Internal tool builders compared (2026)
We read the official sites, docs, pricing pages and GitHub repositories of 12 internal tool builders on 2026-11-01. Appsmith, Budibase and ToolJet are open source and self-hostable, and Budibase, Google AppSheet, Microsoft Power Apps, Noloco, Softr and Superblocks document an EU data-hosting region for their cloud product. "Not stated" means we found no statement on those pages, not that the feature is missing.
Last checked 2026-11-01. Tools are listed alphabetically. This is not a ranking and we did not test the tools ourselves. Enterprise prices, customer counts and market share are not included because we could not source them.
Comparison table
| Tool | Type | Open source / license | Self-host | EU hosting | Free plan | Paid from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appsmith | low-code internal tool builder | Yes: Apache-2.0 | Yes | Not listed | Free plan, $0: up to 5 users on cloud, 5 workspaces, Git version control with 3 repos, community support only. The free Community edition is self-hosted (checked 2026-11-01) | Business: $15 per user per month (pricing page, checked 2026-11-01). Enterprise is listed at $2,500 per month for 100 users. |
| Budibase | low-code internal tool builder | Yes: GPL v3 | Yes | Yes | Open source plan, free and self-hosted: 1 workspace, unlimited apps, automations, agents and users, community support. Budibase Cloud has no free plan on the pricing page (checked 2026-11-01) | Pro: $19 / month on the monthly view of the pricing page (checked 2026-11-01) |
| DronaHQ | enterprise low-code platform | No (closed) | Yes | Not stated | No free plan listed. The FAQ describes a one month free trial of the Business plan, no credit card required (checked 2026-11-01) | Cloud Starter: $140 per month billed monthly, or $100 per month billed annually. User-based Starter: $10 per user per month annually, $12 monthly (checked 2026-11-01) |
| Glide | no-code app builder | No (closed) | Not listed | Not listed | Free plan, $0 per month: 2 team members, 10 projects, limited credits. The comparison table shows 0 published apps (checked 2026-11-01) | Basic: $25 per month, 100 credits (pricing page, checked 2026-11-01) |
| Google AppSheet | no-code app builder | No (closed) | Not stated | Yes | Free prototyping: test your apps with up to 10 users at no cost, with no time limit stated in the FAQ (checked 2026-11-01) | Starter: $5 per user per month (pricing page, checked 2026-11-01) |
| Microsoft Power Apps | enterprise low-code platform | No (closed) | Not stated | Yes | Free Developer Plan: build and test unlimited apps or flows, 3 developer environments, 2 GB Dataverse database, up to 750 automation flows per month (checked 2026-11-01) | Power Apps Premium: $20.00 per user per month, paid yearly. A $12.00 per user per month rate needs a 2,000-seat minimum and contacting sales (checked 2026-11-01) |
| Noloco | no-code app builder | No (closed) | Not stated | Yes | Free plan, $0 per month: 30 AI credits per month plus 5 daily. Pricing says every plan includes a 14-day free period of Build features (checked 2026-11-01) | Build: $65 per month billed annually, $79 billed monthly (pricing page, checked 2026-11-01) |
| Retool | low-code internal tool builder | No (closed) | Yes | Not stated | Free plan: up to 5 users, 250 pooled AI credits and 500 workflow runs per month, up to 5 modules, production environment only. No SSO, audit logs or git source control (checked 2026-11-01) | Team: builder $10/mo (annual) or $12/mo (monthly); internal user $5/mo (annual) or $7/mo (monthly). Enterprise: "Flexible pricing that scales with your business" (checked 2026-11-01) |
| Softr | no-code app builder | No (closed) | Not stated | Yes | Free plan, $0: free forever, up to 3 builders and 5 app users, no custom domain (checked 2026-11-01) | Basic: $19 per month billed annually, $25 billed monthly (Softr docs, checked 2026-11-01) |
| Superblocks | enterprise low-code platform | No (closed) | Yes | Yes | No free plan listed. Teams has a 14-day free trial (checked 2026-11-01) | Teams: $125 per month billed monthly, $100 per month billed annually. Enterprise: custom pricing (checked 2026-11-01) |
| ToolJet | low-code internal tool builder | Yes: AGPL-3.0 | Yes | Not stated | Free plan, $0: 2 builders, up to 50 end users, up to 10 apps, 100 AI credits per month, 1 workspace, community support via Slack (checked 2026-11-01) | Basic: $23 per builder per month (pricing page, checked 2026-11-01) |
| UI Bakery | low-code internal tool builder | No (closed) | Yes | Not stated | Free plan, $0 per month: unlimited apps and data source connections, unlimited public app users, 5 GB hosted database, community support. Cloud Free has no App Environments or App Export (checked 2026-11-01) | Builder: $20 per developer per month billed annually, $25 billed monthly (pricing page, checked 2026-11-01) |
"Yes" for EU hosting means the vendor's own pages document an EU region for the cloud product. "Not listed" means the vendor says data sits elsewhere. "Not stated" means we found no region statement. "Yes" for self-host includes documented private or customer-cloud deployments, some of them Enterprise only, which the cards describe. Prices are quoted from each pricing page and were not recalculated.
