Resend vs Loops

TL;DR for indie hackers

- Pick Resend if you want code-first control, strong webhooks, and a testing workflow that mirrors production events. - Pick Loops if you want a single polished UI for product, marketing, and transactional emails that non-devs can ship from quickly. - Both start free, but confirm plan limits and overage rules. Time-to-value is excellent on both; choose based on who will own email day-to-day.

Pricing & value: avoid surprises

- Resend: Freemium ($0/mo to start). Value comes from developer ergonomics, deliverability focus, Test Mode, and analytics—useful even at small scale. Pricing specifics aren’t in the provided data, so check sending thresholds, contact limits, and overages. - Loops: Free plan. Its value is consolidating product updates, marketing, and transactional emails into one tool with consistent branding. Verify plan caps (contacts, monthly sends) and any premium features gated by tiers. - For lean teams: If you’d otherwise stitch together an email API + separate marketing tool, Loops can be simpler operationally. If your app primarily sends transactional messages and you want deep programmatic control, Resend may deliver more value per dollar.

Setup time and time-to-first-email

- Resend: Quick integration via API or SMTP, broad SDKs, and Test Mode to simulate events without touching real users. You can wire transactional emails fast and iterate safely. - Loops: A doc-like editor and reusable themes/components mean you can ship branded emails quickly without code. The simple API handles contacts and triggers. - Rule of thumb: If a developer is available, both tools get you live in hours. If non-technical teammates need to operate independently, Loops reduces your coordination time.

Developer experience and maintenance

- Resend: First-class DX with many language SDKs, modular webhooks for delivered/opened/clicked/bounced/complained, and analytics. This lowers debugging time and supports building custom workflows. - Loops: Straightforward API for core tasks and a clean UI that centralizes email work. Less emphasis on developer-specific tooling in the provided data, but easier day-to-day authoring for non-devs. - Maintenance angle: If you expect to evolve logic-driven email flows (e.g., reacting to product events), Resend’s webhooks and test features will likely save engineering time.

Scalability and future-proofing

- Resend: Designed for companies of all sizes with a clear emphasis on deliverability and observability. Multi-language SDKs make it easier to support polyglot stacks over time. - Loops: Scales operationally by keeping product, marketing, and transactional in one place and ensuring brand consistency. - Consider your roadmap: For complex, app-driven workflows and heavy eventing, Resend provides strong building blocks. For a growing cross-functional team needing a consistent, centralized email hub, Loops fits well.

Documentation and learning curve

- Both provide documentation (Resend docs, Loops quickstart). Given Resend’s SDK breadth and event model, expect language-specific guidance. Loops’ docs emphasize quickstart and API basics for contacts/events/emails. - If your team is new to email, Loops’ editor reduces the learning curve for content creation. If your team is engineering-led, Resend’s dev focus shortens the learning curve for integration and debugging.

Decision guide

Choose Resend if: - You want robust APIs/SDKs, Test Mode, and modular webhooks. - Your emails are mostly transactional or event-driven, with analytics in the same platform. - You care about deliverability and observability from the outset.

Choose Loops if: - You want one UI for product, marketing, and transactional campaigns. - Non-technical collaborators will create and send emails frequently. - Consistent branding via themes/components is a priority.