Looking for Retool alternatives? Compare top design and frontend tools with unique features, pricing, and benefits to find your ideal match.
Irvin Zhan
•
2025-01-13
While Retool is a well-known platform for building internal tools, it might not be the right fit for everyone. You might be looking for a more cost-effective solution, or perhaps a tool that offers better integration with your existing systems.
In this article, we’ll explore ten of the best alternatives to Retool. We’ll cover their pricing, key features, and who they are best suited for, helping you find the perfect tool for your needs.
What is Retool?
Retool is a platform designed to help developers build custom internal software more efficiently. It allows users to connect databases, build with components, and customize with code to accelerate tasks.
Some features include integrating with REST or GraphQL APIs, using 100+ extensible React components, and writing in SQL, JavaScript, and Python. Retool also offers tools for debugging, reviewing, and deploying applications.
What to Consider When Selecting a Retool Alternative?
Integration Capabilities: Ensure the alternative can seamlessly integrate with your existing systems and databases, allowing for smooth data flow and operational efficiency.
Customization Options: Look for tools that offer extensive customization features, enabling you to tailor the software to meet your specific business needs and workflows.
Ease of Use: The platform should have an intuitive interface and user-friendly design, making it accessible for both technical and non-technical team members.
Scalability: Choose a solution that can grow with your business, offering scalable features and pricing plans that accommodate increasing demands and complexity.
Support and Community: Opt for a tool that provides robust customer support and has an active user community, ensuring you have access to help and resources when needed.
Best Alternatives to Retool in 2025
1) Subframe
Subframe is a UI design tool that bridges the gap between design and code. It offers an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, a custom component library, and real-time collaboration. With Subframe, you can generate production-ready code in React and Tailwind, making it easier to bring your designs to life.
Pros of Using Subframe
Subframe offers a range of features that make it a compelling choice for UI design and development.
Design with real components: Use a visual UI editor that allows for drag-and-drop functionality on a responsive canvas, ensuring pixel-perfect designs every time.
Stunning UI templates: Access a variety of templates inspired by world-class products, hand-crafted by designers, and built with reusable components, so you never have to start from scratch.
Skip handoff: Generate high-quality front-end code that you can copy and paste directly into your codebase, allowing you to focus more on adding business logic rather than tweaking CSS.
Build UI visually for free: Start designing without any upfront costs or the need for a credit card, making it accessible for everyone.
Real-time collaboration: Work seamlessly with your team in real-time, enhancing productivity and ensuring everyone is on the same page.
These are just a few of Subframe's many features. Check them out here to learn more.
Who Should Use Subframe?
Subframe targets a diverse range of users, including founders, designers, developers, and non-technical team members. It is particularly well-suited for startups, freelancers, power users, and large teams or agencies looking for a seamless integration between design and code.
Subframe Pricing
Subframe offers three pricing options:
Free Plan: $0 per user/month
Pro Plan: $29 per user/month
Custom Plan: Requires contacting support for pricing details
Subframe Reviews
Subframe has received a perfect score of 5/5 based on 4 reviews on Product Hunt. Users generally have a very positive opinion about Subframe, appreciating its ability to save time and resources in building UI, the ease of use of its drag-and-drop editor, and the quality of the templates provided. The product is praised for its efficiency and the support provided by the Subframe team.
"Without Subframe, the frontend build of this tool would've taken a lot longer and a lot more financial resources. Thank you to the Subframe team for partnering with us from ideation to execution, starting day 1." - Erin Kim
"Subframe helped us make a super clean UI for our console without designers." - Carl Peterson
"Huge shoutout to Subframe guys! Super easy to create UI, and the support is great. Highly recommend!" - Amartya Jha
"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
"Very good design app. loved it." - Nikit Phadke
2) Jimdo
Jimdo is a professional website builder designed for the self-employed and small businesses, offering features like online stores, bookings, and legal text generation without the need for programmers or designers.
Pros of Jimdo
Automatic SEO: Jimdo handles search engine optimization tasks automatically and provides tips for improving Google rankings.
Business Listings: Syncs business information across 10+ online platforms to improve search engine ranking.
