Retool Pricing 2026: Plans, Per-User Cost and Alternatives

Retool's pricing page looks tidy. Four plans, a handful of numbers, a button that says start for free. Then you count your own people and the tidiness goes.

The catch is that Retool doesn't charge for heads. It charges for what each head does. Someone who fixes one typo in an app can cost three times as much as someone who only opens it. Add workflow runs, AI credits and outside users and the total shifts again.

So this guide goes plan by plan, then shows what teams of 10, 50 and 100 people would pay. We'll cover the extras that catch people out too, and what to do if you'd rather know the bill before you build.

How does Retool pricing work in 2026?

Retool pricing is built on seats, and the type of seat matters more than the number of seats. Every enabled person lands in one of three groups, and each group has its own rate.

The three user types

• Builder. Someone who built or edited an app or workflow during the billing cycle.

• Internal user. A person on your team who used Retool without editing anything.

• External user. Someone outside your company, like a customer or a vendor. These sit on the Business plan.

Retool works out the type at the end of each billing cycle. An internal user who tweaks one query that month becomes a builder for that month. On Business you can use permission groups to stop people editing, which keeps them in the cheaper group.

Annual or monthly billing

Annual billing is cheaper. Team costs $10 per builder and $5 per internal user each month when you pay yearly. Pay month to month and the same seats cost $12 and $7. On Business the gap is wider. It's $50 and $15 on an annual plan against $65 and $18 monthly.

One more thing worth knowing. Seats you add above your annual commitment are billed at the monthly rate, and they aren't prorated.

Retool plans compared

These are the figures reported by pricing review sites in autumn 2026. Prices are in US dollars per month, and the annual column is the monthly equivalent when you pay for a year.

Sources disagree on a few details, like how many AI credits Team and Business include. Check Retool's own pricing page before you buy.

What Retool really costs for a team

List prices only help if you know your mix of builders and users. For the table below we assumed one builder for every four internal users. Your mix will differ, so treat the numbers as a starting point.

These are our own sums from the published rates. They leave out tax, discounts, outside users and add-ons.

Real contracts look different. Vendr, which tracks software purchases, reports a median Retool contract of about $66,000 a year with an average discount near 19 percent. CostBench shared those figures. If your team is large, ask for a quote instead of trusting the list.

Add-ons and extra charges that change the bill

Workflow runs, AI credits and agents

• Workflow runs. Free includes 500 a month and Team includes 5,000. Extra runs cost $75 for each 5,000 per month.

• AI credits. They're pooled across the account and renew every month. Unused credits don't roll over. Extra packs cost about $100 for 1,000 credits on paid plans.

• Agents. Each organization gets $50 of free agent usage a month. After that you pay for what you use, and overage is invoiced monthly even on an annual plan.

External user pricing on Business

This is the line that surprises people most. The first 50 outside users are free on Business. After that the price drops in bands.

Say you open a customer portal to 300 people on an annual Business plan. The first 50 are free. The next 200 cost $1,600 a month and the last 50 cost $300. That's $1,900 a month for the portal alone, before a single employee seat.

Which Retool plan fits which team?

The hidden costs of Retool pricing

• Builder creep. Every extra person who edits an app moves up from $5 to $10 on Team, or from $15 to $50 on Business.

• Outside users. Portals look cheap at 50 users and stop looking cheap at 500.

• Occasional users. Seat pricing hurts when many people open an app once a week. You pay a full seat for a few minutes of use.

• Enterprise gates. SSO, source control and dedicated support all sit on the top plan, and that plan has no listed price.

• Moving targets. Promotional AI credits on Team and Business ended on 30 September 2026. Plans keep changing, so last year's budget may not hold.

Retool alternatives for teams that want predictable costs

Our guide to Retool alternatives covers the full list. Here is the short version, grouped by how each approach charges.

How KodeFlex fits

KodeFlex is an app builder for internal tools like approvals, trackers and admin screens. The big difference from Retool is how you pay. KodeFlex is licensed by edition, not per user, so adding a colleague doesn't change the price. You can see what it does on the KodeFlex product page.

The KodeFlex vs Retool page puts the two side by side. Other low code tools charge in their own ways too, and our low-code pricing guide shows how the common models compare.

