User Interface and Experience
Ease of Use
Today Retool is commonly known as a powerful low-code development platform. It offers a wide range of features that can help to build unique apps and workflows without significant manual effort.
Nevertheless, the majority of advanced tools are developer-focused. This means that citizen developers (business users without specific tech skills) may find it difficult to interact with the platform’s interface.
What makes Retool special is its great flexibility. There aren’t any limitations related to the app types or domains that they can be built for.
For even more flexibility, Retool offers to host built apps either in the cloud or on-premise.
The main thing that should be mentioned in the context of the Budibase vs Retool comparison is the fact that Budibase is fully open-source, while Retool is a proprietary platform.
Though its open-source nature ensures great flexibility, users may face some difficulties in the process of setting it up and its maintenance.
The interaction with the interface is comparatively simple even for users with minimal technical knowledge compared to many other platforms.
As well as Retool, this low-code development platform provides users with the possibility of choosing between cloud and self-hosting.
Customization
If you are looking for a low-code development platform with rich customization options, Retool can become a very good choice for you.
It offers a large collection of customizable UI components, including charts, forms, buttons, etc. All of them can be modified in accordance with your business requirements.
Apart from this, you can also leverage the possibility of connecting your apps with third-party services, tools, and external databases. This can ensure access to unique data sources.
Retool also supports custom scripts and SQL queries. That’s why if you have coding skills, you can implement custom features tailored to your business processes.
Budibase is known for its outstanding flexibility and extensive customization opportunities.
The platform provides a wide range of pre-built components that can be adjusted in accordance with the needs and peculiarities of each particular business process.
But apart from this, users can successfully customize practically every aspect and element of this low-code development platform based on their specific needs.
For extra flexibility, it is possible to use custom CSS on the chosen components or native styling options.
That’s why this platform often becomes a good option for teams that need to have full control over their apps and systems.
Templates and Components
The library of Retool’s UI components contains over 100 charts, forms, tables, buttons, and other ready-to-use elements that can be seamlessly added to any of your apps.
Moreover, the platform also provides a wide choice of templates, including dashboards, CRMs, admin panels, and others. All of them can be applied just in one click.
The use of ready-made customizable components and templates can greatly speed up the development process and help to launch business apps much faster than in the case of traditional custom development.
The rich collection of various UI components, including charts, tables, and forms, allows teams to assemble apps much faster than it is possible in the case of building solutions from scratch.
Apart from ready-to-use components, the platform also provides a range of free templates that can satisfy the needs of different teams.
Among them, there are templates for very specific use cases. For instance, there are such options as a car rental admin panel, an equipment checkout form, a hospital admission form, a university portal, a vacation request form, and others.
Short Recap
Ease of use: Retool offers a wide range of powerful development tools for building business apps. However, the learning curve may be pretty steep for non-tech experts.
Customization: The platform is known to be rather flexible in the questions of customization. With some coding skills, it is possible to build unique Retool apps with sophisticated features.
Templates and components: Retool provides access to a rich collection of ready-to-use components and templates that can be suitable for various business cases.
Main strength: Retool is a powerful low-code development platform with a lot of tools for building unique business applications.
Main weakness: For users without tech skills, it may be difficult to navigate the platform without relevant training.
Ease of use: Budibase is a feature-rich low-code platform intended for users with different levels of tech expertise.
Customization: Thanks to its open-source nature, the platform can offer extensive customization options. As a result, Budibase can be viewed as an excellent choice for those cases when complete control over created applications is a must.
Templates and components: Budibase offers a wide range of customizable components and templates that can be used for addressing different business needs.
Main strength: The flexibility of Budibase is one of its biggest benefits. A rich collection of templates greatly facilitates the interaction with the platform.
Main weakness: Despite the fact that the UI is comparatively simple, the creation of complex apps may pose a challenge.
Features and Functionality
Core Features
Retool provides a user-friendly drag-and-drop app builder. Thanks to the visual interface for creating apps, it is possible to significantly speed up this process while still ensuring excellent functionality and performance of your solutions.
The platform also has a wide range of collaboration features for teams. For example, it is possible to establish role-based access and version control.
To ensure real-time data updates, you can connect your apps with SQL and NoSQL databases, as well as various business systems and services.
