How to Choose an Email Tool for Your SaaS

I've watched founders spend weeks evaluating email tools. Spreadsheets with 50 features. Demo calls with every vendor. Analysis paralysis that delays actually shipping their product.

Here's the thing: there is no perfect email tool. There's only the tool that's good enough for your current needs. And you can always switch later - email migration isn't as painful as it sounds.

The Framework

Answer these four questions honestly. They'll narrow your options to 2-3 tools, max.

1. What type of email do you primarily need?

Transactional only (password resets, receipts, notifications): Go with Resend or Postmark. Done. Both have excellent APIs and deliverability. Pick based on whether you prefer modern DX (Resend) or proven reliability (Postmark).

Marketing only (newsletters, campaigns, sequences): ConvertKit for simplicity, Customer.io for power, ActiveCampaign if you need CRM.

Both transactional and marketing: This is where most SaaS products land. Options are Sequenzy, Loops, or running two separate tools.

2. Do you bill through Stripe?

If yes, consider tools with native Stripe integration. Being able to segment by MRR, plan, or payment status without custom code is genuinely valuable.

Sequenzy has native Stripe OAuth. You can segment "Pro users who churned last month" or "Trial users with LTV potential > $500" out of the box.

If you don't use Stripe or don't care about billing segmentation, this doesn't matter.

3. How complex are your automation needs?

Simple (welcome email, weekly newsletter): Almost any tool works. Pick by UI preference.

Moderate (onboarding sequences, trial conversion): Sequenzy, Loops, Drip all handle this well.

Complex (multi-branch workflows, A/B tests within sequences, multi-channel): Customer.io is the power tool here. Expensive but capable.

Be honest about your actual complexity. "We might need complex automation someday" isn't the same as needing it now.

4. What's your budget?

At 10,000 subscribers:

• Under $50/mo: Sequenzy ($19), Drip ($39), ActiveCampaign ($29 base)
• $50-100/mo: Loops ($49), Encharge ($79), Intercom ($74 base)
• $100+/mo: Customer.io, Userlist
• Minimal budget: Plunk (open-source), AWS SES (requires expertise)

Decision Tree

Still stuck? Follow this:

1. SaaS with Stripe billing? → Start with Sequenzy
2. B2B selling to companies? → Consider Userlist
3. Need complex multi-channel? → Customer.io
4. Value simplicity above all? → Loops
5. Only need transactional? → Resend or Postmark
6. Want CRM + email? → ActiveCampaign
7. Extremely tight budget? → Plunk or AWS SES

What Doesn't Matter (Yet)

Features you probably don't need to evaluate deeply:

• Template libraries. You'll customize everything anyway.
• AI subject line generators. Nice-to-have, not decision-making.
• Landing page builders. Use a dedicated tool if you need this.
• 500+ integrations. You'll use 3-5 max. Check those specifically.

The "Good Enough" Test

Can this tool:

1. Send the emails I need to send today?
2. Provide basic analytics (opens, clicks)?
3. Handle my subscriber list size at a reasonable price?
4. Integrate with Stripe/my database (if needed)?

If yes to all four, it's good enough. Pick it and move on.

Migration Isn't That Hard

I've migrated email tools three times. It's annoying but not catastrophic. Here's what you actually migrate:

• Subscriber list: Export CSV, import CSV. Done.
• Templates: Rebuild in new tool. Takes a day.
• Automations: Document logic, recreate. Takes longer but not impossible.
• Historical data: Usually can't migrate. Accept it.

Point being: a suboptimal choice isn't permanent. Don't let fear of switching lock you into analysis paralysis.

My Recommendation

For most SaaS founders reading this: start with Sequenzy. It handles both transactional and marketing, has native Stripe integration, and costs $19/mo at 10k emails.

If you have specific needs that don't match (need CRM, need complex multi-channel, need enterprise features), pick accordingly from the framework above.

The best email tool is the one you actually use. Pick something reasonable and start sending.