You have developers and data in databases
Retool has ready-made tables, forms and charts and connects to databases and APIs. A developer can put an admin panel over an existing database together quickly, without writing the interface from scratch.
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A Retool alternative that runs in your own cloud account
Retool is a tool for building internal apps, priced per user and usually used by developers. Fabrika is a platform in your company's own cloud account: your people, your developer or your agency build apps as ordinary code in your Git, and a person from Contember reviews every change before it goes live.
If you have developers and need internal tools on top of your databases fast, Retool is often the better choice, and we say so below. This page is for mid-sized companies without a large IT team, and for the IT person comparing the two.
Updated 28 September 2026
We checked the details about Retool on retool.com and docs.retool.com. Plans and prices change; the sources are listed under the table.
Retool
A tool, per user
A price for every builder and every internal user. SSO and Source Control are on Enterprise.
Fabrika
A platform and a team
Priced by the number of apps, never per seat. A person reviews every change.
The apps
Code in your Git
Running in your account on Cloudflare or Zerops, or AWS on request.
How do Retool and Fabrika differ?
Ten questions that decide whether an internal app holds up in a company: who builds it, what it's made of, where it runs, how you pay, who reviews changes and what happens if you leave.
| Question | Retool | Contember Fabrika |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Retool A platform for internal tools (admin panels, dashboards, approvals) on top of your databases and APIs, with ready-made components and AI. | Contember Fabrika A platform for company apps in your own cloud account, plus the Contember team that reviews every change and runs operations. |
| Who builds | Retool People with a builder licence, typically developers or technical staff. | Contember Fabrika Your person with AI tools such as Claude Code or Cursor, your developer or your agency. We can build the first app with you. |
| What an app is | Retool A Retool app, assembled from Retool components and stored in Retool. | Contember Fabrika Ordinary code in your company's Git repository. |
| Where apps run | Retool In Retool's cloud, or self-hosted in your infrastructure on Kubernetes with Helm. | Contember Fabrika In your own installation on Cloudflare or Zerops, or AWS on request. The cloud account is registered to your company. Apps have no public address; the only way in is the platform's sign-in. |
| How you pay | Retool Per user, with one price per builder and another per internal user. Listed in euros, billed yearly: Team €9 per builder and €5 per internal user a month, Business €46 and €14. Free for up to 5 users. Enterprise is custom. | Contember Fabrika A one-off setup, then monthly operations priced by the number of apps. Not per seat, not by the hour. You get the price in an offer after the first call. Servers are paid directly to the cloud provider. |
| Company sign-in | Retool SAML or OpenID Connect SSO on Enterprise. | Contember Fabrika Company account via OIDC (Google, Microsoft Entra, Okta), or a password for outside people. No SAML. |
| Permissions and records | Retool Rich permission controls and audit logging from the Business plan. | Contember Fabrika Roles per app, managed in one place. Sign-ins are logged, changes to access and roles are kept, and every deployment is recorded. |
| Who reviews changes | Retool Your team. Source Control with branches and pull requests (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Azure Repos, AWS CodeCommit) is on Enterprise. | Contember Fabrika A person from Contember, for every change, before it goes live. Changes go through Git. |
| AI | Retool Built into Retool. Retool also describes importing an app generated in Claude Code, Cursor, Lovable or Replit (as a zip, or through its MCP server) and connecting it to your resources in Retool. | Contember Fabrika Your people build with AI on your company's own AI plan. We don't train anything on your data. The AI builds; it doesn't deploy or run the apps. |
| If you leave | Retool You export an app as JSON or a Toolscript archive and import it into another Retool organization. The docs don't describe running it outside Retool. | Contember Fabrika Code, data, domains and the cloud account are yours. The system keeps running without us, and the next person picks it up from Git. |
Retool details are as of 28 September 2026, from retool.com and docs.retool.com. Retool showed its prices to us in euros; they may differ by region and change over time. Check the current pricing page before you decide.
Sources, checked 28 September 2026
When is Retool the better fit?
Retool is a mature product and in some situations it simply suits better. We'd rather you hear it from us.
