Best Retool Alternatives in 2026: Open-Source and Hosted Internal Tool Builders

The best Retool alternatives for most teams are Appsmith, ToolJet and Budibase: three open-source builders for admin panels and internal apps that you can host yourself, each with a different licence. Windmill suits developers who want scripts to become internal tools, and Superblocks, UI Bakery and DronaHQ are the main hosted options.

Retool is a commercial low-code platform for admin panels, dashboards and workflow tools that connect to databases, APIs and LLMs. This guide covers twelve Retool alternatives, including code-first frameworks and no-code portal builders, and it compares licences and pricing models, which differ more than the feature lists do. A short section also answers the common "best low code platform" question.

Why people look for Retool alternatives

Retool is a platform for building internal software such as admin panels, operations dashboards and AI-assisted tools, with an app builder that turns a prompt into an application. Teams compare it with other tools for these reasons:

• It is closed source. Enlisted lists Retool as proprietary with no open-source edition, so you cannot read, modify or fork the platform. Retool's pricing page says it can run in the cloud or be self-hosted in your own VPC, with advanced self-hosted features on the Enterprise plan.
• Pricing separates builders from users. Retool charges per builder and per internal user, where builders create or edit apps and internal users only use them. Costs therefore rise as more employees open the tools you build.
• The free plan is capped. Retool's free plan is limited to a small team and set allowances, so a larger group moves to a paid plan.
• You may prefer to own the code. Some teams would rather use an open framework such as Refine or a configuration-based one such as Lowdefy than depend on a vendor's editor.
• Governance and hosting needs. Teams in regulated industries may want a self-hosted open-source tool, or a hosted vendor with central control over access and auditing.

How we picked

A tool made this list if it builds internal tools, admin panels or dashboards on top of existing databases and APIs, which is Retool's core job. Each open-source candidate had to show a clear licence, recent GitHub activity and a way to self-host, with the licence recorded as listed. Hosted tools make the list on the strength of a published pricing model and the way they count users. Vendor documentation and catalogue data are the sources for each entry, and no tool was run for this guide. See how Enlisted ranks tools.

How do the open-source licences compare?

Licences differ a lot in this category, and they affect whether you can embed, modify or resell the software. The table shows what Enlisted lists, with notes from each project's README where it adds detail:

Apache-2.0 and MIT are permissive. AGPL adds obligations if you modify the software and let others use it over a network. Several projects are open core, with paid features under separate terms, so confirm that the features you need are in the edition you plan to run. If you plan to embed or resell a tool, have the licence reviewed.

How do builder and user pricing models differ?

Counting who pays is the biggest cost lever, so compare these models before comparing prices:

• Retool charges separately for builders and internal users.
• ToolJet prices per builder, and UI Bakery per developer. Appsmith's Business plan is per user.
• Windmill prices its paid plans per seat, with different rates for developers and operators on Enterprise.
• DronaHQ lists flat plans with unlimited users, and Superblocks lists a flat Teams plan.
• Softr and Forest Admin price by plan, with Forest Admin adding extra users on top of what each plan includes.
• Self-hosted open-source editions have no per-seat licence, but you pay for the servers and the upkeep.

If many employees use the apps but few build them, per-builder pricing is cheap and flat pricing may not help. If everyone builds, flat pricing is worth checking.

1. Appsmith: best open-source Retool alternative for most teams

Appsmith is an open-source low-code platform for building admin panels, internal tools and dashboards that connect to many databases and any REST or GraphQL API. It is the most direct open-source counterpart to Retool: you assemble interfaces visually and write JavaScript where you need custom logic, and you can host it yourself.

The README lists Docker as the recommended install, with Kubernetes and an AWS AMI also available, and there is an Appsmith Cloud as an alternative. The front end uses React and TypeScript, and the server side is mostly Java. It is listed under Apache-2.0. Cloud pricing has a free tier for small teams and a per-user Business plan with a trial, and the Community edition is free.

• Best for: teams that want a Retool-style builder under a permissive licence.
• Watch out for: paid cloud and enterprise plans exist, so confirm that features such as advanced access control are in the edition you intend to run.

2. ToolJet: best for AI-assisted app building with self-hosting

ToolJet is an open-source platform for building internal tools, dashboards and operational apps on top of your databases, APIs and SaaS systems. Apps are assembled in a visual builder, and ToolJet AI can turn a text description into pages, queries and components.

A Model Context Protocol server lets coding agents build and change ToolJet apps, which stay editable in the visual builder with the same permissions, environments and version history. The repository states it is released under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0. You can self-host it or use ToolJet Cloud, and paid plans are priced per builder with a small free plan.

