Compare with Retool
A Retool alternative for internal tools with their own data
Retool builds internal software on the databases and APIs your company already runs, from prompts or by hand. Compare what leaves Retool in an export with what stays connected, and where an Exepad app holding its own records fits.
Retool
Where Retool fits.
Retool leads with building internal software with AI. Its apps connect to the data your company already runs, and admins decide who can use, edit or own each app and resource. Measure an alternative against that governed setup, not only against the screens it produces.[1][3]
Resources over your own data
Each database or API becomes a resource, from PostgreSQL and Snowflake to Salesforce or a REST endpoint. Resource environments keep development data apart from production, and Retool Database, a managed service, stores tables for Retool apps in PostgreSQL.[4][6][3][7]
Exepad
Where Exepad fits.
Exepad is Your App Cloud. Rather than pointing a builder at databases you already run, you describe an app in Studio and it carries its own records, files and sign-in. Review it, then publish a web app that opens in a browser, including on phones.
Records that live in the app
The app keeps its rows in its own database and its uploads in file storage. A CSV exported from Retool Database gives it a first copy. From then on, changes arrive through edits in the app, a deliberate re-import or a supported integration.[8]
One sign-in for staff and customers
People who use the published app sign in through its authentication, whether they work for you or buy from you. Describe what each person may open and change, then test it with an account that should see less.
Email and agents on the same records
An app can send email, such as a note when a request is approved, and run an agent over its records when asked or on a schedule you set. Someone checks what the agent produces before it drives a decision. Model usage is metered separately.
Compare the work you need to do.
| Consider | Retool | Exepad |
|---|---|---|
| Data the app works on | Apps connect to databases and APIs you already run, each set up as a resource. Retool Database adds a managed PostgreSQL store with a spreadsheet-like editor.[4][7] | In the app's own database. Upload a CSV of the rows the app needs. It is a copy, not a live connection, so pick one place for later edits. |
| How an app gets built | A prompt in the Chat tab produces React code and TypeScript functions, which builders can also edit by hand. Classic apps use a drag-and-drop editor with JavaScript queries.[2][3] | Describe the screens and rules in Studio, where the building assistant creates the app. Refine it there, review it, then publish. |
| Who can open a published app | In the new app builder, signed-in users only: public links aren't supported yet. Folder access decides who in the organization can use an app, and external apps admit people outside it.[12][11] | Staff and customers alike sign in to the app itself. Describe what each group may open, then check it from a second account. |
| Permissions | Use, Edit and Own access through permission groups. Free and Team plans have the default groups only; custom groups and object roles start on Business.[3][13] | The access you describe for each collection. Write down what each Retool group could do, then check the same actions in the app. |
| Email from the app | Retool Email sends messages from apps and workflows through queries. The sender address can't be changed, and every message ends with a Sent via Retool Email line.[10] | An app can send email, such as a note to a requester when a status changes. Send test messages and read them before anyone relies on them. |
| Scheduled jobs and agents | Workflows run on a schedule or from a webhook, and agents can call saved queries and workflows. The docs list agents triggered from apps as not yet supported in the new builder.[15][18][4] | Scheduled tasks can take over a workflow's schedule, including agent tasks that work on the app's own records. Review what they produce before it leads to a decision. |
| Models inside the app | AI resource queries in apps generate text, including summaries. The docs list image generation and embeddings among the actions not supported.[6] | An app can use language, vision, media and voice models, such as a language model that summarizes a purchase request for its approver. Check which ones your app has access to, and review the output. |
| Where it runs | Retool's cloud, or a self-hosted instance on your own infrastructure, managed either by your staff or by Retool.[21][20] | Published from Studio to Your App Cloud. Staff and outside users open the same app in a browser, including on phones, and Pro adds a custom domain. |
| Taking it with you | Classic apps export as JSON or a Toolscript ZIP, without resources or data. Exporting apps from the new builder for use outside Retool isn't supported yet.[14][11] | You can export your app's data and code. Export the pilot app early and check that it holds the records, not only the screens. |
| Pricing structure | Per builder and per internal user on the Team and Business plans, with external users priced separately on Business. AI credits are pooled per account, and agents are billed for the time they run.[21][18] | Free puts one one-page site live; an app with saved data, sign-in or email needs a paid plan to go live. See Pricing for the current plans. An internal tool with records and sign-in is such an app. Model and service usage is metered separately, so price one real workload. |
Choose Retool when
The data already lives in production databases and SaaS tools.
Retool reads and writes them in place as resources, such as PostgreSQL, Snowflake or Salesforce, and staging resources keep test changes away from production. Nothing has to be copied into a new app first.
Policy requires the platform on your own infrastructure.
Retool documents self-hosted instances that run on your own infrastructure, managed by your staff or by Retool, for data residency or regulated industries. Check which plan includes the option you need.
Field staff need a native mobile app.
Retool Mobile builds apps for iOS and Android that scan barcodes, collect signatures and keep working offline. Exepad apps open in a browser, including on phones, so weigh what the field work requires.
Choose Exepad when
The records don't sit in a database you run.
If the list lives in a spreadsheet or a single Retool Database table, an Exepad app can hold it in its own database instead of connecting to one. Upload a CSV copy and decide where edits happen from then on.
The people signing in are customers, not staff.
A supplier or client signs in to the app itself, just as staff do, and you describe what each of them may open. Sign in with an outside test account before the link goes to anyone.
An agent should work through the app's own records.
In an approval queue like the pilot below, an app's agent could summarize pending requests for the approver on a schedule you set, such as each morning. The approver still makes every decision, and model usage is metered separately.
What changes when you move from Retool.
Retool's docs describe exports piece by piece: classic apps, workflows and Retool Database tables each leave on their own, and apps from the new app builder can't yet be exported for use outside Retool. List every piece before you download anything.