As well as in the case of Retool, the interaction with the Budibase platform is also based on a drag-and-drop UI. It allows users to arrange components on screens quickly and easily.
Budibase also enables users to leverage the capabilities of a built-in database, which is of great help when it is necessary to start the app creation process from scratch.
The provided form builder enables developers to design custom forms that can correspond to various scenarios. For instance, it is possible to create surveys, public forms, and multi-step forms based on various business needs.
Advanced Features
Apart from basic features that can be easily used even by non-tech experts, Retool also has a lot of advanced tools. However, to apply them correctly and achieve the desired results, users may need to have relevant skills. For example, to customize the available components, it is required to write extra code in JavaScript or React.
Retool supports advanced scripting that may be of great help for dealing with some complex data processes and tasks. For example, when you have some specific requirements for data visualization and want to introduce such functionality in your app, you can turn to this feature.
This low-code platform is also enriched with AI-powered tools. Artificial intelligence can be responsible for text generation, data classification, and image recognition, among other data-related tasks.
Budibase offers a conditional UI. It means that developers have the possibility of changing the app interface in accordance with their unique requirements.
Budibase also allows admins to provide permissions and access levels to users based on their roles.
Among some other features, it’s worth mentioning SSO (Single Sign On), automation of the user onboarding process, and flexibility in hosting.
For example, teams can host their applications on Kubernetes, Docker, Ansible, Podman, Portainer, Azure, Digital Ocean, and many other platforms. Moreover, it is also possible to opt for Budibase's built-in cloud hosting.
Automation and Workflow
Retool can become an excellent choice for those projects that rely on complex and versatile workflows. With this platform, you can quickly set up various processes, like data synchronization, form updating, etc.
Even if your workflows include multiple steps and are powered by complex logic, it will be possible to handle and customize them with Retool.
Workflows can be activated based on the set schedule or can be triggered by the indicated real-time events.
Budibase provides highly visual automation tools that are directly integrated into each project.
It offers an intuitive, flowchart-style interface that lets developers create custom automation with the help of pre-built trigger and action blocks.
It is also possible to incorporate custom code written in JavaScript for advanced workflows. However, coding is entirely optional. Budibase natively supports a lot of helpful features like loops and conditions within automation flows.
Short Recap
Core features: This low-code development platform has a rich library of ready-made components that can be applied with the help of a drag-and-drop app builder.
Advanced features: Retool provides the possibility to customize the available components. Apps built on this platform can be designed to deal with complex data processing.
Automation and workflows: With Retool, your team can easily set up multiple workflows and choose different scenarios for their activation.
Main strength: Retool allows businesses to build solutions for working with complex data flows and processes.
Main weakness: Customization of the standard components and workflows requires time and specific skills.
Core features: Similar to Retool, Budibase offers a drag-and-drop interface for easy component arrangement.
Advanced features: Budibase provides access to a wide range of advanced features, empowering users to create sophisticated and highly customized applications with ease. Moreover, users can leverage a wide choice of hosting options.
Automation and workflows: Budibase provides a lot of flexibility in workflow automation. For advanced processes, developers can apply JavaScript code.
Main strength: The platform ensures great comfort and control for teams looking for flexibility.
Main weakness: The use of advanced features can be complicated for users with no tech background.
Integrations
Third-party Integrations
Retool allows business to connect their apps with numerous external services and tools.
Below you can find some of the most highly demanded options:
- SQL Databases: MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, PostgreSQL, and more.
- NoSQL Databases: MongoDB, Firebase, and others.
- APIs: GraphQL APIs, REST APIs, SOAP APIs.
- Cloud Services: AWS S3, Google Sheets, etc.
- Communication Tools: Slack, Twilio.
- Payment Gateways: Stripe, PayPal.
- Developer Tools: GitHub, Bitbucket, GitLab.
- CRM & Analytics: Salesforce, HubSpot, Google Analytics, etc.
You can find a full list of available interactions on Retool’s official website.
Budibase offers great flexibility in terms of integrations.
Here are a couple of examples of data sources, services, and tools that can be connected to Budibase apps:
- SQL Databases: MySQL, MS SQL Server, PostgreSQL, and others.
- NoSQL Databases: MongoDB, CouchDB, DynamoDB, etc.
- APIs: SOAP APIs, REST APIs.
