Glide vs Retool: Which One is Better in 2025?

When it comes to building internal tools, Glide and Retool are two popular options. Both offer unique features and cater to different needs. In this article, we'll compare their key features, pricing, limitations, and user reviews to help you make an informed decision.

Glide: Overview and Key Features

Glide is a platform designed to help users create mobile apps from spreadsheets without needing to write code.

• Spreadsheet Integration: Glide connects directly to Google Sheets, allowing users to build apps based on their existing data. This integration ensures real-time updates and data synchronization.
• Customizable Templates: Glide offers a variety of pre-built templates that users can customize to fit their specific needs. These templates cover various use cases, from business management to personal projects.
• Drag-and-Drop Interface: Glide's intuitive drag-and-drop interface makes it easy for users to design their app's layout. Users can add, remove, and rearrange components without any coding knowledge.
• Data Visualization: Glide includes tools for creating charts, graphs, and other visual elements to represent data effectively. This feature is particularly useful for apps that require data analysis and reporting.
• User Authentication: Glide supports user authentication, allowing app creators to restrict access to certain parts of the app. This feature is essential for apps that handle sensitive information.
• Custom Actions: Glide enables users to define custom actions that can be triggered by specific events within the app. Examples include sending emails, updating records, or navigating to different screens.
• Offline Access: Glide apps can function offline, ensuring that users can access essential features and data even without an internet connection. This is crucial for apps used in areas with unreliable connectivity.
• App Publishing: Glide allows users to publish their apps directly to the web or as progressive web apps (PWAs). This flexibility ensures that apps are accessible on various devices and platforms.

Glide's Reviews

Overall, users appreciate Glide for its ease of use and powerful features, though some note limitations in design and pricing concerns.

• G2: 4.7/5

• Javier O. (3/27/2025): 5/5 - "The interface is extremely easy to use, and the features are very powerful."
• Jarred K. (3/24/2025): 5/5 - "I absolutely love the easy learning curve and simple user experience from a dev perspective."
• Hayley M. (3/23/2025): 5/5 - "The simplicity but how everything can be so advanced and it has a very good modern look."
• Marco C. (3/18/2025): 5/5 - "This is a truly no-code application and very user-friendly."
• Joao Paulo L. (3/17/2025): 5/5 - "The freedom of creation that the platform allows makes us find numerous ways to achieve results."

Positive Aspects:

• User-friendly and intuitive interface
• Powerful and advanced features
• Quick and easy app development
• Strong community and customer support

Common Concerns:

• High pricing, especially for the Business plan
• Occasional slow loading speeds
• Limitations in publishing apps to major app stores
• Restrictions on the number of users and data rows

Retool: Overview and Key Features

Retool is a powerful platform for building internal tools quickly and efficiently, catering to developers and businesses alike.

• Drag-and-Drop Interface: Retool offers a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, allowing users to create complex internal tools without extensive coding. This feature simplifies the design process and accelerates development.
• Database Integrations: Retool connects to a wide range of databases, including PostgreSQL, MySQL, and MongoDB. This integration ensures seamless data access and manipulation directly within the platform.
• API Integration: Retool supports integration with various APIs, enabling users to pull in data from external services like Stripe, Salesforce, and Google Sheets. This feature is crucial for creating comprehensive tools that leverage multiple data sources.
• Custom Components: Retool allows users to build custom components using JavaScript and React. This flexibility enables the creation of tailored solutions that meet specific business needs.
• Permissions and Access Control: Retool includes robust permissions and access control features, allowing administrators to define user roles and restrict access to sensitive data. This ensures security and compliance within the organization.
• Real-Time Collaboration: Retool supports real-time collaboration, enabling multiple users to work on the same project simultaneously. This feature enhances team productivity and ensures that everyone stays on the same page.
• Pre-Built Templates: Retool offers a variety of pre-built templates for common use cases, such as admin panels, dashboards, and customer support tools. These templates provide a quick starting point and can be customized to fit specific requirements.

Retool's Reviews

Overall, users find Retool to be a powerful and flexible platform, though some note its high cost and performance issues.

