Retool vs. Appsmith

Retool’s interface is powerful but technical, designed primarily for developers. It may feel overwhelming for non-developers due to its coding and customization requirements.

The platform has a moderate-to-steep learning curve, especially for users without a technical background. Familiarity with developer workflows is often needed.

It provides comprehensive documentation and community support, but users may need time to fully understand the platform's features and capabilities.

Retool comes with a strong library of customizable UI components, like tables, charts, and forms, allowing users to tailor layouts, interactions, and styles to meet specific needs.

It connects easily with a wide range of databases, APIs, and third-party tools, which makes it well-suited for data-heavy applications requiring customized data flows and advanced handling.

For those with technical skills, Retool supports custom scripts, SQL queries, and JavaScript, giving users the flexibility to add complex features—though some coding knowledge is needed to take full advantage.

Retool offers over 90 flexible UI components, like tables, charts, forms, and modals, allowing users to customize layouts and interactions for complex applications.

It also provides templates for admin dashboards, CRMs, and inventory management, which can be used as-is or customized, saving time for quick internal tool deployment.

Additionally, users have access to community-created templates and can save custom templates within their organization for consistent design across applications.

Retool has a drag-and-drop builder with over 100 customizable components—tables, charts, forms, and more. You can adapt these using JavaScript and SQL, making it great for more complex needs.

It connects smoothly with SQL/NoSQL databases, REST and GraphQL APIs, and various third-party services, which makes it perfect for data-heavy applications where you need to set up detailed data flows and transformations.

Retool also supports event-driven automation, so users can create custom workflows with JavaScript, allowing for multi-step processes and dynamic logic.

For teams, Retool offers role-based access control and version history, making it easy to manage permissions and track changes across the project.

To keep projects consistent and speed up development, Retool includes reusable modules and templates, which are helpful for teams working on multiple applications.

Retool lets users create Custom Components using JavaScript and React, allowing you to add unique functionality that goes beyond the standard component library.

With Advanced Scripting, users can manage complex data tasks like transformations and custom visualizations, making it ideal for applications that rely on heavy data processing.

Embedded Apps make it possible to integrate Retool applications into other platforms, allowing you to make them accessible across various systems.

Retool also offers Granular Access controls, including role-based permissions, SSO integration, and compliance with SOC 2 and HIPAA standards, ensuring secure and compliant usage.

Retool makes it easy to set up workflows for things like data syncing, ETL jobs, and sending alerts, which is especially helpful for data-heavy projects.

Workflows can be triggered by scheduled tasks or webhooks, so they can run on a specific timeline or react to real-time events.

With Retool’s query blocks, you can create multi-step workflows that handle data transformations, interactions, and more complex logic across different sources.

It also has built-in AI tools for tasks like text generation and classification, useful for natural language processing or image recognition needs.

Retool connects well with other platforms, making data transfer between systems smooth—great for managing multiple sources in one workflow.

Retool integrates with a wide range of third-party tools, supporting workflows that involve databases, APIs, cloud services, and more.

Some of the integrations include:

• SQL Databases: PostgreSQL, MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle.
• NoSQL Databases: MongoDB, Firebase, Redis.
• APIs: REST APIs, GraphQL APIs.
• Cloud Services: Google Sheets, AWS, Airtable.
• Communication Tools: Slack, Twilio.
• Payment Gateways: Stripe, PayPal.
• Developer Tools: GitHub, GitLab.
• CRM & Analytics: Salesforce, HubSpot, Google Analytics.

For a full list of supported integrations, visit Retool’s website.

Retool makes connecting to databases, APIs, and other services pretty straightforward.

You can pick from a variety of pre-built integrations or set up your own using REST or GraphQL APIs. They offer plenty of documentation and tutorials to make sure you’re guided through each step, so setting up integrations feels manageable.

Retool is designed for high performance, handling complex data operations and real-time queries with ease.

It leverages server-side processing and caching to maintain quick load times, even with large datasets or multiple data sources.

Advanced query optimization helps streamline data requests, reducing lag for data-heavy applications.

Real-time updates keep UI components responsive across devices, ideal for apps requiring frequent data refreshes.

Retool’s robust infrastructure supports high-concurrency scenarios, making it reliable for teams at scale.

Retool is built to handle large-scale applications, managing extensive datasets and complex workflows with ease.

Its infrastructure supports distributed deployments, making it scalable across multiple environments, whether cloud-based or on-premise.

Retool can be deployed on platforms like Kubernetes, allowing for flexible scaling based on user demand and workload.

With robust load balancing and resource optimization, Retool ensures stable performance, even as applications grow.

Its multi-tenant architecture and role-based access control further support enterprise-level scalability, ideal for large organizations.

Retool takes data security seriously, using encryption for data both at rest and in transit to keep sensitive information protected.

It offers role-based access control (RBAC), which lets admins set precise permissions for different users, making it easier to manage security within teams.

Retool also works with single sign-on (SSO) providers, allowing secure login management and cutting down on password-related security risks.

For added safety, Retool includes detailed audit logs that track user activity, helping teams spot and respond to any unusual or suspicious actions.

Retool is designed to meet key industry compliance standards, including SOC 2, which covers security, availability, and confidentiality practices.

For healthcare applications, Retool can be configured to comply with HIPAA regulations, ensuring the protection of sensitive health information.

The platform also aligns with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), safeguarding user data according to European privacy laws.

Retool supports audit logging and access controls, providing the transparency required for many compliance standards.

Free Plan:

• Cost: Free
• Includes:
  • Core features for building applications.
  • Up to 5 users and 5 internal apps.
  • Basic integrations with databases and APIs.
  • Community support.
• Ideal For: Small teams or startups wanting to test Retool’s capabilities.

Team Plan:

• Cost: $10 per user/month (billed annually) or $20 per user/month (billed monthly).
• Includes:
  • Unlimited apps.
  • Advanced integrations, role-based access control, and version history.
  • Email support.
• Ideal For: Small to medium-sized teams needing more flexibility and collaboration features.

Business Plan:

• Cost: $50 per user/month (billed annually).
• Includes:
  • SAML-based SSO, enhanced security, priority support, and custom branding.
• Ideal For: Larger organizations with complex security and compliance needs.

Enterprise Plan:

• Cost: Custom pricing.
• Includes:
  • Custom SLAs, dedicated account management, on-premise deployment, and advanced compliance features.
• Ideal For: Large enterprises requiring tailored solutions and top-tier support.

• Internal Tools Development: Retool is ideal for creating internal tools like dashboards, admin panels, and CRMs that streamline team workflows and make daily tasks easier.‍

• Data Management and Analysis: It’s well-suited for managing complex data needs, like pulling data from multiple sources, real-time processing, and building custom dashboards.‍

• Custom Workflow Automation: Retool makes it easy to automate workflows that combine data from different sources and integrate with third-party tools—great for more advanced automation setups.‍

• Prototyping and Rapid Development: With its drag-and-drop builder, Retool enables fast prototyping and iteration, so teams can quickly test ideas and improve them.‍

• Customer Support Dashboards: Teams love using Retool to build customer support dashboards, offering live insights into customer interactions.

• ‍Sales and Marketing Dashboards: Retool also works well for sales and marketing dashboards, helping teams track KPIs and campaign data in real time.

Check out more use cases and our case studies.

G2:

‍Retool has earned a solid 4.5-star rating, with users praising its powerful features and quick development capabilities—especially appealing to tech teams. Some users, however, mention that it can slow down with larger datasets, and there’s a bit of a learning curve at first.