Tool by tool
Appsmith
Appsmith's GitHub page calls it a platform to build admin panels, internal tools and dashboards, integrating with 25+ databases and any API.
Type: low-code internal tool builder
Suits: Developer-led teams that want an open-source builder they can run on their own infrastructure.
Hosting: Appsmith's docs FAQ says: "For Appsmith cloud users, data is stored and processed on servers in the US." No EU cloud region is listed on the pages we read. Self-hosting runs on your own infrastructure.
AI features: AI interactions with LLMs, natural-language widget and workflow creation, copilots (per the homepage)
Notes: Appsmith's homepage calls itself "the leader in open-source low-code development". That is Appsmith's own claim. The GitHub README lists Docker (recommended), Kubernetes and AWS AMI installs. The Enterprise plan lists an air-gapped edition as an add-on. The pricing page does not mention AI features.
Sources: appsmith.com, appsmith.com/pricing, github.com/appsmithorg/appsmith, docs.appsmith.com/getting-started/faq
Budibase
Budibase's GitHub page describes it as "AI agents, automations and apps that run your operations. Model agnostic."
Type: low-code internal tool builder
Suits: Teams that want a GPL-licensed builder to self-host, or a cloud plan hosted in Ireland.
Hosting: Budibase's security page says: "All servers are hosted within the EU (Ireland) in data centers certified by SOC 1/2 and ISO 27001."
AI features: Agent Builder, tool calling, evals, knowledge sources (vector databases), bring-your-own AI key, AI credits on paid plans
Notes: The repo says the client and component libraries are under MPL and paid features fall under the Business Source License (packages/pro/license.md). The README lists Docker, Docker Compose, Kubernetes, DigitalOcean and Portainer installs. Enterprise can be self-hosted, with air-gapped deployment as an add-on.
Sources: budibase.com/pricing, budibase.com/security/, github.com/Budibase/budibase
DronaHQ
DronaHQ's homepage headline reads "The enterprise platform for apps and AI agents", for building internal apps and AI agents on your own data.
Type: enterprise low-code platform
Suits: Teams that want a vendor-supported platform with a self-hosted option.
Hosting: The pricing page lists no cloud regions.
AI features: AI Agent Builder, AI App Builder, 300 AI credits on paid plans, AI credit top-up
Notes: Self-hosted plans are listed separately: Business at $1,500 per month billed annually, and Enterprise on custom pricing. The FAQ says Git-based source control is only on self-hosted instances. The pricing page says cloud plans have unlimited users with usage billed by tasks.
Sources: dronahq.com, dronahq.com/pricing/
Glide
Glide's homepage says it turns the Excel files and Google Sheets your team runs on into apps and AI agents.
Type: no-code app builder
Suits: Ops teams that keep their data in spreadsheets and want apps on top without engineering.
Hosting: Glide's help center says: "Our servers are currently located in the United States and hosted on Google Cloud." It also says there are no options for server locations outside the U.S.
AI features: GlideOS AI app building from a spreadsheet, prompt or file; AI usage measured in credits; MCP on Pro; choice of LLM provider on Enterprise
Notes: The help center states there is no self-hosting option. The homepage says Glide is "Trusted by teams at 100,000+ businesses". That is Glide's own claim and we did not verify it.
Sources: glideapps.com, glideapps.com/pricing, help.glideapps.com/en/articles/9528015-gdpr-eu
Google AppSheet
AppSheet's homepage says it helps you build applications and automations with no coding required.
Type: no-code app builder
Suits: Teams on Google Workspace whose data lives in Sheets or Google Cloud databases.
