6 Retool Alternatives for 2023 - A Comprehensive Guide

Retool is one of the most known low-code development platforms used by large enterprises for creating internal tools that help you save a ton of time. However, just because Retool allows you to create internal tools fast and with very little coding knowledge doesn't mean that it's a perfect low-code platform for your particular business.

In this guide, we compiled 6 Retool alternatives and created a summary of their advantages and drawbacks, including features, pricing, workflow, and general functionality.

After reading this guide, you'll have a better insight into the differences between these internal tool builders, enabling you to choose the best option for your current situation.

Basedash

Basedash is a collaborative admin panel that enables you to manage, visualize, and edit your database with the ease of a spreadsheet, and then communicate that information to your team members.

Basedash’s platform is cloud-based, so it can be accessed and used on any device. It natively integrates with MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, and Amazon Redshift. Basedash offers user management capabilities, customer service features, and the ability to export unprocessed raw data for analysis. It's similar to Airtable but for the actual database of your product.

Some of Basedash’s prominent features include the creation of dedicated apps for various departments, multiple page layouts, and the ability to write to internal or 3rd-party APIs.

Pros

• Edit history
• Beautiful interface
• Easy to use
• Great database support
• Five free app pages with a Basic profile
• SOC-2 compliant
• Self-hosted available

Cons

• No custom code support
• Requires some database structure knowledge
• Doesn’t support NoSQL databases yet
• Can’t be white-labeled

Pricing

• Free — Free
• Startup — $25 per user/month
• Business — $50 per user/month
• Custom — Contact Basedash for custom pricing

Internal.io

Internal.io is among the older and more established internal tool development players As its name suggests, Internal.io is primarily used by companies to create safe internal tools. It's an adequate platform for creating small and straightforward internal tools that also require additional permissions and access rights.

Internal.io enables users to integrate different data sources, generate visualization, and create other front-end user interfaces. However, if you want to scale your software development, you will likely run into some constraints. This is because, unlike other no-code platforms which provide a wide range of different use cases, Internal focuses only on internal tool development.

Additionally, because of their per-user pricing, you must pay attention to the whole cost of internal tool development with Internal.io.

Pros

• Drag-and-drop interface
• Free plan
• No-code platform
• Plenty of visualization options
• Great for prototyping

Cons

• No custom code
• Limited use case
• Web apps only; no mobile apps

Pricing

• Starter — Free up to 1,000 tasks
• Teams — $5 per user/month
• Business — $19 per user/month
• Enterprise — Pricing upon request

Airplane.dev

SaaS development tool Airplane.dev, unlike Internal.io, enables more than just internal tool app development. With features like UI components, notifications, and much more, app developers can create apps that can be integrated with APIs and unique component libraries by choosing from a collection of tables, forms, charts, etc.

The platform offers programmers the basic tools they need to create web-based apps like billing dashboards and content moderation queues since it supports various databases, like MySQL, JavaScript, and Postgresql. In addition, it supports REST and GraphQL APIs as well as messaging platforms such as Slack out of the box. Furthermore, Airplane.dev allows for either on-premises or cloud deployment.

Pros

• Good visual design
• Exceptionally easy to use
• Strong feature set
• Great customer support

Cons

• Web apps only

Pricing

• Free — Free
• Team — $10 per user/month
• Enterprise — Custom Pricing

Budibase

Budibase is a low-code, open-source alternative for internal application development. It allows users to quickly and confidently design, construct, automate, deploy, and scale their own internal apps. Since it also allows some no-code concept implementations, it enables users without any prior coding skills to build internal apps without much or any developer support.

Budibase’s open-source nature allows other developers to potentially audit their code and rectify any potential errors. On top of that, its modern user interface makes the workflow easier.

Downsides are that Budibase is tricky to use for UI composition, and the app builder doesn't actually support custom coding. They also introduce some new concepts which require a learning curve.

Pros

• No-code platform
• Open-source
• Modern user interface

Cons

• No custom coding
• Complicates the UI composition process

Pricing

• Free — $0
• Pro — $30/month billed annually, or $36/month billed monthly
• Team — $70/month billed annually, or $86/month billed monthly
• Business — $400/month billed annually, or $480/month billed monthly
• Enterprise — Custom pricing starting at $20,000 per annum, multi-year contracts available

Jetadmin.io

A true no-code business app builder, Jet Admin allows users to create client portals, internal tools, and web applications without any prior coding knowledge. Users can easily build anything with Jet Admin, from straightforward CRM to more sophisticated support tools. It features a straightforward drag-and-drop UI that allows users to assemble the building blocks needed to build both simple and complex apps.

Jet Admin focuses heavily on managing all of your data from many sources in one location. Depending on your needs, it offers a wide range of data integration options, ranging from PostgreSQL, MySQL, and Firebase to Google Sheets, Airtable, Sendgrid, Slack, Intercom, and HubSpot.

Jet Admin can also help you automate your workflow by performing tasks like notifying users through email when an order's status changes or when a payment is received. However, if you are developing internal tools, you might not have access to an absolutely positioned layout system or the ability to write bespoke code.

Pros

• Internal database with many integrations
• No-code platform
• SSO and custom domains

Cons

• Pricing scales quickly
• Limited layouts
• Hard-to-implement custom coding

Pricing

• Free — $0
• Starter — $24 per user/month
• Pro — $48 per user/month
• Enterprise — Custom Pricing

DronaHQ

Given its extensive feature set and numerous data source integrations, DronaHQ is among the better Retool alternatives on the current market. The platform's usage-based pricing makes it simple for teams of all sizes to launch and scale as they go.

Compares to Retool and other competitors, DronaHQ is simpler to use, has richer responsive user interfaces that can be accessed via a mobile app and end-user portal, and offers usage-based pricing that allows for the addition of an unlimited number of users without becoming prohibitively expensive for use cases that are just getting started. Downsides include a lack of custom domains on some plans and no ability to publish and use your app on the free plan.

Pros

• Supports mobile apps
• Usage-based pricing
• 3rd party integrations
• Connectors to 50+ databases

Cons

• The free plan lacks an end-user mode
• No custom domain for all plans
• No app publishing on a free plan

Pricing

• Developer — $0, creator mode only
• Starter — $100/month, billed annually
• Business — $500/month, billed annually

Summary

Regardless of whether you're a startup or a massive enterprise, there are plenty of Retool alternatives out there.

However, Basedash stands out with its advanced set of features at the right price point.

Get started with Basedash for free.