Appsmith alternatives in 2026 Retool, Budibase, Windmill and Button compared on pricing, self-hosting and running scripts

If you need a full replacement for Appsmith to build CRUD apps and dashboards on top of databases and APIs, look at Retool or Budibase. If your "app" is actually a local script that takes a few inputs and files and spits out results, you don't need a database app builder at all: Windmill runs scripts on workers you host, and Button turns a script on your own computer into a web form for $0 (up to 3 people and 100 runs a month) or $15/month flat for up to 250 people and 5,000 runs.

Why people look past Appsmith

Appsmith is open source (Apache 2.0) and its self-hosted Community Edition is free, which makes it an easy starting point for internal CRUD apps and dashboards connected to databases and APIs. On Appsmith Cloud, the Free plan covers up to 5 users, the Business plan is $15 per user per month (for up to 99 users), and Enterprise starts at $2,500 per month for 100 users.

Two things usually push teams to look elsewhere. The first is per-user pricing once you outgrow the free tier on cloud or need features outside the Community Edition. The second is what you're actually trying to run: Appsmith runs queries from the Appsmith server, and it has no built-in way to run a script on a particular user's computer. If you're just trying to let three or twenty colleagues run a Python or PowerShell script you already wrote, building a database UI around it is the wrong shape of tool.

Quick comparison (checked October 2026)

Retool: the direct replacement for database apps

If you are building internal CRUD apps, workflows and agents on top of your databases and APIs, Retool is the closest match to what Appsmith does, and Button is not a substitute.

Retool is proprietary. Its Free plan covers up to 5 users on Retool Cloud, and its paid Team and Business plans are billed per builder plus per internal user. If you need to self-host Retool, that is part of their Enterprise plans.

Code in Retool apps and workflows runs on the Retool deployment (either Retool Cloud or your self-hosted instance), rather than on an individual user's laptop. If you have code that needs to run on your own infrastructure, Retool RPC lets you call functions that you run on your own backend server.

Budibase: open-source CRUD apps with cheaper self-hosting

Budibase is the other real alternative when you actually want a database app builder. Its core is open source under GPLv3, and self-hosting Budibase is free with unlimited creators and end users, which is a major draw if per-seat pricing is why you're leaving Appsmith.

If you want them to host it, Budibase Cloud Pro is $19/month billed annually ($23 monthly) for 1 creator, with end users billed at $5 per user per month on annual billing. Above that, Premium is $49/month and Business is $299/month (billed annually).

Like Appsmith, Budibase runs its automations on the Budibase backend, so there is no built-in way to run a script on an end user's computer.

Windmill: when you want a server-side platform for scripts and workflows

If your team writes code first and hates dragging UI widgets around just to run a script, Windmill is much closer to the mark than Appsmith. Windmill is an open-source developer platform (AGPLv3 core) that takes scripts in Python, TypeScript, Go, Bash, SQL and 20+ other languages and turns them into auto-generated forms, webhooks, schedules, workflows and apps.

Self-hosted Windmill is free and gives you unlimited executions, up to 50 users (max 10 with SSO) and 3 workspaces. If you don't want to host the control plane yourself, Windmill Cloud has a free tier with 1,000 executions per month.

With Windmill, scripts run on Windmill workers; when you self-host, a worker can run on any machine that can reach Windmill's database, so it covers everything from simple script forms to multi-step workflows and schedules.

Button: when the "app" is just a script on your computer

Button (https://button.bitgate.dev) is for a narrower, very common problem: you have a script on your own computer - Python, Node, R, PowerShell, a shell script, a compiled binary - and you just want your colleagues to be able to run it with their own inputs and files without touching a terminal.

It does not build database dashboards, and it doesn't do scheduling, workflows or webhooks. If you need those, use Windmill, Retool or Budibase.

With Button, jobs run on the creator's computer, never in Button's cloud. Button's servers relay the form values and files between the browser and that computer. Your computer has to be on and online for people to run the tool; tool pages show Ready, Busy or Offline so colleagues know right away. You can connect one computer (runner) per workspace on every plan, and pairing a new computer replaces the previous one.

Here is how you set a script up on Button:

1. Adjust your script to take command-line arguments. If your script uses hard-coded paths or interactive prompts, change it to take inputs as arguments (like argparse in Python, commandArgs() in R, a param() block in PowerShell, or $1 and $2 in bash). Have it take each input file path as an argument, and write its output files into an output folder that is also passed as an argument.
2. Sign in at button.bitgate.dev and install the runner. Run the one-line install command the site shows you on your computer (curl on macOS and Linux, PowerShell on Windows).
3. Configure the tool in the local setup page. Pick the program on your machine and describe its inputs (text, number, yes/no, choice, files). Fixed flags stay part of the command you approve, so colleagues only fill in the values for the form fields.
4. Publish and invite colleagues. Button gives the tool its own page. Colleagues open the link from their invite email, sign in with Google or a one-time email code, fill in the form, press Run and download the results. They install nothing and never pay.

The runner only executes the exact command you approved on that computer, pinned by hash, passes every form value as its own argument with no shell, and rejects values that start with -. Every run is logged with who ran it and when, and you can revoke access or set it to expire at any time.

Button's limits and pricing are straightforward:

• Per-run limits: Files up to 25 MB each, up to 8 files and 100 MB per run, 30 minutes per run, one run at a time per computer, and logs up to 1 MB per run. Inputs are deleted 24 hours after a run ends, and outputs after 7 days.

"People" counts the distinct colleagues you have invited (you don't count), and runs per month include your own runs. Recipients never pay, and downgrading deletes nothing.

FAQ

Which Appsmith alternative is best if I want free self-hosting for a lot of users?

For database CRUD apps, Budibase is free to self-host (GPLv3 core) with unlimited creators and end users. For running scripts and workflows, self-hosted Windmill (AGPLv3 core) is free for up to 50 users (max 10 with SSO) and unlimited executions across 3 workspaces.

Can Appsmith, Retool or Budibase run a script on my own laptop?

No. Appsmith runs queries from the Appsmith server, Budibase runs automations on the Budibase backend, and Retool runs code on the Retool deployment (or calls a backend server you run via Retool RPC); none of them have a built-in way to execute a local script on a specific user's computer.

How does Button pricing compare to per-user pricing on Appsmith or Budibase?

Appsmith Cloud Business costs $15 per user per month, and Budibase Cloud Pro costs $19/month (annual) for 1 creator plus $5 per end user per month. Button charges a flat $15/month (or $144/year) for up to 250 invited colleagues and 50 tools, and the people running your tools never pay.