Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Retool VS DrawSQL

Compare Retool VS DrawSQL and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Retool logo Retool

Build custom internal tools in minutes.

DrawSQL logo DrawSQL

Easy database diagrams. Create, visualize and collaborate on your database entity relationship diagrams.
  • Retool Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-04
  • DrawSQL Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-03

DrawSQL is a simple, beautiful database diagram editor for developers to ๐Ÿšง create, ๐Ÿ’ฌ collaborate and ๐Ÿ‘€ visualize their entity relationship diagrams.

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

DrawSQL

$ Details
freemium $15.0 / Monthly
Platforms
Browser
Release Date
2018 November

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.

DrawSQL features and specs

  • Easy to Set-up and use
  • Clean UI
  • Free Trial

Retool videos

Retool - Logic Review

More videos:

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

DrawSQL videos

DrawSQL: Create and visualize beautiful database entity relationship diagrams.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Retool and DrawSQL)
No Code
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
91 91%
9% 9
SQL Diagrams
0 0%
100% 100
Productivity
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 Retool and DrawSQL

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...

DrawSQL Reviews

We have no reviews of DrawSQL yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Retool should be more popular than DrawSQL. 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.

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 / 19 days ago
  • Code or No Code? The AI Revolution in Web Development
    Retool โ€“ Low-code platform for business applications. - Source: dev.to / 2 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 / 5 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 / 5 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 / 6 months ago
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DrawSQL mentions (11)

  • How Changing Requirements Shape the Infrastructure of a Software Project
    So I started designing the DB using this cool tool. The project has 2 tables, users and categories . The user can create many categories as he wants so the first approach I took was creating a third table, a union table to store user_id and category_id. With this solution the users are able to create x numbers of categories and we can see assign the category to the user. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Creating Diagrams and Databases with Online Tools
    Once you have generated the SQL code, you can convert it into a relational schema (the graphical table model) using DrawSQL. This tool offers:. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • ๐Ÿ–Œ๏ธ 5+1 Online Tools for Sketches, Wireframes, Drawings, and Diagrams
    DrawSQL makes it easy for teams to collaborate on creating and maintaining schema diagrams. With a single source of truth, there's no need for manually syncing diagram files between different developers and offline tools anymore. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Newbie: Trying to use Supabase Auth fully with its database.
    To be honest, since you are just getting started, I think you should reconsider simplifying this app to begin with. Built something easier and get some more experience before jumping in the ocean. Maybe start by focusing only on the parent company and sub-companies. However, I strongly recommend you to try and make a diagram of your database with relations and columns as it can you a lot of time. I personally use... Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Sites that list SQL schemas/database diagrams?
    After googling some, I found DrawSQL, which is a start. But I don't like its interface, and the inability to download the schemas in any form (at least not from what I can see). Source: over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Retool and DrawSQL, you can also consider the following products

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

MySQL Workbench - MySQL Workbench is a unified visual tool for database architects, developers, and DBAs.

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

DBDiagram.io - Free database diagrams designer for analysts & developers ๐Ÿ› 

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

PopSQL - Modern SQL editor for teams