Pega Platform vs Retool comparison

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Pega Platform

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 12, 2025

Pega Platform and Retool are competitors in the business process automation category. Pega Platform holds a distinct advantage in complex automation due to its comprehensive feature set, while Retool is more advantageous for rapid implementation owing to its streamlined approach.

Features: Pega Platform provides robust case management, integration services, and extensive out-of-the-box functionalities suitable for large-scale environments. Retool's key features include its developer-friendly interface, integration with multiple data sources, and the ability to rapidly build applications with its flexible component system.

Room for Improvement: Pega Platform could improve by streamlining its deployment process and reducing the complexity of its infrastructure. Additionally, the upgrade process can be cumbersome for older versions. Retool can enhance its offering by expanding its feature set for more complex use cases, improving database connectivity options, and offering better support for large enterprises.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Pega Platform's deployment often involves longer timelines which are balanced by its comprehensive support and training programs. Retool offers a simple and quick setup with straightforward integration and customization, which is appealing for rapid deployment needs and results in more flexible customer service interactions.

Pricing and ROI: Pega Platform entails higher upfront costs due to its extensive capabilities and customization options, which can generate significant ROI for complex needs. Retool, with its competitive pricing, is appealing to smaller teams seeking cost-effective solutions that deliver quicker ROI due to lower setup and deployment costs.

To learn more, read our detailed Pega Platform vs. Retool Report (Updated: January 2025).

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Pega Platform vs. Retool

January 2025

Helped 838,713 peers since 2012

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

Pega Platform

Ranking in Rapid Application Development Software

6th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Business Rules Management (1st), Business Process Management (BPM) (3rd), Process Automation (2nd), Low-Code Development Platforms (7th)

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 February 2025, in the Rapid Application Development Software category, the mindshare of Pega Platform is 6.5%, down from 6.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Retool is 0.3%, up from 0.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Rapid Application Development Software

Featured Reviews

Mallik-Kesavaraju

Independent Consultant at Selfemployed

Significantly improves the overall cycle time, and offers robotic automation, and the BPM workflow

The extensive availability of ready-made gadgets in Pega BPM is a double-edged sword. While it offers convenience, it also leads to a steeper learning curve. Our developers and business analysts need to invest significant time and effort to fully understand and utilize the platform's capabilities. In essence, it's a complex product that demands a deep understanding to be used effectively. So, it cuts both ways. This complexity can be both an advantage and a disadvantage, depending on the user's expertise. So, the learning curve is pretty high! So, it's very good if you are a professional user, but you need to be a really good professional user to use this solution effectively.

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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.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Overall, the ability to integrate with multiple applications and effective case management is the most valuable."

"Pega BPM offers a lot of out-of-the-box functionalities."

"Powerful, full-featured business process management with excellent support"

"Pega BPM's most valuable feature is the use of CDX to solve problems."

"This solution is useful for business process management if you have any banking solutions or need to manage a process."

"The user interface and the ease of developing the workflow for an application are valuable features."

"The solution provides us with a very good dashboard."

"Pega is a local platform that has evolved from a BPM perspective. This allows teams using this solution to address complexities without having deep knowledge in a specific development area."

More Pega Platform pros

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

"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."

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

"The stability is okay."

"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."

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

"We can create the dashboards quickly."

Cons

"I've spent some hands-on time with the platform, and you can do those things, and it is all low code, but is it as easy as they make it sound? No. That's my two cents. For example, if I want to do something, there is no way to switch from low code. I just want to do a simple If-Then-Else rule, but I have to go through their low-code tool and do dragging and dropping. I'm a development person, and in my opinion, even some business users could do this easier. There is no way to go back and forth to an editor where I can just type in an If-Then-Else rule, which would be much faster than drawing in their low-code editor. They don't support that. They lead you too much."

"Implementation is a challenge due to the handling of the code"

"Currently, there isn't any feature I want to be added in the next release of Pega BPM because Pega always adds new features that my team welcomes and looks forward to learning. One area for improvement in the solution is the long learning curve, but after that, you'll find Pega BPM easy to use."

"An area for improvement in Pega BPM is security. It's secure, but it still has a lot of vulnerabilities. Pega BPM is robust, but it still needs some improvement performance-wise."