• G2: 4.6/5

• Verified User, Small-Business: 4/5 - "Retool is a great tool to write your low-code/no-code app. It has a lot of handy features that save hours of work."
• Antonio A., Small-Business: 4/5 - "I've used Retool to build internal tools, and I appreciate its flexibility and integration. It quickly connects to multiple data sources and builds functional UIs."
• George K., Small-Business: 4/5 - "A great tool for developers who want to leverage abstraction and built-in front-end components. The variety of components in the app editor is impressive."
• Hugo L., Small-Business: 4/5 - "Retool makes all front-end work very simple, saving a lot of time. The ability to write JavaScript and CSS everywhere is very helpful."
• Yaakov G., Small-Business: 4/5 - "The ultimate versatile platform for in-house data-based apps. The ease of connecting interface components to backend resources is a breeze."

Positive Aspects:

• Ease of use and intuitive drag-and-drop interface
• Flexibility and integration capabilities with various data sources and APIs
• Time-saving features and pre-built templates
• Strong community support and helpful documentation

Common Concerns:

• High cost for deploying apps to the public
• Learning curve for advanced features
• Performance issues and occasional lag in the app editor
• Limited customization options for certain components

Feature Comparison: Glide vs. Retool

Similarities

Despite targeting different user bases, Glide and Retool share several important features:

• Drag-and-Drop Interface: Both platforms offer intuitive drag-and-drop interfaces, simplifying the app-building process for users without extensive coding knowledge.
• Database Integrations: Glide and Retool connect to various databases, ensuring seamless data access and manipulation within the platform.
• Customizable Templates: Each platform provides pre-built templates that users can customize to fit their specific needs, speeding up the development process.
• API Integration: Both platforms support integration with multiple APIs, allowing users to pull in data from external services and create comprehensive tools.
• User Authentication: Glide and Retool include user authentication features, enabling app creators to restrict access to certain parts of the app for security purposes.
• Real-Time Collaboration: Both platforms support real-time collaboration, allowing multiple users to work on the same project simultaneously, enhancing team productivity.

Differences

Critical differences between Glide and Retool will likely influence your choice.

• Primary Focus:
  • Glide: Primarily targets non-developers, offering a no-code platform for creating mobile apps from spreadsheets.
  • Retool: Focuses on developers, providing tools to build custom internal software with extensive coding capabilities.
• Customization and Design Flexibility:
  • Glide: Offers pre-built templates and a drag-and-drop interface for easy customization without coding.
  • Retool: Provides a full IDE and 100+ React components for extensive customization and coding flexibility.
• Integration Capabilities:
  • Glide: Integrates with Google Sheets, Airtable, and a few other data sources.
  • Retool: Connects to over 15 databases and 25 APIs, including popular SaaS apps and custom APIs.
• Security and Governance:
  • Glide: Basic user authentication and access control features.
  • Retool: Advanced security features like SOC 2 Type II compliance, custom SSO, and granular permissions.
• Deployment Options:
  • Glide: Publishes apps as progressive web apps (PWAs) or directly to the web.
  • Retool: Offers cloud hosting or self-hosting on your own infrastructure.

Pricing Comparison: Glide vs. Retool

Glide Pricing

Glide offers a range of pricing plans to accommodate different needs and budgets. Here's a breakdown of their pricing structures:

• Free Plan:
  • Cost: Free
  • Includes: 1 app, 10 personal users, up to 25k rows, 40+ components, real-time data sync, community support
• Maker Plan:
  • Cost: Starting at $49 per month (billed yearly)
  • Includes: 3 apps, unlimited personal users, 500 updates (+2¢ per update), up to 50k rows, workflows, Glide AI, custom domains & branding, Glide support
• Business Plan:
  • Cost: Starting at $199 per month (billed yearly)
  • Includes: Unlimited apps, 30 users (+$5 per user), 5,000 updates (+2¢ per update), up to 100k rows, users with business emails, Slack trigger (coming soon), Glide API, call API, Glide express support
• Enterprise Plan:
  • Cost: Custom pricing (contact sales)
  • Includes: Unlimited apps, custom users, custom updates, up to 10M rows, Glide bulk API, single sign-on (SSO), custom terms, account manager, AI consultation, Glide priority support

Retool' Pricing

Retool's pricing is structured to accommodate various business needs and scales.

