Retool Launches AI AppGen Platform to Empower Business Users in Building Production-Ready Software
As the demand for AI-driven productivity continues to surge, Retool, a trusted platform for internal software development used by over 10,000 companies globally, has unveiled its groundbreaking AI AppGen platform. Designed specifically for enterprise environments, this new offering enables business users—regardless of technical expertise—to build their own production-grade software safely and efficiently. The announcement was made during the inaugural Retool Summit for enterprise builders, marking a significant milestone as Retool celebrates automating over 100 million hours of work. The launch aligns with new survey data highlighting transformative shifts in how organizations approach software development, particularly among non-engineers.
Bridging the Gap Between Prototype and Production
While AI tools have made it easier than ever to generate code and create prototypes, most solutions fall short when it comes to delivering production-ready applications that meet enterprise data governance and security requirements. This gap between prototype and production has become a critical challenge for organizations striving to scale AI productivity initiatives.
Retool’s survey of over 1,100 internal builders underscores this trend. According to the findings, 66% of respondents reported that their organizations have implemented AI productivity mandates. Notably, domain experts—spanning roles such as operations managers, product managers, data analysts, and finance professionals—are gaining significant autonomy in building software. In fact, 48% of non-engineers now report being capable of building software directly, showcasing a dramatic shift in who is driving innovation within organizations.
“AI has lowered the barrier to creating prototypes, but the bar to ship hasn’t moved,” said David Hsu, CEO of Retool. “Most AI tools generate code that still requires extensive integration work to become production applications. Organizations are realizing that their biggest AI productivity gains come from platforms that understand their existing data, security, and infrastructure from day one.”
Real-World Impact: Accelerating Enterprise Innovation
The value of Retool’s AI AppGen platform is already resonating with industry leaders. Camilla Matias, COO of Brex, highlighted the importance of balancing speed and security. “At Brex, speed and security aren’t trade-offs—they’re requirements,” she explained. “With Retool’s AI capabilities, which understand our actual data and security needs, our teams can move at startup velocity while maintaining bank-grade governance. We’re excited about tools like these that enable us to build production-ready applications, not just prototypes.”
Retool’s 2025 Builder Report further illustrates the transformative impact of democratizing software development. Key insights from the survey include:
- 80% of builders can now go from problem identification to solution implementation without requiring support from other teams.
- 65% of builders report meeting or exceeding leadership productivity expectations, with that number climbing to 74% among those working under explicit AI mandates.
- 51% of builders are solving issues in “days or weeks instead of months or quarters.”
- 46% of builders are now recognized by leadership as individuals who can “make things happen,” while 35% have become “go-to” problem solvers.
“This is a fundamental shift in how organizations think about software development,” Hsu noted. “The future belongs to companies that can democratize building capabilities while maintaining enterprise governance. Retool makes that possible today.”
For Joel MacPherson, CFO/COO of TrueOps, the impact has been transformative. “I used to rely on a freelancer and wait weeks between feature implementations,” he said. “Now, with Retool’s AppGen capabilities, I can roll out pretty much anything I want on my own, with 10x speed.”
Enterprise-Ready AI AppGen: Built for Scale and Security
Retool’s AI AppGen platform represents the next evolution in enterprise software development, empowering a broader range of users to meet the growing demands of the AI era. Unlike consumer-grade AI coding tools that generate isolated code requiring manual integration, Retool creates production-ready applications that seamlessly integrate with existing enterprise infrastructure, security policies, and data governance.
Key features of AI AppGen include:
- Apps on Your Data: Access live production data from PostgreSQL, Salesforce, Databricks, and over 100 enterprise systems while respecting existing permissions and schemas.
- Secure by Default: Automatically inherit enterprise security measures such as single sign-on (SSO), role-based access control (RBAC), and compliance standards. Applications also leverage proven queries, components, and workflows that already power your business.
- Mixed-Mode Development: Seamlessly transition between AI-assisted generation, visual development, and traditional coding—all within the same integrated development environment (IDE).
- In Your Cloud: Runs natively in your preferred environment—whether cloud-based, self-hosted, or virtual private cloud (VPC)—ensuring complete control over your security perimeter and data.
“The difference is enterprise readiness,” Hsu emphasized. “Domain experts can describe a solution in natural language and instantly receive a production application that works with their actual business data and inherits all security policies automatically.”
Democratizing Software Development While Maintaining Governance
Retool’s AI AppGen platform addresses a pressing need in today’s fast-paced business landscape: enabling non-technical users to contribute meaningfully to software development without compromising on security or scalability. By lowering barriers to entry and providing tools that respect enterprise requirements, Retool is paving the way for a new era of innovation—one where anyone can be a builder.
As organizations continue to navigate the complexities of scaling AI initiatives, Retool’s AI AppGen platform offers a clear path forward. By combining the accessibility of AI with the robustness of enterprise-grade infrastructure, Retool is empowering businesses to unlock their full potential and drive measurable results.
About Retool
Retool is the leading enterprise AI AppGen platform, trusted by over 10,000 companies worldwide, including Amazon, Stripe, Brex, and Orangetheory Fitness. Using Retool, developers deploy sophisticated apps, automations, and agents dramatically faster without sacrificing quality or control, combining powerful building blocks with the flexibility of custom code. The company’s model-agnostic approach lets teams select the optimal AI capabilities for each use case while maintaining enterprise-grade security and scalability. Developers and domain experts have automated over 100 million hours of work by building sophisticated applications and AI agents dramatically faster with our platform. To learn more, visit https://retool.com.
