OutSystems vs Retool comparison

OutSystems and Retool are both solutions in the Rapid Application Development Software category. OutSystems is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.9, while Retool is ranked #17 with an average rating of 8.3. OutSystems holds a 7.9% mindshare in RADS, compared to Retool’s 0.4% mindshare. Additionally, 94% of OutSystems users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Retool users who would recommend it.

OutSystems

Read 51 OutSystems reviews

11,255 Views
6,473 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

Retool

Read 7 Retool reviews

212 Views
139 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

OutSystems

Retool

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 17, 2024

OutSystems and Retool are key players in the low-code development segment. OutSystems is favored for its comprehensive feature set, appealing to larger enterprises with its scalability and integration abilities. Retool, however, shines in efficiency, particularly for creating internal tools, thanks to its ease of use and integration capabilities. Data suggests OutSystems has higher satisfaction in pricing and support, while Retool provides a feature-focused model that attracts use in specific scenarios.

Features: OutSystems offers robust features such as full-stack support, visual programming, and advanced security measures. Its scalability and enterprise-grade solutions make it suitable for complex applications. Retool emphasizes efficient internal software creation with rapid interface development, API integrations, and pre-built components, providing ease and agility in customizing applications.

Room for Improvement: OutSystems can improve by simplifying its deployment process to cater to smaller organizations, enhancing user interface components for non-IT users, and reducing its overall cost to attract smaller enterprises. Retool could benefit from expanding its feature set to match broader enterprise needs, enhancing security features for large-scale use, and offering more comprehensive customer support options.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Retool's deployment is designed for simplicity with minimal setup, allowing quick configuration, making it ideal for teams needing rapid solutions. OutSystems deployment is more structured and fits larger organizations requiring comprehensive application management. It boasts more extensive customer service, providing enterprise-level support, while Retool offers quicker, more direct assistance tailored to its niche user base.

Pricing and ROI: OutSystems involves a higher initial setup cost, justified by its scalability and comprehensive solution suite, offering long-term ROI for complex projects. Retool presents a more cost-effective initial setup, focusing on swift deployment and targeted ROI for internal tasks. While OutSystems targets versatile enterprise needs with higher pricing satisfaction, Retool is ideal for swift, internal application deployment, balancing cost and capability effectively.

To learn more, read our detailed OutSystems vs. Retool Report (Updated: March 2025).

Buyer's Guide

OutSystems vs. Retool

March 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

OutSystems

Ranking in Rapid Application Development Software

3rd

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Mobile Development Platforms (1st), Low-Code Development Platforms (2nd)

Retool

Ranking in Rapid Application Development Software

17th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Rapid Application Development Software category, the mindshare of OutSystems is 7.9%, up from 7.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Retool is 0.4%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Rapid Application Development Software

Featured Reviews

Bireswar Das

Business Unit Head - Government Business at YASH Technologies

A low-code platform for the development of mobile and web enterprise applications

To illustrate a case, the customer initially had a private cloud, essentially a data center hosted within it. They needed a disaster recovery solution, which would involve using a public cloud. This situation led to some deployment challenges due to the hybrid nature of their setup. However, once we implemented the solution for them, they were extremely satisfied. The process was not only effective but also quite speedy. To be more precise, we completed it in around 100 days, even though they initially requested it to be done in four months. They were very pleased with the efficiency of the implementation.

Read full review

Saurabh Tiwari

Back End Developer at Medha

Easy to use, I don't need to write extensive code and built-in components helps to develop tools

Retool provides multiple tools and functionalities that we can use. However, there are restrictions on the front-end side. From the back-end side, we can use anything, but on the front-end, we have limited tools. This limits our ability to enhance functionality. For example, if I'm creating a tool for you to collect feedback from your clients or users, we have limited resources on the front-end. For the back-end, we have unlimited resources, but for the front-end, we are restricted to creating dashboards and similar tools. If you want to enable other functionalities, we can add them, but this is a limitation on the front-end side.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The scratch coding is useful. The solution is easy to understand."

"It is much easier to develop applications with the product’s IDE."

"It is a stable solution."

"The drag-and-drop feature is very valuable."

"It is a stable solution, and the initial setup is straightforward."

