Loops vs Mailchimp: Which Email Marketing Tool for SaaS?

Overview

Loops and Mailchimp represent two different eras of email marketing. Loops is a modern, SaaS-focused platform built for product-led companies. Mailchimp is an established giant that has evolved from simple newsletters to a full marketing platform.

This comparison helps you understand which approach fits your SaaS business better - modern simplicity or established comprehensiveness.

Key Differences

Philosophy and Focus

Loops is built specifically for SaaS and product-led companies. Every feature is designed with software companies in mind - from event-based triggers to developer-friendly APIs. The interface is clean and focused, avoiding feature bloat.

Mailchimp serves everyone from small businesses to enterprises across all industries. This means more features but also more complexity. You'll find tools for e-commerce, social media, landing pages, and more - whether you need them or not.

Developer Experience

Loops offers a modern, well-documented API that feels like it was built by developers for developers. Integrating with your SaaS product is straightforward, and the webhook system is robust.

Mailchimp has a comprehensive API, but it shows its age in places. It works well but doesn't have the same developer-first feel that Loops provides.

Transactional + Marketing

Loops handles both transactional and marketing emails in one platform. This unified approach simplifies your stack and ensures consistent deliverability across all email types.

Mailchimp requires Mandrill (their transactional email service) as an add-on for transactional emails. This adds complexity and cost to your setup.

Pricing Comparison

Loops is consistently more affordable, especially as you scale. The pricing is also more straightforward without the multiple tiers and add-ons that Mailchimp has.

Pros and Cons

Who Should Choose What

Choose Loops if:

• You're building a SaaS or product-led company
• Developer experience matters to your team
• You want transactional and marketing in one platform
• You prefer a clean, focused tool over feature-rich complexity
• You want predictable, affordable pricing

Choose Mailchimp if:

• You need advanced automation with complex branching
• You rely on specific integrations that only Mailchimp has
• You want a full marketing platform (landing pages, social, etc.)
• Your team is already familiar with Mailchimp
• You need extensive template options

The Bottom Line

For most SaaS companies, Loops is the better choice. It's built for your use case, easier to use, more affordable, and provides a better developer experience. The modern approach just makes sense for software companies.

Mailchimp makes sense if you need its advanced automation features, specific integrations, or if your team is already deeply invested in the platform. But for new SaaS products, the complexity often isn't worth it.

The SaaS email landscape is evolving, and purpose-built tools like Loops are increasingly the smart choice over general-purpose platforms.