Power BI

powerbi.microsoft.com
Business Intelligence
Weekend Project

Uncover powerful insights and turn them into impact

How to Replace Power BI

Overview

Power BI is a unified, scalable platform for self-service and enterprise business intelligence that connects to and visualizes any data. It allows users to create data-driven reports and seamlessly infuse visuals into the apps they use every day, helping organizations establish a single source of truth for their data.

Features

30 features across 14 categories

AI(5)

AI-Powered Report GenerationAI

Quickly create and tailor reports by describing what you want or asking questions about your data

Automated InsightsAI

Get AI-powered answers and insights from your data

Copilot in Power BIAI

Create reports in seconds, generate DAX calculations, create summaries, and get answers in conversational language

Natural Language SummariesAI

Understand data faster by adding insightful text summaries with customizable tone, scope, and style

Pattern RecognitionAI

Use AI features to find patterns in data automatically

Also in: monday.com, Notion, Airtable

Advanced Analytics(2)

DAX Query WritingAI

Write and explain DAX queries using Copilot in the DAX query view and explore feature

XMLA Endpoint AccessPremium

Read and write access to XMLA endpoints for advanced integration scenarios

Collaboration(2)

Cross-Service Sharing

Easily embed and share reports in Teams, PowerPoint, Excel, and Power Platform

Self-Service BI

Enable users to create reports and publish them to share with coworkers

Also in: Notion, Airtable, Obsidian

Core(1)

Data Visualization

Connect to and visualize any data with advanced data-analysis tools and user-friendly report-creation tools

Data Management(6)

Advanced DataflowsPremium

Create and manage data preparation pipelines with advanced dataflow capabilities

Advanced DatamartsPremium

Create and manage advanced datamarts for structured data organization

Data Cataloging

Organize and catalog data with integrated cataloging features

Data Discovery

Easy data discovery capabilities with unified data exploration

Dataset Endorsement

Mark datasets as endorsed to establish trusted data sources

OneLake Data Hub

Create datasets from any source and add them to the OneLake data hub to create a single source of truth for data

Also in: monday.com, Notion, Airtable

Deployment(1)

Power BI Report Server

On-premises solution for reporting with flexibility to move to the cloud

Also in: Kubernetes Dashboard, Hugging Face, Bitwarden

Enterprise(2)

Data Mesh SupportPremium

Enable data mesh architecture with control over data access and distribution

Enterprise-Grade ScalabilityPremium

Transform petabytes with enterprise-grade ingestion and semantic modeling that scales across thousands of users

Integration(1)

Report Embedding

Seamlessly infuse visuals and embed Power BI reports into Microsoft 365 apps and other services

Also in: monday.com, Notion, Airtable

Mobile(1)

Mobile Apps

Native mobile apps for Windows, iOS, and Android to securely access and view live dashboards and reports

Platform(1)

Power BI EmbeddedPremium

Pay-as-you-go Azure PaaS offering allowing app developers to embed fully interactive reports in custom applications

Platform Integration(1)

Microsoft Fabric Integration

Reshape how your organization accesses, manages, and acts on data by activating Microsoft Fabric in your Power BI experience

Security & Governance(3)

Data GovernancePremium

Gain end-to-end visibility with Microsoft governance, security, and compliance features

Data Security and EncryptionPremium

Built-in security features and encryption for data protection

Sensitivity Labeling

Apply and manage sensitivity labels for data classification

Tools(2)

Power BI Desktop

Free desktop application to connect, model, and visualize data with hundreds of visuals

Report Templates

Browse and use hundreds of pre-built report templates to get started quickly

UI/UX(2)

Accessibility Features

Built-in assistive technology support for accessible data exploration

Drag-and-Drop Canvas

Simplify report building with an intuitive drag-and-drop interface

Pricing

Free Account

Free
  • Create rich, interactive reports
  • Visual analytics
  • Power BI Desktop access
  • No credit card required
  • Access Power BI content in Premium or Fabric shared capacity

Power BI Pro

Popular
$14.00 user/month, paid yearly
  • Access Power BI reports
  • Publish and share reports
  • Self-service BI
  • Included in Microsoft 365 E5 and Office 365 E5
  • Publish reports to share and collaborate

Power BI Premium Per User

$24.00 user/month, paid yearly
  • All Power BI Pro features
  • Access larger model sizes
  • More frequent refreshes
  • Advanced AI capabilities
  • Advanced dataflows
  • Advanced datamarts
  • XMLA endpoint read/write
  • 100 GB model memory
  • 48/day refresh rate
  • 100 TB maximum native storage

Power BI Embedded

Variable
  • Create customer-facing reports
  • Brand Power BI reports as your own
  • Automate monitoring and deployment
  • Reduce developer overhead
  • Pay-as-you-go pricing

Power BI in Microsoft Fabric - Free Trial

Free
  • Access to all Fabric tools
  • Use trial capacity on any Fabric tool
  • No credit card required
  • Full Power BI capabilities

Fabric Capacity Reservation

Variable
  • Access to end-to-end unified analytics
  • Annual purchase with 40.5% savings
  • Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment eligible
  • Per-user licenses required for certain activities
  • 48/day refresh rate
  • 100 TB Power BI storage

Fabric Capacity Pay-As-You-Go

Variable
  • Access to end-to-end unified analytics
  • Dynamically scale up or down
  • Pause capacity as needed
  • Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment eligible
  • Per-user licenses required for certain activities
  • 48/day refresh rate
  • 100 TB Power BI storage

Cost Calculator

Keep Paying Power BI

Monthly$14/mo
Yearly$168/yr
5-Year Total$840

Build It Yourself

Est. Build Time~2 hrs
Hosting$20/mo
DifficultyVery Easy

Total Cost Comparison

1 Year
SaaS
$168
DIY
$240
3 Years
SaaS
$504
DIY
$720
5 Years
SaaS
$840
DIY
$1.2k

DIY hosting estimate based on Vercel + Supabase free/pro tiers (~$20/mo). Build time estimated from 30 features at very easy complexity.

Build vs Buy

Should you build a Power BI alternative or buy the subscription? Estimate based on 30 features.

Buy Power BI

Better Value
Monthly cost$140/mo
3-year total$5,040
Time to deployDays

Build Your Own

Development cost$12,000
Maintenance$180/mo
3-year total$18,480
Dev time~1 months

Buying Power BI saves ~$13,440 over 3 years vs building.

Estimates based on 30 features and a BuildScore of 5/5. Actual costs vary.

Integrations

11 known integrations

Microsoft 365Microsoft AzureMicrosoft Dynamics 365Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft FabricMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft Power PlatformMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft PurviewMicrosoft SharePointMicrosoft Teams