Retool is a capable low-code platform for internal tools, priced per person: Business is $50 per builder and $15 per internal user a month billed annually, and SSO and SCIM are Enterprise only. It rewards builders who are comfortable with data and logic. Teams without developers should look for a platform where people describe the tool in plain words, the platform checks the work, app users are free and onboarding is included. FORGE is built for exactly that, at $49 per builder seat with 3 builds a month.
Retool has earned its reputation. It is one of the best-known platforms for internal tools, and teams with developers use it to put admin panels, dashboards and approval screens on top of their databases quickly. If you have engineers who want to move faster, it deserves a look.
This guide is for a different team: one with no developers at all. An operations manager who knows exactly what the dispatch board should do. A controller who could describe the approval workflow in her sleep. A crew lead who has been tracking inspections in a notebook. These people know the work better than anyone, but they do not write queries or code. For them, the question is not "which low-code tool is best?" It is "which platform lets us build without learning to code?"
Below, we look at what Retool offers and costs, where non-technical teams tend to struggle, and how the alternatives compare, using each vendor's pricing page as listed in October 2026.
What Retool is built for
Retool is a low-code internal tools platform. Low-code means you build by connecting data sources, dragging in components such as tables and forms, and adding logic, with code available when you need it. It is at its best when:
- Your data lives in databases and services your team already understands.
- At least one person can write queries and debug logic.
- You want fine control over every screen.
That is a strong fit for technical teams. For a team with no developers, the same flexibility becomes a list of things someone has to know how to do.
What Retool costs, and who pays
As listed on Retool's pricing page in October 2026:
- Business is $50 per builder and $15 per internal user a month, billed annually. Billed monthly, it is $65 and $18.
- External users, such as customers or contractors, are free up to 50 on Business, then $4 to $8 per user a month billed annually, depending on volume.
- Audit logs, the record of who changed what, start at Business.
- SAML or OIDC SSO (one company login for every tool) and SCIM (automatic adding and removing of users from your company directory) are Enterprise only.
Retool's model is clear and fair about what it charges: it separates builders from people who only use the apps, and prices them differently. The thing to plan for is that every internal user still costs money. A tool rolled out to 25 people carries 25 monthly charges.
Where non-developer teams get stuck
The skills gap
Low-code lowers the bar, but it does not remove it. Connecting a data source, writing a filter, handling an error: each step assumes some technical comfort. When nobody has it, projects stall halfway, or one person becomes the bottleneck for every request.
Even developers double-check AI help
Some teams hope AI assistants will fill the gap. They help, but they do not replace judgment. In the Stack Overflow 2025 Developer Survey, 84% of developers said they use or plan to use AI tools, yet 66% named "AI solutions that are almost right, but not quite" as their top frustration, and 45% said debugging AI-generated code takes more time. If professionals spend time fixing almost-right output, a non-technical builder needs a platform that does the checking.
The cost of hiring the skill
The obvious fix is to hire a developer. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for software developers was $135,980 in May 2025, before benefits, equipment and the time it takes to find the right person. For a 25-person company, that is a large bet on one hire.
Security still matters
Every platform that holds business data is a target. In September 2023, Retool disclosed that an SMS phishing attack compromised 27 of its cloud customers, all in the crypto industry, and published a detailed account of what happened. The lesson applies everywhere: invite-only access, roles and a clear record of activity are as important as the apps themselves.
The alternatives, by type
Microsoft Power Apps
Power Apps is Microsoft's low-code platform. Its pricing page lists Premium at $20.00 per user per month paid yearly, and the people who run the apps need a license too. It suits Microsoft 365 companies with someone who will own the platform. Like Retool, it is low-code, and costs follow people. See our full look at Power Apps alternatives.
Google AppSheet
AppSheet is Google's no-code platform. Its pricing page lists $5, $10 or $20 per user per month, and every app user, including guests, needs a license. Core is included in most paid Google Workspace plans. It is friendlier than low-code for simple apps built on spreadsheets, and it is still per person.
Softr
Softr builds apps and portals on top of your data, without code. It charges by app users: each plan caps who can log in, and extra app users are billed monthly on Pro and above. Pro is $99 a month billed yearly ($119 monthly) and Business is $329 a month billed yearly ($395 monthly). SSO, SCIM and audit logs are Enterprise only.
Glide
Glide runs two separate products. GlideOS starts at $25 a month, with Pro at $125 a month starting at 5 members, and SSO and audit logs on Enterprise. Glide Classic Business starts at $199 a month billed yearly with 30 users included, then $5 to $6 per additional user, plus 2 cents per update over 5,000.
Prompt-first AI builders
Lovable, Replit and similar tools let you describe an app and get working code. Lovable does not charge per seat, and its credits cover building, hosting and in-app AI from one balance. Replit's Pro documentation says there are no per-user fees and up to 15 builders can work on one plan. None of these lists a per-user charge for app users. They are fast. The trade-offs for a non-technical team are metered AI attempts and the expectation that someone can fix the code when it is almost right.
FORGE
FORGE is a business AI platform built for teams without developers. People describe the work, the platform builds and checks the tool, and our team onboards yours. Details below.
