Baserow
Retool
| Feature | Baserow | Retool |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $5/mo | Free / from $10/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.3 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Best For | developers, small-teams, self-hosters, privacy-conscious-orgs | engineering-teams, operations, data-teams, startups, enterprise |
| Founded | 2019 | 2017 |
| Database Tables | ✓ | ✗ |
| Forms | ✓ | ✗ |
| Api | ✓ | ✗ |
| Views | ✓ | ✗ |
| Automations | ✓ | ✗ |
| Self Hosting | ✓ | ✓ |
| Drag Drop Ui | ✗ | ✓ |
| Database Connectors | ✗ | ✓ |
| Api Integration | ✗ | ✓ |
| Workflows | ✗ | ✓ |
| Rbac | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ai | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Baserow Pros
- Open-source and self-hostable
- Good Airtable alternative
- Developer-friendly API
- Affordable pricing
✗ Baserow Cons
- Fewer automations than Airtable
- Smaller template library
- Growing feature set
✓ Retool Pros
- Fastest way to build internal tools
- Connects to any database or API
- Self-hostable for security
- Pre-built components save hours
✗ Retool Cons
- Only for internal tools — not customer-facing
- Can get expensive for large teams
- Learning curve for complex queries
The Verdict
Baserow is built for developers and small teams, with a focus on database-tables and forms. Retool targets engineering teams and operations and leads with drag-drop-ui and database-connectors.
On pricing, Baserow is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $5/mo compared to $10/mo for Retool. That $5/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Feature-wise, Retool offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Baserow takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.