Free Internal Tool and Admin Panel Builders
Which internal tool and admin panel builders a startup can build dashboards and back-office apps with for free today, how many users, apps and records the free plan allows, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, read from each builder's own page.
Free allowances read on each provider's own pages, all checked on or after . Internal tool builders change their free plans from time to time: confirm the terms on the builder's page before you build on it.
Internal tool builders a startup can use for free today include Softr (Free forever, unlimited apps), Baserow (Free forever, 3,000 rows), Noloco (Free plan with limited features), NocoDB (Free for up to 3 users (cloud)), and Jet Admin (Free forever, unlimited apps). Each of the 13 free plans below links to the builder's page that states it, with its main limit, its user and app caps, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs.
An admin panel for support, a dashboard over your database or a portal for partners can be built in hours on an internal tool builder instead of weeks of front-end code. Most hosted builders have a free plan, and several are open source and free to self-host.
The headline rarely tells you how far it goes. Free plans cap users, records or apps, hold back permissions and AI credits, and open-source builders leave hosting to you. Each builder below shows what is free, its main limit, its user and app caps, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, quoted from the builder's own page with the date we read it.
Which builders we picked and the order they appear in are our editorial choices; the terms are the builders'. Some of these builders pay us a referral commission when someone signs up through our link: those links are labeled, and they play no part in which builders are listed or where.
Internal tool builders with a free plan
Build dashboards, admin panels and portals on a hosted platform, free to start.
- 1
Softr
Unlimited apps on a free plan, no card to sign up
Softr's Free plan is free forever, and its free trial needs no credit card. Basic starts at $19 a month.
- Main limit
- 5K database records (source: softr.io)
- Payment card
- No card needed to sign up (source: softr.io)
- First paid plan
- Basic: $19 a month (source: softr.io)
Start free at SoftrReferral linkTerms read on softr.io on Softr: the free allowance and how to start - 2
Noloco
A whole team on a free plan, up to 2,000 records
Noloco's Free plan is free with unlimited team seats and 2,000 records, and no credit card is needed to get started. Build is $65 a month billed annually.
- Main limit
- 2,000 records (source: noloco.io)
- Users and apps
- Unlimited team seats (source: noloco.io)
- Payment card
- No card to get started (source: noloco.io)
- First paid plan
- Build: $65 a month, billed annually (source: noloco.io)
- 3
Jet Admin
Unlimited apps and users, with limited AI credits
Jet Admin's Free plan is free forever with no credit card required, and includes unlimited apps and users. Credits to build with are limited; Pro is $20 a month.
- Users and apps
- Unlimited users and apps (source: jetadmin.io)
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: jetadmin.io)
- First paid plan
- Pro: $20 a month ($16 yearly) (source: jetadmin.io)
- 4
Retool
Internal tools for a team of up to 5 users
Retool's Free plan is free for everyone, with up to 5 users and 250 pooled AI credits a month. Team is $10 a builder a month.
- Users and apps
- Up to 5 users (source: retool.com)
- First paid plan
- Team: $10 a builder a month (source: retool.com)
Start free at RetoolTerms read on retool.com on Retool: the free allowance and how to start Retool for Startups: what startups get - 5
UI Bakery
Unlimited apps for a developer, free to start
UI Bakery's Free plan includes unlimited apps and data source connections, unlimited public app users and monthly AI trial credits. Builder is $20 a developer a month, billed annually.
- Users and apps
- Unlimited public app users (source: uibakery.io)
- First paid plan
- Builder: $20 a developer a month (source: uibakery.io)
- 6
Glide
Trying GlideOS with two team members
Glide's Free plan is $0 per month with limited credits and 2 team members. Basic is $25 a month for 100 credits.
- Main limit
- Limited credits (source: glideapps.com)
- Users and apps
- 2 team members, 10 projects (source: glideapps.com)
- First paid plan
- Basic: $25 a month, 100 credits (source: glideapps.com)
Open-source internal tool builders
Self-host the builder for free, with an optional cloud plan.
