EmailOctopus vs Loops
EmailOctopus and Loops are both popular choices in the email marketing platform space. EmailOctopus has been around since 2014, giving it a 8-year head start over Loops (founded 2022). EmailOctopus is the more affordable option at $9/mo — that's $40 less than Loops's $49/mo entry point. Both offer free plans to get started. EmailOctopus has the edge with landing pages, a drag-and-drop editor. Both tools work well for indie and bootstrapped.
Quick Verdict
EmailOctopus wins on price, deliverability, integrations.
Loops wins on rating.
Best for most users: EmailOctopus (beginners).
EmailOctopus
Email marketing made easy
EmailOctopus is a stripped-back email marketing tool that focuses on simplicity and affordability. It's ideal for small businesses and creators who want the essentials without paying for features they won't use. Built on Amazon SES for reliable deliverability.
Loops
The email platform built for SaaS
Loops is a developer-first email platform designed exclusively for SaaS companies, combining marketing and transactional email in a single clean interface. Built by Y Combinator alumni, it features a Notion-style block editor, event-based automation triggered by user behavior like signups and upgrades, and contact-based pricing with unlimited sends. Its standout strength is letting small SaaS teams replace both their marketing email tool and transactional service (like SendGrid) with one unified platform.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | EmailOctopus | Loops |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.2/5 | 4.6/5 |
| Starting Price | $9/mo | $49/mo |
| Free Plan | 2,500 subscribers | 1,000 contacts, 4,000 sends/month, Loops branding |
| Founded | 2014 | 2022 |
| Email Templates | 30 | 15 |
| Integrations | 45 | 24 |
| Deliverability Rate | 97.5% | 95% |
| Marketing Automation | ✓ | ✓ |
| A/B Testing | ✕ | ✕ |
| Landing Pages | ✓ | ✕ |
| Segmentation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Drag & Drop Editor | ✓ | ✕ |
| SMS Marketing | ✕ | ✕ |
| Ecommerce Features | ✕ | ✕ |
| API Access | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-Language | ✕ | ✓ |
| Web Push Notifications | ✕ | ✕ |
| Live Chat | ✕ | ✕ |
| Advanced Analytics | ✕ | ✕ |
EmailOctopus: Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Generous free plan (2,500 subscribers)
- +Very affordable Pro plan
- +Simple and clean interface
- +Good deliverability using Amazon SES
- +Easy migration from other platforms
Cons
- −Limited feature set compared to competitors
- −No A/B testing
- −Small template library
- −Basic automation capabilities
- −No ecommerce features
Loops: Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Clean Notion-style block editor with extremely fast email creation and minimal learning curve
- +Unified platform for both marketing and transactional emails eliminates need for separate services like SendGrid
- +Simple contact-based pricing with unlimited sends and no per-seat charges on all paid plans
- +Strong developer-focused API with direct integrations for Stripe, Supabase, Clerk, and webhook support
- +Founder-led customer support with direct access via live chat, email, and 1:1 Calendly calls
Cons
- −Limited automation logic — lacks advanced multi-branch workflows and conditional logic found in mature platforms
- −No built-in CRM or detailed contact history, requiring external tools for relationship management
- −Editor has reported bugs including no undo functionality, risking accidental content loss
- −Narrow SaaS-only focus makes it unsuitable for ecommerce, media, or non-tech industries
- −Very small integration ecosystem (24 native integrations) compared to competitors with hundreds
The Verdict
Loops edges ahead with a 4.6/5 rating compared to EmailOctopus's 4.2/5. The gap comes mainly from support (4.5 vs 3.8) and feature depth (4.4 vs 3.9). On deliverability, EmailOctopus reports 97.5% compared to 95% for Loops — a meaningful difference if inbox placement is critical for your campaigns.
| Criterion | Weight | EmailOctopus | Loops |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | 30% | $9/mo | $49/mo |
| Deliverability | 25% | 97.5% | 95% |
| Rating | 25% | 4.2/5 | 4.6/5 |
| Integrations | 10% | 45 | 24 |
| Free Tier | 10% | Yes | Yes |
Weights determine how much each criterion counts toward the final score. See full methodology
Choose EmailOctopus if…
- + You want lower starting costs ($9/mo)
- + You need built-in landing pages
- + You're a beginners
- + You're a bloggers
Choose Loops if…
- + You're a saas startups
- + You're a developer first teams
- + Clean Notion-style block editor with extremely fast email creation and minimal learning curve