• Free Plan:
  • Cost: $0 per month
  • Includes: Unlimited web & mobile apps, 500 workflow runs/month, 5GB of data storage, up to 5 users
• Team Plan:
  • Cost: $10 per standard user per month, $5 per end user per month (billed annually with 20% savings)
  • Includes: Everything in Free, plus 5,000 workflow runs/month, staging environment, app release versions, more than 5 users
• Business Plan:
  • Cost: $50 per standard user per month, $15 per end user per month (billed annually with 20% savings)
  • Includes: Everything in Team, plus audit logging, rich permission controls, portals and embedded apps, unlimited environments, unlimited modules, access to external user pricing, custom branding
• Enterprise Plan:
  • Cost: Custom pricing
  • Includes: Everything in Business, plus SAML / OpenID Connect SSO, source control, error monitoring and observability, full white-labeling, independent workspaces, platform APIs and workflow triggers, volume-based discounts, dedicated support

Subframe, a Better Alternative to Glide and Retool

Subframe is a UI design tool that makes it easy to create and sync designs with code. We offer a drag-and-drop editor combined with real, component-based design, giving you precise control for pixel-perfect, responsive layouts. Our platform instantly translates your designs into clean, production-ready React and Tailwind code, speeding up your workflow and eliminating the need for handoff.

Subframe's Features

Subframe is the UI design tool for the AI era, offering a seamless blend of design and code.

• Component-Based Design: Subframe helps create user interfaces with real, reusable components instead of static mockups. The visual editor includes a responsive drag-and-drop canvas for building precise, production-ready layouts.
• Pre-Built UI Templates: Subframe offers a library of customizable templates inspired by established design patterns. Each template is built with reusable components to help speed up the design process.
• Code Export: Subframe generates clean, production-quality React and Tailwind code. Designs can be copied directly into a codebase, reducing time spent on handoff and manual CSS adjustments.
• Free to Get Started: Subframe offers free access to its visual design tools with no credit card required.
• AI-Powered Design: Subframe leverages AI to quickly transform ideas into interfaces, offering features like prompt-to-UI and adaptive design for efficient prototyping.

Subframe's Pricing

Subframe pricing offers flexible options to suit different needs:

• Free: $0 per user/month
  • 1 project
  • Up to 3 page designs
  • Up to 3 team members
  • 100s of UI templates
  • Limited AI features
• Pro: $29 per user/month
  • Up to 3 projects
  • Unlimited page designs
  • Unlimited team members
  • Custom components
  • 100s of UI templates
  • Full AI beta access
• Custom: Pricing upon contact
  • Unlimited projects
  • Unlimited page designs
  • Integrate your components
  • Dedicated Slack support
  • Figma plugin
  • Unlimited AI

For more details, visit our Subframe Pricing page. Book a demo with us today to see how Subframe can transform your design workflow.

Subframe's Reviews

Users have shared positive feedback about Subframe, noting its user-friendly interface, time-saving tools, and the quality of the UI designs it produces. The platform has earned a 5/5 rating on Product Hunt. Customers especially value the visual editor, drag-and-drop functionality, and AI features that help refine designs based on user input.

• "Just joined, will spend more time on it but so far it is incredible, really love it." - Laura Sinisterra
• "Great product, amazed by the accuracy of the pages generated by the AI." - Filmon Arefayne
• "Loved this product! The visual editor saves loads of time and is really a cool feature." - Raunak Shaw

Glide, Retool or Subframe? Which is The Best Tool For You

Glide, Retool, and Subframe each offer unique strengths tailored to different needs. Glide excels in no-code app creation from spreadsheets, making it ideal for non-developers looking to build mobile apps quickly. Retool is perfect for developers who need to create custom internal tools with extensive coding capabilities and robust integrations.

However, if you seek a platform that seamlessly integrates design and code, Subframe stands out. It combines real component-based design with AI-powered features, generating production-ready React and Tailwind code. This makes Subframe the optimal choice for those who want both design flexibility and efficient code generation in one tool.

Get started on Subframe for free to see how it can streamline your workflow and elevate your design process.