Rapid dashboards for real-time IoT control have accelerated MVP delivery and team collaboration
What is our primary use case?
I used Retool in one of my projects a few months ago. The project involved making a monitoring real-time IoT system for IoT devices, and we used Retool as an internal dashboard. We had a stack of a FastAPI that handled the live data streams coming from the devices via MQTT, so we used Retool to monitor and control IoT devices in real-time.
We used Retool for checking how the data flow was working by connecting it to our backend through API to visualize how our data flows in real-time. It served as a control layer on top of our backend; we did not want to make a full custom UI from scratch, so we decided to go with Retool.
Eventually, we built up our UI dashboard as we wanted, but there were some limitations in customization. When we have new projects, we try to use Retool internally for creating internal dashboards and checking our APIs, not in the public cloud.
What is most valuable?
Retool is great for internal operations and rapid development. If you do not want to create everything from scratch and build a custom UI, you can go with this tool, and it is easy because it is low code, significantly reducing development time for dashboards and admin interfaces.
The best feature that Retool offers is the ability to create a UI dashboard very quickly, and I can make an internal dashboard easily. I also appreciate the feature that integrates APIs very easily.
I appreciate how easy it is to integrate APIs; you can drag and drop tables and buttons, and everything is low code, so you do not need to worry about the internal logic.
With the help of Retool, we saved a lot of time. For instance, we made a similar project before that took two to three weeks to implement the same features, but with Retool, we could check our API right away very quickly. We saved around twenty percent of our time before checking how our API works, visualizing it, and seeing where the drawbacks were, allowing us to make changes to our FastAPI backend. Retool is a great tool, especially for startups and for people looking to develop an MVP very quickly.
Through using Retool, team collaboration improved because we had fewer friction points. For instance, we encountered fewer bugs at the backend, and when the frontend and backend teams collaborated, the backend was more aligned for the frontend APIs, resulting in fewer bugs and smoother collaboration during the building stage.
Retool is very stable.
What needs improvement?
Retool has some drawbacks, including limited customization; of course, it has limitations compared to React, where you can customize it as you want, but with Retool, there is limited customization.
Retool is more suited for startups, but it can get messy at scale. If you want to increase the number of API routes or add more features, it can become complicated.
Retool needs more customization options, as it should not be limited to a few customization features; it should be broader, with more features available for users to utilize.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working in the current field since 2019, which means it has been almost seven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Retool is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Retool is more suited for startups, but it can get messy at scale. If you want to increase the number of API routes or add more features, it can become complicated.
How are customer service and support?
The customer support is amazing; overall, AWS customer support is very professional and fast. We had a few cases where we faced issues with features, and their response time was great in assisting with billing issues, which I appreciated very much.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Retool was the first solution that we used. Retool was recommended by one of the senior developers, who had experience with it in his previous workplace, so we started with Retool; it was our first choice.
How was the initial setup?
I purchased Retool through the AWS marketplace.
What about the implementation team?
We do not have any other relationships with this vendor apart from being a customer.
What was our ROI?
We definitely saved significant time on engineering, which saved us money. We had fewer front-end resources, and while developing with Retool, we did not need many front-end team members, which saved on salaries. Overall, it also helped reduce time spent on maintenance, saving over a thousand euros because we did not hire additional front-end developers. Retool cost thirty euros for a month, so the return on investment was very positive.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I found it affordable regarding pricing, setup costs, and licensing.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Retool was the first solution that we used.
What other advice do I have?
If you are a team looking to develop the first MVP of your project quickly without spending time on creating a custom admin panel or dashboard, Retool is a great tool that can save time, and the customer support is great. I rate Retool an eight out of ten; it helped a lot for our startup and was a great tool for saving time.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Retool Streamlines Product Uploads and Speeds Up Publishing
What do you like best about the product?
I like Retool because it streamlines the way we prepare and upload products for our online store. It makes managing product data straightforward, helps reduce errors, and speeds up the publishing process, which ultimately improves our overall efficiency.
What do you dislike about the product?
One downside of Retool is that it can feel limiting when you’re trying to handle more complex workflows or bulk product uploads, and it sometimes ends up requiring extra manual steps. It also depends heavily on how well everything is set up: if the underlying data structure isn’t clean, you can run into errors, slowdowns, or general inefficiencies.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Retool helps us avoid slow, manual product management by providing a central place to prepare, manage, and upload product data for our online store.
Fast Setup, Hassle-Free Process
What do you like best about the product?
I really liked how Retool made the process fast for building an audience engine, allowing me to get everything ready in less than 24 hours. I also appreciate that I can edit my prompt results without having to prompt again and again. The integration and the assist mode are features I enjoy, and the initial setup was swift and easy.
What do you dislike about the product?
The part that I have to run VPN to access the platform
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Retool made building an audience engine fast, getting everything ready in less than 24 hours. I like editing prompts without repeating them and appreciate the integration and assist mode.
Empowers Rapid Tool Building with Ease
What do you like best about the product?