- 1
Baserow
A free no-code database for a small team
Baserow's Free plan is free forever, with 3,000 rows per workspace and 500 external app users. Premium is $10 a user a month, billed yearly.
- Users and apps
- 500 external app users (source: baserow.io)
- First paid plan
- Premium: $10 a user a month, yearly (source: baserow.io)
- 2
NocoDB
A spreadsheet-style database for up to 3 users
NocoDB's cloud Free plan is free for up to 3 users, with 1,000 records and 3 editor seats. Its first paid plan is $12 a seat a month, billed annually.
- Main limit
- 1,000 records (source: nocodb.com)
- Users and apps
- 3 editor seats, 10 commenters (source: nocodb.com)
- First paid plan
- $12 a seat a month, billed annually (source: nocodb.com)
- 3
Budibase
Self-hosted internal apps with unlimited users
Budibase's open-source self-hosted plan is free to use indefinitely, with 1 workspace and unlimited apps and users. Its first cloud plan, Pro, is $19 a month.
- Users and apps
- Unlimited users (source: budibase.com)
- First paid plan
- Pro: $19 a month (cloud) (source: budibase.com)
- 4
Appsmith
Open-source builder with up to 5 cloud users
Appsmith's platform is open source and available free to self-host. Its cloud Free plan covers up to 5 users and 5 workspaces; Business is $15 a user a month.
- Main limit
- 5 workspaces (source: appsmith.com)
- Users and apps
- Up to 5 users on cloud (source: appsmith.com)
- First paid plan
- Business: $15 a user a month (source: appsmith.com)
- 5
ToolJet
Small teams with up to 10 apps
ToolJet's Free plan is $0 per builder a month, with up to 50 end users and up to 10 apps. Pro is $79 per builder a month.
- Main limit
- Up to 10 apps (source: tooljet.com)
- Users and apps
- Up to 50 end users (source: tooljet.com)
- First paid plan
- Pro: $79 a builder a month (source: tooljet.com)
- 6
Refine
React developers who want an open-source admin panel
Refine is free to use under the MIT License, which grants use free of charge. Its Refine AI Starter plan is $0.99 a month for 300 credits.
- First paid plan
- Refine AI Starter: $0.99 a month (source: refine.dev)
- 7
React Admin
React developers building admin panels in code
React Admin is free forever: its framework is open source under the MIT license.
Start free at React AdminTerms read on marmelab.com on React Admin: the free allowance and how to start
Developer startup programs
Programs from developer tool companies that give startups credits or discounts on paid plans.
Also useful for founders
Referral links, picked for fit and ordered by fit (70%) and what a signup earns us (30%), at no cost to you. They never change this page's ranking.
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Parallel AIAutonomous AI agents for sales, marketing and support50 free credits, no cardReferral linkCompare the top options
How this comparison is built
The list covers internal tool and admin panel builders a founder can use for free today without applying to a program. The order and the "best for" notes are our editorial reading of each builder's terms. Every term comes from the builder's own pricing or help page on the date shown, never from a third-party list; follow each link for the full conditions. A cap on users or records, or the builder's branding on free apps, can matter more than the headline, so the comparison quotes them wherever the builder states them. Some of these builders pay StartupPerks a referral commission, and their links are labeled as referral links; that decides neither whether nor where a builder appears, and no builder pays for a placement on this page.
Read the full methodologyCommon questions
What is the best free internal tool builder?
It depends on your team and data. By the terms each builder states, Retool is free for up to 5 users, Softr is free forever with unlimited apps and 5K records, Jet Admin is free with unlimited users and apps, and Budibase is free to self-host with unlimited users.
Is Retool free?
Retool's free plan is free for everyone for up to 5 users, with 250 AI credits a month; its Team plan is $10 a builder a month.
What is a free open-source Retool alternative?
Appsmith, Budibase and ToolJet are open-source builders you can self-host free, and Refine and React Admin are free open-source frameworks under the MIT License.
Is Softr free?
Softr's free plan is free forever with unlimited apps and up to 5K database records; its Basic plan is $19 a month.
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