Loops vs MailerLite (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, MailerLite grades higher than Loops: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Loops grades higher on the free plan. MailerLite grades higher on features and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Loops
Marketing, product and transactional email for SaaS teams
MailerLite
Email newsletters, automations, sites and paid subscriptions
Which one is for you
Pick Loops if
- Fits if you run a SaaS product and want product emails and newsletters in one place
- Works for small user lists, where the free plan covers 1,000 contacts
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: 4,000 sends per rolling 30 days, to the first 1,000 contacts only
- Watch out: free emails carry a Loops footer
- Pricey if your list grows: $49 a month at 5,000, rising from there
- Skip it if you want priority support or migration help, which are Enterprise features
- Skip it if you want a desktop or mobile app, as only a web app and API are listed
Pick MailerLite if
- Fits if you want a newsletter, a few automations and a basic website without juggling three tools
- Works for selling a paid newsletter or an ebook through Stripe
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you're staying free and your list is heading past 250 people, as campaigns lock past it
- Not for you if you also need receipts and password-reset emails, which come from a separate product
- Pricey if your list grows in bursts, as subscribers count up through each billing cycle and move you up a tier automatically
- Watch out: Comfort caps emails at 10 times your tier, and live chat support starts on Power at $25
- Watch out: the free plan can't send through the API and has community support only
How we grade them
| 2.4GPALoopsFair | 2.6GPAMailerLiteGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$49 a month for up to 5,000 subscribed contacts is above the $35 where the dearer quarter of this category begins, though under the $80 of the dearest tenth. The price rises with contacts. | C$12 a month for 500 subscribers, just under the middle of what email tools charge, and that already gets you 50 automations, 10 forms and 10 sites. At 10,000 subscribers it's $89 a month, and yearly billing takes 10% off. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree plan with unlimited contacts stored, but sends go only to the first 1,000 contacts, up to 4,000 per rolling 30 days, with a Loops footer. | CFree for up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month, with automations, one website and three forms. That's a start, but 250 people is a cap you'll hit, and then campaigns and automations lock until you pay. There's a 14-day trial of paid features too, no card needed. |
| Features | CCampaigns, workflows, transactional email and a single contact record with no seat or send fees. It is built around SaaS, and the pages read show no SMS or landing pages. | BThree email editors, a visual automation builder, websites, landing pages and forms, plus paid newsletters, digital products and bookings through Stripe. That's the whole job. Receipts and other transactional emails live in a separate product, MailerSend. |
| Ease of use | CA web app and API with no rating on record. You wire it to your product events and database. | B4.67 from about 1,100 App Store ratings for its companion app, just under the 4.7 an A needs. The real work still happens in the web app, building emails and automations. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb and API only, with Stripe, Clerk, Supabase, Segment, PostHog, HubSpot, Salesforce and Framer. | BWeb and an iPhone app, with Shopify, WooCommerce, Stripe, Claude and ChatGPT, an API and an MCP server. No desktop app, so it can't go higher than a B. |
| Best for | SaaS companies emailing their users | a newsletter with a simple website on the side |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Loops and MailerLite. How we grade
Price against what you get
Loops starts at $49 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. MailerLite starts at $12 a month and scores 3.0.
MailerLite scores higher and starts $37 a month lower. Of the other email marketing and newsletter tools on the chart, 24 score higher than Loops for less, and 1 scores higher than MailerLite for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Loops also covers transactional email.
- MailerLite also covers forms and paid newsletters.
At a glance
| Loops | MailerLite | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $49 per month for up to 5,000 subscribed contacts | $12 per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed monthly |
| Free plan | Free: unlimited contacts stored, with 4,000 sends per rolling 30 days to your first 1,000 contacts, and a Loops footer. | Up to 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails a month, 2 seats, automations, 1 website, 1 landing page and 3 forms. No sending through the API. |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial of paid features, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Astrodon Corporation | MailerLite |
| Price read from | loops.so | mailerlite.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Loops
- Free-plan emails carry a Loops footer, and sending stops at 4,000 per rolling 30 days to the first 1,000 contacts.
