skena vs retool
Skena vs Retool
Retool is fast for internal CRUD tools, but your app is a proprietary config you can't take as real code, and the per-seat model, builders and end users billed separately, climbs with your team. Skena builds the same internal tools as real React you own, with pixel-precise design and a flat lean backend: no per-user toll, no lock-in.
side by side
Skena vs Retool
| Skena | Retool | |
|---|---|---|
| What you build | Real React + Tailwind on disk you own | Apps stored as a proprietary config (exportable as JSON, not runnable code) |
| Design quality | Pixel-precise, brand-correct UI on real Tailwind | Functional UI from a constrained component set (less design freedom) |
| Pricing model | Flat lean box; not per-user | Per builder seat + per user seat (internal/external; the cost driver) |
| Ownership / migration | Take the folder and run it anywhere | No real code export, moving off is a rebuild |
| Backend / database | Own PocketBase per app | Connects to your databases/APIs; app logic stays in Retool |
| Self-host | Publish anywhere; on-prem available | Self-host available (infra + DevOps on you) |
| Best for | Tools where design quality + ownership matter | Fast internal CRUD with prebuilt connectors |
what it costs
The bill, itemized.
Skena is one flat, lean box. The other side's bill climbs with seats, sites, or usage.
Skena Cloud, one plan
- Your app + its own backendSkena Shared (Launch $5/mo / Grow $20/mo), scales up to Dedicated, same app
- $5/mo
- Per-seat / per-sitenot billed per seat or per site
- ,
- Origin traffic overageafter 100 GB Launch / 400 GB Grow; cached traffic is free
- $0.05/GB
Retool Team (2 builders, 10 internal users)
- Standard builder seats × 2€9 (~$10)/builder/mo on Team (Business ~5×)
- ~$20/mo
- Internal-user seats × 10€5 (~$5.40)/internal user/mo
- ~$54/mo
Pricing verified 2026-06-17. Figures drift, see retool.com/pricing (EUR pricing). Estimates, not quotes.
× When Retool is the better choice
For internal CRUD tools where speed-to-first-screen and prebuilt database/API connectors matter more than design quality or owning the code, Retool is hard to beat. Skena wins when the tool needs to look brand-correct, when you want the code on disk, or when per-seat pricing makes a wide rollout expensive.
faq
Straight answers.
01Do I own my Retool apps?+
You can export an app as JSON, but it's a proprietary config blob, not runnable source code, there's no path to take it off-platform as a real app. Skena apps are real React on disk you can run without Skena installed.
02Why is Retool expensive at scale?+
Retool bills per seat in two tiers, builders and end users, so cost climbs as more people use the tools. Skena is a flat lean box that isn't billed per user.
03Can Skena build internal tools as well as Retool?+
Yes, with a different tradeoff: Retool is faster for raw CRUD via prebuilt connectors; Skena produces better-looking, fully-owned React tools you keep editing. Pick by whether design quality and ownership matter.
get started
Build it as real React you own.
Generate it with your own AI agent, design every pixel on a live canvas, and publish to a lean backend in one click, code on disk the whole time, no lock-in.
free · apple silicon mac, macOS 13.5+ · nothing else to install · v0.1.27
bring your own coding agent (Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode). publishing needs a Skena Cloud account.