Loops vs Sendy
Loops and Sendy are both popular choices in the email marketing platform space. Sendy has been around since 2012, giving it a 10-year head start over Loops (founded 2022). Loops starts at $49/mo, while Sendy starts at $69 one-time. Their pricing is not measured the same way, so we don't rank them on price. Loops offers a free plan (1,000 contacts, 4,000 sends/month, Loops branding), while Sendy does not. Both tools work well for indie and bootstrapped.
Quick Verdict
Loops wins on rating, integrations, free tier.
Best for most users: Loops (saas startups).
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.
Sendy
Self-hosted email marketing that sends via Amazon SES at 100x lower cost
Sendy is a self-hosted email newsletter application that connects to Amazon SES to deliver emails at a fraction of the cost of traditional email marketing platforms. With a one-time $69 license and SES sending costs of roughly $1 per 10,000 emails, it is ideal for high-volume senders who want to avoid recurring subscription fees. It requires technical setup but offers unlimited subscribers, autoresponders, segmentation, and full data ownership.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Loops | Sendy |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.6/5 | 4.2/5 |
| Starting Price | $49/mo | $69 |
| Free Plan | 1,000 contacts, 4,000 sends/month, Loops branding | No free plan |
| Founded | 2022 | 2012 |
| Email Templates | 15 | 0 |
| Integrations | 24 | 20 |
| Deliverability Rate | 95% | 95% |
| Marketing Automation | Yes | Yes |
| A/B Testing | No | No |
| Landing Pages | No | No |
| Segmentation | Yes | Yes |
| Drag & Drop Editor | No | No |
| SMS Marketing | No | No |
| Ecommerce Features | No | No |
| API Access | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-Language | Yes | No |
| Web Push Notifications | No | No |
| Live Chat | No | No |
| Advanced Analytics | No | No |
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
Sendy: Pros & Cons
Pros
- + Extreme cost savings: a one-time $69 license, with Amazon SES sending from $0.10 per 1,000 emails
- + Unlimited subscribers with no tier-based pricing that punishes list growth
- + Full data ownership and privacy since everything is self-hosted on your own server
- + Clean, focused interface without bloated features — does exactly what it promises
- + White-label multi-brand support allows managing multiple client accounts from one install
Cons
- − Requires technical skills for server setup, installation, and ongoing maintenance
- − No built-in A/B testing, landing page builder, or advanced automation workflows
- − UI feels dated and lacks modern design polish compared to SaaS competitors
- − Limited customer support — solo developer product with slow response times reported
- − No drag-and-drop email editor; requires HTML knowledge for custom templates
The Verdict
Loops edges ahead with a 4.6/5 rating compared to Sendy's 4.2/5. The gap comes mainly from value for money (4.9 vs 4.3) and ease of use (4.4 vs 3.9).
| Criterion | Weight | Loops | Sendy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | 30% | $49/mo | $69 |
| Deliverability | 25% | 95% | 95% |
| Rating | 25% | 4.6/5 Winner | 4.2/5 |
| Integrations | 10% | 24 Winner | 20 |
| Free Tier | 10% | Yes Winner | No |
Weights determine how much each criterion counts toward the final score. See full methodology
Choose Loops if…
- + You need a free plan to get started
- + You're a saas startups
- + You're a developer first teams
Choose Sendy if…
- + You're a cost conscious email marketers with large lists
- + You're a technical users comfortable with self hosting and server management
- + Extreme cost savings: a one-time $69 license, with Amazon SES sending from $0.10 per 1,000 emails