"The OutSystems' most effective features for speeding up development cycles are the process orchestration and the drag-and-drop updating of business processes."

"Their out-of-the-box UI is quite good."

"The solution helps to build mobile and web applications on SOAP and REST. You can integrate it with backend systems by submitting a code."

More OutSystems pros

"Retool's most valuable features are its drag-and-drop components and the ability to customize them extensively."

"We can create the dashboards quickly."

"Retool provides us with the opportunity to save time and be more efficient."

"The stability is okay."

"The most valuable feature of Retool is the workflow because I can integrate multiple features, such as RESTful API, JavaScript API, or different databases on the same dashboard."

"There are several key aspects to Retool that make it stand out. Firstly, its extensive range of components makes integration straightforward. Secondly, its support for SQL and JavaScript allows for the implementation of complex logic, which is particularly beneficial for developers like yourself with experience in .NET development."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is connectivity with APIs and other databases."

Cons

"The integration Studio could be improved. It needs a tool in which we could develop C# code and then integrate into OutSystems. The application could have a better UI."

"The product's high price is an area of concern, where improvements are required."

"Mobile apps should have been fully native."

"The solution is costly."

"The customer service and support are maintaining a two-day SLA for everything. 48 hours is very high."

"The integration points need to be increased. People have also started to adopt this solution for their regular needs. That means it's not only the big enterprises that are adopting this solution. There are also small and medium enterprises that are adopting it. I've read that where you have large deployments, OutSystems starts to crumble a bit. That is the idea that no customer would know at the beginning and would also not like to hit the wall there. When it is on the client, there are a lot of applications already on low-code, and then suddenly you realize that you want to do some big applications, and you face hurdles. This is the general feedback for all such platforms."

"The prices should be lower. It is a little bit too high for a small market."

"I think OutSystems needs to improve in many areas. First, sometimes Service Studio becomes really slow and even hangs for long periods. Also, if I have not published my module in some time, and some kind of Service Studio exception occurs, I lose my work."

More OutSystems cons

"The part where we can add some custom logic or custom plugins could be better."

"The solution lacks inbuilt customization to customize bar charts."

"The components are changed frequently, which is very irritating."

"Retool could enhance support, including efforts to establish support centers in Europe, which was lacking previously. However, the community is still in the growth phase, leading to potential delays in receiving responses to queries."

"Retool should add more resource integration."

"One area for improvement in Retool is expanding its library support to include a broader range of third-party JavaScript libraries."

"There are restrictions on the front-end side."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There are no additional costs with the standard license."

"It's not cheap. It's pretty expensive."

"OutSystems is a very expensive solution, and it has to be cheaper."

"The tool’s licensing is based on the user’s usage."

"I think the pricing for OutSystems is comparable with similar solutions. I would place it somewhere in the middle. We pay for the bundle and don't pay anything extra in terms of licensing and other fees."

"There is a free trial to use this solution and other options available, such as enterprise. There are different subscription plans."

"For one developer to use, the cost is around $5,000."

"OutSystems was open to a deal that worked for both sides."

More OutSystems pricing and cost advice

"For new users, evaluate the scale of their administrative needs as Retool provides excellent free services for smaller setups, but larger deployments might require transitioning to a paid plan."

"The tool is a little bit expensive."

"For me, I'm in India right now, and we have Retool's subscription for one team member for $10 per month."

"I don't know Retool's current pricing, but it cost around $12 per month earlier."

"The pricing is very expensive. It costs for each user, for automated users, open-end users, et cetera."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

32%

Computer Software Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

Which solution is better for developing non-ITSM applications: OutSystems or Service Now?

The short answer is that OutSystems is far better for 2 main reasons. Firstly, with Service Now you are locked into that platform for good. The business model is to lock in and then keep pumping th...

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What industries do you think OutSystems is most useful for?

I cannot really name an industry in which OutSystems cannot be beneficial. Who does not want to make top-notch applications that work in no time? And OutsyStems does exactly that. The low-code plat...

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How did you decide which OutSystems edition was the best one for you?

We started using OutSystems fairly recently, so we are still on the free version of it. My company is still testing how we like the platform, but so far, we have been satisfied with it and will li...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Retool?

For new users, evaluate the scale of their administrative needs as Retool provides excellent free services for smaller setups, but larger deployments might require transitioning to a paid plan.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Retool?