Breaking News Banner: Allows users to keep their customers updated with a news banner on their website.
Cons of Jimdo
Limited Customization Options: Jimdo offers a limited number of templates and basic customization options, which can be restrictive for users looking to create a highly personalized website. Advanced users may find the modular system and pre-designed blocks insufficient for their needs.
Slow Performance and Navigation Issues: Users have reported that Jimdo's website loading times can be slow, leading to a frustrating navigation experience. This can negatively impact user engagement and overall satisfaction with the platform.
Jimdo Pricing
Start Plan: $9 per month
Grow Plan: $15 per month
Unlimited Plan: $39 per month
Basic Online Store Plan: $15 per month
Business Online Store Plan: $19 per month
Jimdo Reviews
Jimdo has an overall rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars based on 18 reviews. Users generally mention that the platform is outdated and lacks advanced features. Common complaints include limited template options, insufficient customization capabilities, issues with customer support, and non-transparent pricing structures. Some users also feel that the service is overpriced compared to competitors and have had negative experiences with automatic renewals and cancellations.
3) Designmodo Slides
Designmodo Slides is a no-code website builder designed for creating stunning, animated websites quickly and easily. It is suitable for solo entrepreneurs, freelancers, startups, and small businesses.
Pros of Designmodo Slides
Slide & Scroll UX: Provides seamless animations with options to choose between slide and scroll effects, enhancing the user experience.
Native Components: All UI elements are native to Slides, ensuring no third-party code is used, which guarantees performance and consistency.
Lightning-fast Loading Speeds: Built on native code to ensure quick loading times, providing a smooth and efficient user experience.
Cons of Designmodo Slides
Customization Limitations: While Designmodo Slides offers advanced customization options, it is primarily a no-code builder, which might limit users who want to implement highly specific or unique design elements that are not covered by the provided templates and UI blocks.
Potential for Design Fatigue: Users have noted that the reliance on pre-built UI blocks and templates can lead to a lack of originality, causing design fatigue over time as many websites may start to look similar.
Designmodo Slides Pricing
Single Site License: $199 per year
Unlimited Sites License: $399 per year
Extended License: $699 per year
Lifetime License: $1499 one-time payment
Designmodo Slides Reviews
Designmodo has an overall rating of 4.8 out of 5 based on 331 reviews. Users generally mention that while the platform is easy to use and offers a quality library of email templates, there are limitations in customization and complexities in pricing.
4) Universe
Universe is a no-code website builder that allows users to create various types of websites, such as online stores, portfolios, and blogs, using a visual drag-and-drop interface accessible from any device.
Pros of Universe
AI-Generated Website Elements: Universe leverages artificial intelligence to quickly generate website elements, making the design process faster and more efficient.
Discounted Shipping Labels for E-commerce: The platform offers discounted shipping labels, which can significantly reduce costs for businesses selling physical products online.
Integration with Various Third-Party Services: Universe seamlessly integrates with services like PayPal, YouTube, Vimeo, SoundCloud, GIPHY, and Maps, enhancing the functionality and reach of your website.
Cons of Universe
Limited to one-page websites: Universe restricts users to creating only one-page websites, which can be a significant limitation for those needing multi-page sites to showcase more content or provide a more comprehensive user experience.
Lack of e-commerce features: The platform does not support essential e-commerce functionalities such as shopping carts, inventory management, and payment gateways, making it unsuitable for businesses looking to sell products online.
Universe Pricing
Free Plan: $0.00
Base Plan: $12/month or $72/year
Pro Plan: $25/month or $200/year
Complete Plan: $50/month or $500/year
Universe Reviews
Universe Website Builder has an overall rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars based on user reviews. Users generally mention that while the platform is user-friendly and easy to customize, it is limited to creating one-page websites and lacks essential e-commerce features.
5) v0
v0 by Vercel is a platform designed to streamline the creation and deployment of web projects, offering features like cloning screenshots, importing designs from Figma, and creating common web components such as landing pages and sign-up forms.
Pros of v0
Chat Interface for Project Assistance: Users can input queries and receive help on shipping projects, making the process more intuitive and efficient.
