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Retool vs ServiceNow comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 17, 2024

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
17th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
7
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
ServiceNow
Ranking in Rapid Application Development Software
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
222
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 July 2025, in the Rapid Application Development Software category, the mindshare of Retool is 0.7%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ServiceNow is 10.5%, up from 10.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Rapid Application Development Software
 

Featured Reviews

Tabraiz Ahmed - PeerSpot reviewer
Its focus lies in building dashboards for cloud operations and data management, as well as generating analytical reports
In some of my past projects, I collaborated with others, and we used GitHub for version control. It served as a repository where we pushed our code updates, facilitating seamless collaboration and version tracking among team members. One limitation of Retool currently is the lack of support for parallel editing, meaning that multiple users cannot collaborate on the same application simultaneously. This restriction aligns with the application's context, as it's typically more practical for only one person to edit an application at a time. They recently integrated AI models, such as Ahmed AI, and consistently incorporate new OpenAPI module releases into the cloud environment. This integration allows users to leverage the latest advancements, including AI assistance for error detection and resolution within queries, particularly in JavaScript and SQL, enhancing the development experience in Retool. If you are going to invest in Retool and you have a clear vision. Definitely, it is worth it. Some users say it is a bit pricey. There are a couple of other software like Ubiquiti, but even Microsoft also providing a low code platform, but it's more enterprise-level based applications, not for everyone. Retool is still leading and have a good price plan, which users are comfortable with. It will not be too difficult if you have some technical background. If you know how to write JavaScript queries, how SQL queries work, and understand how front-end development operates in real-time, then maybe one or two years of development experience will be sufficient for a user to develop a basic application in Retool. However, it does require some level of development experience. For example, a project manager without any development experience would not be able to work within Retool and develop a dashboard or define a workflow unless they first educate themselves and gain some proficiency with the tool. A normal business user cannot use it; you must have some development experience. When you mention a low-code platform, it implies that a user with a certain level of development knowledge can develop applications. That's where we may fall short. However, looking at the advantages, you can customize and control your application at a very detailed level within Retool. So, it excels in both positive and negative aspects. Overall, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.
Nikhil Gohil - PeerSpot reviewer
Enables effective incident management and seamless workflow automation with valuable mobile accessibility
I haven't thought deeply about improvements for ServiceNow or what might be missing right now. There are so many modules and features in ServiceNow that I haven't explored them all, so it's hard to say what might be missing or should be improved. I suggest making the cost more affordable for smaller companies.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Retool provides us with the opportunity to save time and be more efficient."
"We can create the dashboards quickly."
"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."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is connectivity with APIs and other databases."
"The stability is okay."
"Retool's most valuable features are its drag-and-drop components and the ability to customize them extensively."
"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."
"ServiceNow is a cloud solution. That fact was very important for us, that it is not an on-prem solution, as it reduces our internal cost of support."
"For our work, ServiceNow's service catalogs and SDK integrations are the most valuable features."
"We always get good support."
"The most impactful feature in our day-to-day operations is the ticket status, which provides crucial visibility into the progress of each resource or incident."
"The solution's initial setup process is easy."
"It has more extensive features as compared to the other competitors."
"ServiceNow gives us a lot for free: workflows, organizational structures, service portal, forms, reporting, disaster recovery, and so on."
"ServiceNow is very easy to set up."
 

Cons

"There are restrictions on the front-end side."
"Retool should add more resource integration."
"One area for improvement in Retool is expanding its library support to include a broader range of third-party JavaScript libraries."
"The part where we can add some custom logic or custom plugins could be better."
"The components are changed frequently, which is very irritating."
"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."
"There are a few things that it needs to improve, like automation of most things out-of-the-box. For example, when it comes to cloud management, we are still going with manual intervention. Instead of that, if we had an out-of-the-box feature available, that would be great."
"Like all other IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS subscription cloud providers, ServiceNow is constantly improving by building new capabilities to expand the breadth and depth of its offerings while increasing its activities with partners to build more capabilities."
"An area for improvement would be the accessibility of downloaded and compressed files."
"The RPA needs improvement. That's a new area for them that they're just entering into now."
"Their cloud management is also not that great compared to other products."
"I do not like the user interface."
"ServiceNow might need to improve its capabilities to integrate with third-party tools."
"ServiceNow's customization is not too agile in those cases; it takes a little bit of time."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is very expensive. It costs for each user, for automated users, open-end users, et cetera."
"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 tool is a little bit expensive."
"For me, I'm in India right now, and we have Retool's subscription for one team member for $10 per month."
"$230 per user."
"The solution is expensive."
"It is an expensive platform."
"This is a pretty expensive product, so the licensing could be better."
"There is an annual subscription to use this solution."
"The pricing is on the high side, but if you look at the stability and option to work, it's kind of justified."
"ServiceNow tends to be a little bit more expensive as compared to BMC Helix ITSM."
"Certainly, from a product-platform perspective, the price is not too bad."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
19%
Comms Service Provider
14%
University
9%
Outsourcing Company
9%
Educational Organization
16%
Computer Software Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

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.
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 ...
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...
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...
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 ...
What do you like most about ServiceNow?
The solution has a user-friendly interface.
 

Comparisons

 

Overview

 

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    
Find out what your peers are saying about Retool vs. ServiceNow and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
860,168 professionals have used our research since 2012.