Retool vs Budibase: Which Is Better?
Developer-friendly low-code platforms for internal tools and portals compared.
Tom Bradley
2026-02-27
Retool and Budibase both target the internal tools market, but they approach it from very different directions—Retool as a polished, enterprise-ready cloud platform, and Budibase as an open-source alternative that puts infrastructure control first.
Quick Comparison
| Retool | Budibase | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per-builder + per-user | Per-creator (flat) |
| Free plan | Yes (cloud-hosted) | Yes (self-hosted only) |
| Open source | No | Yes (Apache 2.0) |
| Self-hosting | Yes (Docker) | Yes (Docker, Kubernetes) |
| Best for | Enterprise internal tools teams | Dev teams wanting OSS flexibility |
| AI features | AppGen, Agents (beta) | Limited |
| Mobile apps | Yes (native iOS/Android) | No |
| External users | Yes (tiered pricing) | Yes |
Retool
Retool is the category incumbent for enterprise internal tools. It started as a drag-and-drop app builder for connecting to databases and APIs, and has spent years adding layers: workflow automation, mobile apps, AI-powered generation, and agent orchestration.
Core capabilities: Retool lets builders drag components onto a canvas, connect directly to data sources (Postgres, MySQL, MongoDB, Snowflake, BigQuery, REST, GraphQL, gRPC), and write JavaScript or SQL to wire everything together. The query IDE supports parameterized queries, staging vs. production environments, and query reuse across apps. Version history with rollback, Git integration, and environment management make it viable for teams with real engineering rigor.
AI features: Retool recently launched AppGen (beta)—describe what you want in plain English and it scaffolds a working app connected to your actual data, inheriting your existing security model. Agents are a separate offering for automating repetitive tasks with LLM-backed workflows. Both are in early stages but signal where the platform is heading.
Mobile: Retool builds native iOS and Android apps, including offline mode, push notifications, and biometric authentication. This is a genuine differentiator—Budibase has nothing comparable.
Pricing: Retool separates "builders" (people who create or edit apps) from "internal users" (people who only use apps) and "external users" (clients, partners). External user pricing scales down with volume: 0–50 free, 51–250 at $8/month each, 251–500 at $6/month, 500+ at $4/month. Builder and internal user rates for Team and Business plans aren't clearly published without a sales conversation. Enterprise pricing is custom. Students and educators can claim a free Business account; nonprofits get 25 free seats.
Limitations: Retool's per-seat model gets expensive fast for large teams. The learning curve requires JavaScript comfort—this isn't a no-code tool. External-user portals require a custom annual plan for self-hosted deployments, which adds friction for smaller teams.
Budibase
Budibase is an open-source low-code platform built for teams that want the flexibility of self-hosting without building everything from scratch. It's particularly popular in organizations with strong data sovereignty requirements—government agencies, healthcare, finance—where putting data through a third-party cloud isn't acceptable.
Core capabilities: Budibase covers the standard internal-tools use cases: forms, admin panels, CRUD interfaces, approval workflows, and ticketing systems. It ships with BudibaseDB (a built-in database) so you can build apps without an external data source, but it also connects to Postgres, MySQL, MongoDB, DynamoDB, Elasticsearch, CouchDB, Google Sheets, Airtable, and REST APIs. CSV import is supported for quick prototyping.
Self-hosting: Docker Compose and Kubernetes are both supported. You can also deploy on DigitalOcean, Linode, Azure App Service, or Google Cloud Run. This flexibility is Budibase's clearest advantage over Retool for teams that need infrastructure control.
Security and compliance: Budibase is ISO 27001 certified and includes custom RBAC, SSO, SAML, audit logs, and backups. The Public API lets you use Budibase as a backend or integrate with external systems programmatically.
Extensibility: Budibase supports custom JavaScript, plugins, and app embedding. This lets developers go beyond what the visual builder offers without abandoning the platform.
Pricing: Budibase offers a free tier (self-hosted only; the cloud version requires a paid plan after trial). Their Premium plan for cloud-hosted use runs approximately $50/creator/month with a small minimum. Enterprise pricing is custom. Nonprofits get specialized pricing. Notably, if you self-host, the open-source Community edition is free with no user limits—you just manage your own infrastructure.
Limitations: Budibase's component library and visual polish are behind Retool. There's no native mobile app output. AI-assisted building is minimal compared to Retool's AppGen. Complex multi-step workflows with branching logic can feel constrained relative to Retool's workflow engine. The community edition lacks SSO and some enterprise features, pushing teams toward paid plans faster than the open-source framing implies.
When to Choose Retool
- Your team has engineers comfortable with JavaScript and SQL who need to move fast on complex internal tools
- You need native mobile apps (iOS/Android) for field teams or on-the-go operations
- You want AI-assisted app generation as part of your workflow
- You're building customer-facing portals with external users at scale (the tiered external-user pricing becomes economical at volume)
- Enterprise security requirements (SOC 2, audit logs, RBAC, SSO) are non-negotiable and you want them managed for you
When to Choose Budibase
- Data sovereignty or compliance requirements mean your data cannot leave your own infrastructure
- You want to minimize ongoing SaaS spend by self-hosting an open-source tool
- Your team is building standard internal tools (forms, approvals, admin panels) without complex custom logic
- You want to use Budibase as a backend via its Public API, not just a front-end builder
- You're in government, healthcare, or finance where the open-source audit trail matters
Bottom Line
Retool is the stronger product for teams with engineering resources who need a capable, enterprise-ready platform and don't mind paying for it. Its mobile support, AI features, and polished query IDE give it a ceiling that Budibase hasn't matched. Budibase wins on total cost of ownership for teams willing to self-host, and it's the right call anywhere data control is paramount. If you're evaluating purely on features and don't have infrastructure constraints, Retool leads. If you're evaluating on openness, self-hosting flexibility, and keeping your data in-house, Budibase is the clear choice.