- Cloud Sevices: Google Sheets, S3, Snowflake.
- Communication and collaboration tools: Slack, Jira.
You can find more information about the supported integrations here.
Ease of Connection
If you want to connect your applications built on Retool with any of the available services, you can rely on the drag-and-drop interface. This process won’t take long. Just a couple of clicks are required to connect your apps with external databases or services.
For writing custom scripts and SQL queries, users need to have specific coding skills. However, such customization can significantly expand the functionality of their apps.
It is pretty simple to connect applications to various databases, including MySQL and PostgreSQL, as well as to use Budibase’s built-in database. As such tasks are performed without any specific efforts, teams can focus more on building professional interfaces.
Apart from this, Budibase provides a range of autogenerated layouts for data sources that it supports. For example, it can offer fully functional CRUD screens and forms.
Short Recap
Third-party integrations: In the Budibase vs Retool comparison, Retool seems to be a leader when it comes to integrations. It has a lot of options for businesses. Moreover, there is enough space for customization.
Ease of connection: All basic tasks can be executed with the help of the drag-and-drop menu. To ensure more sophisticated functionality, users need to write custom scripts and SQL queries.
Main strength: The platform provides great flexibility in connecting apps with external databases and services.
Main weakness: For custom integrations and queries, tech background and coding skills are required.
Third-party integrations: Budibase offers an impressive range of integrations for SQL and NoSQL databases, business tools, and APIs. The process of connecting them to apps is quite straightforward.
Ease of connection: To connect any of the supported tools, users will need to make just a couple of clicks. Custom integrations will require more time and skills.
Main strength: Budibase allows developers to connect apps to multiple data sources at the same time.
Main weakness: More complex tasks related to integrations can’t be performed by non-tech experts.
Performance and Scalability
Speed and Efficiency
Retool apps stand out for their great ability to process big volumes of data in real time and handle multi-stage processes that involve interaction with several data sources.
The platform can ensure advanced query optimization, caching, and server-side processing. Thanks to all this even complex tasks and processes do not deteriorate or slow down apps’ performance.
As Retool supports real-time updates, Retool apps can smoothly work on various devices.
Budibase allows teams to build highly performant apps of different complexity without deterioration of the functionality and reliability of such solutions.
The platform efficiently works with data in different formats and demonstrates excellent speed in data processing.
Moreover, it is possible to connect several data sources and Budibase will ensure interruption-free data processing.
Scalability
You can rely on this low-code development platform, even if you need to create large-scale applications with complex functionality and advanced tools.
Even when your business needs evolve over time and your applications have to deal with an increased number of transactions and users, Retool will be able to support this expansion.
Thanks to cloud-based backups, you can be sure that your data is well-protected and your apps can efficiently use it.
You can deploy Retool both on-premise and in the cloud environments, which guarantees the required flexibility. With its scalability capabilities, Retool is often chosen by big organizations and enterprises that need to implement large systems for their processes.
The Budibase platform for building business apps was designed with scalability in mind.
Thanks to this, the platform is suitable for creating solutions of all sizes, from small projects to enterprise-level systems.
Its open-source nature allows for extensive customization and optimization to meet growing demands.
The platform efficiently manages large volumes of data, maintaining performance and reliability as the application grows.
Users can choose self-hosting for maximum control or opt for managed hosting plans that scale with usage.
Short Recap
Speed and efficiency: Even those solutions that need to handle complex queries and processes can demonstrate stable performance without interruptions.
Scalability: Retool is often chosen by big organizations because this platform allows them to build flexible and scalable business solutions.
Main strength: The platform can ensure stable performance and great scalability of apps of different types.
Main weakness: If you want to build a complex enterprise-level system but do not have specialized skills, you may need to hire professional developers.
Speed and efficiency: This low-code development platform ensures that applications remain scalable and responsive, regardless of the data volume or complexity.
Scalability: Budibase is known for its excellent scalability, which makes it suitable for different projects: from small apps to enterprise-level solutions.
Main strength: Budibase combines flexibility, efficiency, and robust performance and can support scalable application development.
Main weakness: To apply any advanced custom features and introduce complex data flows, users need to have specialized tech knowledge.
Security and Compliance
Data Security
Retool offers strong protective measures that will help you be confident in the security of your apps and your data. For instance, all data, including data in transit and at rest, is encrypted.
