Retool vs ServiceNow comparison

Retool and ServiceNow are both solutions in the Rapid Application Development Software category. Retool is ranked #18 with an average rating of 8.3, while ServiceNow is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.5. Retool holds a 0.5% mindshare in RADS, compared to ServiceNow’s 10.9% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Retool users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 92% of ServiceNow users who would recommend it.

Retool

Read 7 Retool reviews

238 Views
152 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

ServiceNow

Read 217 ServiceNow reviews

11,905 Views
8,079 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

Retool

ServiceNow

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 17, 2024

ServiceNow and Retool are two enterprise software platforms competing primarily in IT and business process automation. ServiceNow holds an advantage due to its strong support for IT service management, while Retool excels in customization and rapid development, making it ideal for quickly building internal tools.

Features: ServiceNow offers robust IT workflows, change management, and incident resolution, catering to large enterprises with complex needs. Retool is known for its flexibility, rapid development capabilities, and seamless integration of custom applications, which create a developer-centric environment.

Room for Improvement: ServiceNow could benefit from streamlining deployment times and simplifying its extensive suite to make it more approachable for smaller teams. Retool might improve by expanding integration options and enhancing support for enterprise-scale deployments. Both platforms can enhance their user-friendly interfaces to increase engagement and adoption.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: ServiceNow's deployment process is comprehensive and offers excellent support aligned with mature IT practices, but it can be time-consuming. Retool provides a straightforward deployment model that is attractive to teams emphasizing speed and simplicity, with a user-friendly approach and responsive support services.

Pricing and ROI: ServiceNow has higher upfront costs tailored for large enterprises, justifying potential long-term ROI through streamlined IT operations. Retool offers a cost-effective initial setup, providing attractive ROI for teams focusing on the rapid development of tools. ServiceNow targets organizations with established IT budgets, while Retool appeals to those seeking agility and cost-effectiveness in application development.

To learn more, read our detailed Retool vs. ServiceNow Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Retool vs. ServiceNow

April 2025

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Helped 850,028 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Retool

Ranking in Rapid Application Development Software

18th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

ServiceNow

Ranking in Rapid Application Development Software

2nd

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

217

Ranking in other categories

Help Desk Software (1st), IT Asset Management (1st), IT Service Management (ITSM) (1st), No-Code Development Platforms (1st)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Rapid Application Development Software category, the mindshare of Retool is 0.5%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ServiceNow is 10.9%, up from 10.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Rapid Application Development Software

Featured Reviews

Saurabh Tiwari

Back End Developer at Medha

Easy to use, I don't need to write extensive code and built-in components helps to develop tools

Retool provides multiple tools and functionalities that we can use. However, there are restrictions on the front-end side. From the back-end side, we can use anything, but on the front-end, we have limited tools. This limits our ability to enhance functionality. For example, if I'm creating a tool for you to collect feedback from your clients or users, we have limited resources on the front-end. For the back-end, we have unlimited resources, but for the front-end, we are restricted to creating dashboards and similar tools. If you want to enable other functionalities, we can add them, but this is a limitation on the front-end side.

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Somnath Kand

Team Lead at LTI - Larsen & Toubro Infotech

Custom integration and reporting lead to efficient ticket management

There is a need for bug or error tracking in ServiceNow. Although there are child incidents or tickets, tracking primary issues or bugs within enhancements is not present. The reporting features in the new portal could be more user-friendly. While it provides options to minimize chart and image sizes, actual implementation doesn't always reflect these changes.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"Retool's most valuable features are its drag-and-drop components and the ability to customize them extensively."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is connectivity with APIs and other databases."

"There are several key aspects to Retool that make it stand out. Firstly, its extensive range of components makes integration straightforward. Secondly, its support for SQL and JavaScript allows for the implementation of complex logic, which is particularly beneficial for developers like yourself with experience in .NET development."

"Retool provides us with the opportunity to save time and be more efficient."

"The most valuable feature of Retool is the workflow because I can integrate multiple features, such as RESTful API, JavaScript API, or different databases on the same dashboard."

"The stability is okay."

"We can create the dashboards quickly."

"It is robust and very user-friendly."

"ServiceNow is a cloud-based platform, so people won't need to worry about investing on hardware to host it. Being on the cloud, it is available 24x7. It's scalable, stable, and multifeatured, with a straightforward setup and good technical support."

"The most valuable features of the solution are the ease of use and the sensor for ticketing systems."

"Easy to integrate with third-party applications."

"The look and feel is a valuable benefit for adoption."

"I have found that sorting and grouping functions are particularly useful."

"There are lots of modules around IT service management such as IT business management and human resource management (HRC)."

"The return on investment is good when implementing for ourselves and for other clients."

More ServiceNow pros

Cons

"One area for improvement in Retool is expanding its library support to include a broader range of third-party JavaScript libraries."

"Retool should add more resource integration."

"Retool could enhance support, including efforts to establish support centers in Europe, which was lacking previously. However, the community is still in the growth phase, leading to potential delays in receiving responses to queries."

"The solution lacks inbuilt customization to customize bar charts."

"The components are changed frequently, which is very irritating."

"The part where we can add some custom logic or custom plugins could be better."

"There are restrictions on the front-end side."

"The high price is a huge barrier in Portugal."

"There's always a room for improvement in terms of the ServiceNow UI. For customers, the UI is something that is a continuous improvement."

"The utilization of AI in ServiceNow needs enhancement."

"Service mapping could be less complicated."

"The solution is lacking in the mobile application area that could be improved."