• Best for: teams that want a visual builder plus AI generation, and are comfortable with AGPL terms.
• Watch out for: AGPL has obligations if you modify and offer it as a service, and cloud plans are priced per builder.

3. Budibase: best for approvals and workflows alongside internal apps

Budibase is an open-source, model-agnostic operations platform for building AI agents, automations and internal apps that run internal processes. Compared with Retool's dashboard-and-database focus, Budibase leans toward requests, approvals and workflows, where agents create records, route approvals and alert teams.

It also supports data applications over databases and REST APIs. The README lists self-hosting with Docker, Docker Compose, Kubernetes, DigitalOcean and Portainer, and Budibase Cloud for hosting. Its README describes a GPL v3 core, MPL client and component libraries, and paid features under the Business Source License, and Enlisted lists the licence as Other. Cloud plans are priced by tier, each with a trial.

• Best for: operations teams building request, approval and workflow tools with the option to self-host.
• Watch out for: the mixed licence needs a careful read, and the platform now emphasizes AI agents and automation as well as apps.

4. Windmill: best for developers who turn scripts into internal tools

Windmill is an open-source developer platform that runs internal code as APIs, background jobs, workflows and user interfaces. It is pitched as a self-hostable alternative to Retool, Pipedream and Superblocks, and its difference is that the starting point is a script, not a canvas: script parameters generate a front end automatically.

Scripts can be written in languages including Python, TypeScript, Go, Bash, SQL and Rust, then composed into flows or used in apps made with its low-code builder. The backend is written in Rust on PostgreSQL, and self-hosting uses Docker Compose. Enlisted lists the licence as Other: the README describes AGPLv3 for the open-source build and notes that the Community Edition binary includes proprietary code. The Zapier alternatives guide covers its workflow side.

• Best for: engineering teams that already write scripts and want them to become APIs, jobs and internal UIs.
• Watch out for: it assumes developers, and the licence mixes open-source and proprietary code, so read the terms.

5. Refine: best code-first React framework for admin panels

Refine is a headless React framework for internal tools, back-office admin panels, dashboards and B2B apps. It handles data fetching, routing, authentication and CRUD through hooks and components, and leaves the visual layer to the UI library you prefer, which makes it a code-first alternative to a visual builder.

It is written in TypeScript, works with Ant Design and other UI libraries, integrates with Next.js and is licensed under MIT. Enlisted lists no hosted version, since you deploy the app you build. Refine's pricing is credit-based for its AI plans.

• Best for: React teams that want to own the code and avoid a vendor-hosted editor.
• Watch out for: there is no drag-and-drop builder, so non-developers cannot make changes.

6. Lowdefy: best config-first option for internal tools

Lowdefy is an open-source framework for building web apps from YAML configuration instead of front-end code. The runtime interprets the config rather than executing arbitrary code, with authentication, permissions and data validation built in.

It includes built-in UI components for forms, tables and charts, logic operators for dynamic behavior and data connectors that include MongoDB, PostgreSQL, MySQL, REST APIs, Google Sheets and S3. It is licensed under Apache-2.0 and deploys anywhere Node.js runs.

• Best for: developers who want internal tools defined as reviewable configuration in version control.
• Watch out for: you write YAML rather than drag components, and Enlisted lists no hosted version.

7. UI Bakery: best hosted builder with a self-hosted edition

UI Bakery is a low-code platform for admin panels, dashboards, CRUD apps, forms and user portals that pairs a visual editor with SQL and JavaScript. It is available as a cloud service and also as a self-hosted edition for organizations that need to keep the platform and data inside their own infrastructure.

It connects to databases and third-party APIs and has added AI-assisted app creation. There is a free plan per developer, in cloud or self-hosted form, and paid plans are priced per developer. It is closed source.

• Best for: engineering teams that want a Retool-like editor with SQL and JavaScript and a self-hosting choice.
• Watch out for: it is proprietary, so the self-hosted edition is a vendor product, not open source.

8. Superblocks: best for IT-governed internal apps

Superblocks is a commercial platform that lets business teams generate production internal applications on company data using AI, while IT and security teams keep control. It centralizes authentication, integrations, permissions and auditing, and its pitch is that unmanaged, AI-generated apps are a security risk.

Recent releases include importing existing apps, security agents, deployments inside a customer's private cloud network and model routing. The Teams plan is flat with a trial, and Enterprise adds VPC deployment. It suits larger organizations that want faster tooling without losing governance.

• Best for: organizations where IT needs central control over authentication, access and audit logs.
• Watch out for: it is closed source with no free plan listed, only a trial, and its governance focus suits larger teams.

