Retool Alternatives: Sorted by Licence and Hosting

The right Retool alternative depends on why you're leaving. Most teams searching for Retool alternatives want one of three things: a lower bill as more people use their tools, a licence they control, or a way to stop dragging components and just write code. Each points to a different shortlist.

• Want open source and self-hosting? Appsmith (Apache 2.0), ToolJet (AGPL-3.0), or Budibase (GPLv3 core, with paid features under a source-available licence).
• Want code, not a canvas? Refine, an MIT-licensed React framework for internal tools.
• Live in Microsoft 365? Power Apps, because your users and data are already there.
• Need enterprise governance for AI-built apps? Superblocks.
• Want a Retool-like product from a smaller vendor? UI Bakery or DronaHQ.

One honest note before the list: Retool is still the most complete product in this category, and it can be self-hosted. If your only complaint is "we need it on our own infrastructure," you may not need to switch.

Quick comparison

What Retool offers in 2026

A lot of "Retool alternatives" lists describe the product as it was a few years ago, so it's worth starting with what Retool actually ships now.

Retool still builds internal apps on top of your databases and APIs, and it now includes AI app generation in its app builder. It also runs Retool Agents, which connect AI agents to your production data. Agents are billed differently from apps: Retool says you "only pay for the time your agents are working," with prices that vary by model.

Apps are priced per user, and the pricing page splits users into builders (people who built or edited an app or workflow that billing cycle), internal users, and external users on higher tiers. That split is the main reason Retool bills grow: every new person who uses a tool adds a seat.

On self-hosting, Retool's pricing page says all plan tiers support it, with Enterprise required for unlimited users, SSO, and advanced self-host features. Its self-hosted docs describe two shapes: a Retool-managed single-tenant instance, or one you run yourself, where production deployments use Kubernetes with Helm.

So "self-hosted internal tools" isn't automatically a reason to leave Retool. A licence you can read and modify is.

Open source Retool alternatives

This is where the licence file matters more than the marketing page. "Open source" covers very different terms in this category.

Appsmith: the permissive option

Appsmith is licensed under Apache 2.0, one of the most permissive open-source licences. It's the closest in feel to Retool: drag components onto a canvas, bind them to queries, and write JavaScript where you need it. Git integration lets you version and deploy apps through branches, and AI features help generate code inside apps.

Where it beats Retool: you can run the open-source edition on your own infrastructure with no licence fee, and modify it freely.

Where it's weaker: on Appsmith's own pricing page, workflows, audit logs and granular permissions sit on paid Business and Enterprise plans, and advanced SSO (Okta, SAML, OIDC) is Enterprise-only. Teams that need those controls end up paying per user anyway.

Budibase: apps, data, and automations together

Budibase is more than a UI builder. It bundles apps, automations, AI agents, and its own built-in database, so a team without an existing database can start from zero.

Read the licence carefully. The LICENSE file says Budibase is GPLv3 overall, while paid features live in a separate package under the Business Source License, which lets you view and modify the code but not use modified versions to get around licensing in production. Packages that ship inside generated apps use MPL 2.0, and Budibase says the apps you build don't fall under GPL restrictions.

Where it beats Retool: a free self-hosted plan, plus a built-in database and automations in one product. Its cloud plans are priced on "actions" (the work your apps, agents, and automations perform) rather than purely per seat.

Where it's weaker: it's less of a developer playground than Retool or Appsmith. Heavy custom JavaScript isn't its centre of gravity.

ToolJet: open source with AI generation

ToolJet is licensed under AGPL-3.0. Its repo describes the project as the open-source foundation of ToolJet AI, which builds internal tools visually, from a prompt, or from Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor over MCP. The Community Edition self-hosts on Docker, Kubernetes, or the major clouds.

Where it beats Retool: a strong copyleft licence and AI app generation in the same product.

Where it's weaker: AGPL obliges you to share source if you modify ToolJet and offer it to users over a network. For internal use that's rarely an issue, but legal teams sometimes flag it. ToolJet's cloud plans are priced per builder, with AI credits on top.

For a deeper look at what running these yourself costs in time and maintenance, see our guide to open source no-code platforms.

Code-first: Refine

Refine takes the opposite approach to Retool. Instead of a hosted canvas, it's a React framework under the MIT licence for building admin panels, dashboards, and B2B apps. It handles data fetching, auth, and routing patterns, and you write the UI in React.

