Refine vs Windmill
Both are alternatives to Retool. Here's how they stack up — verified facts, no spin.
Also searched as Windmill vs Refine — same comparison, one verdict.
Both are internal tools & admin panels tools with the same broad shape, but Refine scores 96 against Windmill's 88 on data ownership and exit cost — the gap is in how easily you could leave.
Refine
Not a builder — a React framework, when you would rather own the code.
Refine is a React meta-framework for building internal tools and admin panels in code: it handles data fetching, auth, routing, forms and tables, and leaves the interface to you and your component library of choice. There is no canvas and no vendor format — the output is a React application in your repository, which means it cannot be locked in by definition. MIT. It is the right answer when the objection to Retool is ownership rather than price, and when you have engineers who would rather write React than learn a builder.
Windmill
For teams whose internal tools are mostly scripts and workflows.
Windmill takes the opposite approach to a drag-and-drop canvas: you write scripts in Python, TypeScript, Go or Bash and Windmill generates the UI from their inputs, alongside a workflow engine for chaining them. For an engineering team whose internal tooling is fundamentally automation with a form on top — reruns, backfills, ops jobs — that is a much better fit than a widget canvas. AGPL-3.0 core with a commercial enterprise edition. Roughly 17.5k stars, and unusually fast because the execution engine is Rust.
Side by side
6 points of comparison, every one read from a verified field. Green marks the side that wins a row outright. A dash means we do not hold that fact — never that it is zero.
| Refine | Windmill | |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty ScoreOur transparent 0–100 composite for data ownership and exit cost. | 96 | 88 |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| Local-first data | Yes | Yes |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 (core; enterprise edition is commercial) |
| Pricing | Free and open source. It is a library — you host the app like any other. | Free and open source to self-host. Paid cloud and enterprise editions. |
Refine edges it on the Sovereignty Score, but the right pick depends on the trade-offs below.
Weighing both against staying on Retool? Is Retool free? What it actually costs →
Refine
Strengths
- +The output is your own React code — no vendor format at all
- +MIT, no enterprise tier, nothing gated
- +Works with Material UI, Ant Design, Chakra or your own components
- +Handles the boring parts: auth, data, forms, tables
Trade-offs
- −Not low-code — this is a framework for engineers
- −Non-technical staff cannot build with it
- −Slower to a first working screen than any builder here
- −You own every design decision, which is freedom and work
Windmill
Strengths
- +Script-first: the UI is generated from code you already write
- +Serious workflow engine, not an afterthought
- +Rust execution engine — genuinely fast
- +Fits engineering teams better than a drag-and-drop canvas
Trade-offs
- −Wrong shape if you want non-engineers building tools
- −AGPL-3.0 strong copyleft
- −Smaller community than Appsmith or ToolJet
- −UI generation is less flexible than hand-placed widgets
Which one fits you
The trade-offs above, turned into a decision. Find the line that describes your team.
Choose Refine
if a lower exit cost matters more to you than any single feature, and the output is your own React code — no vendor format at all.
Choose Windmill
if script-first: the UI is generated from code you already write.
Neither, yet
if both carry a real cost you should weigh first — not low-code — this is a framework for engineers, and wrong shape if you want non-engineers building tools. If either of those is a dealbreaker for your team, the shortlist is wrong rather than the choice.
Refine vs Windmill — common questions
Is Refine a better fit than Windmill for internal tools & admin panels?
It depends on what you are optimising for, and the honest split is this: Refine scores 96 to Windmill's 88 on data ownership and exit cost, so it is the safer choice if you care about being able to leave. Windmill earns its place on a different axis — script-first: the UI is generated from code you already write. Neither is a wrong answer for every team; the table above is the actual comparison.
What happens if we want to switch later?
Refine keeps its data local or in open formats, so leaving is an export rather than a negotiation. Windmill is still self-hostable, so the files stay on your server either way — but it is not local-first by design, so check what its export produces before you rely on it.
Can I self-host Refine or Windmill?
Both can be self-hosted. The difference is what it costs you in time rather than whether it is possible — see the setup and maintenance rows above.
Are Refine and Windmill both alternatives to Retool?
Yes — both appear in our Retool comparison, which is why they are worth putting side by side. People usually arrive here already having decided to move off Retool and now choosing between the two replacements, which is a narrower and much easier question.
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Facts verified 2026-08-07. Licenses and pricing change — spotted something out of date? That's a correction we want.