Did you know? Organizations using business intelligence are 5X more likely to make faster decisions than those who don’t, states BetterBuys.
Business intelligence is a potent formula that guarantees success in today’s data-driven business landscape.
Not to forget the wide range of business intelligence tools, from start-ups to multi-million-dollar companies, everyone is highly invested in one of them.
Power BI has made its mark as users’ choice among the race of intelligence tools. It has become a “go-to” tool among business leaders, like yourself, owing to its “easy-to-use interface” and “advanced analytical capabilities”.
When we talk technology, we can’t miss out on one essential metric that acts decider. It’s the cost. The way Microsoft Power BI cost structure has been devised, it’s pretty straightforward & apt.
In simple words — you pay based on your needs.
So, if you are a Power BI admirer who is exploring the cost of Power BI variants and the leverages that you get with different pricing plans, you’ve landed at the right resource.
Breaking down the Power BI Cost
As you are on the verge of making a decision, you must be having striking questions rumbling around your mind.
- Is Power BI expensive?
- How much is the cost of Power BI?
- Is it affordable to use Power BI per hour?
- Is Microsoft Power BI worth an investment?
- Is there a way to explore Power BI before committing?
Let’s have a fair comparison of Power BI Free Cost vs. Power BI Pro Cost vs. Power BI Premium, to help you figure it all out.
The primary difference between all Power BI versions is access, the ability to share Power BI reports, Power BI dashboards, etc.
Let’s zoom into each version’s features and conduct a Power BI cost analysis to find the plan of your needs.
Power BI Free Cost — Free for All
It is a basic version by Microsoft, with slightly limited functions.
Power BI Free version allows you to
- Create intuitive reports
- Connect to multiple data sources
- Create custom visualization on-demand
In simple words, you get to understand and experience the tool, but you don’t have access to the luxury features that you get with Pro or Premium versions.
With no upfront Power BI cost, we suggest it’s a fair deal to begin your BI journey.
For example, you can enjoy its features and capabilities, but each user gets up to 1 GB of data storage. Moreover, you cannot share and collaborate with other Microsoft Power BI users like Pro and Premium users do.
And the best part is — anyone can get access to Power BI Desktop and use it, including commercial organizations. It’s a completely free tool with amazing features such as –
- Access to primary collaboration features
- Publish online and export data to Excel
- Ability to connect to 70+ data sources
- Free and unlimited access to all users
- Same visualization as Power BI Pro
- Max capacity: 10 GB/User
- Mobile app access
And that’s Power BI Desktop for you!
Power BI Desktop is a great choice if you are –
- Stepping into the dynamic landscape of Power BI for the first time
- Or have specific, limited requirements
Business leaders, such as you, are leveraging this free of cost Power BI version to –
- Build data models
- Create charts and graphs
- Create intuitive dashboards
- Create & transform distinct datasets for their own use
This personal-use tool seamlessly transforms your data into engaging visuals while connecting to on-premises and over 70 cloud data sources.
Suitable for individuals and early-age start-ups, the Power BI free version is great to start and assess whether the tool is the right fit for your business intelligence needs.
Once you are well-versed with the key functionalities and aspects of Power BI, you can upgrade to the Microsoft Power BI paid versions, and even share your reports/data with the stakeholders within and outside your organization.
If you’re wondering — “Can I use Power BI for free?” — yes, you can.
The Power BI Desktop version is completely free for all. However, it comes with certain limitations compared to Power BI paid versions.
Although the Power BI Desktop is easy to use, partnering with a Power BI development company can highly improve your experience and results.
Power BI Pro License Cost — $10.00 per Month, per User
This advanced version of Microsoft Power BI has everything you need to upgrade your data game.
From exciting features including larger storage capacity and cutting-edge components, it offers a promising user experience and greater analytical depth.
Business leaders and professionals, like you, are empowered to create complex reports and refined dashboards with this model.
You also gain access to features like collaboration tools, maximum storage, connection to 100 data sources, and also make your own workspace.
