--- description: Review of Microsoft Power BI Software: system overview, features, price and cost information. Get free demos and compare to similar programs. image: https://gdm-localsites-assets-gfprod.imgix.net/images/software_advice/og_logo-55146305bbe7b450bea05c18e9be9c9a.png title: Microsoft Power BI | Reviews, Pricing & Demos - SoftwareAdvice AU --- Breadcrumb: [Home](/) > [Data Visualisation Tools](/directory/400/data-visualization/software) > [Microsoft Power BI](/software/23530/microsoft-power-bi) # Microsoft Power BI Canonical: https://www.softwareadvice.com.au/software/23530/microsoft-power-bi Page: 1 / 77\ Next: [Next page](https://www.softwareadvice.com.au/software/23530/microsoft-power-bi?page=2) > Microsoft Power BI is a comprehensive data visualization tool that forms part of the Power Platform suite of products. Power BI enables users to connect to and visualize data from various sources, seamlessly integrating visualizations into everyday applications. With a focus on uncovering valuable insights and translating them into actionable outcomes, Power BI offers a range of features and capabilities to support data-driven decision-making across organizations. One of the key strengths of Power BI lies in its ability to leverage advanced data-analysis tools, artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, and a user-friendly report-creation interface. Users can easily turn their raw data into visually appealing charts, graphs, and reports to communicate insights effectively. The platform also facilitates the creation of datasets from diverse data sources, allowing organizations to establish a single source of truth within the OneLake data hub. Power BI empowers users to make informed decisions by embedding insights directly into the applications they use daily, such as those within the Microsoft 365 suite. By activating Microsoft Fabric within the Power BI experience, organizations can reshape how they access, manage, and act on data. The platform offers enterprise-grade ingestion and semantic modeling to handle large datasets and scale across thousands of users seamlessly. Sharing insights generated through Power BI is effortless, as reports can be embedded and distributed within various Microsoft services like Teams, PowerPoint, Excel, and the Power Platform. Additionally, Power BI incorporates artificial intelligence features to find patterns in data, generate reports instantly, and deliver answers promptly, enhancing productivity and decision-making efficiency. To ensure data governance, security, and compliance, Power BI provides robust features that meet regulatory requirements and offer end-to-end visibility into data management. Using conversational language, users can create reports, generate DAX calculations, and derive answers swiftly, simplifying the data exploration process. The platform also allows open access for users without paid licenses to interact with reports and access Microsoft Fabric workloads. Power BI supports self-service analytics, enabling users to create and publish reports effortlessly, fostering a culture of data-driven decision-making within organizations. Users can license individual users with modern analytics capabilities for publishing reports and accessing content. By integrating Power BI Pro with other Microsoft 365 applications, users can leverage industry-leading security features at a competitive price point. For those interested in exploring the capabilities of Power BI, a free account option is available for creating interactive reports with visual analytics features. Additionally, Power BI Desktop offers a free application for connecting, modeling, and visualizing data through a user-friendly report canvas with a wide range of visuals. Users can also sign up for a free trial of the Microsoft Fabric suite to access the full range of services, including Power BI offerings. Power BI caters to a wide range of business needs, allowing organizations to establish a governed source of truth, combine enterprise-scale and self-service BI for insights, seamlessly embed data experiences within applications, empower users with data exploration capabilities, and kickstart their data journey with AI-generated reports and templates. The platform supports reducing time-to-market by customizing BI reports for embedding in applications and branding as your own. In terms of industry recognition, Microsoft Power BI has been lauded in the 2024 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Analytics and Business Intelligence Platforms for its Ability to Execute and Completeness of Vision. Additionally, independent studies like The Total Economic ImpactTM showcase the cost savings and business benefits enabled by Microsoft Fabric, including a significant return on investment over a three-year period. Power BI serves as a valuable tool for