ResendvsLoops

Resend vs Loops

Developer API vs SaaS marketing platform

TL;DR

These tools solve different problems. Resend is a transactional email API for developers. Loops is a full email marketing platform built for SaaS. Use Resend for password resets and notifications, Loops for onboarding sequences and newsletters.

Key Differences

The main things that set these tools apart

Primary Purpose

Resend is a transactional email API. Loops is a marketing automation platform. They solve different problems.

Marketing Features
Loops wins

Loops has full marketing capabilities: campaigns, automations, segmentation. Resend's marketing features are in beta.

Developer Experience
Resend wins

Resend has a cleaner API and React Email integration. Better for developers who want to code their emails.

Ease of Use
Loops wins

Loops has a visual editor and workflow builder. Better for non-developers or teams wanting GUI-based email creation.

Pricing Comparison

At 5,000 contacts

Resend
$20/month

Pro plan with 50k transactional emails. Marketing in beta.

Visit Resend
Loops
$19/month

Unlimited email sends. All features included.

Visit Loops
Sequenzy

The SaaS alternative

$29/month

5k contacts, unlimited emails, transactional + marketing unified.

Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature breakdown

Feature
Resend
Loops
Sequenzy
Email Types
Transactional Email
Primary focus
Included free with paid plans
Marketing Campaigns
Beta (Audiences)
Full-featured
Automated Sequences
Newsletter
Developer Experience
API Quality
Excellent, modern
Good, straightforward
Good
React Email Support
Visual Editor
Code-based only
Yes, clean and simple
Event Tracking
Basic (opens, clicks)
User events for automation
User events + Stripe
SaaS Features
User Segmentation
Onboarding Sequences
Event-Triggered Emails
API-triggered only
Visual workflow builder
Visual + Stripe events
Stripe Integration

Best For

When to choose each tool

Choose Resend if you...
  • Transactional emails only (password resets, notifications)
  • Developers who want to code emails with React
  • Teams using a separate marketing tool
  • High-volume transactional sending
Choose Loops if you...
  • SaaS marketing emails and onboarding sequences
  • Teams wanting a visual email editor
  • Companies needing user event-triggered automations
  • Non-technical teams managing email marketing
Choose Sequenzy if you...
  • SaaS founders needing transactional + marketing unified
  • Stripe-integrated businesses wanting payment-triggered emails
  • Teams wanting one tool instead of Resend + Loops

When to Consider Sequenzy Instead

Unified Platform

Instead of using Resend for transactional and Loops for marketing, Sequenzy combines both in one tool with one dashboard.

Native Stripe Integration

Trigger emails from Stripe events like successful payments, failed charges, or subscription changes. Neither Resend nor Loops offers this.

Simpler Pricing

One price for everything instead of paying for two separate services.

Overview

Resend and Loops are both popular with SaaS companies, but they're fundamentally different tools. Resend is a developer-focused transactional email API - think password resets, receipts, and system notifications. Loops is a marketing email platform designed for SaaS - think onboarding sequences, product updates, and newsletters. See our Resend comparison and Loops comparison for more details.

When to Use Each

Many SaaS companies use both. Resend handles the transactional emails that need to be triggered programmatically with clean API calls. Loops handles the marketing side with visual editors and automation workflows. The question is whether you want to manage two tools. Both platforms require setup effort and learning curves, so consolidation can save time and costs.

Developer Experience

Resend wins on API quality and React Email integration. If you want to build emails as React components and trigger them via code, Resend is excellent. Loops is more about the visual editor and workflow builder - great for marketing teams, less exciting for developers. For pure development focus, consider our guide on SaaS email sequences.

Marketing Capabilities

Loops is the clear winner here. Full-featured campaigns, automation workflows, user segmentation, and a clean visual editor. Resend has Audiences in beta, but it's not their focus. If you need serious marketing automation with drip campaigns and A/B testing, Loops is purpose-built for it.

Pricing Comparison

Resend charges per email sent (transactional focus). Loops charges per contact with unlimited sends (marketing focus). At 5,000 contacts, Loops is $49/month. Resend's Pro plan is $20/month for 50k emails. You might need both, which adds up. Check our pricing page to see how alternatives compare.

The Sequenzy Alternative

Instead of juggling Resend for transactional and Loops for marketing, consider Sequenzy. We offer unified transactional email, email campaigns, AI-powered sequences, and Stripe integration all in one platform.

Frequently Asked Questions

Resend has Audiences in beta for marketing, but it's not their primary focus. For full marketing automation, Loops or Sequenzy are better choices.

Yes, Loops includes free transactional email with paid plans. However, Resend has a more powerful API for complex transactional use cases.

Many SaaS companies do. Resend for transactional, Loops for marketing. Or consider Sequenzy which combines both in one tool.

Loops. It has visual automation workflows designed for SaaS onboarding. Resend doesn't have built-in sequences.

Resend, with first-party React Email integration. Loops uses a visual editor instead of code-based templates.

Yes, the API is solid. But if you want to code emails rather than use a visual editor, Resend is better suited.

Since Resend is primarily transactional and Loops is marketing-focused, migration is more about adding capabilities than switching. Export your contact list from any existing source, import into Loops, and set up your marketing automations. You may still keep Resend for transactional emails while using Loops for marketing.

Loops handles both transactional and marketing, while Resend focuses on transactional. Export your contacts from Loops, then rebuild your transactional email templates using Resend's API or React Email. Note that you'll need a separate marketing solution since Resend's marketing features are still in beta.

Not sure which to pick?

If you're a SaaS founder who needs Stripe integration and unified email, try Sequenzy free. No credit card required.

Related Comparisons

Sequenzy - Complete Pricing Guide

Pricing Model

Sequenzy uses subscriber-based pricing. You only pay for subscribers active in sequences (automations). Inactive subscribers are free to store.

All Pricing Tiers

  • 0-100 subscribers: Free (Free annually) - 2k emails/month
  • 101-1,000 subscribers: $19/month ($205/year annually) - 15k emails/month
  • 1,001-5,000 subscribers: $29/month ($313/year annually) - 60k emails/month
  • 5,001-10,000 subscribers: $49/month ($529/year annually) - 120k emails/month
  • 10,001-25,000 subscribers: $99/month ($1069/year annually) - 300k emails/month
  • 25,001-50,000 subscribers: $199/month ($2149/year annually) - 600k emails/month
  • 50,001-100,000 subscribers: $349/month ($3769/year annually) - 1.2M emails/month
  • 100,000+ subscribers: Custom pricing (Custom annually) - Unlimited emails/month

Yearly billing: All plans offer a 10% discount when billed annually.

Free Plan Features (0-100 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Paid Plan Features (1,000 - 100,000 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations (Stripe, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy)
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Enterprise Plan Features (100,000+ subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Important Pricing Notes

  • You only pay for subscribers who are active in automations/sequences
  • Storing inactive subscribers is free
  • No hidden fees - all features included in the price
  • No credit card required for free tier

Contact

  • Pricing Page: https://sequenzy.com/pricing
  • Sales: hello@sequenzy.com