Appsmith vs Retool
Appsmith and Retool are both developer tools tools. Appsmith is aimed at developers, while Retool is aimed at developers and enterprise. Retool costs less, from $12/mo versus $15/mo for Appsmith. Both have a free plan.
| Pricing | Open source · $15 | Freemium · $12 |
| Starting price | $15/mo | $12/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | 15 days | — |
| Built for | Developers | Developers, Enterprise |
| Platforms | web | web |
| Country | IN · 2019 | US · 2017 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Appsmith if
Teams wanting open-source internal tools.
- Open source and self-hostable
- Lower cost than Retool
- Git integration
Look elsewhere if: Teams prioritizing polish and component breadth (Retool).
Choose Retool if
Engineering and operations teams at startups and enterprises who need internal tools fast.
- Fastest way to build internal tools
- Rich component library and connectors
- Free for 5 users
Look elsewhere if: Customer-facing apps or non-technical builders without SQL/JS basics.
Appsmith vs Retool pricing
Appsmith
- Free$0Up to 5 cloud users, 5 workspaces, 3 Git repos; open-source edition
- Business$15/user/moUp to 99 users, custom roles, audit logs, Git, 15-day trial
- Enterprise$2,500/mo100 users included; SAML/OIDC SSO, SCIM, SLAs
Retool
- Free$0Up to 5 users, 500 workflow runs/mo
- Team$12/builder/mo$10 billed annually; internal users $7 ($5); 5,000 runs/mo
- Business$65/builder/mo$50 billed annually; internal users $18 ($15); audit logs
- EnterpriseCustomSSO, SCIM, Git, up to 6 instances
Appsmith · Key features
- Widget-based UI builder
- Connectors to databases and APIs
- JavaScript logic everywhere
- Git version control
- Workflows
- Self-hosting
Cons
- Fewer components than Retool
- UI less polished
- Self-hosting maintenance
Retool · Key features
- 100+ components with drag-and-drop layout
- Native connectors to databases and APIs; SQL and JS everywhere
- Retool Workflows for automation and cron
- Retool Mobile for native internal apps
- AI components and Retool Agents
- Permissions, audit logs, source control and self-hosting (Enterprise)
Cons
- Per-user pricing adds up for large orgs
- Complex apps hit the limits of the model
- JavaScript knowledge needed for real logic
Appsmith vs Retool: FAQ
Which is cheaper, Appsmith or Retool?
Retool starts at $12/mo and Appsmith at $15/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do Appsmith and Retool have a free plan?
Yes, both Appsmith and Retool have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.