Internal tools, scripts and workflows in code, run by workers inside your network next to the databases they touch.
- Replacing
- Retool, by Retool, Inc.
- With
- Windmill
- Runs on
- Your servers, or Pilae Cloud in Switzerland and the EU
- Migration
- Included in onboarding, at a fixed price
Why teams leave Retool
Internal tools hold the keys
An admin panel can write to production. With Windmill inside your network, the credentials and the queries stay on machines you control.
Code you can keep in Git
Every script, flow and app in Windmill is code in Python, TypeScript, SQL or another supported language, versioned and reviewable like the rest of your software.
Workers next to the data
Windmill workers run on your machines, so they reach the database, the ERP and the file share directly, without publishing anything to the internet.
Retool vs Windmill operated by Pilae
| What is being compared | Retool | Pilae |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Retool Cloud, or self-hosted Retool on infrastructure you run yourself, on the Enterprise plan. | On your premises or on dedicated machines in any of 12 Pilae Cloud regions, six of them in Switzerland and the EU, operated by Pilae. |
| App builder | A mature drag-and-drop builder with a large component library. | A drag-and-drop app builder with a smaller component set, backed by scripts in real code. |
| Workflows and jobs | Retool Workflows for scheduled and triggered jobs. | Scripts and flows on schedules, webhooks and HTTP routes, with retries, approvals and logs. |
| Languages | JavaScript and SQL in the builder, Python in workflows. | Python, TypeScript, Go, Bash and SQL, among others. |
| Pricing model | Per user, by plan, with standard and end users counted separately. | On request, for the operated platform. The Windmill licence arrangement is stated in the proposal. |
| Operation | Retool Cloud is run by Retool; self-hosted Retool is run by your own team. | Worker groups, daily encrypted backups with monthly restore tests, planned upgrades by the Pilae Agent, 60-second probes. |
Self-hosted internal tools
Retool is quick for building admin panels, and its builder is hard to beat for screens. Those screens usually read and write production data, so where they run and who holds their credentials matters.
Windmill runs scripts, flows and internal apps on workers inside your network. Pilae deploys it on your premises or on dedicated machines in Switzerland and the EU, reachable through the private network. For integrations between SaaS apps, n8n sits beside it, as on our Zapier alternative page.
Moving off Retool
The queries and code come across; the screens are rebuilt. We start from the apps and workflows that are used, move them one at a time and keep Retool available until each has run a full cycle. The move is part of our fixed-price migration, with sign-on set up through identity under the Windmill arrangement stated in your proposal.
After the switch, the Pilae Agent plans each Windmill upgrade, waits for your approval and applies it in your window. Pricing is on request. Tell us what your internal tools do and we come back with a plan.
Moving from Retool to Windmill
List what is used
Apps opened and workflows run in the last ninety days, with their owners and the resources they touch. The rest is retired.
Move the queries and code
The SQL and JavaScript inside Retool become Windmill scripts. Resources and credentials are re-issued against the new host rather than copied.
Rebuild the screens
Each app is rebuilt in the Windmill app builder, and owners check it against the Retool version with the same data.
Run both, then switch
Users move app by app. Retool stays available until the last one has run a full cycle on Windmill.