Mendix vs Retool (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Retool grades higher than Mendix: 2.8 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Retool grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Mendix
Enterprise low-code platform for business applications
Retool
Platform for building internal apps, workflows and AI agents
Which one is for you
Pick Mendix if
- Fits if your company builds business apps across a department
- Works for IT teams deploying to Azure, Kubernetes or SAP
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you're a small team: Standard begins around 918 euros a month
- Not for you if you want US dollar prices, since only euros are shown
- Watch out: cloud compute isn't included, and Premium is quoted individually
- Watch out: Studio Pro supports Windows 11, with Apple Silicon Macs in beta
Pick Retool if
- Fits if you build internal dashboards over company databases
- Works for small teams that start free and add builders later
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you grow: every internal user adds $5 or $15 on top of builders
- Watch out: external users and embedded apps need Business at $50 a builder
- Watch out: SSO, SCIM and Git source control are Enterprise only
- Watch out: extra workflow runs cost $75 per 5,000 a month
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAMendixFair | 2.8GPARetoolGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DAbout 918 euros a month for one app, and the page doesn't say monthly or annual, in a category whose paid plans start at $16 to $25. Compute is extra. | BTeam is $10 a builder plus $5 an internal user on yearly billing, in the cheaper quarter, though Business jumps to $50 and $15. |
| Free plan and trial | BA free package with no card: the full platform, unlimited users, one environment per app and the academy. Built for demos and small apps. | BFree: up to 5 users, 250 AI credits and 500 workflow runs a month, production only. One person could live on that. |
| Features | BVisual IDE, agentic development, many deployment targets, process orchestration and a free academy. The listing shows no gap in the core job. | BAI app builder, workflows, agents, import from Lovable and Replit, and self-hosting. The listing shows no gap in the core job. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Enterprise low-code with a learning path and certifications, so expect a learning curve. | CNo store rating on record. It's a web builder where you connect data and build the app yourself. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb plus a Windows IDE, with AWS, Azure, SAP BTP, Snowflake, OpenShift and Kubernetes. No phone app is listed. | BWeb app with GitHub, import from other builders and a self-hosting option, on a long integration list. |
| Best for | enterprise low-code business apps | internal tools, workflows and agents |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Mendix and Retool. How we grade
Price against what you get
Mendix starts at about $1,025.59 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Retool starts at $10 a month and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and Retool starts $1,015.59 a month lower. Of the other AI app builders on the chart, 12 score higher than Mendix for less, and 1 scores higher than Retool for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Retool is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Retool also covers workflow automation, AI agents and no-code.
At a glance
| Mendix | Retool | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | €918 per month and up for One App (euros as displayed; billing basis not stated) | $10 per builder / month, billed annually (plus $5 per internal user) |
| Free plan | Free package: build and deploy demos, prototypes or small apps with a deployment environment and unlimited users, no credit card required. | Up to 5 users, 250 AI credits a month and 500 workflow runs a month, production environment only. |
| Free trial | None listed | Free trial on Team and Business; length not stated |
| Web | ||
| Windows | ||
| Made by | Mendix | Retool |
| Price read from | mendix.com | retool.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Mendix
- Prices are shown in euros; the US-dollar price and the billing basis (monthly or annual) are not shown on the page.
- Standard and Premium licenses do not include cloud compute resources, which are priced separately by deployment option.
- Premium is quoted individually, and the Mendix Cloud, Azure, Kubernetes and other deployments cost extra on Standard.
- The Studio Pro 11 IDE is supported on Windows 11; the docs say Apple Silicon Macs run it in beta.
Retool
- Seats are split into builders and internal users, and each is billed separately.
- External users and embedded apps need Business at $50 per builder / month.
- Extra workflow runs cost $75 per 5,000 runs a month.
- SSO, SCIM and Git source control are Enterprise only.
Key features
Mendix
- Collaborative visual IDE
- Multi-user development across skill levels in a single IDE, with agile project management built into the platform.
- Agentic and AI development
- The site lists agentic development, AI governance and AI model development among its platform areas.
- Flexible deployment
- Deploys to Mendix Cloud, dedicated cloud, Azure, Kubernetes, SAP BTP, StackIT or your own servers, mostly at additional cost on paid plans.
- Process orchestration
- Part of the platform menu alongside an enterprise knowledge graph and integrations.
- Free academy
- Online learning paths and certifications are included on every package.
Retool
- AI app builder
- Describe an app in a prompt and it is generated against connected data, then refined by hand.
- Import from other builders
- The homepage says apps built in Lovable, Replit and similar tools can be imported by ZIP or GitHub sync.
- Workflows and agents
- Workflow runs are capped per month by plan, and agents are billed hourly outside the credit pool.
- Governance
- Business adds audit logs and permissions; Enterprise adds SSO, SCIM and Git source control.
- Self-hosting
- The FAQ says Retool can run in a company's own VPC, with Enterprise supporting both cloud and self-hosted.
Plans
Mendix
Free€0
per month
Full platform for prototypes and small apps, with one deployment environment per app and the free online academy.
Standard (One App)€918
per month and up, for one app
Department-wide business apps: up to 3 environments per app, ops dashboard, IDP integration, 9-to-5 support and a 99.5% uptime guarantee. Cloud resources cost extra.
Standard (Unlimited Apps)€2,295
per month and up, for unlimited apps
The same capabilities as One App for a portfolio of apps. The page says the platform is identical and only the price differs.
PremiumCustom
Mission-critical systems: horizontal scaling, high availability, multi-region failover, a private marketplace, 24/7 support and a 99.95% uptime guarantee.
Retool
Free$0
Up to 5 users, 250 AI credits a month, Retool Cloud, production only.
Team$10
per builder / month, billed annually
Plus $5 per internal user. Unlimited users, 1,000 AI credits, staging and production.
Business$50
per builder / month, billed annually
Plus $15 per internal user. 3,000 AI credits, external users, embedded apps, audit logs.
EnterpriseCustom
10,000 AI credits, SSO and SCIM, Git source control, self-hosted or air-gapped options.
Ways to pay less
Mendix
No public discounts listed.
Retool
- Annual discount
20% off with annual billing
The Team and Business plans are billed annually and state a 20% saving versus monthly.
- Education
Free Business account for students and educators
The pricing FAQ says students and educators can apply for a free Business account.
- Nonprofit
25 free seats for nonprofits
The pricing FAQ says nonprofits can apply for 25 free seats on cloud or self-hosted plans.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Mendix or Retool?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Retool is cheaper to start with: $10 a month, against about $1,025.59 a month for Mendix. Mendix starts at €918 per month and up for One App (euros as displayed; billing basis not stated), and Retool starts at $10 per builder / month, billed annually (plus $5 per internal user).
Which has a free plan, Mendix or Retool?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Mendix and Retool have a free plan.
Which platforms do Mendix and Retool run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Mendix lists a Windows app. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.