Hosting: Google's AppSheet help page lists a European Union region where "Data is stored and processed in EU region only." It is available to Google Workspace organizations with AppSheet Enterprise Plus accounts only. In the EU region, Gemini for App Creation is not available, Box, Dropbox, Microsoft Excel and Salesforce are not supported, and sign-in is limited to Google providers.
AI features: Natural Language Smart Assistant (Core and Enterprise Plus), Gemini for App Creation (Global region only), Document AI and ML features on Enterprise Plus
Notes: The pricing page does not describe a self-hosted option. The pricing page says AI-assisted app creation needs a paid Google Workspace license.
Sources: about.appsheet.com, about.appsheet.com/pricing/, support.google.com/appsheet/answer/13788479
Microsoft Power Apps
Microsoft calls Power Apps a platform to rapidly build and deploy full-stack applications, governed at enterprise scale and powered by AI.
Type: enterprise low-code platform
Suits: Organizations already on Microsoft 365, Azure and Dataverse that need governed apps.
Hosting: Microsoft Learn says an environment created in the European Union (EU) and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) region deploys apps in European data centers, with data in EU and EFTA member states (European Union Data Boundary regions). The region is chosen per environment. AI and Copilot features have their own region rules, so check them separately.
AI features: Agentic features (model-driven apps only), Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat in apps (generally available for model-driven apps, public preview for canvas apps), Copilot Studio agents
Notes: Microsoft says it is a Leader in the Forrester Wave: Low-Code Development Platforms for Professional Developers, Q2 2025, and in the 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Low-Code Application Platforms. Those are Microsoft's statements. The pages we read do not describe self-hosting the product. Dataverse capacity is a separate add-on at $40.00 per GB per month, paid yearly.
Sources: microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/produc, microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/produc, learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/admin/
Noloco
Noloco's homepage headline is "The AI portal builder for teams running complex operations".
Type: no-code app builder
Suits: Ops teams building client or staff portals on top of spreadsheet-style data.
Hosting: Noloco's security page says it is "Hosted in the EU", on Amazon Web Services in Ireland, in SOC 1, SOC 2 and ISO 27001 certified data centers. The same page says Noloco itself is ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certified.
AI features: Nola AI app builder (uses AI credits), Canvas pages, Noloco AI table columns (open beta)
Notes: The pricing page does not mention self-hosting. Credits are used only when building or changing an app with Nola, not for normal app use. Enterprise is a custom quote through sales.
Sources: noloco.io, noloco.io/pricing, noloco.io/security
Retool
Retool's site says: "Build, deploy, and manage internal tools with Retool's unified engine."
Type: low-code internal tool builder
Suits: Engineering-led teams building internal apps that sit on top of databases and APIs.
Hosting: Retool's docs say Cloud traffic routes through us-west-2 (Oregon) by default. Frankfurt (eu-central-1) is offered as an outbound region, and the docs state: "Outbound regions do not affect where Retool stores your applications or data." We found no EU storage region for Cloud.
AI features: AI app builder, AI actions, agents (billed hourly), monthly pooled AI credits, bring-your-own AI provider key on Enterprise
Notes: Self-hosting is listed as an Enterprise option, described as Cloud, self-hosted or air-gapped. The FAQ says Docker setup takes about 15 minutes. Business plan prices are $50 or $65 per builder and $15 or $18 per internal user per month (annual or monthly).
Sources: retool.com, retool.com/pricing, docs.retool.com/data-sources/guides/connect
Softr
Softr's security page footer calls it "the AI app builder for business operations".
Type: no-code app builder
Suits: Ops teams building portals and internal apps on top of Airtable, Google Sheets or SQL data.
Hosting: Softr's security page says: "Host your data in the EU (Germany) or US." Its FAQ says Softr hosts all user data in Germany. The page does not explain the difference, so confirm the setting for your workspace.
AI features: AI App Builder, Ask AI, MCP, database AI agents (named on the site, not described)
Notes: The pricing page on softr.io did not show plan details when we read it, so prices are from Softr's own docs page. The pages we read do not describe self-hosting.
Sources: softr.io/pricing, docs.softr.io/workspace-and-billing/prici, softr.io/security
Superblocks
Superblocks' homepage calls it "The Software Factory for Business Teams", with apps built in your AWS private cloud and governed by IT and Security.
Type: enterprise low-code platform
Suits: Security-conscious teams that want apps built in their own cloud account under IT governance.
