Budibase alternatives: 6 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Oct 25, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

Common reasons people leave Budibase: less layout flexibility than Retool or Appsmith, and enterprise features such as enforced SSO need a licence. We ranked 6 alternatives by how directly each one replaces Budibase, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. Appsmith currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#	App	Pricing	Open source	Platforms	Verified facts	Score
1	Retool	Free plan + paid	No	Web, iOS, Android +1	4 of 4	59.6

1. RetoolTop pick
Best for: Engineering-led teams building many internal tools on top of production databases and APIs
Free plan + paidSelf-hostableWeb, iOS, Android, Self-hosted
59.6
score / 100
Why switch from Budibase
More mature and flexible for complex developer-built tools.
Pros
Connects to almost any database or API
Large component library with SQL and JavaScript everywhere
Cloud, self-hosted and air-gapped deployment options
Cons
Per-user pricing gets expensive as usage spreads
Needs developers comfortable with SQL and JavaScript
Closed source, so you depend on Retool's roadmap
Visit Retool Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.377
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
Freshness ×0.1585
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is Retool a good Budibase alternative?
Verified facts
4 of 4 verified
Free plan
$0 per builder
Checked Oct 25, 2026retool.com(opens source in a new tab)
Builder pricing
$10 (Team) / $50 (Business) per builder/month
Checked Oct 25, 2026retool.com(opens source in a new tab)
Internal user pricing
$5 (Team) / $15 (Business) per user/month
Checked Oct 25, 2026retool.com(opens source in a new tab)
Self-hosting
Self-hosted or air-gapped
Checked Oct 25, 2026retool.com(opens source in a new tab)

The best Budibase alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

Best Budibase alternative for most people

Appsmith

Open source with more freedom over layout and JavaScript logic.

Best Budibase alternative for a free option

ToolJet

Open-source builder with AI generation and a large connector list.

Best Budibase alternative for a free plan you can upgrade

Retool

More mature and flexible for complex developer-built tools.

Best Budibase alternative for open source

NocoBase

Open-source, plugin-based platform for larger business systems.

Best Budibase alternative for self-hosting

Baserow

Better if what you mainly need is a shared Airtable-style database.

Best Budibase alternative for iPhone and Android

Retool

More mature and flexible for complex developer-built tools.

Best Budibase alternative for working in the browser

Softr

Hosted, no-code portal builder for less technical teams.

Budibase alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to Budibase?

Appsmith ranks first right now. Open source with more freedom over layout and JavaScript logic. ToolJet and Retool follow it in our ranking.

Is there a free alternative to Budibase?

Yes. Appsmith (open source), ToolJet (open source), Retool (free plan + paid) and NocoBase (open source) have a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to Budibase?

Yes: Appsmith, ToolJet, NocoBase and Baserow. Appsmith, ToolJet and NocoBase can also be self-hosted.

Why do people switch from Budibase?

The complaints we hear most: less layout flexibility than Retool or Appsmith; enterprise features such as enforced SSO need a licence; cloud pricing by actions can be hard to predict.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces Budibase, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.