Email marketing · 2026
Loops·vs·Mailchimp
Two solid choices in email marketing. Here's how they stack up on pricing, fit, and trade-offs — so you can decide in a minute.
Reviewed by Switchpoint Editors ·
Take on Mailchimp
The real Mailchimp tax isn't the sticker price — it's the contact-based model. Mailchimp counts duplicate addresses across audiences as separate billable contacts, and unsubscribed contacts keep counting against your tier until you manually archive them. We've seen SMB lists where 30–40% of the bill was dead weight. Switch to a send-based model (Brevo) or a creator-friendly cap (Kit's 10k free tier) and the math usually flips inside a quarter. Deliverability is the other quiet issue: post-Intuit, shared-IP reputation has slipped, and the fix Mailchimp recommends is a dedicated IP add-on. Modern alternatives ship strong defaults without the upsell.
Contender A
Loops
Modern email purpose-built for SaaS lifecycle and product marketing.
- SaaS founders running onboarding, trial, and re-engagement sequences.
- Free up to 1,000 contacts. Pro from $49/mo.
Best for
Pricing
Pros
- Beautiful, opinionated UX — onboarding flows take minutes
- Loops Transactional unifies marketing and product email
- Strong defaults so SaaS teams ship without an email manager
Trade-offs
- Not aimed at ecommerce blasts or commerce automation
- Pricing climbs faster than Brevo or MailerLite past 10k contacts
Contender B
Mailchimp
Email marketing platform popular with small businesses.
- SMBs running newsletters and basic automations.
- Free up to 500 contacts. Essentials from $13/mo.
Best for
Pricing
Pros
- Familiar UI
- Wide template library
Trade-offs
- Double-charges duplicates
- Deliverability has slipped
The matrix
Side-by-side
Best for
Loops
SaaS founders running onboarding, trial, and re-engagement sequences.
Mailchimp
SMBs running newsletters and basic automations.
Pricing
Loops
Free up to 1,000 contacts. Pro from $49/mo.
Mailchimp
Free up to 500 contacts. Essentials from $13/mo.
Top strength
Loops
Beautiful, opinionated UX — onboarding flows take minutes
Mailchimp
Familiar UI
Biggest trade-off
Loops
Not aimed at ecommerce blasts or commerce automation
Mailchimp
Double-charges duplicates
The verdict
Which should you pick?
SaaS founders running onboarding, trial, and re-engagement sequences.
SMBs running newsletters and basic automations.
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