Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Avo for Ruby on Rails VS Retool

Compare Avo for Ruby on Rails VS Retool and see what are their differences

Avo for Ruby on Rails logo Avo for Ruby on Rails

The most powerful Ruby on Rails Admin Panel Framework

Retool logo Retool

Build custom internal tools in minutes.
  • Avo for Ruby on Rails Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-24

Avo is the a very advanced low-code tool that helps you build advanced admin panels and internal tools using Ruby on Rails. Easily the most maintained solution out there. With plenty of "ease of mind" support packages. Build performant inventory, healthcare, security, customer support, ecommerce, education, and content management systems and CRMs.

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

Retool

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

Avo for Ruby on Rails features and specs

  • User-friendly Interface
    Avo provides a clean and intuitive interface for managing resources, making it easier for developers and administrators to manage and navigate the back-end of Ruby on Rails applications.
  • Customizability
    It offers a high degree of customization, allowing developers to tailor the admin panel to fit the specific needs of their application, including custom fields, actions, and layouts.
  • Rapid Development
    Avo accelerates the development process by providing scaffolding for building admin interfaces, which reduces the overall development time.
  • Integration with Rails
    Seamlessly integrates with Ruby on Rails, utilizing its conventions and allowing developers to leverage existing models and data structures.
  • Active Support
    Regular updates and active community support provide continuous improvements and quick fixes from developers familiar with the common use-cases in the Rails community.

Possible disadvantages of Avo for Ruby on Rails

  • Learning Curve
    While Avo aims to be user-friendly, there might be a learning curve for developers unfamiliar with its setup and customization options, especially those new to Ruby on Rails.
  • Cost for Full Features
    Some advanced features are only available in paid versions, which may not be ideal for small projects or startups with limited budgets.
  • Limited Community Plugins
    Compared to more established admin frameworks, Avo might have a smaller ecosystem of plugins and extensions, potentially limiting third-party resources.
  • Dependency on Avo-specific Code
    Using Avo-specific constructs can create a dependency, which might pose challenges if transitioning away from Avo in the future.
  • Version Compatibility
    There might be occasional issues with compatibility between Avo updates and newer versions of Ruby on Rails, requiring careful version management.

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.

Avo for Ruby on Rails videos

No Avo for Ruby on Rails videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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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 Avo for Ruby on Rails and Retool)
Developer Tools
7 7%
93% 93
No Code
0 0%
100% 100
CRM
100 100%
0% 0
CMS
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Avo for Ruby on Rails and Retool

Avo for Ruby on Rails Reviews

  1. Stan
    · Founder at SaaSHub ·
    Seems promising

    Avo definitely seems promising and polished. What is more, it's based on all the modern tech that's included within the latest (v7 as of now) version of Rails.

    Unfortunately, its licence is bit less permissive than one would expect. I.e. you can't use it in a commercial product without buying a license. Yes, there are both FREE and Pro version; however, if you are using it on a non-personal project you need to pay for it. That's not inherently bad, as it pays for the support and improvement of the product. Yet, it could be a deterrent for many.

    Something similar to what Sidekiq is doing seems more appropriate - a FREE (free free) and an Enterprise version. Then, you can use the FREE version in any sort of a project, and if the project picks up, you can buy the enterprise version and benefit from the extra features.

    🏁 Competitors: RailsAdmin, Active Admin
    👍 Pros:    Polished design|Modern architecture|Good docs
    👎 Cons:    Licence

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 should be more popular than Avo for Ruby on Rails. It has been mentiond 99 times since March 2021. 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.

Avo for Ruby on Rails mentions (12)

  • Rails for Everything
    I would say that Avo is by far the best Rails admin solution out there. It's beautiful. https://avohq.io/. - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
  • Short Ruby Newsletter - edition 110 highlights
    Avo is looking for a mid-level Ruby on Rails Developer and I could not recommend enough the experience of working with Adrian Marin - the creator of Avo. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • Ask HN: Fastest way to launch web app
    I would recommend Ruby on Rails - you will find well establish gems for everything you need (eg: devise for auth, pay gem for paymens, sitepress for static content like marketing pages …) There are also some very well done (simple to understand and maintain) starter kits. Here are two of them: - https://jumpstartrails.com - https://businessclasskit.com I would recommend Avo (and I am doing so for a couple of... - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
  • Show HN: Build your startup or side project faster with these SaaS templates
    Quality is often much better with these kinds of templates and frameworks, because the creators often can make better default choices. For example, Avo (https://avohq.io) and Bullet Train (https://bullettrain.co/) are IMHO both much higher quality out of the box than what a typical intermediate Rails developer could accomplish in months of full time learning and coding. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Show HN: Build your startup or side project faster with these SaaS templates
    Avo is a great content management system for Rails. I'm a paying customer. https://avohq.io/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
View more

Retool mentions (99)

View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Avo for Ruby on Rails and Retool, you can also consider the following products

PocketBase.io - Open Source backend with realtime database, authentication, file storage and admin dashboard, all compiled in 1 portable executable.

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

Directus - Free and Open-Source Headless CMS

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

Supabase - An open source Firebase alternative

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