Isn’t this an all-rounded solution to achieve your data goals?
However, one of the few limitations of Power BI Pro is, that it restricts the model size to 1 GB storage and 10 GB per user.
For example, users can create intuitive dashboards, collaborate with other Pro users, and share insights freely, but their storage limit is capped at 10 GB only.
You can get this great tool and enjoy –
- Storage of 10 GB
- Access to Mobile App
- Refresh rate of 48 days
- Collaborate with the Pro users
- Access to smart AI capabilities
- Ability to create Power BI workspace
- Ability to connect to 100+ data sources
- Publish reports to share and collaborate
If you’re done exploring Power BI Free and wish to explore the luxury of advanced BI features with limited Power BI costs, consider upgrading to Power BI Pro.
Suitable for startups and mid-size organizations, Power BI Pro empowers businesses to transform raw data into a bigger picture, for effective decision-making.
“What is the difference between Power BI free and Power BI Pro?”, you may ask?
Microsoft Power BI Pro provides you with the complete capabilities of a Power BI desktop with additional features such as –
- Ability to embed Power BI visuals in Microsoft apps, improved data refreshes for on-premises data, etc.
- Access to AI visualizations like Q&A, key influencers’ visuals, and the decomposition tree
- Unrestricted viewing, and sharing of reports, dashboards, and other content
- Access to Power BI assets on the phone using the Power BI mobile app
- Connect to over 100 data sources
- A data model size limit of 1 GB
If you are wondering about the pricing of Power BI pro license cost, this version of Power BI costs only $9.99 per user/month.
If you are tussling between Power BI vs Power BI Pro, here is a straightforward answer –
- Opt for the Microsoft Power BI Free version if your business intelligence needs are basic.
- Opt for the Microsoft Power BI Pro if you frequently require sharing and collaborative functionalities and a robust set of features for an enhanced analytics experience.
Want to make the most of Power BI Pro? A Power BI consulting partner is all you need to guide every step of the way.
Power BI Premium License Cost Per Premium $20 or $4,995 Per Capacity
This is the most advanced version by Microsoft designed with the highest level of scalability and flexibility.
Power BI Premium shares many features with Power BI Pro, but it differs at the higher data capacity of 1 TB, with no limitation on the number and a powerbi license cost-based for the entire organization.
You can get this great tool and enjoy –
- Mobile App access
- Storage of 100 TB
- Advanced AI features
- Enterprise scale access
- Good refresh rate of 48 days
- Self-assisted data preparation for big data
- Connection to more than 100 data sources
- Unlimited number of users with per capacity license
PowerBI cost structure differs from $10 per user to $4,995 for the whole organization. (Note — The power bi premium capacity cost starts from $4,995 per month.)
Ideal for mid-size businesses and enterprise-level organizations, Power BI Premium is everything you need to enjoy
- High productivity
- Seamless collaboration
- And advanced analytics
What is the difference between Power BI Free, Pro, and Power BI Premium version? you may wonder.
To answer — unlike Power BI Pro and the Desktop version, the Power BI premium version brings you the advantage of customizable user capacity.
It ensures that your company can optimize resources according to emerging demands, offering an efficient analytics experience.
Power BI Premium also brings you unique features such as –
- 100TB of storage
- Advanced AI features
- 100GB model size limit
- Multi-Geo Architecture
- Access to one API surface
- Analyse data stored in Azure Data Lake Storage and more.
One of the limitations of Power BI Premium is, that it works in tandem with the Power BI Pro license. This means users who wish to generate reports must have their Power BI Pro license purchased separately.
Primarily, Power BI Premium offers two pricing options based on per user and per capacity.
A. Power BI Premium Pricing — Per User
This version of Power BI costs $20/month per user and includes all the features available in Power BI Pro, plus a few additional features such as
- Ability to create paginated reports
- Store 100 TB compared to 10 GB offered in Power BI Pro
- Get a model size limit of 100 GB compared to 1 GB for Power BI Pro
- Refresh datasets 48 times per day compared to 8 for Power BI Pro users
- Use more technical features like Dataflows, Advanced AI, and XMLA endpoint read/write connectivity.
