Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Appbase.io VS Retool

Compare Appbase.io VS Retool and see what are their differences

Appbase.io logo Appbase.io

Search stack for building modern apps

Retool logo Retool

Build custom internal tools in minutes.
  • Appbase.io Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-23

Appbase.io provides a supercharged Elasticsearch experience with an advanced search relevance control plane that allows a user to build and test a relevant search with no code. Since this experience is powered under the hood with Elasticsearch - so you aren't limited in the future if you wish to build upon what appbase.io already offers. You can host with us, or run it alongside your existing Elasticsearch cluster.

What can you can do with appbase.io: - Build Auto suggestions (powered by n-grams, edge n-grams), - Highlighting support, - Support for 39 languages as well as support for multi-language search, - Popular suggestions based on analytics, - Set synonyms, - Use rank feature in addition to text relevance to optimize relevance tuning, - Advanced query rules to extend search relevance.

In addition to our no code control plane, one can use our JS UI components (4,000+ Github stars, 1MM+ downloads, actively used by more than 1,000 projects) to design the search experience for web and mobile. We offer these components for React, Vue, React Native and Vanilla JS.

When a search experience is powered with appbase.io, we additionally collect telemetry on search and click data and provide one of the most powerful analytics to visualize the search engagement and conversion metrics.

Head over here for a 14-day trial: https://dashboard.appbase.io/signup/

  • Retool Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-04

Appbase.io

Website
appbase.io
$ Details
paid Free Trial $19.0 / Monthly (Self-Hosted)
Platforms
Web iOS Android REST API Cloud
Release Date
2015 August

Retool

Website
retool.com
$ Details
freemium $10.0 / Monthly (Startup)
Platforms
-
Release Date
2017 January
Startup details
Country
United States
State
California
Founder(s)
David Hsu
Employees
10 - 19

Appbase.io features and specs

  • Control plane to build and test search visually
  • Mobile web and Native app UIs
  • Out-of-the-box Search Analytics
  • Customizable Filters and Facets
  • Access Control
  • Flexible Deployment
    Fully Managed, Bring Your Elasticsearch, or Self Hosted

Retool features and specs

  • Speed of Development
    Retool allows developers to rapidly build internal tools with a drag-and-drop interface, reducing the time it takes to get functional applications up and running.
  • Integration Capabilities
    Retool supports integration with a wide range of databases, APIs, and other services, making it easier to connect different data sources and systems.
  • Customizability
    While Retool provides prebuilt components, it also allows for custom code and scripting, enabling developers to tailor applications to specific requirements.
  • Collaboration Features
    Retool supports collaborative features, such as sharing applications with team members and version control, making it easier to work in teams.
  • Security
    Retool provides robust security features, including access control and data encryption, to help protect sensitive information.

Possible disadvantages of Retool

  • Cost
    Retool can be relatively expensive compared to building internal tools from scratch or using some other platforms, potentially making it less accessible for smaller teams or startups.
  • Learning Curve
    Despite its user-friendly interface, there can be a learning curve for new users who need to become familiar with its specific functionalities and scripting capabilities.
  • Customization Limitations
    Though Retool offers customizability, there might be certain limitations compared to fully bespoke solutions, impacting highly specific or complex use cases.
  • Dependency on Retool
    Relying heavily on Retool may create a dependency that could be problematic if the company changes its pricing, features, or discontinues services.
  • Performance
    For very large datasets or highly complex operations, performance can become an issue, as it is with many platform-based solutions.