Hosting: Superblocks' security docs say: "Superblocks servers are hosted in AWS across US and EU regions on SOC 2 and ISO 27001 certified infrastructure." The page does not say which EU region.
AI features: Clark AI agent for app building, Governed Agent Units (100 per month on Teams), Admin MCP and Smart Model Routing on Enterprise
Notes: Self-hosting is Enterprise only. The FAQ describes Cloud, Hybrid and Cloud-Prem. Cloud-Prem deploys the full platform, including AI inference, in your AWS, GCP or Azure environment and is managed by Superblocks.
Sources: superblocks.com, superblocks.com/pricing, docs.superblocks.com/security/overview
ToolJet
ToolJet's homepage says: "ToolJet is an AI app builder for internal tools."
Type: low-code internal tool builder
Suits: Developer-led teams that want an AGPL-licensed builder they can run on their own servers.
Hosting: The pricing page and repo page we read list no cloud regions. Self-hosting can run on Docker, Kubernetes, your VPC or on-premise.
AI features: AI app generation, AI query and code generation, auto-fix, coding-agent plugin, AI credits, bring-your-own LLM key on Enterprise
Notes: The GitHub page splits features into Community Edition and an Enterprise list (AI app generation, agent builder, workflows, SCIM, audit logs, white-labeling). It does not say which license covers the Enterprise features. The pricing page says fully offline operation needs the Self-hosted Enterprise air-gapped add-on.
Sources: tooljet.com, tooljet.com/pricing, github.com/ToolJet/ToolJet
UI Bakery
UI Bakery's homepage says it helps teams create secure, reliable internal apps fast, without engineering bottlenecks or fragile prototypes.
Type: low-code internal tool builder
Suits: Small developer teams that want a hosted builder with a self-hosted option.
Hosting: The pricing page lists no cloud regions.
AI features: AI App Agent, AI datasource, AI actions (text generation, summarization, classification, extraction), AI chat components, AI assistant
Notes: Self-hosted plans are Free ($0, unlimited seats), Team ($35 annual or $40 monthly) and Enterprise (custom). Builder is not offered for self-hosting. AI credits for self-hosted installs come from the cloud workspace that generated the license key. Enterprise self-hosting adds air-gapped deployment.
Sources: uibakery.io, uibakery.io/pricing
How to choose
1. Start from self-hosting and data control
If you must run the tool on your own servers, start with the open-source options: Appsmith (Apache-2.0), Budibase (GPL v3) and ToolJet (AGPL-3.0). DronaHQ, Retool, Superblocks and UI Bakery document self-hosted or private deployments too, but they are closed products and several reserve that option for Enterprise plans. Self-hosting adds upgrades, backups and uptime to your own list. If you need an EU region instead, Budibase, Google AppSheet, Microsoft Power Apps, Noloco, Softr and Superblocks document one for their cloud product, and Appsmith and Glide say cloud data is stored in the United States.
2. Decide who will build and maintain it
Retool, Appsmith, Budibase, ToolJet and UI Bakery describe themselves as low-code builders, which suits people who are comfortable with SQL, JavaScript and APIs. Glide, Google AppSheet, Noloco and Softr describe themselves as no-code, which suits ops staff who work from spreadsheets or tables. Pick based on who will own changes six months from now, not who builds the first version. See also our pages on Retool, Softr and Airtable.
3. Check your existing Microsoft or Google stack
Microsoft Power Apps and Google AppSheet sit inside Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. If identity, data and security reviews are already there, that can shorten procurement. Both have region conditions: Power Apps chooses a region per environment, and AppSheet's EU region needs an Enterprise Plus account and drops some features and data sources. Read the hosting notes before you assume.
4. Model per-user pricing at your real headcount
Appsmith, DronaHQ, Google AppSheet, Microsoft Power Apps, Retool, ToolJet and UI Bakery quote per-user, per-builder or per-developer prices, so cost grows with the number of people. Some cloud plans, such as DronaHQ's, list unlimited users and bill by usage instead. Count builders and viewers separately, add the seats you will have in a year and read what each plan excludes, such as SSO, audit logs or Git sync. We do not compute totals because plans and limits differ.
5. Decide what you need from AI
Vendors list different things under AI: app generation, agents, AI actions inside apps and usage credits. Credits cap how much you can build with AI each month on several plans, and bring-your-own-key is limited to higher plans at some vendors. Write down whether you want AI to help build the tool or to run inside it, then check the AI line on each card. If you only need dashboards, see our page on agencies for reporting dashboards.
