Updated Apr 7, 2023

Top 7 Retool alternatives

Retool is a platform for low-code development that is highly efficient in constructing internal tools, resulting in significant time savings. However, if you have come across this post, we presume that you might be searching for viable alternatives to Retool, indicating a level of dissatisfaction with the product.

This guide presents a comprehensive comparison between Retool and seven other low-code tools, covering their features, pricing, and overall functionality, while maintaining objectivity. Although we are convinced that UI Bakery is the ideal substitute for Retool, particularly for SMBs and SMEs, we aimed to provide an unbiased analysis.

Try UI Bakery
Feature
Retool
UI Bakery
Appsmith
Budibase
DronaHQ
ToolJet
JetAdmin
Internal
PRICING
Pricing
$ $ $ $ $
From $10/user/month
$ $
From $49/month
$ $
From $0.40/user/hour capped at $20
$ $ $
From $36/month with limited day pass (from 50 day passes)
$ $ $
From $10/user/month 
$ $ $
From $199/month
$ $ $
From $24/user/month
$ $ $
From $5/user/month
Prycing type
per user
Both developers and end-users
per unlimited end-users group or per user
Per unlimited end-users group: Allows inviting an unlimited number of end-users to the workspace at no additional cost. Such users can use the apps that workspace admins allow them to use. Within the same unlimited end-user group, all users have the same level of access to apps, pages, data sources, etc.

Per user: Full users can have any type of permissions (using, developing, administering workspace). Any number of custom user roles could be created for them.
per user
Both developers and end-users
per daily pass
With day passes, if a user uses Budibase within a 24 hour period, one day pass is used. For example, if a user uses Budibase (including apps built) on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but not Tuesday and Thursday - that's 3 day passes deducted from your quota.
per user
Both developers and end-users
per user
Both developers and end-users
per user
Both developers and end-users
per user
Both developers and end-users
Has free plan


Yes


Yes


Yes


Yes


Yes


Yes


Yes


Yes
Has self-hosted version


Yes


Yes


Yes


Yes


Yes


Yes


Yes


Yes
GENERAL
Low-code or no-code?
Low-code
Low-code
Low-code
Low-code
Low-code
Low-code
No-code
No-code
Usability and quality
DATASOURCES
Databases
22
16
10
12
22
19
9
10
HTTP API


Yes


Yes


Yes


Yes


Yes


Yes


Yes


Yes
GraphQL


Yes


Yes


Yes
No


Yes


Yes


Yes


Yes

3rd-party services
24
19
9
2
41
19
20
7

Embedded DB


Yes
No
No


Yes
No


Yes


Yes


Yes
UI BUILDING EXPERIENCE

Drag'n'Drop
Absolutely positioned canvas, no overlaps
Absolutely positioned canvas, no overlaps
Absolutely positioned canvas, no overlaps
Nested drop, configurable layout
Absolutely positioned canvas, PowerPoint-like overlaps
Absolutely positioned canvas, PowerPoint-like overlaps
Vertically stacked drag'n'drop
Absolutely positioned canvas, PowerPoint-like overlaps

Styling and white labelling
Both
Both
Both
Only styling
Both
Both
Only styling
Only styling
Components
100+
60+
45+
35+
110+
40+
50+
30+
Custom component


Yes


Yes
No
No


Yes


Yes


Yes
No
ENTERPRISE FEATURES

Custom roles & permissions


Yes


Yes


Yes
No


Yes


Yes


Yes


Yes

Workflows / Automations


Yes


Yes
No


Yes


Yes
No


Yes


Yes

Environments


Yes


Yes
No


Yes


Yes


Yes


Yes


Yes

Audit logs


Yes


Yes


Yes


Yes


Yes


Yes


Yes


Yes

SSO


Yes


Yes


Yes


Yes


Yes


Yes


Yes


Yes

Git synchronization


Yes


Yes


Yes
No


Yes
No
No


Yes

Retool

With its comprehensive set of features, Retool is an exceptional platform for constructing internal tools, making it a top choice for large businesses seeking a solution. WIth a wide range of features, connected datasources and quality it makes it one of the best choices in the market.

Pros:

  • Large number of features that allow to scale internal tool development for large enterprises.

