Self-hosted alternatives to Retool
Want internal tool builders without handing your data to Retool? These 5 self-hosted apps run on your own server (most are open source; licenses are listed below). Cheapest estimated hosting starts at about $5/month.
About Retool: Platform for building internal tools.
| App | Health | Stars | License | Docker | RAM (est.) | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ToolJet direct | Active | 41.2k | GPL-3.0 | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Budibase direct | Active | 28.4k | ⊘ Proprietary | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Dify.ai | Active | 161.1k | Apache-2.0, Commons-Clause | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Appsmith | Active | 41.3k | Apache-2.0 | ✓ | 2 GB | $10/mo |
| UI Bakery | Maintained | 301 | ⊘ Proprietary | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
The options in detail
1. ToolJet
Low-code framework to build & deploy internal tools with minimal engineering effort (alternative to Retool and Mendix).
Active Last commit 2026-11-09. Latest release v3.21.94-beta (2026-11-06). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
2. Budibase
Build and automate internal tools, admin panels, dashboards, CRUD apps, and more, in minutes (alternative to Outsystems, Retool, Mendix).
Active Last commit 2026-11-09. 10+ releases in the past year. Latest release v3.51.0-cloud.17 (2026-11-09). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
3. Dify.ai
Build, test and deploy LLM applications.
Active Last commit 2026-11-10. 10+ releases in the past year. Latest release 1.19.0 (2026-11-04). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
4. Appsmith
Build admin panels, CRUD apps and workflows. Build everything you need, 10x faster.
Active Last commit 2026-11-09. 10+ releases in the past year. Latest release v2.6.0 (2026-10-28). Needs roughly 2 GB RAM. How to run it →
5. UI Bakery
Build internal tools, customer portals, and CRUD apps quickly. Configure scheduled jobs and webhooks. Create structure and manage data through a GUI.
Maintained Last commit 2026-05-08. Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
Why self-host instead of Retool?
- Own your data — it lives on a server you control, with backups you decide on.
- Predictable cost — a small VPS often replaces per-seat pricing for a whole team or family.
- No lock-in — open-source licenses let you keep running the software even if a vendor disappears.
The trade-off: you are responsible for updates, backups and security. Pick an app marked Active (a commit in the last 90 days) and with Docker support for the easiest ride.
Browse related categories
Other alternatives guides
Retool is a trademark of its owner; this site is not affiliated with it. Listings come from the community-maintained awesome-selfhosted list.