9. DronaHQ: best hosted platform with flat, unlimited-user pricing

DronaHQ is a low-code platform for internal software such as admin panels, dashboards, forms and mobile apps, with a studio that combines visual components, logic and connectors. It has added a prompt-driven AI app builder, an agent builder and an MCP integration.

It also supplies a built-in database and automation workflows. Pricing is flat with unlimited users, after a free trial, and a self-hosted Business plan and Enterprise are listed. It is closed source.

• Best for: teams where many people use internal apps and per-user pricing would add up.
• Watch out for: there is no free plan, only a trial, and the self-hosted option sits in a higher plan.

10. Microsoft Power Apps: best for Microsoft 365 organizations

Microsoft Power Apps is a low-code app builder in the Power Platform that lets employees and developers assemble business apps with drag-and-drop screens and formula-style logic. It replaces paper forms, spreadsheets and email processes with purpose-built apps.

Apps usually connect to Dataverse or to Microsoft 365 services and a large catalog of connectors, and it pairs with Power Automate and Power Pages. There is a free Developer Plan for building and testing, and Premium is priced per user, with a pay-as-you-go option.

• Best for: organizations already on Microsoft 365 that want governance through the Microsoft admin tools.
• Watch out for: it is closed and Microsoft-hosted, and it fits best inside the Microsoft ecosystem.

11. Softr: best for client portals and intranets

Softr is a no-code platform for turning business data into web apps. You assemble pages from blocks, connect a source such as Airtable or its built-in database, and publish client portals, team intranets, lightweight CRMs and inventory tools.

It adds workflows, forms, mobile app packaging and AI features, with hundreds of templates and permissions for portal users. There is a free plan, and paid plans are priced by tier. It is hosted only.

• Best for: agencies, operations teams and founders who need secure portals for customers or staff without engineering help.
• Watch out for: it is built around portals and data apps, so it is a weaker match for dense engineering admin panels.

12. Forest Admin: best for an admin panel generated from your database

Forest Admin is a back-office tool that generates an admin panel from a company's existing database, so teams do not have to hand-build an internal interface. Operations, support and product staff can view, search and edit records and run common actions.

Developers connect data sources and customize the panel with their own logic, and roles and permissions limit what each person can do. Typical uses include customer support lookups, order management and moderation. There is a free Sandbox for evaluation, paid plans include a set of users and charge extra for more, and it is hosted only.

• Best for: teams that want a ready-made admin panel on top of a production database.
• Watch out for: it is proprietary, and paid plans are flat monthly tiers with extra users charged on top, so model your user count.

What is the best low-code platform?

There is no single answer, because "low-code" covers three different kinds of product. Internal-tool builders, which are the focus of this guide, connect to your databases and APIs to make admin panels and dashboards. Enterprise low-code suites such as OutSystems, Mendix and Appian target large organizations building customer-facing and process-heavy applications, with governance and lifecycle tooling. No-code app builders such as Bubble and Glide are aimed at people building products or apps from spreadsheets without developers. Decide who will build, how much code they want to write and where the data must be hosted, then pick the category before the product.

Other options worth a look

• More open-source builders: NocoBase builds business systems such as CRMs and internal tools with a no-code editor, and Enlisted lists its licence as Other. Frappe is a full-stack, low-code Python and JavaScript framework under the MIT licence.
• Framework-specific admin tools: Avo and Motor Admin generate admin panels for Ruby on Rails, and Erupt does so for Java with annotations.
• Older or quieter projects: Openblocks is an AGPL-3.0 Retool alternative and DashPress generates admin dashboards from a database schema, but both show no recent commits in Enlisted's data, so check their repositories before adopting them.
• No-code and spreadsheet-based builders: AppSheet creates apps from Google Sheets and databases, and Noloco builds portals on existing data. Zoho Creator and Quickbase build database apps for business teams.
• Related guides: the Airtable alternatives guide covers spreadsheet-style databases that often sit behind these tools.

Which Retool alternative should you choose?

More Retool alternatives are listed on Enlisted, and the low-code category has the rest.

Before you migrate from Retool

Inventory the apps you have and rebuild the one with the most queries first, because query logic, JavaScript snippets and permissions rarely move over automatically. Check each candidate's licence for how you plan to deploy it, count builders and users under its pricing model, and confirm that the data sources you need are in its own documentation. For self-hosted tools, decide who handles upgrades, backups and access control, and for hosted tools check where the data and credentials will be stored. Many teams keep Retool for existing apps while they build new ones elsewhere, which lowers the risk of a single cutover.