  • Large number of components and data sources available.

  • Git integration.

  • Embedded DB.

  • Workflows/Automations feature that allows to run scheduled jobs and web hooks.

  • Easy way to install a self-hosted version.

Cons:

  • Enterprise self-hosted version base cost is very high.

  • Unpredictable per user pricing, that scales too quickly as you add more users.

  • Because of a single page app model, large applications are hard to maintain and has worse performance.

  • On the cheapest $10 plan, an end user has the possibility to access the app development mode and break the app.

  • Cloud instance may have performance issues.

Conclusion:

Retool is an optimal solution for businesses with a considerable budget and a high demand for internal tool creation. However, if your company's needs are limited to just one or two apps that need to be shared among multiple users, Retool may not be the most practical choice for you.

UI Bakery

If you're looking for an qualitative alternative to Retool, UI Bakery is the top contender. While it shares many of the same functions, UI Bakery sets itself apart by offering additional features that streamline the development of internal tools, making the process even quicker and more straightforward.

Pros:

  • Great development experience and performance of the builder.

  • Workflows/Automations feature that allows to run scheduled jobs and web hooks.

  • Git integration.

  • Auto-triggers for actions.

  • Multiple action steps within a single action.

  • Multiple pages within a single app.

  • More advanced level of a roles management on the lower-price plans than Retool has.

  • Integrations with external analytics and logging solutions.

  • Fair pricing model, that allows an affordable start even with lots of users.

Cons:

  • Not as many native data source connections, though has all most commonly used.

  • Not as many embedded components as Retool has.

  • Not an out of the box integration with a testing framework.

  • No embedded DB.

Conclusion:

UI Bakery is a viable alternative to Retool, particularly for small and medium-sized businesses that require enterprise-grade features such as advanced roles and permissions and SSO but have budget constraints that prevent them from opting for Retool's enterprise version. It's an excellent option for SMBs and SMEs seeking to develop internal tools.

Appsmith

Appsmith is another alternative to Retool. Has many common things with Retool. It was developed as an open source solution and has a great community.

Pros:

  • Open-source, which means that the other developers can potentially audit the code they write.

  • Large community on GitHub.

  • Git integration.

Cons:

  • Not a transparent pricing model. It’s really hard to predict the final product price especially with per hour/per user approach.

  • UI builder might be buggy sometimes.

  • No embedded DB.

  • Not as many embedded components as Retool and UI Bakery has.

  • Not as many native data source connections, though has all most commonly used.

  • No Workflows/Automation feature.

  • No Environments feature.

  • No perfomance information.

Conclusion:

Appsmith can serve as a suitable substitute for Retool. However, if you require enterprise-level functionalities, it is advisable to reconsider.

Budibase

Budibase is another low-code product that differs from Retool in some external and conceptual aspects. However, it does not offer a comparable range of features as Retool.

Pros:

  • Implements some no-code concepts that allow people without coding skills to build internal apps. Though sometimes it is implemented quite user-unfriendly.

  • Embedded DB.

  • Workflows/Automation feature.

Cons:

  • The application's pricing model is quite complex, involving day-passes, which makes it challenging to comprehend the costs and estimate the number of days required to use the app. Moreover, there are several restrictions imposed on the number of logs, automations, and applications, which may add to the difficulty of calculating the overall pricing.

  • UI builder doesn’t have an absolutely positioned canvas for elements, which complicates the process of UI composition. Canvas is slowly and buggy.

  • Building apps in Budibase requires learning additional concepts, e.g. data providers.

  • No Git integration.

  • No query/action perfomance information.

  • The system for creating queries and automations is not very user-friendly. They are jumbled and you have to work in a lot of narrow overlay windows.

  • Small amount of native data source connections.

  • Small amount of embedded components.

  • No custom roles & permissions feature.

Conclusion:

The system is suitable for users who do not require highly sophisticated features or use such applications only occasionally. Nevertheless, the system has several limitations, and the interface construction method appears outdated compared to rival platforms.

ToolJet

ToolJet positions itself as an open source Retool alternative. Indeed, it has copied some of the Retool’s concepts, but with quality issues, though for Free.

