SendPigeon vs Loops: Which Email Platform Should Developers Use?

Loops and SendPigeon both handle email sequences and broadcasts. The difference is who they're built for: Loops is optimized for marketing teams. SendPigeon is optimized for engineering teams.

---

Quick Comparison

---

Sequences: The Core Difference

Loops

Loops sequences are built in a visual editor. You drag steps, connect them, write content inline. It's polished and fast for non-technical users.

To trigger a sequence from code, you send an event:

// Loops — trigger a sequence
await loops.sendEvent({
  email: "user@example.com",
  eventName: "signed_up",
});

For many use cases, event-based triggering is sufficient. But if you want to create sequences, add steps, manage enrollments, or read analytics from code, you'll need to use the dashboard.

SendPigeon

SendPigeon sequences are API-first. You can build and manage them entirely in code:

import { SendPigeon } from "sendpigeon";
const pigeon = new SendPigeon("sp_live_xxx");

// Create sequence
const seq = await pigeon.sequences.create({
  name: "Onboarding",
  triggerType: "CONTACT_CREATED",
});

// Add steps
await pigeon.sequences.steps.create(seq.id, {
  type: "SEND_EMAIL",
  config: { templateId: "tmpl_welcome", subject: "Welcome!" },
});

await pigeon.sequences.steps.create(seq.id, {
  type: "WAIT",
  config: { type: "delay", duration: 172800 },
});

await pigeon.sequences.steps.create(seq.id, {
  type: "BRANCH",
  config: { condition: { type: "has_tag", tag: "activated" } },
});

// Activate
await pigeon.sequences.activate(seq.id);

// Enroll manually
await pigeon.sequences.enroll(seq.id, {
  contacts: [{ email: "user@example.com" }],
});

// Check analytics
const stats = await pigeon.sequences.analytics(seq.id);

This means sequences are:

• Version-controlled — define in code, track in git
• Testable — write integration tests for enrollment flows
• Deployable — same CI/CD pipeline as your app
• Environment-aware — different sequences in staging vs. production

You also get the dashboard for visual editing — it's not either/or.

---

Transactional Email

Loops added transactional sending, but it's a secondary feature. The platform was built for marketing sequences first.

SendPigeon was built for transactional email and added sequences. Transactional is the core — sub-second delivery, real-time webhooks, dedicated infrastructure.

If you need password resets, order confirmations, and 2FA codes to arrive instantly and reliably, a transactional-first platform is the safer bet.

---

Inbound Email

Loops: Does not support inbound email parsing.

SendPigeon: Full inbound support — MX records, webhook delivery, HMAC-SHA256 verification, reply threading endpoint, Slack integration.

If you need to receive emails (support tickets, reply-by-email, AI processing), Loops requires a separate service.

---

Developer Experience

API Coverage

SDKs

SendPigeon: Node.js, Python, Go, PHP — all with full sequence support.

Loops: Node.js SDK. Other languages use the REST API directly.

Local Development

SendPigeon: npx @sendpigeon-sdk/cli dev starts a local server. Set SENDPIGEON_DEV=true and emails are caught locally.

Loops: No local dev tool. Test against their API with test keys.

---

Pricing

Key differences:

• Loops prices by contacts, SendPigeon prices by email volume + domains
• SendPigeon includes transactional, broadcasts, sequences, and inbound at every paid tier
• Loops' transactional emails count against your contact-based volume

For a startup with 2,500 contacts sending transactional + marketing + onboarding sequences: SendPigeon is $10/mo, Loops is $49/mo minimum.

---

When to Choose Loops

• Choose Loops if marketing owns email, not engineering
• Choose Loops if you want a polished visual sequence editor
• Choose Loops if non-technical users need to create sequences independently
• Choose Loops if transactional email is secondary to marketing automation
• Choose Loops if you value a refined, focused product experience

---

When to Choose SendPigeon

• Choose SendPigeon if engineering owns email
• Choose SendPigeon if you want sequences defined and managed in code
• Choose SendPigeon if you need transactional + broadcasts + sequences + inbound in one tool
• Choose SendPigeon if you have multiple domains
• Choose SendPigeon if you want a local dev server and SDK support in 4 languages

---

Where SendPigeon Falls Short

Honest trade-offs:

• Visual editor — Loops' sequence editor is more polished and intuitive for non-technical users.
• Marketing focus — Loops is purpose-built for SaaS marketing. If your marketing team owns email, Loops is a more natural fit.
• Onboarding — Loops has a smoother onboarding flow for non-developers.
• Community — Loops has a larger presence in the SaaS marketing community.

---

Next Steps

• Drip email API guide — build sequences in code
• Build an onboarding sequence — step-by-step tutorial
• Loops alternatives — full alternatives overview
• Sequences documentation — API reference
• Get started with SendPigeon