Appbase.io videos

Introduction to Appbase.io's Relevant Search

More videos:

  • Review - Appbase.io: Build a relevant search experience for Elasticsearch

Retool videos

Retool - Logic Review

More videos:

  • Review - #Worth?! Ep.12 - Retool (Gameplay / Review)
  • Demo - February NY Enterprise Tech Meetup: Retool Demo

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Appbase.io and Retool)
Developer Tools
16 16%
84% 84
No Code
0 0%
100% 100
Design Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Productivity
9 9%
91% 91

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Appbase.io and Retool

Appbase.io Reviews

We have no reviews of Appbase.io yet.
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Retool Reviews

Top 5 Dynobase alternatives you should know about - March 2025 Review
The choice ultimately depends on your environment and use case. Many teams use a combination of tools: for example, Dynomate for developers, and a Retool app for operations or support teams. By understanding the strengths of each alternative, you can select the tool (or combination of tools) that best integrates with your AWS workflow, making DynamoDB development smoother...
Source: www.dynomate.io
React UI Components Libraries: Our Top Picks for 2023
Retool offers extensive documentation and support. Its support is available on its Discourse forum, Slack (if you are a Retool power user), Intercom for live chat, and dedicated support for enterprise customers.
Source: kinsta.com
ILLA Cloud vs. Retool vs. Bubble - Unveiling the Best Low-Code Platforms
In the quest for the best low-code platform, Retool, Bubble, and ILLA Cloud all offer unique features and capabilities. While Retool shines with its self-hosted option and Bubble contributes to the open-source community, ILLA Cloud stands out as a powerful and flexible low-code platform. With its comprehensive feature set, affordable pricing models, and self-hosted...
Top 9 Low-Code Tools for 2023 for low-code development
Retool is a powerful low-code platform that enables developers to build internal tools and apps with ease. It offers a drag-and-drop interface and a wide range of pre-built components for seamless development. Retool integrates with various data sources and external services, allowing users to fetch data, perform calculations, and display results in real-time. Its...
Superblock vs Retool: A Comprehensive Comparison for Low-code development Platforms
Retool caters to a diverse audience, including developers, product managers, and business professionals. Developers benefit from Retool's low-code capabilities, allowing them to build applications quickly without sacrificing customization. Product managers can leverage Retool to streamline internal workflows and enable teams to be more productive. Business professionals can...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Retool seems to be a lot more popular than Appbase.io. While we know about 99 links to Retool, we've tracked only 1 mention of Appbase.io. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Appbase.io mentions (1)

  • Build an e-commerce app: using React, Redux, Elasticsearch, Next.JS, Auth0, Stripe
    We also have an open-source version of the appbase.io server (available as Docker/Linux binaries) with all the essential search features included: https://github.com/appbaseio/reactivesearch-api. Source: about 4 years ago

Retool mentions (99)

  • How Low-Code Platforms Are Changing the Future of App Development
    Retool has carved out a specific niche by excelling at internal tool creation. Companies use it to build dashboards, admin panels, and business process applications that would otherwise consume valuable engineering resources. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Code or No Code? The AI Revolution in Web Development
    Retool โ€“ Low-code platform for business applications. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • I keep turning my Google Sheets into phone-friendly webapps, and I can't stop
    As mentioned by another poster, check out "Partner portals" section on https://retool.com/. - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • How to Build Internal Tools 100x Faster
    It is possible to speed up the development and delivery process for many internal applications by using no-code or low code tools. These vary in offerings from open source to SaaS, including popular ones like AirTable, BudiBase, Retool, NocoDB and others. These can all greatly help speed up delivery times. - Source: dev.to / 10 months ago
  • Do you need a No Code tool for Firebase?
    There are some No Code tools for Firebase. Some of them are fully integrated, some of them use some limited functions of Firebase through their API. If a tool allows you to integrate with a REST API, you probably can use it. Some of them are: FlutterFlow, JetAdmin, Retool, Bubble, etc. - Source: dev.to / 11 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Appbase.io and Retool, you can also consider the following products

Algolia - Algolia's Search API makes it easy to deliver a great search experience in your apps & websites. Algolia Search provides hosted full-text, numerical, faceted and geolocalized search.

Appsmith - Appsmith is an open source web framework for building internal tools, admin panels, dashboards, and workflows.

UI Movement - The best UI design inspiration, daily

Bubble.io - Building tech is slow and expensive. Bubble is the most powerful no-code platform for creating digital products.

Carrd - Simple, responsive one-page site creator.

Airtable - Airtable works like a spreadsheet but gives you the power of a database to organize anything. Sign up for free.