Proof Holdings vs Retool
Retool is where teams build internal tools and workflows, and it can gate them with human approval steps. Proof Holdings is a purpose-built approval API that returns a portable proof token. Different scope — a platform you build on versus a primitive you call.
Keep Retool for the internal tools; call Proof for the approval itself. One API call reaches an approver who needs no Retool seat, and the decision comes back as a signed, offline-verifiable token — evidence, not just an audit row.
One API · One key
One key does what a stack of vendors does
Every platform on this page treats human approval as one feature among many. Proof is a single API where the approval is the product — the same flow returns a signed, offline-verifiable ES256 token for each of these:
Flat price · Any asset
One flat price for every asset — phone, email, and domain today, with wallet and social coming soon. No per-seat, no per-MAU, no per-verification tiers — the meter that makes every rival's bill jump.
- Free every month
- 300 proofs
- Pay as you go
- €0.03 / proof
- At volume
- €0.0079 / proof
Feature Comparison
Swipe to compare →
| Feature | Proof Holdings | Retool |
|---|---|---|
| Core job | Approval API → portable proof token | Build internal tools + workflows (approval is one feature) |
| Approval mechanism | One API call → signed decision | User Task block (beta) or hand-built Approval Apps |
| Signed, portable proof | ES256 JWT, offline-verifiable | No |
| Who can approve | Anyone on Telegram/WhatsApp — no account | Retool org users in a permission group (paid seats) |
| Pricing model | Per-proof (any volume) | Per-seat (Builder / Internal user) |
| Approver needs an app/login | No | Retool account |
| Record of the decision | Cryptographic token | Postgres row + audit log (30–90 day retention) |
| Broader internal-tooling platform | No | Yes — apps, workflows, agents, DB/API glue |
| Free tier | 300 proofs/month | 5 users |
Pricing
Pricing model
Proof Holdings
Per-proof: €0.0079, pay when an approval happens
Retool
Per-seat: Builder $10–$50/user/mo, Internal $5–$15/user/mo
Cost of adding an approver
Proof Holdings
€0 — they just need Telegram/WhatsApp
Retool
Another paid seat in your Retool org
Proof of the decision
Proof Holdings
Portable ES256 token, verifiable offline
Retool
Internal database row + audit log, retention-bounded
Building internal tools & dashboards
Proof Holdings
Not what Proof does
Retool
Best-in-class low-code platform
A platform you build on vs a primitive you call
Retool is a low-code platform for internal software: dashboards, admin panels, workflows, and increasingly AI agents. Human approval is a capability inside it — the Workflows User Task block (in beta) pauses a run until someone in a permission group responds, and you can hand-build Approval Apps on top of your data. If you already run internal tooling on Retool, approvals fit naturally.
Proof Holdings does one thing: it takes an approval request and returns a signed decision. No platform to build in, no seats to provision — you call an API, a human approves over Telegram or WhatsApp, and you get a portable ES256 token back. It's the primitive you'd otherwise assemble inside Retool, delivered as an endpoint.
Seats vs signatures
Retool prices per user — Builders (who edit) and Internal users (who don't), from $5 to $50 per user per month. Every approver has to be a Retool org member in a permission group, which means every occasional or external approver is a seat you provision and pay for.
Proof charges per proof (€0.0079, 300 free monthly) and delivers to Telegram or WhatsApp, so an approver needs no Retool account, no seat, and no app install. And the record Retool keeps is a row in a Postgres table plus an audit-log entry, retention-bounded to 30–90 days; Proof's is a cryptographic token you can verify offline indefinitely. Retool is the better buy when you need the whole internal-tools platform — not when you just need a verifiable human yes/no.
When to use Retool
- You already build internal tools, dashboards, or workflows on Retool
- Your approvers are employees who belong in your Retool org anyway
- You want rich, custom approval UIs wired directly to your databases and APIs
- You need durable multi-approver pause-and-resume with org-level governance
- You're gating AI agents that already run inside Retool's platform
When to use Proof Holdings
- You want a portable, offline-verifiable proof of every approval
- Your approvers are external or occasional and shouldn't be paid seats
- You want a turnkey approval API, not a platform to build and maintain
- You want approvals over Telegram/WhatsApp with no account or app install
- You'd rather pay per approval than per seat
- You need non-repudiation for compliance, not a retention-bounded internal log
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to try Proof Holdings?
300 free proofs per month. No credit card required.
Building with an AI agent? The 176-tool MCP server and test mode let an agent run a real verification right now — machine quickstart in llms-full.txt.