Suggested Chat Messages: Predefined buttons for common tasks like cloning a screenshot or importing from Figma streamline the workflow and save time.
Community Projects: A comprehensive list of community-contributed projects with details and fork counts encourages collaboration and sharing among users.
Cons of v0
Onboarding Experience: Users have reported that the onboarding process is confusing and frustrating, often involving misleading sign-up prompts that lead to waitlists, which can deter new users from fully engaging with the platform.
Code Quality: The React code generated by v0 is often criticized for being poorly structured, with excessive repetition and lack of component utilization, requiring significant rewrites to be production-ready.
v0 Pricing
Team Plan: $30/user/month
Enterprise Plan: Custom Pricing
v0 Reviews
v0 by Vercel has an overall rating of 4.64 out of 5 based on 135 reviews. Users generally mention issues with the onboarding process and the quality of generated React code.
6) Figma
Figma is a collaborative interface design tool that enables teams to design, prototype, and collaborate in real-time. It offers features like design systems, AI-generated UI, and seamless integration with development workflows, making it a comprehensive solution for design and development teams.
Pros of Figma
Real-time Collaboration: Figma allows multiple team members to work on the same design file simultaneously, making it easy to collaborate and provide feedback in real-time.
Design Systems: Figma offers robust design system management, enabling teams to create and maintain a consistent design language across all projects, ensuring that design and code stay connected.
AI-powered Features: Figma leverages artificial intelligence to generate simple UI elements, create prototypes, and embed them in presentations, streamlining the design process and enhancing productivity.
Cons of Figma
Performance Issues: Users have reported that Figma can struggle with performance when working with large files or complex designs. This can lead to delays and a less efficient workflow, particularly for projects that require handling numerous design elements.
Limited Offline Functionality: Figma's reliance on a stable internet connection can be a significant drawback. The platform offers limited offline capabilities, which can be problematic for users who need to work in environments with unreliable internet access.
Figma Pricing
Professional Plan: $12 per editor/month (billed annually)
Organization Plan: $45 per editor/month (billed annually)
Enterprise Plan: $75 per editor/month (billed annually)
Figma Reviews
Figma has an overall rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars based on user reviews. Users generally mention performance issues with large files and limited offline functionality.
7) Dorik
Dorik is a no-code website builder powered by AI, enabling users to generate websites, create AI-generated content, and build websites in any language. It includes features like a drag-and-drop builder, pre-designed templates, UI blocks, white-label CMS, and Airtable integration.
Pros of Dorik
AI-Generated Content: Allows users to generate website content and images using AI, making the content creation process faster and easier.
White-Label CMS: Enables users to build websites under their brand for clients, with features like a dedicated dashboard, client billing, and a built-in blogging platform.
Airtable Integration: Users can integrate Airtable data into their websites, showcasing data in various layouts and offering real-time updates and advanced customization.
Cons of Dorik
Limited Customization Options: Users have reported that Dorik offers limited customization capabilities, which can be restrictive for those looking to create highly personalized websites. This limitation can be particularly frustrating for advanced users who need more flexibility in design and functionality.
Performance Issues: Some users have experienced lagging performance and site lag issues, which can hinder the overall user experience. This can be especially problematic when working on more complex projects or when multiple elements are present on the screen.
Dorik Pricing
Business Plan: $39/month, billed $468 annually.
Agency Plan: Contact for tailored pricing.
Business Lifetime Deal: $599 (one-time payment).
Custom Lifetime Deal: Contact for tailored pricing.
Dorik Reviews
Based on user reviews, Dorik has a rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars. Users generally mention that while the platform is easy to use and offers a range of features, it has limitations in customization options and performance issues.
8) uizard
Uizard is an AI-powered design tool that allows users to visualize, communicate, and iterate on wireframes and prototypes in minutes. It empowers product teams with AI to turn product ideas into concepts instantly.
Pros of uizard
Autodesigner 2.0: An advanced version of their UI generator that can create projects, screens, and themes from simple text prompts.
Screenshot Scanner: Converts screenshots into editable mockups, facilitating quick iteration and communication of design ideas.