- The Power BI Premium per-user license holders are also entitled to use the governance and admin capabilities of Power BI Pro while accessing the application lifecycle management feature of Power BI.
- It also offers on-premises reporting and additional governance and admin capabilities.
B. Power BI Premium Per Capacity
This version of Power BI Premium costs $4995 and includes all features of Power BI Premium per user.
It comes with a bunch of dedicated resources allocated for the exclusive use of your team. This is your best bet if you are looking for dependable, consistent performance for your reports and dashboards.
Moreover, it is imperative to use Power BI Pro or Premium Per User (PPU) account to publish content within the platform.
Most businesses struggle to opt for the right Power BI Premium plan, given the intricacies of Power BI.
When you engage with a skilled Power BI implementation partner, you not only get to boost up your Power BI journey but also get confidence that your operations are in capable hands.
Power BI Report Server
It is an on-premises physical server used to create and view reports on Power BI Desktop, Power BI Pro or Power BI Premium. It empowers you to view multiple reports on your email, web browser, and even mobile devices.
It is an ideal choice if you wish to view and access different reports if you have restrictions on the cloud.
You can integrate the Power BI report server by purchasing –
- Power BI Premium P SKU P1-P5
- SQL Server Enterprise with Software Assurance agreement
Remember that each version comes with a different Power BI costing.
The first option of Power BI costs you up to $5K/month, and the second option costs you $15K at the least.
How a Power BI Partner Helps Maximize Your Investments?
There are many reasons why you should opt for professional Power BI support services from a reliable Power BI development company.
Let’s take a look at them one-by-one.
Improved Power BI Outcomes
Power BI consultants leverage many years of Power BI expertise. This empowers them to seamlessly convert your raw data into rich visuals and empower decision-making. With extensive knowledge of all Power BI versions, the trained Power BI experts empower your team to escape the ordinary and embrace the hidden insights within your data.
The trained experts help you assess key business trends and provide you with the precise insights needed for desired outcomes.
Enhance Your Data Visualization Capabilities
The experienced Power BI developers help you dive deep into your data, ensuring a purposeful approach. While looking for opportunities, they help you foresee risks and implement tried and tested methods to mitigate them.
Be the First to Identify Industry Trends
Whether your goal is to become a market leader or trendsetter, the reliable Power BI consultants spot the industry trends beforehand and empower you with a competitive advantage.
As a result, your BI team is enabled to spot new opportunities, mitigate risk, and make informed business decisions for better outcomes.
Boost ROI by 3X
The BI consultants are the hidden gems who optimize each component of Power BI and boost your ROI.
Thinking, “How?”
- By creating robust solutions to meet your precise BI needs
- By leveraging advanced analytics features to find hidden trends
- By seamlessly integrating Power BI with other tools and systems
- By empowering your team with the necessary skills and knowledge
- By regularly optimizing the performance for efficient report generation
Become a Market Leader
The adept BI experts from a Power BI development company are available 24/7 to promptly solve your dynamic issues and ensure uninterrupted data insights.
The team has ready-to-employ resources and skills that not only upgrade your business analytics, data modeling, and development game but also empower you with the confidence to navigate through the competitive business landscape.
To avail yourself of all these benefits, you must invest in the right Power BI version and a compatible Power BI development services partner.
Speaking of partnerships, experienced Power BI professionals, and making the most of your Power BI investments, if you are seeking a reputed Power BI partner that you can count on, your search ends at Integrative Systems.
Integrative Systems — Power BI Implementation Partner of Your Choice
Now that you are well-versed with the estimated Power BI cost of different versions and the importance of the right Power BI partnership, it can simplify your investment process according to your budget and needs.
But making a rushed Power BI investment call can be a waste.
We help you make informed decisions with our top-notch Power BI consultation and support services.
Want to connect with us?
Drop us a line at contact@integrativesystems.com and our team of Power BI experts will get back to you within 2 business days.
