Power BI builds dashboards and paginated reports from Excel files, databases, and cloud services, and its real advantage is that many organizations have already paid for it through Microsoft 365. Power Query handles the shaping, DAX handles the measures, and published reports embed in Teams and SharePoint. Finance and operations teams adopt it because the data usually already sits in Excel or SQL Server.
Who it is for
Finance and operations teams already standardized on Microsoft 365 and Excel.
Key features
- Power Query data shaping
- DAX measures and calculated tables
- Reports embedded in Teams and SharePoint
- Scheduled refresh from cloud sources
- Row-level security by role
Where it falls short
The desktop authoring app runs only on Windows, so Mac users are stuck with the browser service, and sharing requires a license separate from Microsoft 365.
Pricing
Desktop app is free; publishing and sharing need a per-user Pro license or capacity-based Premium, both billed separately from Microsoft 365.
Prices move; the tier structure is the part that stays true. Check current pricing on Power BI.
Alternatives to Power BI
Frequently asked
Is Power BI free?
Partly. Desktop app is free; publishing and sharing need a per-user Pro license or capacity-based Premium, both billed separately from Microsoft 365.
What is Power BI best for?
Finance and operations teams already standardized on Microsoft 365 and Excel.
What are the best alternatives to Power BI?
The closest substitutes we list are Grafana, Metabase and Looker Studio. They sit in a similar price bracket but make a different trade-off, so read the weaknesses section of each review before switching.
Which platforms does Power BI run on?
Power BI is available on Windows, Web, iOS and Android.