Overview

Retool combines app building and workflow automation, with cloud hosting or self-hosting in a customer’s VPC. The AI-native builder can generate a working app from a description for users to refine, giving teams a starting point for custom software rather than a fixed off-the-shelf workflow. The result still needs shaping to fit the business.

Retool says queries run against customers’ own data sources and that it does not store their data. It lists role-based access controls, audit logging, SSO, and independent workspaces among its security capabilities. These options suit organizations with operational controls to manage, though self-hosting also means taking responsibility for running the deployment.

Key features

AI-assisted app building: A written description produces a working app that users can refine. This can help teams move from an idea to a customizable starting point, but it is not a substitute for tailoring the app to its users and data.
Mobile apps: Retool supports native iOS and Android apps as well as progressive web apps. Mobile apps can use device features including photo capture, barcode scanning, signature capture, and NFC reading, which is useful for teams whose work happens in the field or depends on these inputs.
Workflow automation: Scheduled and webhook triggers, custom error handling, and automatic retries give teams control over how workflows start and respond to errors. The 5,000 monthly workflow runs on Team make that tier’s allowance a practical consideration for recurring or high-volume processes.
Data connections: Listed integrations include REST API, Google Sheets, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Firebase, GraphQL, Snowflake, Salesforce, and Slack. This range helps teams build around existing systems rather than move their data into a separate app store.
Hosting and access: Teams can use Retool’s cloud or self-host in their own VPC, with Docker setup. Role-based controls and SSO address access management; audit logging and richer permission controls are included in Business.
AI credits and agents: AI credits are pooled across the account, renew monthly, and do not roll over; paid plans can add credit packs. Agents are billed hourly and do not use that credit pool, so teams should account for agent hours separately from their credit allowance.

Pricing

Retool has a Free plan and paid plans starting at $10/mo (annual). The per-builder and per-internal-user rates below are the stated monthly rates; the paid-from figure is annual.

Free: 0.00 USD per free. It includes up to five users, making it suitable for a small team evaluating or building with Retool. Teams that need more users must move to Team.
Team: $10.00 USD per month, billed $10/mo per builder and $5/mo per internal user. It adds users beyond Free’s five-user limit, 5,000 workflow runs/month, a staging resource environment, app release versions, additional agent hours, and 1,000 AI credits/month. This fits teams moving from a small evaluation to managed app releases and workflows, but the run and credit allowances matter as use grows.
Business: $50.00 USD per month, billed $50/mo per builder and $15/mo per internal user. It includes audit logging, rich permission controls, portals and embedded apps, unlimited resource environments and modules, and 3,000 AI credits/month. It is the stronger fit for organizations needing deeper access controls or embedded apps; the higher per-user rates should be weighed against those additions.
Enterprise: custom pricing. It includes technical support from Retool’s Support Engineering team, which is relevant for organizations that need that support arrangement.

The Free plan is capped at five users. AI credits renew monthly without rollover, and agents are billed hourly outside the credit pool. Retool offers a free trial, but no trial length is given.

Platforms

Retool supports web, iOS, Android, API, and self-hosted use. It offers web and mobile apps, database and backend capabilities, custom domains, and both cloud and self-hosted deployment. The breadth gives teams options to match deployment to their needs, while teams choosing self-hosting should be ready to set it up in their own VPC with Docker.

Who it's for

Retool identifies developers, business engineers, analysts, and operations teams as builders. It is a good fit for organizations that need custom internal apps tied to existing data, workflow automation, or mobile tools that use device hardware. It is less compelling for a small group that will quickly exceed five users but does not need the paid tiers’ additional capacity or controls, or for teams unwilling to operate a self-hosted setup where that is their preferred deployment.

Pros and cons

Pro: Apps, workflows, and mobile capabilities share a connection to the business’s own data, supporting more than one kind of internal tool in the same platform.
Pro: Native mobile apps can use cameras, barcode scanning, signatures, and NFC, addressing operational needs that a web app alone may not cover.
Pro: Cloud and VPC self-hosting options let organizations choose their deployment approach.
Con: Free supports only five users, so larger teams need a paid plan even before considering its other limits.
Con: AI credits expire at monthly renewal rather than rolling over, and agent hours are billed separately, complicating budgeting for uneven usage.
Con: Audit logging and rich permission controls are Business features, so teams that require them must consider the higher tier.

Alternatives

Consider these alternatives if their platform coverage or stated plan allowances better fit your team:

UI Bakery is another freemium option with a free plan and free trial; its listed platforms include Linux, Windows, web, and self-hosted deployments.
ToolJet is a freemium option with a free trial and a Free Cloud plan that includes two builders, 50 end users, two apps, and 100 AI credits/month.
Windmill offers a free and open-source plan with three workspaces, 50 users, and 10 GiB of workspace object storage.
Appsmith offers a free plan with up to five cloud users, five workspaces, three Git repositories, Google SSO, and community support.
Budibase is a freemium alternative with a Pro plan at $19.00 USD per month, including one creator and 2K Budibase AI credits.
Forest Admin is a freemium option whose Starter plan costs $499.00 USD per month.
Jet Admin has a free plan with 1 GB storage and a Pro plan at $20.00 USD per month billed monthly, or $16/month yearly.
Noloco offers a free plan with unlimited team seats, 50 active clients, 2,000 records, and 30 AI credits per month.

For a broader shortlist, browse Internal Tools Software, No-code app builders, No-Code AI App Builders, AI App Builders, AI Agent Platforms, and No-Code Development Platforms.

Verdict

Retool is a strong choice for developers and operational teams that need connected business apps, workflows, and mobile capabilities with a choice of cloud or self-hosted deployment. Its main advantage is that breadth around a company’s own data; its main drawbacks are the Free plan’s five-user ceiling and the need to track AI credits and agent billing separately. Choose it when those capabilities justify the tier and operational choices; look elsewhere if the limits or hosting responsibilities outweigh the flexibility.

	Forge by Focaloid	Retool
Free plan		Yes
Free trial		Yes
Paid from		$10/mo
Platforms	Web	Android, api, iOS, self-hosted, Web
Scheduled runs	Yes
Human approvals	Yes
Free plan		Yes
Paid from		10 /mo
Web apps		Yes
Mobile apps		Yes
Database and backend		Yes
Deployment options		both
Custom domains		Yes
AI usage limit		1,000 credits/mo
Custom domain		Yes

Forge by Focaloid vs Retool

Forge by Focaloid

Retool