"All the screens are similar. It's the same platform for everything and you need to familiarize yourself with it. In the past, you used to have one screen per application. Now, you have everything integrated into one. Everybody will manage the same screen and they need to navigate into the same screen as the Internet Explorer with a toolbar with the categories and look for the things you want to see or the models you want to use."

"Integration capabilities can improve."

"There are sometimes challenges with the portal being a bit confusing for new users. The implementation of the portal and workspaces is quite different, and improvements in this area would be beneficial."

More ServiceNow cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"For me, I'm in India right now, and we have Retool's subscription for one team member for $10 per month."

"I don't know Retool's current pricing, but it cost around $12 per month earlier."

"For new users, evaluate the scale of their administrative needs as Retool provides excellent free services for smaller setups, but larger deployments might require transitioning to a paid plan."

"The pricing is very expensive. It costs for each user, for automated users, open-end users, et cetera."

"The tool is a little bit expensive."

"The solution is expensive."

"I would say it is moderately expensive, ranging from six to seven on a scale of ten."

"$230 per user."

"They could be more competitive with their licensing."

"The licensing cost is based on your partnership with ServiceNow and what you have selected for implementation. There is an annual license cost which is calculated based on your number of devices."

"The price could be a little lower for the solution. Many of my customers have issues with the licensing process, they have to make it easier and straightforward."

"There are licensing fees."

"I am from Brazil. For Latin American markets, ServiceNow is very expensive as compared to other vendors, such as VMware."

More ServiceNow pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Educational Organization

27%

Computer Software Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Retool?

For new users, evaluate the scale of their administrative needs as Retool provides excellent free services for smaller setups, but larger deployments might require transitioning to a paid plan.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Retool?

One area for improvement in Retool is expanding its library support to include a broader range of third-party JavaScript libraries. This would enhance the tool's versatility and allow more complex ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Retool?

I employ Retool primarily to build admin panels that effectively manage office and backend project staff. These panels facilitate the management of various organizational functions and streamline u...

See all answers

Which solution is better for developing non-ITSM applications: OutSystems or Service Now?

The short answer is that OutSystems is far better for 2 main reasons. Firstly, with Service Now you are locked into that platform for good. The business model is to lock in and then keep pumping th...

See all answers

Would you choose ServiceNow over Microsoft PowerApps?

Hi Netanya, I will choose ServiceNow because ServiceNow is a very good tool compared to Microsoft PowerApp. Because ServiceNow has a very strong module (Performance Analysis) reporting which will ...

See all answers

What do you like most about ServiceNow?

The solution has a user-friendly interface.

See all answers

Comparisons

Streamlit vs Retool

Compared 71% of the time

Pega Platform vs Retool

Compared 29% of the time

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BMC Helix ITSM vs ServiceNow

Compared 7% of the time

Pega Platform vs ServiceNow

Compared 6% of the time

Microsoft Power Apps vs ServiceNow

Compared 6% of the time

IBM Maximo vs ServiceNow

Compared 5% of the time

Microsoft Dynamics CRM vs ServiceNow

Compared 5% of the time

More ServiceNow Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Retool

April 2025

Download Retool product report

Buyer's Guide

ServiceNow

April 2025

Download ServiceNow product report

Overview

Retool enables rapid construction of internal tools with minimal coding, streamlining workflows across HR, customer support, and compliance. Praised for its drag-and-drop interface, extensive component library, and SQL support, it boosts organizational efficiency by automating tasks and enhancing data management.

Retool

ServiceNow is a cloud-based task-management platform that specializes in IT operations management (ITOM), IT services management (ITSM), and IT business management (ITBM). ServiceNow allows users to manage their teams, projects, and customer interactions using a variety of different plugins and apps with which it easily integrates.

ServiceNow offers prebuilt applications to support any process, as well as a framework and tools that allow you to build your own.

ServiceNow’s service management solutions include change, request, incident, problem, and cost management, as well as HR, IT, field service, and facilities management solutions. They also cover business management solutions such as vendor performance management, financial management, performance analytics and project portfolio suite, as well as governance, risk, and compliance.

“The Smarter Way to Workflow”

ServiceNow’s activities, processes, and tasks are overseen as part of a comprehensive managed workflow that supports such features as real-time collaboration, communication, and resource sharing. ServiceNow’s suite of products allow for operation using serverless computing, and include the categories of Business Apps, Customer Service, HR, IT, and Security.

ServiceNow can be used to support most workflows because of the wide range of tools it offers. These include on-suite ticketing tools, predictive modeling to manage workflows, and benchmarking for the tracking of progress. ServiceNow can assist with artificial intelligence and machine learning processes and can be used to organize the cases of a help/service desk as well as for instance management and problem management. It also smoothly integrates with many legacy systems.

ServiceNow offers service management software for industries including:

Cloud services
Education
Financial services
Government
Healthcare
Manufacturing
Telecommunications

Reviews from Real Users

PeerSpot users prefer ServiceNow to its competitors because of its scalability, stability, and ease of use. It helps everyone in the company to be on the same page by creating a single source of record across all departments. One user stated that “I’ve definitely used over 20 project management solutions, but they can't be compared with ServiceNow.” Another said that “ServiceNow is an industry leader in multiple areas and provides an excellent ROI.”

ServiceNow

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

AAA, AstraZeneca, Becton, Dickinson and Company, Broadcom, Christus Health, Epicor, Equinix, GE Capital, Intuit, KPMG, Loyola Marymount University, OshKosh, Quantas, RedHat, Royal Bank of Scotland, Swiss Re, U.S. Department of Energy, Safeway, Yale University, and Zillow

Buyer's Guide

Retool vs. ServiceNow

April 2025

Free Report: Retool vs. ServiceNow

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