sends: transactional (resets, receipts), marketing broadcasts (newsletters, launches), and lifecycle drip sequences (onboarding, re-engagement). The pitch is replacing a two-vendor setup like Resend plus a newsletter tool with a single subscription.
It bills purely on subscribed contacts, not on emails sent, so sends are unlimited on paid plans. Transactional email is included at no separate volume charge, which removes the second meter that tools like Resend and SendGrid run.
The tradeoff is a first paid tier of $49/mo and a steep price curve as contacts grow. The free plan is generous on features but capped at 4,000 sends per month, which is the limit most teams hit before the 1,000-contact cap.
Loops vs its main rivals
The tools people actually weigh against Loops: Customer.io, Resend, Brevo. Same criteria for every column, including where Loops loses.
| Loops | CCustomer.io |  Resend |  Brevo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Pricing & access | ||||
| Free tier | Yes1,000 contacts | NoTrial only | Yes3,000/mo | Yes300/day |
| Starting price | $49/mo | $100/mo | $20/mo | ~$9/mo |
Product email | ||||
| Transactional email included | YesUnlimited | YesYes | YesMetered | YesYes |
| Marketing + transactional in one | YesYes | YesYes | YesSeparate meters | YesYes |
| Unlimited sends on paid | YesYes | YesYes | NoMetered | NoDaily cap low tier |
Automation & scale | ||||
| Automation / workflow depth | Basic | Advanced | Minimal | Good |
| Multichannel (SMS/push) | NoEmail only | YesSMS/push | NoNo | YesSMS |
| Contact-based billing | YesYes | YesYes | NoVolume | NoVolume |
Developer & API | ||||
| REST API | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Webhooks | Free | Free | Free | Free |
Team & enterprise | ||||
| SSO / SAML | YesScale | YesEnterprise | YesEnterprise | YesEnterprise |
- One tool for transactional, marketing, and lifecycle drips, replacing a two-vendor setup
- Transactional email is free of any separate volume meter
- Unlimited sends on paid plans, so a large broadcast costs nothing extra
- First paid tier is $49/mo, more than Resend Pro plus a small newsletter tool combined
- Free plan's 4,000 sends/mo runs out fast once onboarding flows are added
- Automation is basic next to Customer.io, and there is no SMS or push
Pay less for it
5 ways found1,000 contacts and 4,000 sends/mo with all features, fine for a pre-launch or early product.
Prepaying yearly or two years lowers the effective monthly rate versus month-to-month.
Billing is by subscribed contacts, so clearing dead contacts before each cycle keeps you in a lower tier.
Resend Pro ($20) plus Buttondown ($9) covers most of the same ground for under $30/mo until you truly need consolidation.
Resend + Buttondown — A transactional API plus a cheap newsletter tool covers transactional and broadcast email for under $30/mo, below Loops' $49 entry, if you can live with two dashboards.
StackTracker tracks what you actually pay for Loops and every other tool, flags overpayment, and shows the dollars you would save by switching.
Is it the right tool for you
- You are juggling transactional plus drip sequences across two tools and want one
- You want unlimited sends and transactional folded into one bill
- You can absorb $49/mo for the consolidation
- You only need transactional email right now → use Resend or Postmark
- You need deep multichannel automation with SMS and push → use Customer.io
Track what Loops and the rest of your stack cost
StackTracker adds up every subscription, plus your hours, so you see the real number.
Prices and limits last verified 2026-07-20.