It has to run on your own servers
Self-hosted Retool runs on Kubernetes in your infrastructure, with the full feature set on Enterprise. Fabrika runs on Cloudflare or Zerops, or on AWS by arrangement, not on your own servers, Azure or GCP.
A few people use the tools
For a small team, per-seat pricing is cheap: Retool is free for up to 5 users and the Team plan starts at €9 per builder and €5 per internal user a month (billed yearly).
Your team reviews its own changes
If you have people who read every change and want a process for it, Retool Enterprise gives them branches and pull requests. Then you don't need us for review.
When does Fabrika make more sense?
Mostly in mid-sized companies where the apps are used by many people and nobody in-house reads code.
- 01
You don't want to pay per seat
When the whole company uses an app, or outside people such as suppliers or clients do too, per-user pricing grows with every login. On Fabrika you pay by the number of apps.
- 02
Nobody on your side reviews changes
Retool gives you the process. Someone still has to read each change and understand what it does. On Fabrika that's our job, before every deployment.
- 03
You want the apps as ordinary code
The code is in your Git and runs in a cloud account registered to your company. If you ever stop working with us, it keeps running and any developer can carry on.
- 04
Your people already build with AI
Someone built an app in Claude Code, Cursor or Lovable and the company now depends on it. We take that code over as it is and deploy it into your account. More in Already building with AI.
Can we move from Retool to Fabrika?
Yes, but not by copying the app. Here's what we know, without promising more.
- 01
The app itself is rebuilt
Retool exports an app as JSON or Toolscript for importing into another Retool organization. That isn't code we can run elsewhere. The existing app works as a very precise brief, and we build it again on Fabrika.
- 02
The data stays where it is
If Retool works on top of your own databases and APIs, they don't move. The new app connects to the same sources. What to do with data stored elsewhere, we go through on the first call.
- 03
One app at a time
Nothing has to switch off at once. Retool and Fabrika can run side by side while you move the apps over. How long one app takes, you'll see in the offer.
- 04
Code from AI tools comes as it is
If you were about to import an app from Claude Code, Cursor or Lovable into Retool, we can take the same code over directly, without a rebuild.
What does Retool have that Fabrika doesn't?
Worth knowing before you decide. Some of it may be exactly what you need.
-
A visual builder with ready-made components
In Retool you assemble the interface from components and connectors. On Fabrika the apps are code, written with AI or by a developer.
-
Self-hosting on your own infrastructure
Retool runs on your Kubernetes cluster. Fabrika runs in your cloud account on Cloudflare or Zerops, or AWS by arrangement.
-
SAML
Retool Enterprise supports SAML SSO. Fabrika connects company accounts through OIDC only (Google, Microsoft Entra, Okta).
-
A free plan you can start today
Retool is free for up to 5 users and you sign up yourselves. Fabrika 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. Both let a company have its own internal apps. Retool gives you the tool and the governance features, and your team builds and reviews. Fabrika gives you a platform in your own cloud account, and we review every change and run operations. The apps are code in your repository.
Isn't Retool cheaper?
For a few builders and users, often yes. With dozens of people using the apps, per-seat pricing adds up. Compare the whole cost, including the time of whoever builds the apps and reads the changes, not just the licence. Our price is by the number of apps; you get it in an offer after the first call.
Can we self-host Fabrika like Retool?
Fabrika runs in your company's own cloud account, as a separate installation per company, on Cloudflare or Zerops, or on AWS by arrangement. Not on your own servers, Azure or GCP.
Retool can import apps built in Claude Code, Cursor or Lovable. What's the difference?
After an import, the app lives in Retool and connects to resources you manage there. On Fabrika the app stays ordinary code in your Git and runs in your account, and a person from Contember reviews every later change before it goes live.
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. More in Your developers or agency.
Will you take over our Retool apps?
Not as they are, because a Retool app runs in Retool. We can build them again on Fabrika, one at a time, with the existing app as the brief.
Do you support SAML or SCIM?
No. People sign in with their company Google, Microsoft Entra or Okta account through OIDC, and multi-factor sign-in follows your company's settings for that account. Outside people sign in with a password.
Where does the Retool information come from?
From retool.com and docs.retool.com, checked on 28 September 2026. The sources are listed under the table. If you spot 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 already have. If Retool fits you better, we'll say so.