organizations looking to extract meaningful insights from their data, foster a data-driven culture, and drive innovation across all levels. With its intuitive interface, advanced analytics capabilities, seamless integration with Microsoft applications, and robust security features, Power BI stands as a prominent solution for businesses seeking to leverage their data effectively for informed decision-making and business growth. > > Verdict: Rated **4.6/5** by 1892 users. Top-rated for **Likelihood to recommend**. ----- ## Quick Stats & Ratings | Metric | Rating | Detail | | **Overall** | **4.6/5** | 1892 Reviews | | Ease of Use | 4.1/5 | Based on overall reviews | | Customer Support | 4.2/5 | Based on overall reviews | | Value for Money | 4.4/5 | Based on overall reviews | | Features | 4.5/5 | Based on overall reviews | | Recommendation percentage | 90% | (9/10 Likelihood to recommend) | ## About the vendor - **Company**: Microsoft - **Location**: Redmond, US - **Founded**: 1975 ## Commercial Context - **Starting Price**: USD 10.00 - **Pricing model**: Per User (Free version available) - **Pricing Details**: Free Plan: Free Power BI Pro Plan: Price: $10/user/month Power BI Premium Per User: Price: $20/user/month Power BI Premium in Microsoft Fabric: Variable - **Target Audience**: Self Employed, 2–10, 11–50, 51–200, 201–500, 501–1,000, 1,001–5,000, 5,001–10,000, 10,000+ - **Deployment & Platforms**: Cloud, SaaS, Web-based, Windows (Desktop), Android (Mobile) - **Supported Languages**: Arabic, Basque, Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Traditional Chinese, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese - **Available Countries**: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, United Kingdom, United States ## Features - AI/Machine Learning - API - Activity Dashboard - Ad hoc Analysis - Ad hoc Query - Ad hoc Reporting - Charting - Collaboration Tools - Customisable Dashboard - Customizable Reports - Customization - Dashboard - Dashboard Creation - Data Blending - Data Cleansing - Data Connectors - Data Discovery - Data Import/Export - Data Management - Data Mining ## Integrations (11 total) - Dynamics 365 - Microsoft 365 - Microsoft Azure - Microsoft Excel - Microsoft SQL Server - Microsoft SharePoint - Microsoft Teams - OneDrive - QuickBooks Online - Salesforce Sales Cloud - Twilio ## Support Options - Email/Help Desk - FAQs/Forum - Knowledge Base - Phone Support - 24/7 (Live rep) - Chat ## Category - [Data Visualisation Tools](https://www.softwareadvice.com.au/directory/400/data-visualization/software) ## Related Categories - [Data Visualisation Tools](https://www.softwareadvice.com.au/directory/400/data-visualization/software) - [Data Discovery Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com.au/directory/1896/data-discovery-tools/software) - [Data Analysis Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com.au/directory/535/data-analysis/software) - [Big Data Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com.au/directory/3299/big-data/software) - [Predictive Analytics Software](https://www.softwareadvice.com.au/directory/481/predictive-analytics/software) ## Alternatives 1. [Tableau](https://www.softwareadvice.com.au/software/1940/tableau) — 4.6/5 (2361 reviews) 2. [Canva](https://www.softwareadvice.com.au/software/241577/canva) — 4.7/5 (13448 reviews) 3. [Google Analytics 360](https://www.softwareadvice.com.au/software/137155/google-analytics) — 4.7/5 (8101 reviews) 4. [Google Charts](https://www.softwareadvice.com.au/software/180388/google-charts) — 4.6/5 (740 reviews) 5. [MATLAB](https://www.softwareadvice.com.au/software/264043/matlab) — 4.6/5 (2097 reviews) ## Reviews ### "The End Justifies the Means... but the Means Require Patience" — 4.0/5 > **Matt** | *26 January 2026* | Computer Software | Recommendation rating: 8.0/10 > > **Pros**: The final results of what PowerBI can do for your team/business are incredible. Empowering each team with their own interactive dashboards with data that's specific to their decision-making is absolute gold in business value. > > **Cons**: If you already have a seasoned PowerBI expert on your team, then you'll be positioned to start seeing the benefits a lot faster. However, if you or someone else is starting the setup with no prior experience, there is a pretty massive learning curve. > > I've had the benefit of using PowerBI dashboards at a few different companies that influenced how we made decisions and interacted with customers at a level we simply could not without the tool. I've also had to link up data sources and create dashboards from scratch at my current company, and it required hours of online tutorials and patience on my part to finally get it done. ----- ### "Kpis, dashboards and reporting, youll need Power BI" — 5.0/5 > **Raymond** | *14 November 2025* | Accounting | Recommendation