Retool: Excel-like, with higher order primitives

In plain words

Retool is a spreadsheet tool that combines familiar Excel-like functionality with advanced programming primitives. Launched in 2017, it's designed for users who need spreadsheet capabilities but want access to more sophisticated computational features. The platform appeals to both spreadsheet users looking to expand their toolkit and developers seeking a more powerful alternative to traditional spreadsheets for data manipulation and analysis.

written from the facts on this page · September 2026

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  Hi all, founder @ Retool here. We initially launched Retool on HN five years ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14515494. The feedback was extraordinarily helpful then (e.g. we launched source control, on-prem, etc. based on HN comments), and we’re grateful for all of it. Today, we’re excited to get HN’s thoughts on one of our new products: Retool Mobile. It lets you build and deploy mobile apps in minutes, not days. The idea is there is a large class of line-of-business mobile apps, and the process of getting a simple form + button on a mobile device, in a native app,…

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