Platform Comparison

Loops vs Mailchimp

Comparing Loops and Mailchimp for SaaS email marketing. See how the modern challenger designed for startups compares to the industry giant.

Loops is the modern email platform built specifically for SaaS companies, while Mailchimp is the established giant serving everyone from solopreneurs to enterprises. Both handle marketing email, but their approaches couldn't be more different.

Quick Comparison

FeatureLoopsMailchimp
Pricing Modelcontact-basedcontact-based
Starting Price$49/mo$13/mo
Free Tier1,000500
Transactional Email
Marketing Email
Automated Warmup

Target Audience

Tie

Loops is built for SaaS:

  • Product-led growth workflows
  • User behavior triggers
  • In-app event integration
  • Transactional + marketing unified
  • Startup-friendly pricing

Mailchimp serves everyone:

  • E-commerce focus
  • General marketing automation
  • Broad template library
  • CRM capabilities
  • Enterprise features

Winner: Depends on your business

If you're a SaaS company, Loops understands your use case better. If you're e-commerce or general marketing, Mailchimp's breadth is an advantage.

User Experience

Loops wins

Loops is modern and focused:

  • Clean, minimal interface
  • Fast to set up
  • Logical workflow builder
  • No feature bloat
  • Built in the 2020s

Mailchimp is comprehensive but complex:

  • Lots of features = lots of menus
  • Can feel overwhelming
  • Powerful but cluttered
  • Legacy UI patterns
  • Steep learning curve

Winner: Loops

Loops is refreshingly simple. Mailchimp has accumulated features over 20 years and it shows in the UX.

Pricing Model

Mailchimp wins

Loops uses contact-based pricing:

  • Free: 1,000 contacts
  • Starter: $49/month for 5,000 contacts
  • Growth: $99/month for 10,000 contacts
  • Scale: Custom pricing

Mailchimp also contact-based:

  • Free: 500 contacts, 1,000 sends
  • Essentials: From $13/month
  • Standard: From $20/month
  • Premium: From $350/month

Winner: Mailchimp (for small lists)

Mailchimp's lower tiers are cheaper. At scale, Loops becomes competitive, but both suffer from contact-based pricing that punishes list growth.

Transactional Email

Loops wins

Loops includes transactional:

  • Unified platform for all email types
  • Same interface for transactional and marketing
  • Event-triggered sends
  • API for developer integration

Mailchimp separates transactional:

  • Requires Mandrill (separate product)
  • Additional cost
  • Different interface
  • More complex setup

Winner: Loops

Having transactional email built-in is a significant advantage for SaaS companies who need both.

Ecosystem & Integrations

Mailchimp wins

Loops integrations:

  • Growing but limited
  • Segment, Stripe, etc.
  • API for custom integrations
  • Newer = fewer native integrations

Mailchimp integrations:

  • Hundreds of integrations
  • Works with almost everything
  • Zapier and native connections
  • Extensive plugin ecosystem

Winner: Mailchimp

Mailchimp's 20+ years mean it integrates with everything. Loops is catching up but can't match the breadth yet.

The Verdict

Choose Loops if you're a SaaS company wanting a modern, focused tool that handles both transactional and marketing email without the complexity of legacy platforms.

Choose Mailchimp if you need extensive integrations, e-commerce features, or are already in the Intuit ecosystem. The learning curve pays off if you need its full feature set.

Consider alternatives if contact-based pricing is a concern for your growing list, or you want features like warmup automation that neither offers.

Consider Transmit

Both Loops and Mailchimp charge based on contacts, which punishes list growth. Transmit uses volume-based pricing, pay for what you send, not how many contacts you have. Plus you get automated warmup with auto-pause on deliverability issues, and **Multi-tenant Reputation Isolation** that neither competitor offers.

Compare with Transmit

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do Loops and Mailchimp compare on Target Audience?
**Loops** is built for SaaS: - Product-led growth workflows - User behavior triggers - In-app event integration - Transactional + marketing unified - Startup-friendly pricing **Mailchimp** serves everyone: - E-commerce focus - General marketing automation - Broad template library - CRM capabilities - Enterprise features **Winner: Depends on your business** If you're a SaaS company, Loops understands your use case better. If you're e-commerce or general marketing, Mailchimp's breadth is an advantage.
How do Loops and Mailchimp compare on User Experience?
**Loops** is modern and focused: - Clean, minimal interface - Fast to set up - Logical workflow builder - No feature bloat - Built in the 2020s **Mailchimp** is comprehensive but complex: - Lots of features = lots of menus - Can feel overwhelming - Powerful but cluttered - Legacy UI patterns - Steep learning curve **Winner: Loops** Loops is refreshingly simple. Mailchimp has accumulated features over 20 years and it shows in the UX.
How do Loops and Mailchimp compare on Pricing Model?
**Loops** uses contact-based pricing: - Free: 1,000 contacts - Starter: $49/month for 5,000 contacts - Growth: $99/month for 10,000 contacts - Scale: Custom pricing **Mailchimp** also contact-based: - Free: 500 contacts, 1,000 sends - Essentials: From $13/month - Standard: From $20/month - Premium: From $350/month **Winner: Mailchimp (for small lists)** Mailchimp's lower tiers are cheaper. At scale, Loops becomes competitive, but both suffer from contact-based pricing that punishes list growth.
How do Loops and Mailchimp compare on Transactional Email?
**Loops** includes transactional: - Unified platform for all email types - Same interface for transactional and marketing - Event-triggered sends - API for developer integration **Mailchimp** separates transactional: - Requires Mandrill (separate product) - Additional cost - Different interface - More complex setup **Winner: Loops** Having transactional email built-in is a significant advantage for SaaS companies who need both.
How do Loops and Mailchimp compare on Ecosystem & Integrations?
**Loops** integrations: - Growing but limited - Segment, Stripe, etc. - API for custom integrations - Newer = fewer native integrations **Mailchimp** integrations: - Hundreds of integrations - Works with almost everything - Zapier and native connections - Extensive plugin ecosystem **Winner: Mailchimp** Mailchimp's 20+ years mean it integrates with everything. Loops is catching up but can't match the breadth yet.
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