Introduction to Loops and Resend Email APIs
Loops versus Resend. Which of these email APIs should you use in your next no code project? If you're building a no code SaaS with Bubble.io, you'll discover quickly that the built-in Sendgrid API connection leaves much to the imagination, and you can make even more impressive email templates to send to your users by integrating in with a separate third-party email API. And two of my favorites at the moment are Loops and Resend, and we're going to break down the different features and the reasons why you may consider one above the other.
Planet No Code: Your Go-To Resource for No Code and Bubble Tutorials
But before I launch into that, if you're building something with Bubble, then there's no better place to go than our website, planetnoco.com. There is a link down in the description. We've got hundreds of no code and Bubble tutorials to help get you started from beginner all the way through to advanced.
Loops: A Simple and User-Friendly Email API
So let's break down the core features on these email APIs. First of all, let's start with Loops. Now, Loops gives us a handy screenshot of their dashboard and we can see that they break their platform down into templates, campaigns, loops, transactional audience and forms. I would say if you're looking for something simple, Loops is the go-to email API for you because it gives you this really simple, amazing UI through the web to manage your account. Of course with an API that allows you to add data into each of these different sections.
Loops: A Mini CRM for Your App
It allows you to easily send emails, create contacts, update contacts. It basically is a mini CRM for your app. You're able to set up workflows or pathways, drip campaigns, whatever you want to call it. So for example, when a contact is added, you wait a day, you send an email and then the loop is complete. So there is an automation aspect.
Loops: Helpful Templates and Visual Editor
They also include a load of really helpful templates to get you started. You know, things like password reset, upgrades, confirmation. They've got tons of features here. Plus if you use Notion, you'll find that their editor is really, really easy to use. It's a visual editor for building your email templates. So Loops is going to be super quick for you to get something simple off the ground, but with those nice features of managing your contacts, adding in drip campaigns, et cetera, et cetera.
Resend: A Developer-Focused Email API
Now let's go over to Resend. Right from the start we can see that Resend is built more for developers. It's not just the dark theme, but if we scroll down rather than being presented with a nice simple clean UI, they dive straight into the API connection. So if we were using Bubble we would go on something like REST and this is how we would begin to approach sending an email through Resend.
Resend: Technical Approach to Email Templates
Once more we just see that they are much more on the technical side of things. Do they have a visual editor? Maybe someone can comment down below. But it looks like you code your emails and they're saying that it's really clean, it's very easy to use, but they don't have that drag and drop builder building your emails.
Comparison with Postmark
Now that is very similar to another favorite of mine which is Postmark. There are tools that allow you to convert emails from Figma into Postmark. Maybe there's the same for Resend, but there is that additional coded aspect. If you don't want to code your emails, Loops is the one to go for. But if you want all of these amazing extra developer tools, Resend is a really, really good option for you.
Key Differentiator: User Domain Sending
Now there is one key defining feature that I think separates the two of them and that is do you need your users to be able to send emails under their own identity? So for example you could have an app like app.example.com and you could send all of your emails from support@app.example.com and that's fine for sending out notifications, for doing your password resets, that sort of thing. But what if you want your users to be able to send out emails from like, well matt@usera.com, if that user owns usera.com, how can they send emails on, how can they send emails through the application on their behalf?
Loops: Limited Domain Functionality
Well you can't do that with Loops at the moment. If we go into documentation, and then go into API reference, we can see all of the things that you can do with the API and adding a domain name is not one of them.
Resend: Advanced Domain Verification Features
But if we go into the documentation for Resend, you can see that there is a method for adding a domain and then for verifying a domain and for taking your user through those important steps of saying here is the domain that they own, here are the DNS records they have to add to that domain in order to verify and increase that, all important deliverability.
Conclusion: Choosing Between Loops and Resend
So it comes down to this. If you want something simple which is purely drag and drop with a very, very light touch API then Loops is the one to go for. But if you need a larger range of developer tools and you need your users to be able to add their own domains as verified senders, then you need to go with Resend but I want to hear your opinion. Please leave a comment below. What email API are you using to build your no code app?