Side by side
| Platform | How you build | Builder price | People who only use apps | Enterprise-only controls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retool | Low-code | $50/mo billed annually (Business) | $15/mo each (Business, annual) | SSO, SCIM |
| Power Apps | Low-code | $20.00 per user/mo, paid yearly | License needed | Not listed on pricing page |
| AppSheet | No-code | $5 to $20 per user/mo | License needed, guests too | Okta and AD sign-in (Enterprise Plus) |
| Softr | No-code | Pro $99/mo billed yearly | Capped, extras billed | SSO, SCIM, audit logs |
| GlideOS | No-code with AI | From $25/mo | No per-user charge listed | SSO, audit logs |
| Lovable | Describe it | Business from $50/mo, 100 credits | No per-user charge listed | Audit logs, SCIM |
| FORGE | Describe it | $49 per seat, 3 builds | Free | Roles and full record included |
All prices as listed on each vendor's pricing page or documentation in October 2026.
A worked example: a 25-person company
Here is an example using list prices. A 25-person distribution company wants a receiving log, a returns inspection app and a delivery schedule. Three people will build: the warehouse lead, the office manager and the owner. The other 22 people will use the tools.
- Retool Business: 3 builders at $50 plus 22 internal users at $15, billed annually, is $480 a month. Billed monthly, it is $591.
- FORGE: 3 builder seats at $49 is $147 a month, with 9 builds included and all 25 people using every tool free.
The difference grows with every person you add. And the time the tools save is real: a Zapier survey of businesses with up to 250 people found repetitive tasks take an average of 17.3 hours a week.
What building looks like when nobody codes
The clearest way to compare platforms is to look at what the builder actually has to say or do. Here is an example request, written the way a warehouse lead would write it:
"When a truck arrives, the receiver picks the purchase order, counts each line, marks anything short or damaged with a photo, and signs. If anything is short, the buyer gets a notice. The office manager sees a list of open receipts each morning."
On a low-code platform, that paragraph becomes a set of tasks: create the tables, connect the purchase orders, build the form, write the logic for shortages, set up the notice, and design the morning list. Each step is reasonable for a technical builder and a wall for everyone else.
On a platform built for describing the work, that paragraph is the starting point. The platform plans the tool from the description and builds it, and the warehouse lead adds detail in plain words, such as who can approve a short shipment. What the warehouse lead reviews is a working app, not a set of components.
Neither approach is wrong. They are built for different people. The question for your team is simply which one matches the people you have.
How to choose: a checklist for teams without developers
- Write down who will build. If none of them writes code, rule out anything that assumes it.
- Ask the vendor to build one of your real tools live. Watch how much of the work needs technical knowledge.
- Count people who only use apps. Multiply by the per-user price. That is the cost of rolling out.
- Ask what happens when the build is almost right. Who finds the problem, and who fixes it?
- Check what is checked automatically. Security and quality checks should happen before anything goes live, without anyone remembering to run them.
- Price the tier with roles, SSO and an audit log. Many platforms keep them on Enterprise.
- Ask for a cap and alerts. Nothing should bill by itself.
- Ask who onboards you, by name. Documentation is not onboarding.
How FORGE handles it
FORGE was built for the team this guide describes: people who know the work and do not write code. They describe what they need in plain words. A panel of top AI models plans each tool, a dedicated AI crew builds it, and every piece is checked for quality and security before it is saved. The tool is checked at every step, so nobody on your team has to debug anything. Most teams have their first real tool the same day, on web, mobile or desktop.
Every app lives inside your company. Access is invite-only, with owner, admin, builder and app user roles, and FORGE keeps a complete record of who did what.
Pricing follows the people who build. Each builder seat is $49 a month with 3 builds included. A change is a small fraction of a build and only counts when something changes. Packs of 10 more builds cost $150, from a company pool or per seat, and admins can cap pack use. People who only use the apps are free, a build FORGE fails is free, owners get alerts at 80 and 100 percent, and nothing ever bills by itself.
Most important for a team without developers: our team onboards yours, starting with a workflow workshop that turns the work costing you the most time into your first tool. See how it works, pricing, or talk to us.
Questions people ask
Can non-developers use Retool?
Some can, especially people comfortable with spreadsheets, data and logic. Retool is low-code, so building involves connecting data and configuring components, and the best results usually come from someone with technical skills. Teams with nobody like that often prefer a platform where they describe the tool in plain words.
How much does Retool cost?
As listed on Retool's pricing page in October 2026, Business is $50 per builder and $15 per internal user a month billed annually, or $65 and $18 billed monthly. External users are free up to 50 on Business, then $4 to $8 per user a month billed annually.
Does Retool charge for people who only use the apps?
Yes. On the Business plan, internal users who only use apps are $15 a month each billed annually. External users are free up to 50, then priced in tiers.
What is the easiest Retool alternative for a non-technical team?
Look for three things: building by describing the work in plain words, automatic checks before anything goes live, and onboarding by the vendor's own team. FORGE includes all three, with free app users.
Which Retool features are Enterprise only?
According to Retool's pricing page in October 2026, SAML or OIDC SSO and SCIM are Enterprise only. Audit logs start at the Business plan.
What does FORGE cost compared with Retool?
FORGE is $49 a seat a month for each person who builds, with 3 builds included and packs of 10 builds for $150. People who only use the apps are free, and a build FORGE fails is free.
See what FORGE builds for your team
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