rating: 10.0/10 > > **Pros**: Great tool that can plug into many different data sources, from api to sql to excel files or access databases. > > **Cons**: I dont like that you need to purchase the pro version to share documents, but as expected everything comes at a cost. > > Its part of the Microsoft stack with a lot of connectors to different data sources. Its quite easy to use and for a lot of reports you dont need a development coding background ----- ### "Get Awesome Looking Dashboards and reports." — 5.0/5 > **Joe** | *23 November 2023* | Warehousing | Recommendation rating: 8.0/10 > > **Pros**: After using many other reporting tools, Power BI stands because it does a fantastic job of having powerful analytics from multiple data sources displayed using beautiful data visualization components. > > **Cons**: Great for more simple reports and data visualization but not designed for heavy data processing (dependent on data source). Also huge learning curve to make things look the way you want them to look. > > Overall its a great tool to use in your arsenal if you great at analytics and want to impress with dashboards and visuals. Takes some time to getting used to, but there's tons of community support online. ----- ### "Solid BI tool that fits naturally into the Microsoft ecosystem" — 4.0/5 > **Charumathi** | *15 June 2026* | Information Technology & Services | Recommendation rating: 8.0/10 > > **Pros**: Power BI's seamless Integration with the Microsoft ecosystem is what stands out the most. Connecting to data sources like SQL server, ADF and Databricks is straightforward with minimal configuration. The DAX language is powerful for building time intelligence calculations like YOY and YTD comparisons, and the visual layer makers it easy to build interactive dashboards that business users can self-serve without needing SQL knowledge. RLS implementation is also well designed-- you can control data visibility at the user level without duplicating the reports. The ability to publish to the Power BI service and schedule automatic data refreshes save significant manual effort for recurring reporting, > > **Cons**: The DAX Learning curve is steep for anyone coming from SQL background-- certain calculations that are simple in SQL require complex measure logic in DAX with functions like CALCULATE, FILTER and context transition. Performance can also become an issue with large datasets; once your model grows beyond a certain size, you start hitting refresh timeouts and slow visual rendering unless you invest time in optimization(aggregations, composite models). The Power BI service licensing model can be confusing-- differentiating between pro, premium per user and premium capacity isn't always clear, and sharing reports externally requires additional licensing. Also, version control and collaboration on .pbix files is still not as smooth as working with code-based tools; Git integration is improving but still feels limited compared to proper CI/CD workflow. > > I've been using power BI for building operational and financial dashboards that connect to our data warehouse in databricks and SQL server. The overall experience has been positive--it handles the end-to-end workflow from data ingestion to visual reporting well. Building reports with Drag and drop visuals is intuitive and the DAX engine is capable enough to handle complex business logic like YOY comparisons, running totals, and dynamic filtering. Where it really shines is when you're already in the Microsoft stack-- the integration with Azure services, SharePoint and Teams makes distribution seamless. I've used RLS extensively to deliver a single report to multiple customer groups with proper data isolation, which saves a lot of development time compared to building separate reports. It's become our go to tool for stakeholder facing analytics. Not perfect, but for the price point ecosystem fit, it delivers solid value for mind to large teams. ----- ### "Powerful Business Intelligence for Data-Driven Teams" — 5.0/5 > **Ayobami** | *15 June 2025* | Financial Services | Recommendation rating: 9.0/10 > > **Pros**: I love the rich visualizations, ease of data integration, and ability to share interactive reports with teams. > > **Cons**: There are some advanced features require Power BI Pro or Premium, and DAX formulas can have a learning curve. > > Power BI has made data insights more accessible, helped us make faster decisions, and reduced manual reporting. ----- Page: 1 / 77\ Next: [Next page](https://www.softwareadvice.com.au/software/23530/microsoft-power-bi?page=2) ## Links - [View on SoftwareAdvice](https://www.softwareadvice.com.au/software/23530/microsoft-power-bi) ## This page is available in the following languages | Locale | URL | | de | | | en | | | en-AU | | | en-GB | | | en-IE | | | en-NZ | | | fr | | ----- ## Structured Data