"The solution needs to invest more in its technology. For public and private clouds, for example, the development environment is slow. Saving events should take one to two seconds, max, and because you are making changes often, the slowness cuts down on productivity because we have to wait for things to save before continuing."

"The quality of partners available with Pega specialisation can be improved."

"The UI cannot be customized in the solution"

"Compared to other BPM products, the interface is somewhat complex, so the usability could be improved."

More Pega Platform cons

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

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

"Retool should add more resource integration."

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

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

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

"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."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"In terms of the pricing for Pega BPM, other solutions may be cheaper, but it doesn't matter if Pega BPM has a higher price tag because what's important is that it's the best solution, and that is what people look for. If I would rate the pricing for the solution, I'd give it three out of five. You have to pay extra for additional features in Pega BPM."

"The price could be lower."

"The price is a bit expensive."

"They need to come up with licensing options. Right now they do have a cloud-based option, but the cloud prices I've seen are much more expensive compared to competing products."

"The licensing model from Pega BPM is too complex and is more expensive than other solutions, such as SAP. The overall price of the solution depends on the use case."

"The price of this solution, including installation and configuration, is comparable to competing vendors."

"Pega is expensive."

"It is cost-effective for medium enterprises. It is cheaper than ServiceNow."

More Pega Platform pricing and cost advice

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

"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."

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

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

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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Rapid Application Development Software solutions are best for your needs.

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838,713 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

29%

Computer Software Company

13%

Manufacturing Company

Government

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

Is Pega BPM easy to work with and can beginners utilize this software?

You do need some preparation to be able to use all functions of Pega BPM. However, all users of this platform are in luck as it comes with good documentation and you can learn pretty much everythin...

Have you encountered any issues while using Pega BPM and were you assisted by the company?

My company has been using this tool for years and the only issue we have had, if you can call it that, was while setting it up. When we were setting it up initially, we had some drawbacks and could...

When you consider the features and benefits of Pega BPM, would you say this product is fairly priced?

Pega BPM can be considered overpriced for some; it all depends on the size of your company and the requirements of your customers. Sure, there are products out there that do the things that Pega B...

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.

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 ...

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...

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Product Reports

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Pega Platform

February 2025

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February 2025

Also Known As

Pega BPM, Pegasystems, SmartBPM, PegaRULES

No data available

Overview

Pega Platform facilitates business process management, case management, and workflow automation for industries like banking, insurance, and healthcare. It supports digital transformation and customer service enhancements with its low-code capabilities and seamless integrations.

Pega Platform enables users to create efficient systems for case management, financial operations, and digital transformations. It provides tools for client onboarding, quoting, claims processing, customer experience improvements, and content management. Pega's low-code approach allows for the automation of complex processes, making it suitable for enterprises looking for adaptability and rapid deployment. While it offers strong real-time analytics and decision automation, users acknowledge challenges in user interface, integration, and performance aspects. High costs and a learning curve need attention, and enhancements in AI features and cloud services are desired.

What are the key features of Pega Platform?

Easy Implementation: Quick setup for fast project kick-off.
Seamless Process Adaptation: Adapts processes efficiently as business needs evolve.
Fast Prototyping: Enables rapid model creation and testing.
Unified Architecture: Streamlines operations across the platform.
Low-Code Environment: Facilitates swift application development.
Scalability: Supports growth and high-demand scenarios.
Real-Time Analytics: Provides immediate insights into operations.
Decision Automation: Automates standard decision-making processes.
Reusable Components: Encourages efficiency in development through component reuse.

What benefits do organizations find with Pega Platform?

Rapid Deployment: Quick launch of new processes saves time and resources.
Cost Efficiency: Reduces costs through automation and streamlined workflows.
Customer-Centric Solutions: Enhances customer experiences through integrated systems.
Improved Productivity: Automation frees up employee resources for other tasks.
Reliable Performance: Consistent platform performance ensures business continuity.

In banking, Pega Platform automates loan processing, accelerates customer onboarding, and manages compliance. Insurance companies benefit from streamlined claims processing and policy management. Healthcare sectors use the platform for patient engagement and care coordination, enabling organizations to adapt quickly to changing industry requirements.

Pega

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.

Sample Customers

The State of Maine, ANZ, Coca-Cola, Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA), ME, New South Wales, OptumRx, Texas Department of Transportation, UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement

Information Not Available