Retool review

Retool is built for internal tools rather than public apps. Teams connect databases and APIs, then assemble admin panels, dashboards and workflows from components, with AI credits for app building and AI Actions. Pricing splits into builders, people who create or edit an app in a billing cycle, and internal users who simply use the apps, which keeps costs down when a few people build for many. The Free plan covers up to 5 users with 250 pooled AI credits a month. Team adds unlimited users, staging plus production and 1,000 credits, and Business adds external users, embedded apps, audit logs and rich permissions. Enterprise offers self-hosted or air-gapped deployment, Git source control and SSO. Our pricing page loaded in euros from our location, so the USD price is pending. Retool is less friendly to non-technical builders than Softr or Glide, but for teams with SQL skills it is very capable.

Who it is for

Operations and engineering teams building internal tools on databases and APIs.

Price

See vendor pricing (USD check pending).

US price check pending. See the vendor pricing page.

Key features

• Apps and workflows billed by builder and internal user
• Pooled AI credits for app building and AI Actions
• Staging and production environments from the Team plan
• External users, embedded apps and audit logs on Business
• Self-hosted or air-gapped deployment, Git source control and SSO on Enterprise

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Free plan for up to 5 users
• Strength: Unlimited users from the Team plan
• Strength: Self-hosting option for strict security needs
• Weakness: External users and embedded apps need the Business plan
• Weakness: Git source control and SSO are Enterprise only
• Weakness: Best results assume some comfort with SQL and APIs

Key facts

• Free plan: Yes, up to 5 users and 250 pooled AI credits
• Paid plans: Team, Business, Enterprise
• Billing: Per builder and per internal user
• Hosting: Retool Cloud; self-hosted or air-gapped on Enterprise

Where it ranks

Retool is No. 7 in our Best No-Code App Builders verdict.