Quick answer: The strongest Budibase alternatives are Retool, Appsmith and UI Bakery. Retool is the closest match for most users; the others trade off on price, features or focus. All 6 are compared below on pricing, strengths and best use case.
Budibase is a solid internal tool builder tool — Open-source low-code platform for internal apps, automations and AI agents, with a fully free self-hosted option and per-creator (not per-app) cloud pricing. But maybe the pricing no longer fits, or you want a feature Budibase doesn't prioritise. Here are the strongest alternatives worth a look, with what sets each apart.
Each option below works in the same broad space as Budibase; the right swap depends on which trade-off matters most to you.
Free plan; usage/seat-based paid tiers (Team, Business, Enterprise custom) per retool.com/pricing; free Agency Plan (Business features up to 10 users) for qualified agencies
Free plan (up to 5 users, cloud or self-hosted); Business ~$15/user/mo (self-hosted, up to 99 users); Enterprise ~$2,500/mo for 100 users; flat per-user rate since 2025/2026 (hourly meter removed)
Free tier (unlimited apps and data-source connections); paid plans priced per Developer with Workspace Viewers handled separately; unlimited-plan options for predictable costs (see uibakery.io/pricing)
Reported Starter from ~$10/user/mo, Business ~$25/user/mo, Enterprise custom; flexi-pricing (developer-only / user-based / usage-based); 30-day free trial of Business plan
internal-tools
The alternatives in detail
Retool Internal Tool Builder
Market-leading platform for building internal tools, admin panels and workflows fast by connecting databases and APIs to a library of drag-and-drop components, with strong dev controls. Consider it if internal-tools is your priority.
The market default for developers building internal tools fast on top of databases and APIs.
Stands out for:
Drag-and-drop component library for internal tools, admin panels and dashboards
Connects databases and APIs (Postgres, MySQL, REST, GraphQL, etc.)
JavaScript anywhere for custom logic
Pricing: Free plan; usage/seat-based paid tiers (Team, Business, Enterprise custom) per retool.com/pricing; free Agency Plan (Business features up to 10 users) for qualified agencies · Best for: internal-tools, developers
Open-source (Apache 2.0) platform for building internal tools and admin panels you can self-host for free, connecting to databases and APIs with JS-extensible widgets. Worth a look for self-hosted.
Apache-2.0 open source you can self-host for free with no user cap.
Stands out for:
Open-source (Apache 2.0) platform for internal tools and admin panels
Self-hostable for free with no user cap (community edition)
Drag-and-drop widgets extensible with JavaScript
Pricing: Free plan (up to 5 users, cloud or self-hosted); Business ~$15/user/mo (self-hosted, up to 99 users); Enterprise ~$2,500/mo for 100 users; flat per-user rate since 2025/2026 (hourly meter removed) · Best for: self-hosted, internal-tools
Low-code builder for internal tools, admin panels and dashboards with straightforward pricing that separates builders from viewers and offers unlimited apps and data sources even on lower tiers. Consider it if internal-tools is your priority.
Predictable internal-tool pricing (builders vs viewers) with unlimited apps even on free.
Stands out for:
Low-code builder for internal tools, admin panels and dashboards
AI generation of CRUD apps/admin panels from a text prompt
Unlimited apps and data-source connections even on free tier
Pricing: Free tier (unlimited apps and data-source connections); paid plans priced per Developer with Workspace Viewers handled separately; unlimited-plan options for predictable costs (see uibakery.io/pricing) · Best for: internal-tools, admin-panels
No-code platform with separate tracks for internal tools, customer portals and AI agents, connecting 50+ data sources to build admin panels and portals. Worth a look for internal-tools.
One platform with distinct tracks for internal tools, customer portals and AI agents.
Stands out for:
Separate product tracks: Internal Tools, Customer Portal and AI Agents
Connects 50+ data sources (200+ integrations for AI Agents)
Jet AI generates working apps from a description
Pricing: Free Internal Tools plan (1 app, 1 user); Internal Tools Starter ~$24/user/mo, Pro ~$48/user/mo (annual); Customer Portal from ~$39/mo (Plus ~$125, Pro ~$290, Enterprise ~$649/mo); Enterprise custom · Best for: internal-tools, customer-portals
AI-native open-source low-code platform for building internal tools, dashboards and AI agents, connecting to 80+ data sources with self-hosting and no per-app fees. Consider it if self-hosted is your priority.
AI-native open-source internal-tool builder with flat per-builder pricing and no per-app fees.
Stands out for:
AI-native open-source low-code platform for internal tools, dashboards and AI agents
Connects 80+ data sources, no per-app fees
Self-hostable
Pricing: Free open-source plan; Business from ~$19-20/user/mo (AI generation, 80+ integrations); Enterprise custom; self-hosting available · Best for: self-hosted, internal-tools
Low-code platform for internal tools, admin panels, employee/partner portals and database GUIs, with flexible developer-only, user-based and usage-based licensing. Consider it if internal-tools is your priority.
Flexible enterprise low-code with developer-only, user-based and usage-based pricing options.
Stands out for:
Low-code platform for internal tools, admin panels and employee/partner portals
Visual drag-and-drop builder plus a 'vibe coding' mode that outputs editable React code
Flexible licensing: developer-only, user-based and usage-based
Pricing: Reported Starter from ~$10/user/mo, Business ~$25/user/mo, Enterprise custom; flexi-pricing (developer-only / user-based / usage-based); 30-day free trial of Business plan · Best for: internal-tools, enterprise-portals