Retool Review: Features, Pricing, Comparison, and Alternatives

We are evaluating Retool, a low-code application development platform based on features & functionalities, pricing, and its alternatives.

Introduction

People from all business segments — developers, IT, and business users — have seen what these platforms are capable of, making them a more viable option nowadays.

Gartner predicts that the low-code market is poised to hit $187 billion by 2030. Valued at $7.61 billion in 2021, it is set to reach $36.43 billion by 2027.

Find more interesting Low-Code statistics here.

What is Retool?

Retool is a low-code platform designed to help developers build custom internal tools swiftly. It provides a drag-and-drop interface with pre-built UI components that connect to databases, internal APIs, and third-party services.

While it simplifies some aspects of development, Retool still requires a solid understanding of SQL and JavaScript to unlock its full potential, making it an ideal tool for IT departments and development teams.

History and Funding

Founded in 2017 in San Francisco, California, Retool has grown significantly. It has raised a total of $141 million, with its latest $45 million Series C round in July 2022.

Retool Features

1. Drag-and-Drop Builder: Create frontend using a pre-built components such as tables, charts, and forms.
2. Integration Library: Connect to databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB) and APIs (REST, GraphQL) for data manipulation.
3. Custom Code: Extend functionality with JavaScript for more complex customizations.
4. (New) Mobile Apps: Develop native iOS and Android apps with drag-and-drop components. Users need to build a separate app for mobile and web.
5. External Apps: Embed Retool applications in external business apps with flexible authentication and access controls.
6. (New) Managed Database: Use Retool’s managed Postgres database for persistent data storage.
7. (Beta) AI Integration: Native AI functionality to connect to external AI models and a managed vector database for unstructured text.
8. Self-Hosting: Option to self-host Retool via Docker or Kubernetes.

Retool Pros, Cons, and Pricing

Advantages of using Retool

1. Easy Frontend Building: The drag-and-drop editor simplifies frontend development for data engineers and semi-technical users.
2. Extensive Integration Library: Connect to a wide range of databases and APIs.
3. Granular Access Control: RBAC for controlling access to tools to some extent.
4. Version Control: Git syncing and version control for managing app versions.
5. Automation: Automate simple business processes with workflows.
6. Ready-to-Use Templates: Several templates and reusable UI components for quick development.

Limitations with Retool platform

1. Pricing Policy: The pricing model, tied to the number of end-users, can become expensive.
2. Code Dependency: Heavy reliance on code for simple data transformations and logic.
3. Limited Frontend Experience: Not suitable for building comprehensive, responsive frontend web apps.
4. Single-Screen Web Apps: Limited to single-screen web apps, requiring multiple one-page applications for navigation.
5. No Multi-Page Apps: Limited multi-page app capabilities.
6. Integration Gaps: Does not connect to platforms like Zapier.
7. Compliance Issues: Not HIPAA and GDPR compliant.
8. Public App Sharing: The free plan does not permit public app sharing; must pay for each app viewer.
9. Automation Interface: No separate interface for defining automation.
10. Custom SSO: Only available in the enterprise plan.
11. Security Issues: Significant data breach in August 2023, resulting in data leaks.

Retool Pricing — and who it works for best

Source G2

Retool offers tiered pricing based on user type and billing cycle:

1. Free Plan: Connect to any database or API with limited query functionality. Apps cannot be shared.
2. Team Plan: $12/standard user + $7/end user per month. Includes versioned releases and revision history.
3. Business Plan: $65/standard user + $18/end-user per month. Includes user groups, audit logs, and Salesforce integration.
4. Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing with additional features like Git version control, custom connectors, and dedicated support.

Retool’s pricing works well for large enterprises with significant budgets and companies that require extensive customization and enterprise features. However, it may not be suitable for small to medium-sized businesses with limited budgets, or for companies that do not need extensive coding or enterprise features. The limited support for non-enterprise clients can also be a drawback.

