Retool is a powerful low-code app-building platform. However, many users seek alternatives to Retool because they offer simplicity, better pricing, and more.
Read on to learn more about:
- Our 10 favorite Retool alternatives
- Pricing, pros, and cons of each
- How to choose the best Retool alternative
Top 10 Retool Alternatives for Your Business
What Is Retool?
Retool is a low-code app builder for businesses and organizations, from freelancers to multinationals. It provides a powerful platform for creating internal business tools like CRM boards, project management tools, accounting software, and more.
Because of its tech-centric nature, Retool allows you to build super-powerful apps, complete with your unique database markup and custom-code-made widgets. However, this power comes with a bit of responsibility, as it requires a fair amount of tech background, so you’ll need to understand basic tech concepts, such as how SQL works and the logic behind coding.
Why Look for Alternatives To Retool?
Retool is a robust app-building platform that provides all the tools and functionalities any business needs to create its unique internal tools or software. However, Retool isn’t for everyone — you’ll probably need to seek another app builder if:
- You’re not a techie: As we mentioned, you’ll need to know your way around a computer and have technical knowledge to build your app with Retool. If you’re unable to mark up database schema, don’t know how coding is structured, and have no clue how an API call works, you’ll most likely struggle with Retool.
- You want an external, client-facing app: While it’s conceivable that you can create an app for your salon, food truck, or gym using Retool, its building interface isn’t exactly ideal for these use cases. Looking elsewhere is probably a good idea if you’re looking to make an app on which clients schedule appointments, order and pay for food, or track workouts.
- You don’t want to deal with expensive, per-user pricing: Retool’s pricing plans depend on the number of folks using your app. Generally, the more users you have, the more you’ll pay monthly. For those intending to create an app used by at least 100s of people, Retool won’t be easy on the bank account.
The Top 10 Retool Alternatives for App Building
#1 Adalo
Overview
Adalo is a user-friendly, no-code app-building platform, so you won’t need any technical or coding skills to create your app.
What It Does Better Than Retool
While Adalo is super simple to learn, it’s also a powerful app-building platform with dozens of components, provides substantial design flexibility, and integrates with 1,000s of third-party apps. This allows you to add many features while being flexible enough to breathe life into any app idea.
Who It’s Best For
No matter what kind of app you wish to build, Adalo can probably do it. This is one of the reasons why we’ve recommended Adalo to freelancers, entrepreneurs, and small and medium businesses more than any other app builder.
Pricing
Start using Adalo for only $45/month (billed monthly).
Final Verdict
Adalo will provide you with the perfect balance of power and simplicity, and it’s intuitive enough for you to start working on your app right after you sign up.
#2 Betty Blocks
Overview
Betty Blocks is an app-building platform offering no-code and low-code features for businesses looking to deploy enterprise-grade applications.
What It Does Better Than Retool
Betty Blocks provides a platform for accessible app building, no matter how technically savvy you are. If you have zero tech skills, you can leverage its no-code features. However, techies will love some of the optional low-code features, such as entering custom code to create their unique functionalities.
This makes Betty Blocks a balanced choice for teams with a blend of technical and non-technical users.
Who It’s Best For
Betty Blocks is ideal for enterprises with many players developing apps, regardless of their technical expertise, who need to build an app they can run on their servers.
Pricing
Develop one app that allows for both internal users (part of your organization) as well as external users or clients starting at $1,000/month (billed annually at $12,000). If you need to develop multiple apps, try the $3,250/month (billed annually at $39,000).
Final Verdict
With features appealing to technical and non-technical users alike, BettyBlocks is the Retool alternative for large organizations.
#3 Glide
Overview
Glide is a no-code web app builder that provides a platform for creating some of the most aesthetically pleasing apps.
What It Does Better Than Retool
You won’t need technical or coding knowledge to use Glide — it’s a true no-code app builder. While Glide doesn’t explicitly allow publishing to the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, you can create an app that users can find on the web or download directly to their phones from a link.
Who It’s Best For
Glide is an ideal Retool alternative for folks looking to create an internal business tool such as a CRM board, project management software, or anything else used by members of your organization.