Also see the wider tools hub for other vendor-neutral comparisons.
Need someone to build it?
If you would rather hand this to a specialist, browse the internal tools agencies in our directory, see how to hire Retool developers, read what a custom AI internal tool costs or get matched with an agency. If you are weighing a builder against custom code, read Retool vs a custom internal tool. Our listings do not say which builder an agency uses, so ask about it in your brief.
Sources
All fetched on 2026-11-01.
- https://www.appsmith.com
- https://www.appsmith.com/pricing
- https://github.com/appsmithorg/appsmith
- https://docs.appsmith.com/getting-started/faq
- https://budibase.com/pricing
- https://budibase.com/security/
- https://github.com/Budibase/budibase
- https://www.dronahq.com
- https://www.dronahq.com/pricing/
- https://www.glideapps.com
- https://www.glideapps.com/pricing
- https://help.glideapps.com/en/articles/9528015-gdpr-eu-compliance-and-glide-servers
- https://about.appsheet.com
- https://about.appsheet.com/pricing/
- https://support.google.com/appsheet/answer/13788479?hl=en
- https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/products/power-apps
- https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/products/power-apps/pricing
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/admin/regions-overview
- https://noloco.io
- https://noloco.io/pricing
- https://noloco.io/security
- https://retool.com
- https://retool.com/pricing
- https://docs.retool.com/data-sources/guides/connections/outbound-retool-regions
- https://www.softr.io/pricing
- https://docs.softr.io/workspace-and-billing/pricing-and-plans
- https://www.softr.io/security
- https://www.superblocks.com
- https://www.superblocks.com/pricing
- https://docs.superblocks.com/security/overview
- https://www.tooljet.com
- https://www.tooljet.com/pricing
- https://github.com/ToolJet/ToolJet
- https://uibakery.io
- https://uibakery.io/pricing
Questions
Which internal tool builders are open source and self-hostable?
Appsmith (Apache-2.0), Budibase (GPL v3) and ToolJet (AGPL-3.0) have an open-source core you can run yourself, according to their repositories and pricing pages. We did not find a source-available license among the tools here. DronaHQ, Retool, Superblocks and UI Bakery are closed-source products that document a self-hosted or private deployment, in some cases on Enterprise or higher plans only, so read the card for each. Glide state that self-hosting is not offered. For the other tools we found no self-hosting statement. Open source here means the core product has an OSI-approved license. Some of these products keep paid features under a separate license, which the cards note.
Which internal tool builders offer EU data hosting?
On the vendor pages we read, Budibase, Google AppSheet, Microsoft Power Apps, Noloco, Softr and Superblocks document an EU data-hosting region for their cloud product. Some come with conditions, such as an Enterprise Plus plan or a feature that is not available in the EU region, so check the hosting note on each card. Appsmith and Glide say their cloud data is stored in the United States. For DronaHQ, Retool, ToolJet and UI Bakery we found no region list, which is different from "not available": ask the vendor. Self-hosting is the other route to control where data sits.
Which internal tool builders have a free plan?
Appsmith, Budibase, Glide, Google AppSheet, Microsoft Power Apps, Noloco, Retool, Softr, ToolJet and UI Bakery state a free plan or free tier on their own pages. DronaHQ and Superblocks state a time-limited trial instead. Free plans have caps on users, apps, credits and features, which are in the table. Prices were checked on 2026-11-01. We do not list enterprise pricing because most vendors ask for a sales call.
Retool vs custom code: when does a builder make sense?
A builder makes sense when the screens are mostly forms, tables, approvals and dashboards on top of data you already have, and you want them in weeks instead of building login, permissions and a UI layer yourself. Custom code makes more sense when the interface is unusual, performance needs are strict or the tool is part of your product. Many teams start with a builder and move the awkward parts to code. Our guide on Retool versus a custom internal tool goes through the trade-offs at /guides/retool-vs-custom-internal-tool/.
Should I hire an agency to build internal tools?
It depends on who will own the tool. If you have an engineer or a technical ops person with time, a builder from this list is often enough to start. If you need integrations with messy systems, approval flows with real permissions or a tool several teams will rely on, a specialist can scope it and hand it over. Our directory lists agencies that name internal tool work on their own websites. Pricing for custom work varies a lot, so see the cost guide at /hire/custom-ai-internal-tool-cost/ before you ask for quotes.
Get matched with 3 vetted agencies
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