Retool AI vs Windsurf — Head-to-Head Comparison
Quick verdict: Windsurf edges ahead
with a 4.5/5 rating vs 4.4/5.
See the full breakdown below.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Retool AI | Windsurf |
|---|---|---|
| AI App Builder from natural language descriptions | ✓ | — |
| AI SQL Query Generator from schema and natural language | ✓ | — |
| Retool Vectors for RAG application development | ✓ | — |
| Drag-and-drop visual builder for dashboards and tools | ✓ | — |
| Direct database connections (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, and more) | ✓ | — |
| REST, GraphQL, and gRPC API integration | ✓ | — |
| JavaScript editor for custom logic and transformations | ✓ | — |
| Role-based access control and audit logging | ✓ | — |
| Mobile app support with responsive layouts | ✓ | — |
| Version control and deployment environments | ✓ | — |
| Cascade AI agent for multi-file agentic coding tasks | — | ✓ |
| Real-time codebase awareness without manual context injection | — | ✓ |
| Inline completions with multi-line suggestion support | — | ✓ |
| Terminal command execution from within the agent | — | ✓ |
| Web search integration for documentation and research | — | ✓ |
| VS Code extension compatibility | — | ✓ |
| Available as both standalone IDE and editor plugin | — | ✓ |
| Support for multiple frontier AI models | — | ✓ |
| Codebase-aware chat with semantic search | — | ✓ |
| Collaborative features for team coding sessions | — | ✓ |
Pricing Comparison
| Plan | Retool AI | Windsurf |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
Which Should You Choose?
Choose Retool AI if...
Build internal tools and AI-powered apps faster with Retool's visual platform
Visit Retool AIChoose Windsurf if...
AI-native IDE by Codeium with deep agentic coding and flow state focus
Visit Windsurf