Pricing
Starting at $60/month (billed monthly), create an app with up to 2 editors and harness the power of Glide’s AI tool for analyzing data and more. Glide’s $125/month (billed monthly) version provides up to 5 editors and lets you update your app up to 5,000 times monthly.
Final Verdict
For businesses of any size aiming to create a stellar-looking internal business tool, Glide is a great option.
#4 Budibase
Overview
Budibase is an open-source Retool alternative that provides a low-code app development platform.
What It Does Better Than Retool
Although Budibase is, like Retool, a low-code platform that requires some tech background, it’s open-source. This gives you more control over your app deployment and security settings.
It also provides more robust role-based management than Retool, allowing you to control which team members can access specific parts of your app.
Who It’s Best For
Budibase is ideal for businesses of all sizes, aiming to develop internal tools quickly and in an open-source environment.
Pricing
Budibase pricing starts at $50/month per app creator, allowing you to create unlimited white-label apps. If you’re an Enterprise business and need audit logs, one-on-one support, and other features, contact Budibase directly on their website.
All of Budibase’s pricing tiers, including its free version, allow for on-prem hosting, which will delight your IT team.
Final Verdict
Budibase is a great low-code alternative for any business that needs to develop internal apps that they can host on their servers.
#5 Bubble
Overview
Bubble is one of the most flexible no-code web app-building platforms, boasting the biggest ecosystem out of most low-code or no-code platforms.
What It Does Better Than Retool
While you will need to take some time to learn the app-building interface, you won’t need to bring any technical skills. Bubble is powerful and flexible enough to build a wide range of apps — you’ll also have access to Bubble’s add-ons, of which there are 1,000s.
Adding these to your app will give it more power and make it stand out from the competition.
Who It’s Best For
No matter what kind of web app you need — a tool for your business or an external, client-facing app for taking orders or booking appointments, you can use Bubble to develop it. You’ll just need to devote time each day to learning the platform.
Pricing
Bubble starts at $32/month (billed monthly), giving you 50GB of storage space and up to 2 days of database backup history. For $134/month (billed monthly), you’ll get up to 100GB of storage space and 14 days of database backup history.
Final Verdict
Bubble is an excellent option for non-techies who need more time to learn a complex platform but want a powerful web app.
#6 Noloco
Overview
Noloco is a no-code web app-building platform that transforms existing databases into customized internal tools.
What It Does Better Than Retool
Although Noloco is limited to creating internal business tools, its no-code nature makes it accessible to people without programming or tech skills. You’ll need a pre-existing database to build your Noloco app from, but you’ll be able to integrate Noloco with big-time database providers like Airtable, SmartSuite, Xano, and others.
Who It’s Best For
Noloco is for businesses of all sizes and freelancers who need to build custom apps or client portals from their data sources.
Pricing
Starting at $49/month (billed monthly), Noloco lets you create simple client portals that visualize your data using charts, lists, and cards. The $149/month (billed monthly) version lets you remove the Noloco branding, allows you to send automated emails, and provides a more robust set of data visualization features like Kanban view, more complex charts, and others.
Final Verdict
With several integrations and a simple no-code interface, Noloco is one of the best Retool alternatives for businesses of all sizes.
#7 Softr
Overview
Softr is a no-code web app builder that transforms pre-existing data into internal business apps.
What It Does Better Than Retool
If you already have a database, building an app with Softr is stupidly simple, requiring no tech or coding background. You’ll be able to move premade blocks onto your building canvas, which you can snap together in a matter of minutes, depending on your application's needs.
While you can’t publish your Softr-made app directly to the app stores, users can access it directly from the web or download it to their phones via a link.
Who It’s Best For
To build your app, you’ll need a database with Google Sheets, Airtable, SmartSuite, Xano, or HubSpot (plus SQL databases). If you’re a business of any size with one of those databases, then Softr is for you.
Pricing
Start using Softr for $59/month (billed monthly), and publish up to 3 apps with at least 50,000 database records. Softr’s $167/month (billed monthly) version allows for at least 100,000 database records and lets you build unlimited apps.
Final Verdict
Softr is the Retool alternative that is ideal for businesses that want to develop an app at warp speed from their databases.
#8 FlutterFlow
Overview
FlutterFlow is a low-code native mobile app builder that supports the development of various apps.
