Retool
Supabase
| Feature | Retool | Supabase |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $10/mo | Free / from $25/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.4 / 5 | 4.7 / 5 |
| Best For | engineering-teams, operations, startups, enterprise | developers, startups, indie-hackers, full-stack-teams |
| Founded | 2017 | 2020 |
| Drag And Drop | ✓ | ✗ |
| Data Connectors | ✓ | ✗ |
| Custom Code | ✓ | ✗ |
| Workflows | ✓ | ✗ |
| Permissions | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mobile Apps | ✓ | ✗ |
| Postgres Database | ✗ | ✓ |
| Authentication | ✗ | ✓ |
| Edge Functions | ✗ | ✓ |
| Real Time | ✗ | ✓ |
| Storage | ✗ | ✓ |
| Vector Embeddings | ✗ | ✓ |
| Self Hosting | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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
✓ Supabase Pros
- Full Postgres with SQL access
- Generous free tier (500MB, 50K monthly active users)
- Auth, storage, and edge functions included
- Open-source and self-hostable
✗ Supabase Cons
- Can be complex for non-developers
- Pauses inactive free projects after 7 days
- Real-time can be expensive at scale
The Verdict
Retool is built for engineering teams and operations, with a focus on drag-and-drop and data-connectors. Supabase targets developers and startups and leads with postgres-database and authentication.
On pricing, Retool is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $10/mo compared to $25/mo for Supabase. That $15/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, Supabase 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.
Bottom line: Supabase has a slight overall edge — but if fast development matters most to you, Retool may still be the right call.