To better control who and when can open apps and view data, admins can implement specific permissions in accordance with users’ roles.
Detailed audit logs and version control help teams timely detect any suspicious behavior and restrict access for certain users if required.
Moreover, Retool supports Single sign-on (SSO) for secure login management.
When users rely on the Budibase internal database, the platform stores only actual row data. It is securely stored on a fault-tolerant multi-node CouchDB cluster running in AWS.
In the case of relying on external data sources, the platform works entirely as a proxy.
All Budibase users can leverage SSO, which makes this platform an excellent solution for teams that are not ready to compromise on security while building highly performant apps.
Data-in-transit encryption and full audit log tracking are among other security measures.
Compliance
When it comes to personal data processing and storage, Retool meets the requirements of all major regulations. For example, if you build apps that will be used in the EU region, you can be sure that they will be fully GDPR-compliant.
For many companies that want to introduce solutions for the healthcare industry, it is crucial to follow the HIPAA standards. And Retool can provide this option. However, some additional settings are required.
The platform also follows the highest standards in such aspects as confidentiality, security, and transparency. This is proven by its compliance with the SOC 2 framework.
Budibase is ISO 27001 certified. This proves the platform’s commitment to security and transparency in data processing.
Moreover, the platform supports compliance with GDPR. Budibase provides tools and features that help users build applications with data privacy and security as top priorities.
However, if you need to make your apps compliant with any specific regulations, you need to verify in advance whether it will be possible to do it with Budibase.
Short Recap
Data security: Data encryption, SSO, audit logs, and role-based access control help to protect sensitive business data and minimize the risks of any illegal activities on Retool apps.
Compliance: Retool is designed to be compliant with all major security and data privacy regulations, such as SOC 2, GDPR, and HIPAA (extra configurations are required).
Main strength: The platform implements the strongest mechanisms of data protection. The built apps are compliant with all the most popular regulations globally.
Main weakness: For HIPAA compliance, it is necessary to introduce additional settings.
Data security: Budibase prioritizes data security by implementing a range of robust features and best practices to ensure that applications built on the platform protect sensitive information.
Compliance: The platform ensures secure handling of data which is required by regulations in different regions. It also allows self-hosting for full control over data location and storage.
Main strength: Budibase enables users to build applications that align with diverse compliance requirements.
Main weakness: Before building your business apps, you need to verify whether they can be compliant with the regulations that are in force in your jurisdiction.
Pricing
Plans Overview
Free Plan
- Cost: Free
- What it includes: This plan includes all the basic tools and features that are needed for building apps. The maximum workflow runs allowed per month is 500. The number of mobile and web applications is not limited. However, only 5 seats for users are provided.
- The most suitable for: Those who want to test the Retool functionality and explore the provided tools.
Team Plan
- Cost: €9 per user/month and €5 per end user/month (annual billing) or €11 per user/month and €6 per end user/month (monthly billing)
- What it includes: It provides everything that is available to users of the free plan but also has some extra features. For example, it allows for up to 5000 workflow runs per month and offers the possibility to control app release versions. The number of users is not limited.
- The most suitable for: Small and mid-sized companies seeking flexibility.
Business Plan
- Cost: €46 per user/month and €14 per end user/month (annual billing) or €60 per user/month and €17 per end user/month (monthly billing)
- What it includes: The range of extra features includes embedded apps, audit logs, unlimited modules, and permission controls, among other possibilities.
- The most suitable for: Teams that are looking for powerful collaboration features, as well as strong control over compliance and sensitive data protection.
Enterprise Plan
- Cost: Custom pricing
- What it includes: That’s the most comprehensive plan that can include all the available functionality. Users can leverage advanced features like SAML / OpenID Connect SSO and custom branding, as well as dedicated support.
- The most suitable for: Enterprises and big organizations that need to handle complex data processes.
Free Plan
- Cost: Free
- What it includes: The free plan provides the possibility to build unlimited apps and automation, as well as to use unlimited data sources. However, there are some limitations regarding the number of users who can interact with the platform.
- The most suitable for: Hobbyists and professional developers who want to familiarize themselves with the provided functionality.