What It Does Better Than Retool
You’ll get robust integration capabilities with Firebase, Supabase, and custom APIs, facilitating complex app functionalities. Access to the Firebase and Supabase ecosystems can give your app more power and flexibility than you’d get from Retool.
Additionally, FlutterFlow isn’t limited to building internal business applications. You can develop apps for your e-commerce shop, restaurant, or cafe, which you can publish to the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to get maximum traction.
Who It’s Best For
You’ll need some technical experience and an understanding of how coding works to use FlutterFlow.
Pricing
FlutterFlow’s paid plans start at $30/month (billed monthly) and offer features like API endpoints and advanced user permissions. You can get team functionalities for $70/month (billed monthly), such as real-time collaboration and project-level access controls.
Final Verdict
FlutterFlow is a flexible, low-code platform for creating and publishing nearly any native mobile app in the app stores.
#9 Backendless
Overview
Backendless is a low-code app-building platform that offers an all-in-one package for building your front end, backend, and database.
What It Does Better Than Retool
While you can, you aren’t required to bring a database to Backendless. You can create it by yourself using Backendless’s database builder. However, this isn’t a no-code feature, so you’ll need to know how Structured Query Language (SQL) works and how to mark up your database schema.
That being said, Backendless’ frontend builder leverages an easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface, providing a tool to develop your frontend fast.
Who It’s Best For
Backendless is ideal for businesses of all shapes and sizes that need an all-in-one app builder to create an app that they can eventually scale.
Pricing
Backendless pricing starts at $15/month (billed monthly), giving you 10 API keys and 100 database tables, each with 100,000 records. You can choose the features you want to add on, like an additional 50 tables for $25/month, 10GB of storage for $20/month, and many more features that you can find on Backendless’s website.
Final Verdict
Backendless is a robust and versatile app development platform that balances the need for technical skills while providing an optimal no-code frontend builder.
#10 GoodBarber
Overview
GoodBarber is a no-code app builder for creating native mobile apps and Progressive Web Apps (PWAs).
What It Does Better Than Retool
If you want to build an app for your online store or content subscribers, GoodBarber is the simple platform for you. You won’t need to bring any technical skills, as GoodBarber’s app-building interface is straightforward to learn, although it’s limited in design freedom.
Who It’s Best For
GoodBarber is specifically for individuals or businesses who want to sell their goods, content, or other products directly from an app.
Pricing
GoodBarber offers different pricing plans, from $36/month for selling content like newsletters and blogs to $50/month for e-commerce apps. You can also use the platform to create unlimited apps for your agency, starting at $280/month for content and $380/month for e-commerce.
Final Verdict
Use GoodBarber to quickly create apps to sell your products so your customers can easily find your store from the screen of their phone.
Which Retool Alternative Is Right for You?
After reading through our list of Retool alternatives, we suggest you note your favorite 4 or 5 platforms. Then, try out each one’s free version or free demo, jotting down answers to the following questions:
- Is this platform easy to use after signing up, or do I need to spend considerable time shuffling through tutorials just to grasp the basics?
- Does this platform provide enough customization features to tailor-make an app that reflects my brand and needs?
- Can I add the functionalities (in-app messaging, third-party integrations, payment processing, etc.) that I need for my app to improve my business’s bottom line?
- Does the app-building platform’s pricing plan fit my budget?
After you finish each free version, compare your notes. This will increase the chances that your app-building platform of choice will be congruent with your needs and personality.
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Adalo: An Easy Yet Powerful Retool Alternative
Are you looking for an app builder that’s flexible enough to create internal business tools like dashboards for KPIs, customer-reporting apps, and external-facing apps like a booking or e-commerce app? Then choose Adalo.
Adalo is a no-code app-building platform that provides nearly pixel-perfect design freedom to customize your app exactly how you want. It’s also easy enough for the staunchest of technophobes to use right out of the box.
However, Adalo doesn’t sacrifice power for ease of use. You’ll get access to a component marketplace to add features like in-app messaging, a PDF reader, and much more. Plus, you’ll get access to 1,000s of third-party integrations, like Zapier, Airtable, QuickBooks, and much more.
Publish your app on the web, in the Apple App Store, and the Google Play Store. Sign up for Adalo’s free version and start building an app to bolster your business today.
