Overview

Loops and Userlist are both email platforms built specifically for SaaS. They target similar audiences but with different approaches. Loops focuses on simplicity and affordability. Userlist focuses on B2B SaaS with advanced company account features. See our Loops comparison for more context.

The Price Difference

Loops is significantly cheaper. It starts at $49/month with a free tier of 1,000 contacts. Userlist starts at $99/month with no free plan. At 10,000 contacts, Loops runs ~$99/month vs Userlist at $99-149/month. For SaaS founders watching costs, this 38-50% difference matters.

B2B Company Accounts

Userlist's standout feature is advanced company account support. You can track both individual users and the companies they belong to. Trigger automations based on company-level behavior - like "company completed onboarding" or "company hit usage milestone". Loops has basic support, but Userlist is built around this concept.

In-App Messages

Userlist includes in-app messaging for product onboarding and announcements. Loops focuses on email only. If you want both email campaigns and in-app messages from one tool, Userlist has the edge. If email-only works for you, Loops is simpler.

Setup & Simplicity

Loops wins on simplicity. Fewer concepts to learn, faster time-to-first-campaign. Userlist requires more upfront planning, especially if you're setting up company structures. For getting started quickly, Loops is faster.

The Stripe Question

Neither has native Stripe integration. Both require Zapier or custom API work for payment-triggered emails. If Stripe billing integration matters to your SaaS, Sequenzy offers native OAuth connection with payment-triggered automations.

Making the Choice

Choose Loops for: simplicity, lower cost, B2C or simple B2B SaaS. Choose Userlist for: B2B SaaS with company accounts, in-app messaging, complex lifecycle flows. For SaaS with Stripe billing, consider Sequenzy as a unified alternative.

B2B vs B2C SaaS Needs

The fundamental question is whether your SaaS product sells to individuals or to companies. B2C SaaS and simple B2B products where each user acts independently work well with Loops' individual contact model. Products where multiple users belong to a company account need Userlist's company-level data model.

Userlist lets you trigger emails based on company-level events and attributes, not just individual user actions. When the whole team completes onboarding, or when a company's subscription changes, Userlist can respond appropriately. Loops treats each contact individually without understanding the organizational context.

In-App Messaging Capabilities

Userlist includes in-app messaging alongside email. You can show banners, tooltips, and targeted messages within your product interface. For B2B SaaS where users live inside the application, in-app messaging can be more effective than email for feature announcements and onboarding prompts.

Loops focuses exclusively on email. If in-app messaging matters to your user engagement strategy, you would need a separate tool like Intercom or Pendo alongside Loops. Userlist bundles this capability, reducing the number of tools in your messaging stack.

Lifecycle Stage Management

Userlist provides explicit lifecycle stage management for both users and companies. You can define stages like trial, active, churned, and enterprise, then build automation flows that respond to stage transitions. This structured approach to lifecycle marketing is valuable for B2B SaaS with defined customer journeys.

Loops handles lifecycle implicitly through events and properties. You can achieve similar results by tracking user actions and building flows around them, but the lifecycle concept is not first-class in the platform. For teams that think in terms of defined lifecycle stages, Userlist's explicit model is more intuitive.