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A Retool alternative that runs in your own cloud account
Retool is a tool for internal apps, priced per user and mostly used by developers. Fabrika is an open-source platform in your company's own cloud account, where your people or your agency build apps as code in your Git and a person from Contember reviews every change.
Updated 28 September 2026
Retool
A tool, per user
SSO and Source Control on Enterprise.
Fabrika
A platform and a team
Priced by apps, never per seat.
The apps
Code in your Git
In your account on Zerops, or AWS on request.
How do Retool and Fabrika differ?
| Question | Retool | Contember Fabrika |
|---|---|---|
| Who builds | Retool People with a builder licence, typically developers. | Contember Fabrika Your person with AI (Claude Code, Cursor), your developer or agency. The first app can be built with us. |
| What an app is | Retool Retool components on your databases and APIs, stored in Retool. | Contember Fabrika Ordinary code in your company's Git. |
| Where apps run | Retool Retool's cloud, or self-hosted on your Kubernetes with Helm. | Contember Fabrika Your installation on Zerops (AWS on request), account in your company's name. No public address; the only way in is the platform's sign-in. |
| How you pay | Retool Per builder and per internal user, in euros, billed yearly: Team €9 and €5 a month, Business €46 and €14. Free up to 5 users. Enterprise custom. | Contember Fabrika A one-off setup, then monthly operations by number of apps. Price in an offer after the first call; servers paid to the cloud provider. |
| Company sign-in | Retool SAML or OpenID Connect SSO on Enterprise. | Contember Fabrika OIDC (Entra ID, Google Workspace, Okta), or a password for outside people. No SAML. |
| Permissions and records | Retool Rich permission controls and audit logging from Business. | Contember Fabrika Roles per app in one place. Sign-ins, access changes and deployments are recorded. |
| Who reviews changes | Retool Your team. Source Control with branches and pull requests on Enterprise. | Contember Fabrika A person from Contember, every change, before it goes live. |
| AI | Retool Built in. Apps from Claude Code, Cursor, Lovable or Replit can be imported (zip or MCP server). | Contember Fabrika Your company's own AI plan, no training on your data. The AI builds; it doesn't deploy or run apps. |
| If you leave | Retool Export as JSON or Toolscript into another Retool organization. The docs don't describe running it outside Retool. | Contember Fabrika Code, data, domains and account are yours, and the platform is open source. The next person picks it up from Git. |
As of 28 September 2026, from retool.com and docs.retool.com. Retool showed us prices in euros; they may differ by region and change. Check the current pricing page before you decide.
Sources, checked 28 September 2026
When is Retool the better fit?
It has to run on your own servers
Self-hosted Retool runs on Kubernetes in your infrastructure, with the full feature set on Enterprise.
A few people use the tools
Per-seat pricing is cheap for a small team, and free up to 5 users.
Your team reviews its own changes
Retool Enterprise gives them branches and pull requests. Then you don't need us for review.
When does Fabrika make more sense?
- 01
You don't want to pay per seat
When the whole company or outside people use an app, per-user pricing grows with every login.
- 02
Nobody on your side reviews changes
Retool gives you the process, but someone has to read each change. On Fabrika that's our job.
- 03
You want the apps as ordinary code
In your Git and your cloud account. If you stop working with us, any developer can carry on.
- 04
Your people already build with AI
We take code from Claude Code, Cursor or Lovable over as it is. See Already building with AI.
Can we move from Retool to Fabrika?
Yes, but not by copying the app.
- 01
The app itself is rebuilt
A Retool export only imports into another Retool. The existing app becomes a precise brief for the rebuild.
- 02
The data stays where it is
Your own databases and APIs don't move; the new app connects to them. Data stored elsewhere we sort out on the first call.
- 03
One app at a time
Retool and Fabrika can run side by side. How long one app takes, you'll see in the offer.
- 04
Code from AI tools comes as it is
An app you were about to import into Retool from Claude Code, Cursor or Lovable we take over directly, without a rebuild.
What does Retool have that Fabrika doesn't?
-
A visual builder with ready-made components
On Fabrika the apps are code, written with AI or by a developer.
-
Self-hosting on your own infrastructure
Fabrika runs on Zerops in your cloud account, or on AWS on request.
-
SAML
Fabrika connects company accounts over OIDC only, one identity provider per installation.
-
A hosted free plan you can start today
Free up to 5 users: sign up and Retool runs it for you. Fabrika you can install yourself for free, into your own cloud account, but running it with our review starts with a call and an offer.
-
A long track record
Retool says more than 10,000 teams use it. Fabrika is a younger, smaller service.
What people ask when comparing Retool and Fabrika
Is Fabrika a Retool alternative?
Partly. Retool gives you the tool and governance features, and your team builds and reviews. On Fabrika the apps are code in your repository and account, and we review every change and run operations.
Isn't Retool cheaper?
For a few builders and users, often yes. With dozens of users, per-seat pricing adds up. Count the time of whoever builds and reads the changes too, not just the licence.
Retool can import apps built in Claude Code, Cursor or Lovable. What's the difference?
After an import, the app lives in Retool. On Fabrika it stays code in your Git, runs in your account, and a person reviews every later change.
Do we need developers to use Fabrika?
No. Your person can build with AI, we can build the first app with you, or your developer or agency builds on Fabrika.
Do you support SAML or SCIM?
No. People sign in with their company account over OIDC, with multi-factor sign-in as your company sets it. Outside people use a password.
Where does the Retool information come from?
From retool.com and docs.retool.com, checked on 28 September 2026; sources are under the table. Spotted something out of date? Write to sales@contember.com.
Retool or Fabrika? Let's look at it together.
Half an hour is enough. Tell us what you want to build and what you have. If Retool fits you better, we'll say so.