Framer
Retool
| Feature | Framer | Retool |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $5/mo | Free / from $10/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.6 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 |
| Best For | designers, startups, freelancers, agencies, portfolio-creators | engineering-teams, operations, startups, enterprise |
| Founded | 2014 | 2017 |
| Visual Editor | ✓ | ✗ |
| Animations | ✓ | ✗ |
| Cms | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ai Generation | ✓ | ✗ |
| Responsive Design | ✓ | ✗ |
| Seo | ✓ | ✗ |
| Custom Domains | ✓ | ✗ |
| Drag And Drop | ✗ | ✓ |
| Data Connectors | ✗ | ✓ |
| Custom Code | ✗ | ✓ |
| Workflows | ✗ | ✓ |
| Permissions | ✗ | ✓ |
| Mobile Apps | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Framer Pros
- Beautiful scroll animations out-of-box
- Figma-like design interface
- Built-in CMS for blogs
- AI generates entire sites from prompts
✗ Framer Cons
- Not for complex web apps
- Custom code limited in scope
- Can be expensive for multiple sites
✓ Retool Pros
- Fast development
- Many integrations
- Pre-built components
- Good for internal tools
✗ Retool Cons
- Not for customer-facing apps
- Vendor lock-in
- Expensive at scale
The Verdict
Framer is built for designers and startups, with a focus on visual-editor and animations. Retool targets engineering teams and operations and leads with drag-and-drop and data-connectors.
On pricing, Framer 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, Framer offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Retool takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Both tools are a solid fit for startups — in those cases, the decision often comes down to workflow style and how your team prefers to organize work.
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.