Difference between DronaHQ and Retool

User Persona (Target Audience)

Retool is a good choice for IT departments, developers, and engineers with a strong grasp of important database tools such as MongoDB, SQL, or Excel. Here, the IT team launches an internal tool using Retool, and non-technical team members such as marketing, operations, and customer support can access the tool in “user-mode.”

DronaHQ is used by business users, citizen developers, and developers. It offers a visual builder to drag and drop components and an intuitive builder for integrations, process automation, workflows, or even action-flows to enhance the ability to build frontend applications just by point-and-click. Also, a marketplace consisting of pre-built templates, components, and controls is available. It also offers the Studio to create your custom controls or extend with your code; skilled developers and designers get to work on complex areas wherever they need it. So it’s safe to say that DronaHQ is a platform for all types of users, starting from a pro developer to a business user.

Frontend Features

You can build internal tools on Retool by connecting their drag-and-drop building blocks to databases and APIs. They provide a process of connecting with data sources and assume that you have a basic-level knowledge of SQL, databases, and other related tools. They have a template gallery of around 20 options, with explanatory pages for each template, and extend using JS or import React, Vue.

DronaHQ provides a great UI Builder for building apps with great UI and UX and can also build event B2C apps on this platform. It has 100+ components and templates; the Designer allows you to make custom components. If you need a powerful, hosted backend to support your app, DronaHQ lets you connect and launch an API declaratively without writing any code.

Use Cases

Retool is a backend tool for engineers or developers, whereas internal teams like customer support teams, product marketing teams, admin panels are just the users.

DronaHQ works best for any type — B2B, B2C, SaaS apps for web & mobile. You can build dashboards, data collection apps, approval workflows, process automation apps, microsites, CRUD apps, admin panels, embeddable forms, internal tools, multilingual apps, learning & training apps, and much more.

Taking an example, Retool doesn’t allow you to build multilingual apps. Using DronaHQ, you can build localized apps with multilingual apps by displaying the right language, currency & formats.

Alternatives for Retool

If you’re a large company/corporation looking for an alternative low-code platform with an enterprise focus, DronaHQ is a good alternative.

Outsystems is a good alternative for engineers and developers who have a strong grasp of important scripting and database languages such as Javascript and SQL.

If you are looking for a storing database creating and sharing relational databases, Airtable is a good option. The user interface is easy-to-use and allows you to spin up a database in minutes. You can store, organize, and collaborate data — like employee records, product inventories, etc.

Another alternative is Tableau. It is used to create interactive visual analytics in dashboards. These dashboards make it easier for non-technical analysts and end-users to convert data into understandable, interactive graphics. It focuses primarily on visualization and cannot work with uncleaned data. To efficiently use it, you need to do proper data cleaning in the underlying database first.

About DronaHQ

DronaHQ is a comprehensive, low-code application development platform. It offers a Studio for forms-based, workflows automation and dashboard-based applications and more complex apps using its SDK. With DronaHQ, companies and organizations can digitize and enrich the user experience, enhancing their rigid legacy applications to modern digital applications capable of working and integrating with new technologies.

The software simplifies how a company can build a digital factory to innovate and digitize solutions with applications for all its processes by providing solutions for business users, developers, employees, shareholders, customers, partners, and more. DronaHQ is SOC2 Type II and ISO 27001 certified.

DronaHQ is trusted by world leaders like Mondelez, LTI, Nestle, Wipro, Pfizer, McKinsey & Company, Colgate-Palmolive, Bosch, Deloitte, Cipla, and many more.

Summary

Evaluating any software is always a difficult task. There are so many options available with a ton of features. If you’re looking for an affordable no-code, low-code solution to create simple, automated business applications like data collection apps, process apps, automation apps, internal tools, or complex apps with the latest technology like AI or RPA.

Try Evaluation Tool by DronaHQ, which will consider various parameters for you to evaluate the platforms. It will provide you with a clear picture and a way forward to choose the perfect platform for you.