Retool Interactive Demo
Explore a demo of Retool, an internal tool builder that lets engineering teams create admin panels, dashboards, and data workflows using a drag-and-drop interface connected to any database or API.
What is Retool?
Retool is a low-code platform for building internal tools. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in San Francisco, it targets engineering teams at companies that need admin panels, dashboards, CRUD interfaces, and operational workflows but don't want to spend weeks writing them from scratch. The idea is simple: connect to your data sources, drop UI components onto a canvas, write a bit of JavaScript where you need custom logic, and ship something usable in hours instead of weeks.
The builder includes over 100 pre-built components including tables, forms, charts, maps, and modals. Each component has properties you can configure directly, and you bind data to them using queries written in SQL, REST, GraphQL, or any of the 100+ native integrations Retool ships with. PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Snowflake, Stripe, Salesforce, and GitHub are all first-class integrations. When you need behavior that the visual layer can't express, you write JavaScript directly in the component's event handlers.
Retool has grown to include Retool Workflows (for scheduled and triggered automation jobs), Retool Database (a managed Postgres instance built into the platform), and Retool Mobile (for building native mobile tools). Self-hosted deployment is available for teams with strict data residency requirements. The free plan allows up to 5 users. Paid plans start at $10/user/month.
How to get started with Retool
- 1
Create an account and connect your first resource
Sign up at retool.com and navigate to the Resources tab. Connect your database, API, or service. Retool has native integrations for PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Snowflake, Stripe, Salesforce, and dozens more. You'll be prompted for credentials or a connection string depending on the resource type.
- 2
Create a new app
Click 'Create new app' to open the visual builder. The canvas starts empty. Use the component panel on the right to drag in a table, form, button, or chart. Retool's layout system is grid-based, so components snap into place and resize cleanly.
- 3
Write your first query
Click the + icon in the query panel at the bottom to create a query against your connected resource. Write a SQL query or configure a REST call. Click Run to preview results, then bind the output to a component using Retool's double-curly-brace syntax, like {{query1.data}}.
- 4
Add interactivity with event handlers
Select a component and open its Event Handlers panel. Set up triggers like 'On click, run query2' or 'On submit, show notification.' For anything more complex, write a JavaScript transformer or use the built-in JS editor to manipulate data between your query and the component.
- 5
Invite users and set permissions
Use the Share button to invite team members. Assign them as editors or end-users. End-users access the deployed app without seeing the builder. For more granular control, use permission groups to restrict which data certain users can see or which actions they can trigger.
Who is Retool most useful for?
Engineering and platform teams at startups and mid-size companies that are tired of building and maintaining internal tooling. Every ops team eventually needs a way to manually trigger a refund, look up an account, bulk update records, or kick off a background job. Retool gives engineers a place to build those one-off tools without writing a full web app.
Data and analytics teams who need interfaces layered on top of their warehouse. You can connect Retool to Snowflake or BigQuery, write your queries, and expose results in a filterable table or chart that non-technical stakeholders can use without touching SQL. If you use Supademo to document how a Retool app is built, you can share an interactive walkthrough with teammates who need to understand the logic without digging into the queries themselves.
Customer success and operations teams at SaaS companies who need admin dashboards to investigate and resolve issues. A support agent troubleshooting a customer problem benefits from a Retool app that pulls together data from your backend database, your billing system, and your CRM in one view. Building that tool in Retool typically takes an engineer a day or two rather than several weeks.
Alternatives to Retool
Retool competes with other low-code internal tool builders, though each takes a different approach to the tradeoffs between flexibility and speed.
Not a true Retool alternative, but many teams use Notion databases and pages as lightweight internal tools before graduating to a dedicated builder. Good for simple lookup tables and process documentation, weaker once you need to trigger actions or connect to live databases.
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The closest open-source equivalent to Retool. Self-hostable under an Apache 2.0 license with a similar drag-and-drop canvas and query editor. Fewer built-in integrations than Retool but no per-user licensing costs on the self-hosted tier.
Open-source and self-hostable with a strong built-in database, automation builder, and public app support. Slightly more approachable for non-engineers building simple CRUD tools, but less mature than Retool for complex data manipulation.
Another open-source internal tool platform with a visual builder and query editor. Competitive on integrations and has a cloud-hosted free tier. Younger project than Retool or Appsmith, with a smaller community and ecosystem.
FAQs on Retool
Commonly asked questions about Retool. Have more? Reach out and our team will be happy to help.
How much does Retool cost?
Retool's free plan supports up to 5 users and includes access to most core features. The Team plan starts at $10/user/month (billed annually) and adds custom branding, audit logs, and version history. Business and Enterprise plans cover SSO, self-hosted deployment, and more granular access controls.
Can non-engineers use Retool?
Retool is primarily built for engineers who are comfortable with SQL and some JavaScript. End users, meaning the operations or support staff who use the tools engineers build, don't need any technical skills. But building and maintaining Retool apps generally requires someone comfortable writing queries and wiring up components.
How does Retool compare to Appsmith or Budibase?
Retool is more mature and has stronger enterprise support and a larger integration library. Appsmith and Budibase are open-source alternatives that appeal to teams who want self-hosted deployments without licensing costs. Retool's polish and depth usually win for companies willing to pay, but the open-source tools are credible for price-sensitive or highly security-conscious teams.
Can I self-host Retool?
Yes. Retool offers a self-hosted option via Docker, AWS, GCP, and Azure. This is popular with fintech and healthcare companies that can't send data through cloud-hosted tools. Self-hosting requires an Enterprise plan and some infrastructure setup time, but Retool publishes detailed deployment guides.
Does Retool work with GraphQL and REST APIs?
Yes. Retool supports REST APIs, GraphQL, and direct database connections alongside its native integrations. You can connect to any API by configuring a resource manually, set authentication headers, and write queries against it exactly like any other data source in your app.
Can I use Retool to build customer-facing tools?
Retool is designed for internal tools and is not optimized for public-facing applications. Styling flexibility is limited compared to something like Webflow, and Retool's pricing model is per editor plus per end-user at scale, which gets expensive for large public audiences. For internal use, it is well-suited; for external products, you'd typically reach for a different builder.