KodeFlex pricing by edition

KodeFlex sells a lifetime licence, which you pay once, or an annual licence. Every edition has a cap on users and apps, except Enterprise.

Prices come from the KodeFlex pricing page and can change, so check it before you decide.

Retool and KodeFlex side by side

Take the 50 person team from earlier. On the Team plan with annual billing, Retool comes to $3,600 a year, or $10,800 over three years. The KodeFlex Team lifetime licence for 50 users is $1,499 once. These aren't identical products. Retool Team has no audit logs and KodeFlex Team has a limit of 20 apps. Still, it shows how different the two pricing models are.

If you'd like to see it working, you can request a KodeFlex demo or download KodeFlex and try it yourself.

Where KodeFlex does not fit

KodeFlex is for internal tools. It isn't the right pick for customer facing products, consumer apps or software that is itself your product. If you need a portal for outside customers, look elsewhere. And if your team already runs deep Retool apps with custom JavaScript, Git source control and SSO, moving is real work. Test one small app before you commit.

How to price your own Retool bill

• Count builders honestly. Anyone who edits an app in a month counts, even for one fix.

• Count internal users. Everyone else who opens an app.

• Count outside users. Customers, vendors or contractors who log in.

• Add the extras. Workflow runs, AI credits and agent usage.

• Multiply by twelve. Then compare the annual and monthly totals.

A worked example

This is an illustration, not a case study. A company has 3 builders and 22 internal users on an annual Business plan.

• Builders. 3 at $50 is $150 a month.

• Internal users. 22 at $15 is $330 a month.

• Seats total. $480 a month, or $5,760 a year.

• Then a vendor portal. 120 outside users means 70 above the free 50. At $8 that adds $560 a month.

The new total is $1,040 a month, or $12,480 a year. That's more than double, and nobody joined the company.

Common mistakes when budgeting for Retool

• Pricing by headcount. Seat type changes the answer more than seat count.

• Forgetting outside users. A portal can cost more than the whole internal team.

• Trusting the list price. Large buyers negotiate, so ask for a quote.

• Skipping the annual versus monthly check. The gap on Business is a few thousand dollars at 50 people.

• Ignoring who edits. Lock editing down with permission groups if you're on Business.

Checklist before you choose a plan

• Builders, internal users and outside users counted

• Annual and monthly totals both worked out

• Workflow runs and AI credits estimated

• A quote requested if you need SSO or source control

• At least one alternative priced for comparison

• Pricing page checked on the day you buy

Frequently asked questions

How much does Retool pricing cost per user?

On annual billing Team costs $10 per builder and $5 per internal user each month. Business costs $50 and $15. Month to month rates are higher at $12 and $7 on Team, and $65 and $18 on Business.

Is Retool free?

Yes, up to a point. The free plan covers up to 5 users with 500 workflow runs and 250 AI credits a month. Past 5 users you need a paid plan.

What is the difference between a builder and an internal user?

A builder edited an app or workflow in the billing cycle. An internal user only used apps. Builders cost more, and Retool decides the type at the end of each cycle.

How much do external users cost on Retool?

The first 50 are free on Business. On annual billing the next 200 cost $8 each per month, the next 250 cost $6 and anyone past 500 costs $4. Monthly billing is a little higher.

Does Retool charge for workflow runs?

Each plan includes a number of runs. Free has 500 a month and Team has 5,000. Extra runs are sold at $75 for each 5,000 per month.

What are the cheapest Retool alternatives?

Open source tools can cost nothing in licences but take time to host. Flat priced builders keep the bill steady as your team grows. See our guide to Retool alternatives for the full list.

Is KodeFlex a Retool alternative?

Yes, for internal tools like approvals and trackers. It isn't built for customer facing products. The KodeFlex vs Retool page shows where the two differ.

How much does KodeFlex cost?

KodeFlex is licensed by edition, not per user. Lifetime licences cost $1,499 for Team, $2,499 for Professional and $3,199 for Enterprise. Annual licences cost $3,699, $5,199 and $5,899. See the KodeFlex pricing page for the limits on users and apps.

Keep reading

• Retool alternatives

• KodeFlex vs Retool

• Low-code pricing guide

• KodeFlex pricing