OutSystems vs Retool comparison

OutSystems and Retool are both solutions in the Rapid Application Development Software category. OutSystems is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.6, while Retool is ranked #15 with an average rating of 8.1. OutSystems holds a 5.2% mindshare in RADS, compared to Retool’s 1.2% mindshare. Additionally, 94% of OutSystems users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Retool users who would recommend it.

OutSystems

Read 55 OutSystems reviews

6,254 Views
5,253 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

Retool

Read 10 Retool reviews

790 Views
679 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: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

OutSystems vs. Retool

December 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

4th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Mobile Development Platforms (1st), Low-Code Development Platforms (2nd), Business Orchestration and Automation Technologies (6th)

Retool

Ranking in Rapid Application Development Software

15th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

AI Software Development (12th)

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Rapid Application Development Software category, the mindshare of OutSystems is 5.2%, down from 7.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Retool is 1.2%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Rapid Application Development Software Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
OutSystems	5.2%
Retool	1.2%
Other	93.6%

Rapid Application Development Software

Featured Reviews

Mohamed Aktharul Ameen

Software Developer Advisor at NTT DATA Services

OutSystems facilitates rapid application development and effective project management

What I find valuable about OutSystems is that it has a very good learning curve for developers. Within two weeks, we can gain knowledge in OutSystems, and it is very easy to learn. With my background being .NET, OutSystems is straightforward to learn, which is beneficial. Developing applications in OutSystems is good, and the flexibility allowed by OutSystems for application development is excellent compared to my experiences with other low-code technologies, where I've faced some challenges. The clean separation of concerns in the architecture provided by OutSystems is a key benefit compared to other platforms. OutSystems integrates with our existing tech infrastructure and provides flexible integration. If we want to integrate with third-party services, OutSystems has SOAP and RESTful services that allow us to consume external services, integrate with external databases such as SQL or Oracle, and includes integration studio for writing custom .NET code. After developing a .NET component, we can reference it in service studio, creating a reference file that makes integration easy. OutSystems officially supports various integrations and also includes an API discovery tool for consuming and exposing services, providing a lot of information about incoming URLs, similar to how we use Postman.

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Yannick LE GAL

IT consultant for healthcare sector at Freelancer

Has provided a quick way to build mobile apps and could improve usability for non-technical users

The best features Retool offers include the ability to quickly create a mobile app and use this mobile app in a native mobile app for Android. I found the process of creating and deploying those mobile apps for Android with Retool to be smooth as the documentation is very good, and I found answers and examples to create a mobile app. I can access a debug mode in the mobile app which was really convenient to make tests and find what can be improved, where I have a problem, and how to correct it. Retool positively impacted my organization as the proof of concept we built gave us a way to convince power users and key users before developing the real software. It was a way to maintain the launch date of the project, which helped speed up the project timeline and save resources.

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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

"The architecture of OutSystems is quite simple, and the features are similar to Mendix's. OutSystems has connectors for different enterprise apps and solid reporting capabilities. You can also integrate with any content management platform like SharePoint or Adobe Enterprise Manager, or something like that. You can also create and integrate workflows."

"We have no complaints surrounding both the scalability and stability of this solution."

"I like the mobile features the most, and there are also various features around the portal we created that I enjoy."

"There is literally a ton of stuff it can do. It's very flexible."

"Let's assume a project in .NET, native .NET, or Java takes around 12 months. In OutSystems, we can build that application in four to five months."

"OutSystems is a low-code solution. Most features are like drag-and-drop, so it's pretty easy to work. Thus it helps the organization by saving time for developers."

"OutSystems is a really good platform to work upon."

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

More OutSystems pros

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

"The stability is okay."

"We can create the dashboards quickly."

"Retool positively impacted my organization as the proof of concept we built gave us a way to convince power users and key users before developing the real software."

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

"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 built-in features with all processing happening within the platform, which is a significant advantage."

More Retool pros

Cons

"It's difficult to do the component version control. I would like them to add more studying materials."

"I would like to see improvements in versioning. It can be challenging to keep track of what changes should be committed, especially when many developers are working in one environment."

"The resource availability needs to be increased."

"The documentation needs to be more robust."

"The PDD framework can't be used for the behavioral-driven development way of working."

"The asynchronous processing and multithreading tasks for which the current resources of the platform are very generic and not built for the end-user. Any asynchronous jobs have to be constructed with an end-user dashboard to allow inspection of the status of the activities."

"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."

"Currently, in mobile applications, we don't have push notifications."

More OutSystems cons

"Retool, being a low-code/no-code platform, could improve by allowing users, particularly non-technical users, to use it more easily."

"AI tools, features, and machine learning capabilities should be added as they would be helpful in the future."

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

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

"The UI of Retool could be improved, as I am not fond of the current design, and there should be a platform for learning how to use Retool efficiently, especially since our software team customizes it for their needs, leaving the operational team with limited knowledge on how to customize it."

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

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

More Retool cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"I would rate it five to six out of ten."

"OutSystems is a good solution, but it's not cheap."

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

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

"I believe they are very strict with their pricing platforms, or the pricing policies, and it changes."

"The subscription is billed on a yearly basis."

"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."

More OutSystems pricing and cost advice

"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."

"The tool is a little bit expensive."

"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."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Manufacturing Company

14%

Comms Service Provider

14%

University

10%

Outsourcing Company

10%

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	19
Midsize Enterprise	7
Large Enterprise	31

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	3

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...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Retool?

The pricing, setup cost, and licensing experience were good as the free plan was enough for us.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Retool?

Retool, being a low-code/no-code platform, could improve by allowing users, particularly non-technical users, to use it more easily. In the mobile app development, you have to use JavaScript to int...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Retool?

My main use case for Retool involves an inventory app project. I built a mobile app to make an inventory of chemistry products. Retool helped me with that project as it was a good way to show a qui...

See all answers

Comparisons

Mendix vs OutSystems

Compared 8% of the time

Microsoft Power Apps vs OutSystems

Compared 8% of the time

ServiceNow vs OutSystems

Compared 8% of the time

Oracle Application Express (APEX) vs OutSystems

Compared 7% of the time

Appian vs OutSystems

Compared 7% of the time

More OutSystems Competitors

Streamlit vs Retool

Compared 37% of the time

AWS App Studio vs Retool

Compared 15% of the time

Pega Platform vs Retool

Compared 14% of the time

ToolJet vs Retool

Compared 11% of the time

Jitterbit Vinyl vs Retool

Compared 9% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

OutSystems

January 2026

Download OutSystems product report

Buyer's Guide

Retool

January 2026

Download Retool product report

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

December 2025

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