NocoDB vs Retool: what their users struggle with

Not a verdict and not a star rating: the problems users of NocoDB and Retool describe in public, side by side, each one linked to its source (as of 2026-10-30).

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Every count in this table is of open reports in the recent window (NocoDB since 2023-10, Retool since 2023-10); older and fixed reports are not counted. The counts measure how much public discussion exists for each product, not which is better: a popular tool collects more reports.

Problems mostly raised about NocoDB

• Role and permission setup gets awkward when using several bases · Permissions & security · Annoyance
• No dashboard statistics or graphs; data entry needs separate forms · Reporting & analytics · Annoyance
• JSON field was buggy when used to store extra form data · Reliability & bugs · Annoyance
• Sign in with Google fails with invalid redirect URI on a licensed self-hosted instance · Permissions & security · Annoyance
• Deleted attachments remain in the S3 bucket · Self-hosting & upgrades · Blocks work

Problems mostly raised about Retool

• Pricing undermines SaaS free-tier margins · Pricing & plans · Annoyance
• Building and editing tools takes too much manual work · UI & usability · Annoyance
• Per-user pricing is costly for teams · Pricing & plans · Annoyance
• Slow, ineffective support makes issues harder to resolve · Support · Annoyance
• App overhead makes quick dashboard checks cumbersome · Performance · Annoyance

Go further

Open NocoDB and Retool in the compare tool to filter by area and severity, NocoDB alternatives, Retool alternatives, or the state of low-code and internal tools.

How the data is built. A theme is a group of reports about the same problem; unique means not matched to a theme on the other product.