What is the difference between Substack and Loops?

Substack is best for Writers who want to monetize with paid subscriptions, while Loops is best for SaaS companies wanting email for product-led growth. Substack starts at Free and Loops starts at Free.

Is Substack or Loops cheaper?

Substack starts at Free and is free. Loops starts at Free with a free tier.

Is there a free alternative to Loops?

Both Substack and Loops offer free tiers.

Substack vs Loops (2026) — notanothertool

At a glance

	Substack	Loops
Best for	Writers who want to monetize with paid subscriptions	SaaS companies wanting email for product-led growth
Starting price	Free	Free
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	—	—
Analytics	—	✓
Community	✓	—
Discovery Network	✓	—
Event Triggers	—	✓
Loops	—	✓
Mobile App	✓	—
Paid Subscriptions	✓	—
Podcasts	✓	—
Segmentation	—	✓

Substack

Strengths

Free to use — takes 10% of paid subscriber revenue
Built-in discovery and recommendation network
Simple, distraction-free writing experience
Mobile app for readers

Weaknesses

10% revenue cut is steep at scale
Very limited customization
Basic analytics
No automation or segmentation

Try Substack → Full review

Loops

Strengths

Includes Event Triggers as a core feature, purpose-built for email marketing workflows
Includes Loops as a core feature, purpose-built for email marketing workflows
Free for 1K contacts — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Includes segmentation alongside the core feature set — fewer separate tools needed

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Deliverability depends on your sender reputation, which takes time to build
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try Loops → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Both Substack and Loops are free. You can try both without spending a dollar.

Feature gaps: Substack offers Community, Discovery Network and Mobile App that Loops lacks. Loops brings Analytics, Event Triggers and Loops that Substack does not have.

Team fit: Substack is geared toward individual users and small setups, while Loops is aimed at small teams teams. Pick the one that matches where your team is today and where it is headed — migrating tools later is always painful.

Where each tool shines: Substack's biggest strengths are: free to use — takes 10% of paid subscriber revenue. built-in discovery and recommendation network. Loops's biggest strengths are: includes event triggers as a core feature, purpose-built for email marketing workflows. includes loops as a core feature, purpose-built for email marketing workflows.

Watch out for: With Substack, users commonly note that 10% revenue cut is steep at scale. With Loops, the main complaint is that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade.

Choose Substack if...

You need a tool built for writers who want to monetize with paid subscriptions
You specifically need Community and Discovery Network
You care about built-in discovery and recommendation network
Your team size fits the individuals profile Substack is designed for

Choose Loops if...

You need a tool built for saas companies wanting email for product-led growth
You specifically need Analytics and Event Triggers
You care about includes loops as a core feature, purpose-built for email marketing workflows
Your team size fits the small teams profile Loops is designed for
The free tier works for you: free for 1k contacts