Loops
Trigger.dev
| Feature | Loops | Trigger.dev |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $49/mo | Free / from $0/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.4 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 |
| Best For | saas-companies, startups, product-led-growth, developers | typescript-developers, saas-apps, background-processing, serverless-teams |
| Founded | 2022 | 2022 |
| Email Campaigns | ✓ | ✗ |
| Automation Loops | ✓ | ✗ |
| Transactional Email | ✓ | ✗ |
| Audience Segments | ✓ | ✗ |
| Analytics | ✓ | ✗ |
| Api | ✓ | ✗ |
| Templates | ✓ | ✗ |
| Background Jobs | ✗ | ✓ |
| Scheduled Tasks | ✗ | ✓ |
| Event Triggers | ✗ | ✓ |
| Retries | ✗ | ✓ |
| Observability | ✗ | ✓ |
| Concurrency Control | ✗ | ✓ |
| Self Hostable | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Loops Pros
- Purpose-built for SaaS (not retrofitted from marketing)
- Beautiful default templates and editor
- Transactional and marketing in one platform
- Free plan with 1,000 contacts
✗ Loops Cons
- Newer platform with fewer integrations
- Limited advanced segmentation compared to mature tools
- Not suited for non-SaaS businesses
✓ Trigger.dev Pros
- Write background jobs in TypeScript (not YAML/config)
- Built-in retries, queues, and concurrency controls
- Excellent developer experience with type safety
- Open-source with self-hosting option
✗ Trigger.dev Cons
- TypeScript only (no Python/Go support)
- Cloud pricing based on compute time
- Newer platform with evolving API
The Verdict
Loops is built for saas companies and startups, with a focus on email-campaigns and automation-loops. Trigger.dev targets typescript developers and saas apps and leads with background-jobs and scheduled-tasks.
On pricing, Trigger.dev is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $0/mo compared to $49/mo for Loops. That $49/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.