Refine now also offers a web IDE that generates React code with AI, which you can download and host yourself. Its pitch is "pure React code, no black box."

Where it beats Retool: there's no per-user licence on code you own, no platform ceiling, and your internal tools live in your normal repo with code review and tests.

Where it's weaker: it needs developers. A Refine app is a React app, with everything that implies about maintenance. If the people building tools aren't engineers, this is the wrong shape.

Commercial alternatives

Microsoft Power Apps

Power Apps builds web and mobile apps with drag and drop, generative AI, or custom code. Data lives in Microsoft Dataverse, apps run inside Teams, and Microsoft 365 Copilot can be brought into custom apps.

Licensing includes a free Developer plan for testing, a per-user Premium plan, per-app and pay-as-you-go options, and some capabilities included with certain Microsoft 365 subscriptions. If your company already lives in Microsoft 365, Power Apps is often the path of least resistance. If it doesn't, the Microsoft ecosystem comes along with it.

Superblocks

Superblocks positions itself as a governed platform for AI-generated enterprise apps. Business teams build apps that run in your AWS private cloud, while IT and security control integrations, permissions, auditing, and policies. It can also import prototypes from Claude, Lovable, Replit, or code to bring them into production.

It's built for large organisations where security review is the bottleneck, not for a five-person startup.

UI Bakery

UI Bakery is a Retool-style builder for admin panels, CRUD apps, and forms, with an AI agent that generates and deploys apps. Two features stand out: you can export clean React code and keep building in your own IDE, and you can host the whole platform in a private network.

Code export is the interesting part. Most visual internal-tool builders, Retool included, don't give you a codebase to walk away with.

DronaHQ

DronaHQ covers internal tools, admin panels, and field-force apps, and builds web and mobile from one codebase. It also builds AI agents, and offers self-hosted or cloud deployment. It's a good fit when the same tool has to work for people at desks and people in the field.

A Retool alternative that changed hands

One name still appears on older lists: Interval. It was acquired by Meter in November 2023, and interval.com now redirects to Meter's site. The Interval Server code is on GitHub under MIT and can be self-hosted, but its own README says the self-hosted server is still in early phases of development.

How to choose a Retool alternative

Start with the constraint that's actually forcing the move:

Then run a one-week pilot. Rebuild one real tool, connected to one real database, with one real user. Feature tables won't show you how a builder handles your messiest query, but an afternoon of building will. If the tool is mostly a front end over an API, our guide to UI builders covers the handoff question that decides whether you'll rewrite it later.

When Retool is still the right call: you need the broadest set of components, integrations, workflows, and AI agents in one product, and you'd rather pay than maintain. That's a reasonable trade for a lot of teams.

If you're also weighing customer-facing app builders, our Bubble alternatives guide covers that side of the market.

Where Taku fits

Internal-tool builders assume someone on the team will design and wire up each tool. Taku is for a different moment: an AI-native desktop workspace where you find an AI app, skill, or workflow someone already built, mirror it into your own workspace, run it, and remix it, without setting up GitHub repos, dependencies, or API keys yourself. It isn't a Retool replacement and doesn't build admin panels on your production database. Taku is in Beta, and the Mac app is available now; there's also an experimental, unsigned Windows build for Windows 10 and 11.

FAQ

What is the best open source Retool alternative?

Appsmith if you want the most permissive licence (Apache 2.0) and a Retool-like editor. ToolJet if AGPL is acceptable and you want AI app generation. Budibase if you also need a built-in database and automations.

Retool vs Appsmith: what's the difference?

Both are visual builders with JavaScript. Appsmith's core is Apache 2.0 open source and free to self-host. Retool is proprietary, with more components, workflows, and AI agents. Advanced controls like audit logs and enterprise SSO are paid features on both.

Retool vs Budibase: which should I pick?

Pick Retool for developer-heavy tools with lots of custom logic. Pick Budibase if you need a database, apps, and automations in one place, or want a free self-hosted option.

Is there a free Retool alternative?

The open-source editions of Appsmith, Budibase, and ToolJet can be self-hosted without a licence fee, and Refine is an MIT-licensed framework. You still pay for servers and someone's time to maintain them.

Can I self-host Retool?

Yes. Retool offers self-managed deployments (Kubernetes with Helm for production) and Retool-managed single-tenant instances. Its pricing page says Enterprise is required for unlimited users, SSO, and advanced self-host features.