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Updated today · Independent Analysis
Cloudways vs Retool
Capability Overview
Cloudwaysvs Retool
4.5G2-0.1 vs Retool
Only in Cloudways
- ✦ Managed Hosting
- ✦ 1-Click Install
- ✦ Free SSL
From $11/mo(cheaper)250K+ websites users · est. 2011
Retoolvs Cloudways
4.6G2+0.1 vs Cloudways
Only in Retool
- ✦ Drag-and-drop Builder
- ✦ SQL Editor
- ✦ REST API Integration
✓ Free planFrom $12/mo(pricier)100k+ developers users · est. 2017
Quick VerdictIndependent Analysis
Cloudways and Retool are both Cloud Hosting tools. Cloudways starts at $11/mo, Retool at $12/mo. Compare features, pricing, and ratings below to find the best fit for your team.
When to Choose Cloudways vs Retool
The question that matters: “In what situation will I regret choosing A over B after 3 months?”
Cloudways Unique Strength
Deploy WordPress in Under Two Minutes
Cloudways' 1-Click Install provisions WordPress with Free SSL pre-enabled and a Staging Environment ready for review - all in under 2 minutes.
→ Choose Cloudways if this scenario applies to you. Retool doesn't offer a comparable solution.
Cloudways Unique Strength
Restore Sites From Daily Backups Quickly
Cloudways' Automated Backups run daily, letting hosting resellers roll back corrupted updates in under 5 minutes with a single restore action.
→ Choose Cloudways if this scenario applies to you. Retool doesn't offer a comparable solution.
Retool Unique Strength
Admin Panel Over PostgreSQL Ready in 2 Hours
Retool's database resource connects directly to Postgres, and pre-built Table and Form components build CRUD interfaces faster than writing React from scratch for internal tools.
→ Choose Retool if this scenario applies to you. Cloudways doesn't offer a comparable solution.
Retool Unique Strength
Approval Workflow With Multi-Step Logic
Retool Workflows chain API calls, conditional logic, and database writes into multi-step approval flows with a visual editor, replacing hand-coded internal automation scripts.
→ Choose Retool if this scenario applies to you. Cloudways doesn't offer a comparable solution.
Retool Unique Strength
Role-Based Access Control per App Screen
Retool permissions gate individual app screens and buttons by user group, so operations staff see different controls than engineering without maintaining two separate apps.
→ Choose Retool if this scenario applies to you. Cloudways doesn't offer a comparable solution.
Pricing Comparison & PlansHigh· Verified Jul 2, 2026
Cloudways Plans
Paid plans only
DigitalOcean Standard 1GB
$11/momonthlyor$99/yrsave 25%
Best for: This entry-level plan is ideal for small websites or testing environments, offering a cost-effective start on DigitalOcean.
- ✓Managed cloud platform
- ✓Choice of 5 cloud providers
- ✓Built-in caching tools
- ✓Free SSL certificates
- ✓Staging environment
View on vendor site
Vultr Standard 1GB
$14/momonthlyor$126/yrsave 25%
Best for: An affordable Vultr option for basic hosting needs, offering a balance of performance and cost for smaller projects.
- ✓Managed cloud platform
- ✓Choice of 5 cloud providers
- ✓Built-in caching tools
- ✓Free SSL certificates
- ✓Staging environment
View on vendor site
Linode 1GB
$14/momonthlyor$126/yrsave 25%
Best for: A solid choice for those preferring Linode, providing reliable hosting for small to medium-sized websites at a competitive price.
- ✓Managed cloud platform
- ✓Choice of 5 cloud providers
- ✓Built-in caching tools
- ✓Free SSL certificates
- ✓Staging environment
View on vendor site
Vultr High-Frequency 1GB
$16/momonthlyor$144/yrsave 25%
Best for: Recommended for users prioritizing CPU performance, this Vultr plan offers better speed for slightly higher cost than standard.
- ✓Managed cloud platform
- ✓Choice of 5 cloud providers
- ✓Built-in caching tools
- ✓Free SSL certificates
- ✓Staging environment
View on vendor site
AWS Small
$21/momonthlyor$185/yrsave 25%
Best for: Growing businesses + moderate traffic
- ✓Managed cloud platform
- ✓Enterprise-grade infrastructure
- ✓Higher reliability and uptime
- ✓Advanced security features
- ✓Amazon's global infrastructure network
View on vendor site
DigitalOcean Premium 2GB
$22/moBest for: A good mid-range option for growing websites needing more resources and improved performance compared to the standard tier.
