Pega Platform vs Retool comparison

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Pega Platform

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 20, 2025

Pega Platform and Retool both offer business automation solutions, yet their strengths cater to different organizational needs. Pega stands out with its enterprise-grade capabilities, while Retool is preferred for fast, flexible internal tool development.

Features: Pega Platform provides advanced decisioning, case management tools, and AI-driven insights. Retool offers an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, seamless integration options, and a quick setup process.

Room for Improvement: Pega would benefit from a simplified user interface and reduced deployment complexities. It could also improve integration speed and reduce total cost of ownership. Retool could enhance its analytical capabilities, offer more out-of-the-box solutions, and expand support for large-scale enterprise deployments.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Retool's cloud-based model allows for easy deployment without deep technical knowledge, supported by responsive customer service. Pega requires a more detailed setup and technical expertise, but offers comprehensive support tailored to complex deployments.

Pricing and ROI: Pega's higher setup costs are justified by its extensive capabilities, yielding significant ROI for large organizations. Retool's pricing is more accessible, providing a faster ROI with its efficient development environment, making it a cost-effective solution for small to mid-sized companies.

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

Pega Platform vs. Retool

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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

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) (4th), Process Automation (2nd), Low-Code Development Platforms (7th)

Retool

Ranking in Rapid Application Development Software

18th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Rapid Application Development Software category, the mindshare of Pega Platform is 6.3%, down from 6.9% 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

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

"They're pretty easy to create, and they're pretty easy to deploy."

"It's a good tool for workflow automation."

"One of the key advantages of PegaRULES is its out-of-the-box capabilities, which eliminate the need to build certain functionalities from scratch. For instance, features like "get next" in process flows allow for the seamless continuation of a flow without the requirement of additional activity creation. This serves as an illustration of how existing components can be leveraged rather than starting from scratch. It provides a solid foundation, to begin with, and allows for enhancements at a higher level, making it a beneficial starting point."

"It is a stable product."

"Pega BPM has features for process and operation efficiency, business security texture, various report definitions like bar chart and pie chart, and management capabilities such as dashboards."

"The product's most valuable features include its adaptability and flexibility, attributed to its Java-based architecture."

"It allows for a unified platform with features like case management, BPM, service orchestration, low-code development, digital process automation, CRM, and decision-making, all integrated into a single platform."

"The robotic process automation has increased the confidence of business users."

More Pega Platform pros

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

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

"The stability is okay."

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

"We can create the dashboards quickly."

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

Cons

"The solution would benefit from more integration capabilities."

"Containerization should be improved in relation to Pega because Camunda is deployable in the containerization deployment process."

"They need to support the solution better, at this time the company does not have enough support."

"The technical support is very low, rated at a one or two out of ten."

"Customers expect more out-of-the-box solutions."

"What should be included is some UI features and maybe some integrations. This includes documentation on how the UI works."

"User interface needs improvement."

"I believe they simplify the application development. It is still complex. The learning is not easy, it takes time compared to other products on the market."

More Pega Platform cons

"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."

"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."

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

"Retool should add more resource integration."

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

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

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We mostly have a yearly license."

"The pricing is pretty good, compared to other similar products."

"It's a user-based license where, as you scale the numbers of users, the price increases."

"Pega is expensive."

"I am not aware of the cost. But, considering the licenses, user licenses, and infrastructure, I'd guess around a million USD."

"Licensing varies across geographical regions for us."

"There are multiple Pega licensing models, including outcome- and revenue-based licensing models"

"I would rate the product's pricing a six out of ten."

More Pega Platform pricing and cost advice

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

"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."

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

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

"The tool is a little bit expensive."

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848,716 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

28%

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

Pega Platform

Download Pega Platform product report

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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

Pega Platform vs. Retool