Premium Plan
- Cost: €50 per app creator/month and €5 per app user/month (annual billing) or €60 per user/month and €6 per end user/month (monthly billing)
- What it includes: In addition to everything that the free plan offers, this plan has no user limits. It also provides reusable code snippets, as well as backups and restore options. The cloud version also includes Budibase AI tools.
- The most suitable for: Bigger teams that want to get more opportunities in app creation.
Enterprise Plan
- Cost: Flexible pricing and volume-based discounts
- What it includes: In comparison to the premium plan, this option provides a row of extra features, such as custom AI connection, audit logs, creator access control, environment variables, enforceable SSO, and others.
- The most suitable for: Rnterprises and large companies that need control, security, and dedicated support.
Short Recap
Pricing: This low-code development tool can’t be considered to be the cheapest on the market. However, given the features and possibilities that it provides, the price-quality ratio looks quite reasonable.
Best for: Bigger companies and tech experts that can use the whole potential of the platforms and enjoy all the provided customization opportunities.
Pricing: Budibase has a free plan. However, those who are looking for enterprise-level features should consider paid plans. The prices are not low. But for enterprise-level apps, such investments fully pay off.
Best for: Companies that are ready to use paid plans. Such options will allow them to leverage a wide range of advanced features for building flexible tools for various purposes.
Use Cases
Type of Work
- Internal business app development: Retool is often chosen for creating various business solutions like dashboards or CRM platforms. Retool offers a wide range of templates and components for such systems. Thanks to this, the development time can be greatly reduced. Prototyping: This low-code development platform is perfect for testing ideas and experimenting. The library of ready-to-use components together with the drag-and-drop app builder can significantly speed up such processes.
- Data management: The platform allows businesses to work with complex data sets and flows.
- Workflow automation: You can create your unique business workflows that will include multiple steps and data sources.
For more information about possible use cases, you can visit the official website and consider the projects from our portfolio.
- Reporting and data management: The platform allows users to build interactive dashboards that pull data from multiple sources to provide real-time insights.
- Apart from this, it is possible to create custom reports for specific business needs.
- Internal collaboration tools: Budibase enables developers to create powerful internal tools for team collaboration powered with such features as chats, document sharing, and task management.
- Client-facing applications: Budibase can be used for building not only internal tools but also client-facing apps. For example, it is possible to develop portals where clients can view reports, request services, or interact with their data in a secure, personalized environment.
Want to learn more about Budibase use cases? Follow this link.
Short Recap
Retool is a good choice for businesses that need to build solutions for handling complex workflows and data processing. Thanks to the provided customization possibilities, it is possible to create unique tools tailored to any business needs with minimal manual coding and time investment.
Thanks to its flexibility, Budibase can be chosen by companies from different industries and sectors. It is used to streamline workflows, improve productivity, and create custom solutions that meet the specific needs of businesses and development teams.
Reviews
User Feedback
G2:
Based on more than 300 reviews on G2, Retool can boast a rather impressive rating of 4.6 out of 5.
Users mention the platform’s ability to handle complex data patterns and display them in a very efficient manner among its core benefits. They also indicate that the UI is quite easy to deal with.
Among the disadvantages, some users name the steep learning curve. Due to the fact that Retool has lots of features sometimes it is difficult to understand how to work with all of them.
G2:
Budibase has a high rating of 4.5 stars based on 68 reviews.
A lot of users indicated that Budibase helps them build robust applications and efficient workflows in a few clicks, even without any prior coding experience. They also mention that Budibase offers excellent customer support service.
However, according to some users, the pricing plans offered by Budibase are pretty costly. As a result, small businesses can’t use the entire functionality of the platform.
Conclusion
The choice between Budibase vs Retool should depend on your unique requirements, your team’s expertise, and your business structure.
Budibase is a compelling option for developers who want to have full control and appreciate its open-source flexibility. This platform is ideal for building internal applications that require customization and automation.
At the same time, Retool is better suited for teams that are looking for powerful integrations and customization for their data-intensive internal tools. This low-code development tool is recommended for mid-to-large enterprises that need to power their solutions with integrations with multiple databases and APIs.
Need to get more information about the capabilities of different low-code development tools? Or want to hire low-code experts? At Akveo, we are always ready to support you! Just share your ideas with us and we will find the right approach to their realization with the help of the most powerful low-code development tools.
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