Is Glide or Retool better?

Neither clearly leads. Glide starts at Free and Retool at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Glide or Retool?

Glide starts at Free and Retool at Free.

Does Glide or Retool run on more platforms?

Glide runs on Web. Retool runs on Web, Self-hosted.

Can I use Glide for free?

Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.

What is Glide best used for?

Glide is most often used for building business apps from spreadsheets without coding, generating inventory management systems from data, creating logistics and procurement applications, generating business dashboards without engineers. Of those, building business apps from spreadsheets without coding and generating inventory management systems from data are not what Retool is typically brought in for.

What can Glide do that Retool cannot?

Retool covers Drag-and-drop builder, Database integration, REST API, Real-time data binding.

No-Code · head to head

Glide vs Retool

Glide

No-Code

AI software development platform for building internal business apps from a spreadsheet, a prompt…

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Retool

Surveys

The rapid internal tool platform

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: Glide free plan is capped at 1 project and limited AI credits; Retool builders and internal users are billed as separate seat types, so the true cost depends on the mix rather than the headcount

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Glide and Retool actually diverge.

Attributes where Glide and Retool differ
Attribute	Glide	Retool
Platforms	Web	Web, Self-hosted
Category	No-Code	Surveys
Founded	Unknown	2017

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (subscription), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Glide

Nothing recorded that Retool does not also cover.

Only in Retool

Drag-and-drop builder
Database integration
REST API
Real-time data binding
Workflow automation
Custom code
Version control
200+ integrations

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Glide

Building business apps from spreadsheets without codingnot Retool
Generating inventory management systems from datanot Retool
Creating logistics and procurement applicationsnot Retool
Generating business dashboards without engineersnot Retool

Retool

Building internal admin tools and dashboards over existing databases and APIsnot Glide
Giving operations teams a UI for data they would otherwise query by handnot Glide

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Glide

Free plan is capped at 1 project and limited AI credits
Team plan starts at a 5 member minimum, priced from $125 per month, with only 50 credits included per member

Retool

Builders and internal users are billed as separate seat types, so the true cost depends on the mix rather than the headcount
The free plan is capped at 5 users, 500 workflow runs a month and 5 GB of database capacity
Audit logging, permission controls, portals and custom branding all require the Business plan at $50 per builder per month billed annually
External user access is Business only, and is charged in bands above 50 users
Self hosted deployments mirror the cloud tiers but need Enterprise for unlimited users and SSO

Pricing, plan by plan

Glide

Free

FreeFree
- 1 project
- Limited credits
- Up to 2 team members
Solo$25/month
- 5 projects
- Database included
- 100 credits minimum
Team$125/month
- 20 projects
- 5 team members minimum
- 50 credits per member
Enterprise$null/custom
- Custom project limits
- Single sign-on
- Custom connectors

Retool

Free

FreeFree
- Unlimited web and mobile apps
- 500 workflow runs monthly
- 5GB database capacity
Team$10/month
- Builders: $10/month (annual) or $12/month (monthly)
- Internal users: $5/month (annual) or $7/month (monthly)
- 5,000 workflow runs monthly
Business$50/month
- Builders: $50/month (annual) or $65/month (monthly)
- Internal users: $15/month (annual) or $18/month (monthly)
- Audit logging
Enterprise$null/contact sales
- Custom pricing
- SSO integration
- Unlimited users

Which should you pick?

Choose Glide if

You want to start without paying.

Glide review

Choose Retool if

You need drag-and-drop builder.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Web, Self-hosted.
You also want database integration.

Retool review

Questions people ask

Is Glide or Retool better?: Neither clearly leads. Glide starts at Free and Retool at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Glide or Retool?: Glide starts at Free and Retool at Free.
Does Glide or Retool run on more platforms?: Glide runs on Web. Retool runs on Web, Self-hosted.
Can I use Glide for free?: Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Glide best used for?: Glide is most often used for building business apps from spreadsheets without coding, generating inventory management systems from data, creating logistics and procurement applications, generating business dashboards without engineers. Of those, building business apps from spreadsheets without coding and generating inventory management systems from data are not what Retool is typically brought in for.
What can Glide do that Retool cannot?: Retool covers Drag-and-drop builder, Database integration, REST API, Real-time data binding.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Glide: How much does Glide cost?

Glide Free plan is $0 per month. Solo plan is $25 per month with 5 projects and database. Team plan is $125 per month for up to 20 projects and 5 team members. Enterprise plan requires custom pricing.

Source

Retool: How much does Retool cost?

Retool offers a free tier. Paid cloud plans start at $10/month (Team - builders) or $5/month (Team - internal users), $50/month (Business - builders) or $15/month (Business - internal users). Enterprise pricing is custom. Annual billing provides 20% savings.

Source

Glide: Is there a free version of Glide?

Yes, Glide offers a free plan with 1 project, limited credits, and support for up to 2 team members.

Source

Retool: What is the difference between builders and internal users?

Builders are users who create applications in Retool, while internal users are those who only access and use the applications. Internal users cost significantly less than builders on all paid tiers.

Source

Glide: What does the Team plan include?

The Team plan at $125 per month includes 20 projects, 5 team members minimum, 50 credits per member, team dashboard, team member-only sign-in, and 100 GB storage.

Source

Retool: Can I self-host Retool?

Yes, Free, Team, and Business tiers support self-hosting with comparable features to cloud versions. Enterprise is required for unlimited users, SSO, and advanced self-host features.

Source

Glide: What payment processing fees does Glide charge?

Glide charges a flat 2.6% payment processing rate across all plans, with free same-day payouts Monday through Thursday and instant payouts available at 1.8% fee.

Source

Retool: What are AI credits and how do they work?

AI credits are used for app building and AI actions. Free tier includes 250 monthly credits, Team includes 1,000, and Business includes 3,000. Credits renew monthly without carryover and are pooled at the organization level.

Source

Glide vs Retool

Glide

Retool

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Glide

Only in Retool

What people use each for

Glide

Retool

Where each one falls short

Glide

Retool

Pricing, plan by plan

Glide

Retool

Which should you pick?

Choose Glide if

Choose Retool if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Glide

More on Retool

Keep looking

Other head to heads