Self-hosted alternatives to Retool
Want internal tool builders without handing your data to Retool? These 5 open-source apps run on your own server. Cheapest estimated hosting starts at about $5/month.
| App | Health | Stars | License | Docker | RAM (est.) | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ToolJet direct | Actively maintained | 41.2k | GPL-3.0 | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Budibase direct | Actively maintained | 28.4k | ⊘ Proprietary | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Dify.ai | Actively maintained | 160.3k | Apache-2.0, Commons-Clause | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Appsmith | Actively maintained | 41.2k | 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).
Actively maintained Last activity 2026-11-04. Latest release v3.21.87-beta (2026-11-02). 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).
Actively maintained Last activity 2026-11-03. Latest release v3.51.0-cloud.8 (2026-11-02). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
3. Dify.ai
Build, test and deploy LLM applications.
Actively maintained Last activity 2026-11-03. Latest release 1.18.0 (2026-10-23). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
4. Appsmith
Build admin panels, CRUD apps and workflows. Build everything you need, 10x faster.
Actively maintained Last activity 2026-11-03. 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 activity 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 Actively maintained 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.