- ✓Managed cloud platform
- ✓Choice of 5 cloud providers
- ✓Built-in caching tools
- ✓Free SSL certificates
- ✓Staging environment
View on vendor site
Retool Plans
Free tier available
Free
FreeBest for: Developers & early exploration
- ✓Unlimited web & mobile apps
- ✓500 workflow runs/month
- ✓5GB database capacity
- ✓5GB file storage
- ✓Up to 20 hours/month of Agents
View on vendor site
MOST POPULARTeam
$12/user/momonthlyor$120/yrsave 17%
Best for: Growing, collaborative teams
- ✓Unlimited AI prompting credits (limited time)
- ✓5,000 workflow runs/month
- ✓Staging and production environments
- ✓Environment-specific configurations and secrets
- ✓App release versions
View on vendor site
Business
$65/user/momonthlyor$600/yrsave 23%
Best for: Teams needing more control
- ✓Audit logging
- ✓Rich permission controls
- ✓Portals and embedded apps
- ✓Unlimited resource environments
- ✓Unlimited modules
View on vendor site
Enterprise
Contact SalesBest for: Scale + compliance
- ✓SSO (Single Sign-On)
- ✓Custom contract and procurement
- ✓Premium SLAs
- ✓Self-hosted deployment options
- ✓External user pricing configuration
View on vendor site
Capability Breakdown
9 differences found across 18 standardized features
Feature
Cloudways
Retool
Managed WordPress
✓
✗
PaaS
✓
✗
Global CDN
✓
✗
Free Tier
✗
✓
SSH Access
✓
✗
Multi-Region
✓
✗
Git-based Deploys
✓
✗
Database-as-a-Service
✗
✓
Auto-Scaling
✓
✗
Total (raw)
15
15
Cloudways Features
- •Managed Hosting
- •1-Click Install
- •Free SSL
- •Free Migration
- •Staging Environment
- •CDN
- •Automated Backups
- •Server Monitoring
- •PHP Apps Support
- •WordPress Optimization
- •Team Collaboration
- •SFTP/SSH Access
- •24/7 Support
- •Git Deployment
- •CloudwaysBot
Retool Features
- •Drag-and-drop Builder
- •SQL Editor
- •REST API Integration
- •Database Connections
- •Workflow Automation
- •Git Sync
- •Custom JavaScript
- •Authentication
- •Audit Logs
- •Version History
- •Mobile Apps
- •Retool Database
- •AI Integration
- •Templates
- •SSO/SAML
Strengths & Limitations
Evaluative strengths and weaknesses: not feature lists
Pros
- +Choice of 3 top IaaS providers (DO, AWS, GCE)
- +Pay-as-you-go pricing with no long-term contracts
- +Built-in advanced caching (Varnish, Memcached, Redis)
- +Free SSL, migrations, and staging for all applications
- +Vertical scaling allows resizing servers with one click
Cons
- −No root access, limiting advanced server configurations
- −Email hosting is not included; requires a separate add-on
- −No domain registration service; must use a third-party registrar
- −Support can be slow unless you purchase a premium support plan
- −No cPanel; uses a proprietary, less familiar control panel
Pros
- +Best platform for internal tools
- +Connects to any database or API
- +Fast to build admin panels
- +Strong enterprise features
Cons
- −Retool, being a low-code/no-code platform, could improve by allowing users, particularly non-technical users, to use it more easil
- −The platform already provides many features, and additional features aren't necessary for medium-level usage.
- −Retool has some drawbacks, including limited customization; of course, it has limitations compared to React, where you can customi
- −Retool could enhance support, including efforts to establish support centers in Europe, which was lacking previously.
- −The part where we can add some custom logic or custom plugins could be better.
At a Glance
User Rating
4.5/5vs4.6/5
Cloudways
Retool
▲
Starting Price
$11/movs$12/mo
Cloudways
Retool
▲
Feature Count
15 featuresvs15 features
Cloudways
Retool
User Base
250Kvs100
Cloudways
▲
Retool
Cloudways · Price & Data SyncLast verified: June 28, 2026 · CE-CLOUD-2026W23-3BB7DB · ✓ Pricing updated May 30, 2026
Retool · Price & Data SyncLast verified: July 2, 2026 · CE-CLOUD-2026W23-DF71BD · ✓ Pricing updated May 30, 2026
Recent Price History
Cloudways
Cloudways added a new "DigitalOcean Premium 4GB" plan at $50/mo
Plan added · May 30, 2026
Cloudways
Cloudways lowered "Google Cloud Small" from $37.45/mo to $37.33/mo (0%)
Price change · May 30, 2026
Cloudways
Cloudways lowered "AWS Small" from $38.56/mo to $20.56/mo (-47%)
Price change · May 30, 2026
Cloudways
Cloudways removed the "DigitalOcean 4GB" plan
Plan removed · May 30, 2026
Cloudways
Cloudways removed the "DigitalOcean 1GB" plan
Plan removed · May 30, 2026
Retool
Retool raised "Business" from $50/mo to $65/mo (+30%)
Price change · May 30, 2026
Retool
Retool raised "Team" from $10/mo to $12/mo (+20%)
Price change · May 30, 2026
Retool
Retool added a new "Enterprise" plan
Plan added · May 21, 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Comparisons
Cloudwaysfrom $11/mo
RetoolFree · from $12/moSources & Data Trail · Cloudways
- 1.Official Pricing Page·Source of verified tiers(Checked: 2026-06-28)
- 2.Official Website·Official vendor website
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Sources & Data Trail · Retool
- 1.Official Pricing Page·Source of verified tiers(Checked: 2026-07-02)
- 2.Official Website·Official vendor website
- 3.G2·G2 verified reviews · 4.6/5 · 357 reviews
- 4.Capterra·Capterra verified reviews · 4.6/5
- 5.TrustRadius·TrustRadius verified reviews
- 6.PeerSpot·PeerSpot enterprise peer reviews