Loops vs Substack
Loops is a email marketing platform while Substack is a newsletter platform. Substack has been around since 2017, giving it a 5-year head start over Loops (founded 2022). Substack starts at free versus $49/mo for Loops. Both offer free plans to get started. Loops has the edge with marketing automation, API access, audience segmentation.
Quick Verdict
Loops wins on rating, integrations.
Substack wins on price.
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.
Substack
The newsletter platform where writers build independent media businesses
Substack is the dominant newsletter platform that uniquely combines free publishing tools with a 10% revenue-share model, letting writers launch subscription-based media businesses with zero upfront cost. Beyond newsletters, it has evolved into a full creator ecosystem with podcasts, video, livestreaming, Notes (microblogging), and community Chat, backed by a powerful built-in discovery network that helps writers find audiences organically.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Loops | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.6/5 | 4.4/5 |
| Starting Price | $49/mo | Free |
| Free Plan | 1,000 contacts, 4,000 sends/month, Loops branding | Unlimited subscribers, unlimited emails, all core features free — Substack only charges when you earn |
| Founded | 2022 | 2017 |
| Email Templates | 15 | 1 |
| Integrations | 24 | 0 |
| Deliverability Rate | 95% | 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 | ✕ | ✕ |
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
Substack: Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Completely free to start with no upfront costs — zero barrier to entry with all core publishing features available immediately
- +Built-in audience discovery network with Recommendations and Notes driving organic subscriber growth (users report gaining 1,000+ subscribers through Recommendations alone)
- +True content ownership: creators can export their full subscriber list and content at any time to migrate elsewhere
- +Multimedia platform supporting newsletters, podcasts, video, livestreaming, Notes, and Chat communities in a single integrated experience
- +Strong reader engagement with genuine community interaction through comments, Chat, and Notes — higher engagement rates than typical social media platforms
Cons
- −The 10% platform fee plus Stripe's ~2.9% + $0.30 per transaction creates a 13-16% total take rate that becomes very expensive at scale (e.g., $1,300-$1,600/month on $10K revenue)
- −No email marketing automation, segmentation, A/B testing, or advanced personalization — all subscribers receive identical emails with no conditional logic
- −No public API and zero native third-party integrations — cannot connect to CRMs, e-commerce platforms, Zapier, or other marketing tools
- −Limited design customization with a single standardized template — no drag-and-drop editor, no custom HTML, and minimal branding options
- −Platform can remove content or delete accounts without notice, and customer support is difficult to reach for issue resolution
The Verdict
Loops and Substack are closely matched — both score within 0.2 points of each other in our overall rating. Your decision should come down to specific needs rather than overall quality.
| Criterion | Weight | Loops | Substack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | 30% | $49/mo | Free |
| Deliverability | 25% | 95% | 95% |
| Rating | 25% | 4.6/5 | 4.4/5 |
| Integrations | 10% | 24 | 0 |
| Free Tier | 10% | Yes | Yes |
Weights determine how much each criterion counts toward the final score. See full methodology
Choose Loops if…
- + You need marketing automation
- + You need API access for custom integrations
- + You're a saas startups
- + You're a developer first teams
Choose Substack if…
- + You want lower starting costs (Free)
- + You're a independent writers and journalists
- + You're a newsletter creators monetizing through paid subscriptions