- The Growth price rises with subscribed contacts, from $49 a month at up to 5,000; the page's slider steps are not shown as text.
- The pages read describe a web app and API only; no desktop or mobile apps are listed.
- Priority support and migration help are listed under Enterprise, not Growth.
MailerLite
- The Free plan stops at 250 subscribers; above that, campaigns and automations are locked until you upgrade.
- Subscribers count cumulatively through each billing cycle, and passing your tier moves you up and charges the card automatically.
- Comfort caps monthly emails at 10 times the top of your subscriber tier; Power has no monthly cap, subject to fair use.
- Transactional email is not part of these plans; MailerLite points to its separate MailerSend product.
Key features
Loops
- Campaigns and workflows
- Send one-time campaigns to segments, or build workflows triggered by events such as a contact being added.
- Transactional email
- Send single emails such as password resets from an API call. Transactional sends are included at no extra charge on paid plans.
- One contact record
- Marketing, product and transactional emails all work from the same contact record, with forms to collect sign-ups.
- No seat or send fees
- The pricing page says there are no team seat fees and no separate charge for sends on paid plans.
- Integrations for SaaS stacks
- The integrations page lists payments and auth tools such as Stripe, Clerk and Supabase, plus CRMs and analytics tools.
MailerLite
- Three email editors
- Drag-and-drop, custom HTML and a simple text editor on every plan. Paid plans add the AI writing assistant, multivariate testing and dynamic content.
- Automation builder
- A visual workflow builder with templates, e-commerce triggers, RSS campaigns and auto-resend. Comfort allows 50 active automations; Power has no cap.
- Websites, landing pages and forms
- Build sites with a blog, landing pages, embedded forms and pop-ups. Free allows one site and three forms; an iPad app collects sign-ups offline.
- Paid newsletters and digital products
- Sell one-time or recurring newsletter subscriptions, digital downloads and bookings, with payments taken through Stripe.
- Reports
- Click maps, list growth and comparative reports, e-commerce sales tracking, individual subscriber profiles and custom report exports.
- MCP server and API
- Claude, ChatGPT and other AI tools can manage campaigns through MailerLite's MCP server. Full API and MCP access, including sending, needs a paid plan.
Plans
Loops
Free$0
Sends up to 4,000 marketing and transactional emails per 30 days to the first 1,000 contacts, with a Loops footer.
Growth$49
per month for up to 5,000 subscribed contacts
Unlimited marketing and transactional sends, no Loops branding. Price rises with contacts, up to 1.5 million.
EnterpriseCustom
For 1.5 million or more contacts, with priority support and migration help. Sold through sales.
MailerLite
Free$0
250 subscribers, 2,500 emails a month, 2 seats, 1 website, 1 landing page and 3 forms. Community support only.
Comfort$12
per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed monthly
Emails up to 10 times the tier (5,000 here), 3 seats, 50 automations, 10 forms and sites. Price rises with the list: $89 a month at 10,000 subscribers.
Power$25
per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed monthly
Unlimited emails, seats, automations, forms and sites, plus 24/7 live chat. Price rises with the list: $129 a month at 10,000 subscribers.
EnterpriseCustom
For more than 200,000 subscribers: custom sending volume, a success manager, account audits and a dedicated IP as an add-on.
Ways to pay less
Loops
No public discounts listed.
MailerLite
- Annual discount
Save 10% with yearly billing
MailerLite's pricing page takes 10% off paid plans billed yearly: Comfort at 500 subscribers is $10.80 a month instead of $12.
- Nonprofit
30% off paid plans for nonprofits
Nonprofits get 30% off paid plans after sending support a document showing their status, such as an IRS tax exemption certificate.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Loops or MailerLite?
As of Nov 12, 2026, MailerLite is cheaper to start with: $12 a month, against $49 a month for Loops. Loops starts at $49 per month for up to 5,000 subscribed contacts, and MailerLite starts at $12 per month for up to 500 subscribers, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, Loops or MailerLite?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Loops and MailerLite have a free plan.
Which platforms do Loops and MailerLite run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only MailerLite lists an iOS app. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.