What an export brings
- Classic app definitions. Export to JSON or a Toolscript ZIP from the App actions menu or the Apps tab. The file holds the app's queries, components and modules.[14]
- Workflow definitions. Each workflow exports to a JSON file with its blocks and queries, from the workflows landing page or the workflow editor.[16]
- Retool Database tables. Export each table as CSV from the database editor. Retool advises the CSV over an SQL query when a table has many rows.[8]
- Code under Source Control. On Enterprise, Source Control connects an app to your Git provider, and a protected app's branch can be checked out in a local environment.[2][17]
What stays behind
- Resources. An app export contains no resources, so list each database and API connection the app uses.[14]
- Data from your data sources. Standard app exports carry no data from your data sources. Export the rows you need from each database or service.[14]
- Apps from the new builder. Retool lists exported apps for use outside Retool as not yet supported. Keep screenshots and notes on each screen to guide the rebuild.[11]
- Files in Retool Storage. Download them from the Retool Storage interface, where you manage files and folders.[9]
Rebuild it in Exepad
List what the Retool app touches
Write down each resource it reads or writes, each workflow it starts, and which permission groups can use it.
Bring in one table
Upload the CSV behind the busiest screen and explain what one row stands for. Name any column that points to another table, then spot-check a handful of records against Retool.
Describe the screens from the old app
Name each list, form and button, and what it changes. Screenshots show where things sit; the rules behind each button need words.
Replace the workflows and alerts
Rebuild each scheduled workflow you still need as a scheduled task, and each alert as an email. Try each against a sample request first.
Match access, then publish
For each Retool permission group, describe what its people may open and change in the app. Sign in as one person from each group, try an action they shouldn't have, then publish after review.
Try it with one task.
Start with the purchase-approval queue
Illustrative example: Brightwater Supply, a sample hardware reseller in San Jose, runs a Retool app that lists purchase requests for approval. Prove this one queue before you move other apps.
Export the purchase_requests table as CSV from Retool Database, or from the database the Retool resource points at.
In Studio, upload it and describe the queue: requester, item, amount in USD, and a status of Pending, Approved or Rejected, with a reason required on rejection.
Describe what requesters and approvers may each open and change. Sign in as a requester and confirm you can't approve your own request.
Ask for an email to the requester whenever a status changes, and send a test to yourself.
Compare twenty requests in both apps. Keep Retool as the working copy until they match, then decide where new requests go.
Together in your app cloud
The pieces behind the possibility.
Choose the models and services that support the experience you want to create.
Database
Keep data and context for apps and agents
Authentication
Give the right people access
Email
Keep conversations moving
Language models
Reason, write, and understand
Data models
Turn information into useful structure
A little more context
Good questions.
Can an Exepad app query my Postgres database the way a Retool resource does?
Plan on a copy. A Retool resource queries your database where it sits, while an Exepad app keeps records in its own database, starting from a CSV you upload. The upload doesn't sync. Later changes come from edits in the app, a deliberate re-import or a supported integration, so confirm which fits before you retire the Retool app.
Do I need to write JavaScript to replace a Retool app?
Retool's classic apps use JavaScript in expressions and transformers, and its newer app builder generates React and TypeScript that builders can edit in a Code tab. With Exepad, describe the app's screens and rules in Studio, check the result against the Retool version, and publish it once it passes.
Can customers or vendors use an Exepad app?
Yes. People who use the published app sign in through its own authentication, and you describe what each person may open and change. Retool handles outside users through external apps, where an internal domain list decides who counts as external. Either way, test with an account from outside your company first.
How do I get my tables out of Retool Database?
Retool's docs describe a CSV export per table: right-click the table's tab in the database editor and choose Export CSV. For tables with many rows, use the CSV rather than an SQL query. Upload each file to Studio as a copy, then compare a few records in both places.
How is Retool priced compared with Exepad?
Retool's Team and Business plans charge per builder and per internal user. A builder is anyone who built or edited an app or workflow during the billing cycle. External users are priced separately on Business, and agents are billed by running time. On Exepad, the approval queue above stores records and signs people in, so it needs a paid plan to go live; Free puts one one-page site live. Model and service usage is metered separately.
Can an Exepad app run an agent like Retool Agents?
Retool bills agents separately, and its docs list agents triggered from apps as not yet supported in the new builder. In Exepad, an agent runs inside an app and works on that app's records, with the context and actions you allow, when asked or on a schedule you set. Whoever owns the decision reviews the agent's result first.
If I leave Retool for Exepad, can I get my app out again later?
Yes. You can export your app's data and code. Retool's docs list exporting new-builder apps for use outside Retool as not yet supported, so put the same question to both products: run an export on a test app early and confirm it contains the records and screens you'd need.
Explore Pricing for plans, included capabilities, and usage details.
Related guides.
Compare other tools.
Sources.
Retool details checked September 25, 2026. Confirm them on Retool's site before you decide.
- Retool: product overview ↗
- Retool: how apps work ↗
- Retool: apps and classic apps compared ↗
- Retool: data in apps ↗
- Retool: JavaScript in classic apps ↗
- Retool: supported resources ↗
- Retool: Retool Database quickstart ↗
- Retool: export table data from Retool Database ↗
- Retool: Retool Storage quickstart ↗
- Retool: Retool Email quickstart ↗
- Retool: publish an app ↗
- Retool: apps for external users ↗
- Retool: permissions by plan ↗
- Retool: import and export classic apps ↗
- Retool: Workflows quickstart ↗
- Retool: import and export workflows ↗
- Retool: switching between building environments ↗
- Retool: Agents ↗
- Retool: mobile apps ↗
- Retool: self-hosted instances ↗
- Retool: pricing ↗
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