One area for improvement in Retool is expanding its library support to include a broader range of third-party JavaScript libraries. This would enhance the tool's versatility and allow more complex ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Retool?

I employ Retool primarily to build admin panels that effectively manage office and backend project staff. These panels facilitate the management of various organizational functions and streamline u...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Microsoft Power Apps vs OutSystems

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Compared 70% of the time

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Compared 30% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

OutSystems

March 2025

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Buyer's Guide

Retool

March 2025

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Overview

OutSystems is a platform for low-code application development that unites design, code, and deployment to simplify development so any business can create innovative solutions in a timely manner. There are various use cases an organization can employ with OutSystems, including:

Customer portals: Through OutSystems, companies can easily create customer portals and mobile applications and deploy them faster in comparison to manual coding. The platform offers businesses the opportunity to develop secure, scalable, and customized applications that support their and their customers' needs.
Internal apps: Using this solution, companies can also build internal applications and portals which can be used for their workforce. Using these, organizations can overcome their internal app backlog, bridge gaps between systems, and facilitate their work process.
Core systems: Custom software for running a business can also be developed using OutSystems. The tool shortens the time for developing core systems and delivers them flexible and personalized to each business' needs.

OutSystems offers faster development and deployment times than hand-coding while delivering unique and personalized solutions to its customers. The main focus of OutSystems is high-performance low code which enables businesses to create functional products that answer their needs. It offers clients the ability to develop enterprise-grade applications with a high level of security.

The product stands out from its competitors as it offers:

Serious applications
Serious productivity
Serious scalability

It ensures its clients that the applications built using this platform are as scalable as hand-coded ones while increasing workspace productivity and evolving applications’ capabilities.

OutSystems Features

OutSystems has various features through which users can develop and deploy highly efficient applications and other products. Some of the features include:

Monitoring: The tool has a feature that allows real-time monitoring of the usage of applications and their performance. All insights are reported to companies via the intuitive interface.
APIs: OutSystems is completely scalable through application programming interfaces.
Security: The product offers its users a high level of enterprise security for their applications as well as for their data.
Mobile: Every application created on OutSystems can be deployed for mobile. The product also provides the option to monitor the performance of applications to detect any issues.
DevOps automation: The product facilitates and shortens the development time of applications through various automation which help users create apps without the help of developers, as well as providing developers with additional resources.
Agile development: Every company that seeks to perform agile development can benefit from the native support this tool provides.
Debugging engine: OutSystems has an integrated debugging engine that can be utilized in the development and deployment processes, shortening the time it takes for developers and businesses to look for issues.
Multilingual support feature: Customers can benefit from support in multiple languages, ensuring their questions are answered understandably.

OutSystems Benefits

The solution offers a wide array of benefits to companies that utilize it in their application development. Some of these benefits include:

Visual development at high speed provides increases productivity for both businesses and users.
The option to integrate applications to a large number of systems without additional complications.
The product adds automation to all levels of development, including front end, back end, and integration, facilitating the delivery of complex applications.
Artificial intelligence (AI) validation ensures the high quality of applications.
The tool offers connectivity with more than 400 systems and existing technologies, allowing companies to save money they would otherwise have to invest in new software.
The multi-platform solution decreases costs for organizations by removing the need for third-party software.
It offers whole-team cross-functional collaboration, which can increase the technological knowledge in a company and raise the overall business expertise.

Reviews from Real Users

Harikrishnan R., a technical lead at Netlink Software Group America Inc, likes OutSystems because the tool helps with validation, offers good features, and is reliable.

An owner at a consultancy thinks OutSystems is versatile with great scalability and great technical support.

OutSystems

Retool enables rapid construction of internal tools with minimal coding, streamlining workflows across HR, customer support, and compliance. Praised for its drag-and-drop interface, extensive component library, and SQL support, it boosts organizational efficiency by automating tasks and enhancing data management.

Retool

Sample Customers

Randstad, Warner Brothers, HP, Intel, ING, Banco Popular, Thrivent Financial, Bacardi, Kent State University, Bacardi, FICO, ING, Vodafone, AbbVie, Estafeta, Siemens, Vopak

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Buyer's Guide

OutSystems vs. Retool

March 2025

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