Pros:

  • Has only two plans: Free and Enterprise, the same for Self-hosted version.

  • Embedded DB.

  • Open-source, which means that the other developers can potentially audit the code they write.

  • Has a free version for self-hosting.

  • Has light and dark UI builder mode.

Cons:

  • UI builder has a buggy canvas with overlaps.

  • Though it has a decent number of components and data sources, often they lack configuration capabilities.

  • No Git integration, but has it’s own version control.

  • No query/action perfomance information.

  • Has issues with the quality of the builder.

  • No Workflows/Automation feature.

Conclusion:

If you enjoy the Retool development experience but prefer open source solutions, Tooljet could be a suitable option for you. However, it seems that Tooljet has not made significant progress in expanding its platform and adding features over the past year. Additionally, there have been several quality issues with the platform that may raise concerns about its desirability as a choice.

DronaHQ

Having a significant presence in the low-code and no-code field, Drona has been primarily concentrating on delivering a mobile-friendly experience. Nevertheless, it is currently transforming into a more inclusive platform capable of producing internal applications.

Pros:

  • The largest amount of datasources and 3rd-party services.

  • The largest amount of components.

  • Performance information only on the connector level.

  • Git integration.

  • Workflows/Automation feature.

Cons:

  • UI builder canvas has overlaps.

  • The end-user UI is large in size.

  • The layout can be cluttered and confusing due to the excessive number of small sidebars and panels. Some settings are arranged in a chaotic manner.

  • Cloud instance may have performance issues.

  • Not advanced level of roles management like and Retool have.

  • No embedded DB.

  • Unpredictable per user pricing, that scales too quickly as you add more users.

Conclusion:

DronaHQ has concerns about the quality of the application and the usability of the interface, even though it boasts a plethora of features, components, and data sources.

Jet Admin

JetAdmin is another example of a no-code internal tools builder. The platform allows to easily create internal tools without coding.

Pros:

  • No coding skills required for building UI. But it is necessary to be familiar with the general concepts.

  • Easy to build CRUD apps.

  • Workflows/Automation feature.

  • Nice looking UI, but is too large for business apps.

Cons:

  • Rather large limitations for creating applications because of the no-code approach.

  • Vertically stacked and container based drag'n'drop - a rather atypical method of constructing an interface that differs from other similar applications.

  • No Git integration.

  • No query/action perfomance information.

  • The price for a minimum plan is quite high. Besides that with a lot of apps and users, the cost might scale rapidly.

Conclusion:

The application has the potential to serve as a viable alternative to Retool due to its user-friendly UI and no-code approach. However, it's worth noting that the platform's no-code approach may restrict the customization and extensibility of the created applications. Despite this, it could still be a suitable choice for simple use cases like CRUD applications. Nevertheless, the high cost and unpredictable pricing growth may make it an inconvenient alternative.

Internal

Internal is an established player in the internal tooling market, having been in the industry for quite some time. Their primary objective is to enable individuals without coding expertise to develop secure internal applications.

Pros:

  • No coding skills required for building UI. But it is necessary to be familiar with the general concepts.

  • Easy to build CRUD apps.

  • More advanced level of a roles management on the lower-price plans than Retool has.

  • Git integration.

  • Workflows/Automation feature.

  • Auto-triggers for workflows - Pipelines.

Cons:

  • Rather large limitations for creating applications because of the no-code approach.

  • A wide range of plans that can be confusing.

  • UI builder canvas has overlaps.

  • Though it has a decent number of components and data sources (the smallest among all of the competitors), often they lack configuration capabilities.

  • The end-user UI is significant in size, and there is limited capacity to customize its appearance.

  • No query/action perfomance information.

  • The system for creating queries and automations is not very user-friendly.

Conclusion:

While the extensive variety of plans in the pricing structure can help businesses find the most suitable option for their needs, it is important to note that the platform's no-code approach limits the customization and extensibility of the applications created on it. Nonetheless, for basic use cases such as CRUD applications, it may be worth considering.

Before opting for a certain internal tools builder alternative to Retool, you can try several low-code app development platforms. 

Start with a free training session provided by UI Bakery.

  1. Home

    /

  2. Retool alternatives