Retool

Overview

Retool is a platform for building internal software on top of systems a company already runs: it connects to any database, API or LLM provider and puts an interface over them. Apps are assembled from a drag-and-drop component library and wired up with JavaScript in queries, bindings and transformers; teams that need something the library does not cover write their own components in React and TypeScript and push them to the organisation's component library. Alongside the classic editor there is an AI app builder that starts from a prompt, plus Workflows for scheduled and event-driven jobs, a hosted Retool Database, and Agents for work that runs without a person. AI queries call models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, AWS Bedrock and Azure OpenAI and draw on a pool of AI credits tracked for the whole organisation. Everything runs either on Retool's cloud or self-hosted, on the free, Team and Business tiers as well as Enterprise, and pricing is per builder and per internal user rather than per app.

Best for engineering and operations teams building internal tools on top of existing databases and APIs.

This suits a team that already holds the data and now needs someone other than an engineer to work with it: the design assumes the systems of record stay where they are, so the job is the interface rather than a migration, and that is a much smaller commitment than moving anything. The trade-off is where the value ends up. What gets built belongs to the platform, and seat-based pricing means a successful rollout costs more as more colleagues use it, which is the opposite of how a home-grown admin panel behaves. Teams that want a guaranteed way out, or that expect hundreds of casual users, should price both in before they start. For a handful of builders serving one operations team, the arithmetic is comfortable.

Key Facts

Features

What it generates

Internal tools: web and mobile apps, scheduled and event-driven workflows, and AI agents; an AI app builder starts an app from a prompt next to the classic drag-and-drop editor

Stack and frameworks

Drag-and-drop component library with JavaScript in queries, bindings and transformers; custom components are written in React and TypeScript and published to the organisation's component library

Auth and database

Connects to any database, API or LLM provider, with a hosted Retool Database included; permissions and audit logging from the Business tier, SSO and SCIM on Enterprise

Hosting and deploy

Retool cloud or self-hosted; the free, Team and Business tiers can both be self-hosted, Enterprise adds unlimited end users and white-labelling

Payments

No built-in billing or checkout; a payment provider is connected as an API resource like any other

Access to the code

Apps live in Retool rather than as an exportable codebase; JavaScript and custom React components extend them, and Git-backed source control is an Enterprise feature

Integrations

• OpenAI
• Anthropic
• Google
• AWS Bedrock
• Azure OpenAI

Deployment and Support

Deployment

• Cloud (SaaS)
• Browser-based
• On-premise

Support

• Community forum

Onboarding

• Documentation and knowledge base

Company size

• Small and mid-sized
• Enterprise

Suitability

The table combines the industries the vendor addresses with the company sizes the tool is aimed at. An empty cell means the combination is not stated, not that it is ruled out.

Pros and Cons

Pricing

• Free

  $0

  Up to 5 users, unlimited apps, 500 workflow runs a month, 5 GB database and 5 GB file storage, 250 AI credits a month.

• Team

  $10

  Per builder per month on annual billing ($12 monthly); internal users $5 ($7 monthly). 5,000 workflow runs a month, staging environment, release versions.

• Business

  $50

  Per builder per month on annual billing ($65 monthly); internal users $15 ($18 monthly). Adds audit logging, rich permissions, portals and external user access.

• Enterprise

  Custom

  Quoted by the vendor. Adds SSO and SCIM, Git source control, unlimited end users and white-labelling.

Best For

• Technology

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