Wireframe Scanner: Digitizes hand-drawn wireframes into digital designs, speeding up the design process and making it more efficient.
Cons of uizard
Lack of advanced customization options: Users have reported that Uizard falls short in providing advanced customization capabilities, which can be a significant drawback for those looking to create highly personalized and unique designs.
Issues with exporting: There are complaints about difficulties in exporting designs, such as not being able to export an entire screen, which can hinder the workflow and limit the usability of the tool for comprehensive design projects.
uizard Pricing
Business Plan: $39 per month (billed annually)
Enterprise Plan: Custom solution to your needs (billed annually)
uizard Reviews
Uizard has a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars based on 44 reviews. Users generally mention a lack of advanced customization options and issues with exporting designs.
9) Carrd
Carrd is a platform that allows users to create simple, free, and fully responsive one-page websites. It offers a variety of templates and customization options, making it suitable for personal profiles, landing pages, and more.
Pros of Carrd
Simple, Free, and Fully Responsive: Carrd allows users to create one-page websites that are simple to set up, free to use, and fully responsive, ensuring they look great on any device.
Dozens of Templates: Users can choose from a wide variety of templates or start with a blank page, providing flexibility and ease of use for creating unique websites.
Build Up to Three Sites for Free: Carrd's free tier includes all core features and allows users to build up to three sites per account without any cost, making it accessible for everyone.
Cons of Carrd
Limited Templates: Users have reported that Carrd offers a limited number of templates, especially in the free plan, which can be restrictive for those looking to create unique and diverse website designs.
Inability to Add Subpages: Carrd restricts users to creating only one-page websites, which can be a significant limitation for those needing multi-page sites to showcase more content or provide a more comprehensive user experience.
Carrd Pricing
Pro Lite: $9 / year
Pro Standard: $19 / year
Pro Plus: $49 / year
Pro Standard 500: $399 / year
Pro Plus 1000: $999 / year
Carrd Reviews
Based on 32 reviews, Carrd has an overall rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. Users generally mention limited templates and missing features.
10) Ycode
Ycode is a visual development platform that allows users to build professional websites easily, quickly, and affordably without needing to code. It offers full design control, integrated CMS, and scalable cloud hosting, making it an all-in-one solution for creating custom websites.
Pros of Ycode
Full Design Control: Ycode offers a visual editor that allows users to have complete control over the design of their websites, enabling the creation of highly customized and responsive layouts without any coding knowledge.
Integrated CMS: The platform includes a user-friendly content management system that simplifies the process of managing and updating website content, making it accessible for users of all technical levels.
Real-time Collaboration: Ycode supports real-time collaboration with role and permission control, allowing multiple team members to work on the same project simultaneously, enhancing productivity and teamwork.
Cons of Ycode
Limited Features and Missing Functionalities: Users have reported that Ycode lacks several features found in other no-code builders, such as advanced animations, interactions, and a comprehensive library of cloneable components or webpages. This limitation can hinder the ability to create highly dynamic and interactive websites.
Performance Issues and Bugs: The platform has been criticized for its slow loading times and erratic behavior, which can disrupt the user experience. Additionally, users have encountered bugs that affect the stability and reliability of the app, making it less efficient for building and managing websites.
Ycode Pricing
Business Plan: $39/month, billed $468 annually.
Agency Plan: Contact for tailored pricing.
Business Lifetime Deal: $599 (one-time payment).
Custom Lifetime Deal: Contact for tailored pricing.
Ycode Reviews
Ycode has a rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars based on user reviews. Users generally mention bugs, limited features compared to competitors, and slow performance.
Which One Should You Go With?
Choosing the right tool for your web app development needs can be challenging, given the variety of options available. Each platform has its unique strengths, making them suitable for different types of projects and user requirements.
While any of these tools could be a great choice, we recommend Subframe if you're looking for an alternative that seamlessly integrates design and code. Its intuitive drag-and-drop interface, real-time collaboration, and AI-enhanced design capabilities make it a standout option for both technical and non-technical users. Explore Subframe to see how it can streamline your development process and bring your projects to life.
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