I really appreciate how Retool facilitates exposing data to a diverse range of stakeholders through a self-service, app-like interface. This capability significantly enhances cross-functional collaboration, as it enables all parties, regardless of their technical expertise, to engage with data effectively. The platform’s ease of use makes it a wonderful tool that doesn't impose limits on creativity or functionality, which I find extremely valuable. The power Retool provides is evident as it empowers a single developer to achieve what typically might require the effort of two to three developers. Furthermore, its robust connectivity is impressive; I'm able to connect with virtually any datastore, making it versatile for various applications. It also efficiently sends information to trigger jobs or pipelines, allowing seamless integration with other processes. Overall, Retool stands out for me in terms of boosting productivity and operational efficiency.
What do you dislike about the product?
I would like to see improved documentation and potentially examples similar to those available in complex frameworks like D3.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
I use Retool to easily expose data to stakeholders via a self-service interface, allowing rapid creation of internal tools that enhance cross-functional collaboration and productivity. It empowers a single developer to achieve tasks that typically need a team.
Great tool to quickly spin up apps that connect to your company's data
What do you like best about the product?
Connecting to data and APIs is straightforward, which makes it great for quickly building internal tools that require access to existing company data. In my opinion, this is Retool's biggest differentiator.
What do you dislike about the product?
The platform offers a wide range of advanced features and settings, which means that non-developers might require some guidance or training to use it effectively. Additionally, the existing resources for learning how to use Retool could be improved to better support new users.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Internal tools
Useful for Internal Tools
What do you like best about the product?
Easy to access Rest APIs and BigQuery quickly.
What do you dislike about the product?
The UI is a bit bland compared to some competitors.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
I needed to connect data from BigQuery to Postgres data sources. The tool is helpful for this.
Built-in features streamline data processing and integration
What is our primary use case?
In Retool, I have designed graphs and data tools to implement rules-based functionality. Instead of implementing these features in our platform, we created them through Retool because we only provide access to statistics for the sales team. We don't give access to the whole system.
I have worked with Retool for three months based on requirements from other team members. We're using it within our internal system, but we want to restrict access to the main system. That's why we're conducting data analysis through Retool.
This implementation was a requirement from the client, and I worked on providing solutions accordingly.
What is most valuable?
Retool provides built-in features with all processing happening within the platform, which is a significant advantage.
The platform is easy to use without requiring the installation of different libraries. Various features are available through drag and drop and UI-based interactions.
The tool allows data retrieval through queries and displays information directly. It offers data tools that grab information based on specified queries and draws everything on screen. If a table is needed, it efficiently lists down the table data.
Data manipulation happens through queries. We simply specify the table and required query, and the results are displayed immediately.
Permissions are required for access. When we grant access from AWS, Retool can access the data. Without proper permissions, access is restricted.
We can provide view-only access in Retool while maintaining view, edit, and delete capabilities in the main system. This allows us to control access for sales personnel and external data viewing.
The platform provides an extensive range of graphs and visualization options.
What needs improvement?
The platform already provides many features, and additional features aren't necessary for medium-level usage. Only very high-level requirements might necessitate more features.
AI tools, features, and machine learning capabilities should be added as they would be helpful in the future.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have worked with Retool for three months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I have never faced any downtime or maintenance issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have implemented very large datasets, and the system works very fast. It's scalable and doesn't experience any slowdown when handling increasing data volumes.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support team is available, but I haven't needed to contact them. I found sufficient help through YouTube and articles.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I did not evaluate other options.
How was the initial setup?
New users or beginners require video tutorials for guidance. Once familiar with the platform, everyone can use it very easily.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Retool can be used with many applications as it is language independent. Anyone can use it easily and create various visualizations regardless of their programming knowledge. This is the main reason I recommend it.
What other advice do I have?
In application development, we typically need to handle security and related aspects. With Retool, these features are built-in, eliminating the need for manual implementation.
The review rating for Retool is 9 out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
A Game-Changer for Building Internal Tools at Lightning Speed
What do you like best about the product?
Honestly, what blew me away was the speed. I'm using it for the first time and I managed to build a functional tool in just one afternoon, something I thought would take me at least a few days. Connecting it to my database was surprisingly easy, it just worked. I love that even though it's so simple to start, I can still write my own code if I ever need to do something more specific. I can already see how much time this is going to save me.
What do you dislike about the product?
It can get a bit complex when you want to build something really custom. The basics are simple, but it can sometimes be difficult to find and connect more complicated actions, like making one button trigger several different steps.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
The biggest problem Retool solves for us is the slow, manual process of interacting with our database. Previously, if I needed to view customer data, I have to run a manual query.
Retool gives us a way to get quick access to our databases and present that data in a really clear way, like in a table or a list. The main benefit is that we can now manage all that information in a surprisingly simple way. We can build tools with forms and buttons that let our team safely create, update, or delete records without needing any technical help. It has saved us a huge amount of development time.
It's been good, it works for the work I'm doing.
What do you like best about the product?
For creating mvp visualizations it is very good. It works great with integrations to different applications.
What do you dislike about the product?
If you could have a guide for documentation for new users or maybe have a wizard to guide, for that you can contact Atom ;) .
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Create mvps for AI work. It communicates well with different environments and works well for me for that.
It is quite quick and easy solution to create applications
What do you like best about the product?
The easy database integration and the quick and easy way to create forms and store data. Ease of implenetation as well.
What do you dislike about the product?
I wish it was more form oriented then component creation so that I can build a workflow and add pages and databases to it.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
I am trying to build applications for both internal or external purposes and take them to production faster in this fast-paced world we live in,
