Microsoft Power BI vs Tableau
Microsoft Power BI and Tableau are both BI & dashboards tools. Microsoft Power BI is aimed at enterprise and small businesses, while Tableau is aimed at enterprise. Microsoft Power BI costs less, from $14/mo versus $75/mo for Tableau. Only Microsoft Power BI has a free plan.
Enterprise BI in the Microsoft ecosystem
Visual analytics leader, now Salesforce
| Pricing | Freemium · $14 | Paid · $75 |
| Starting price | $14/mo | $75/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Free trial | 60 days | 14 days |
| Built for | Enterprise, Small businesses | Enterprise |
| Platforms | web, windows, ios, android | web, windows, macos |
| Country | US · 2015 | US · 2003 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Microsoft Power BI if
Organizations on Microsoft 365 that want affordable, scalable BI.
- Low price per user
- Deep Microsoft integration
- Powerful modeling with DAX
Look elsewhere if: Mac-only teams or startups preferring lightweight tools (Metabase).
Choose Tableau if
Enterprises with dedicated analysts who need rich visual analysis.
- Best-in-class visualization depth
- Large community and resources
- Handles complex analysis
Look elsewhere if: Small teams on a budget (Metabase, Looker Studio) or Microsoft shops (Power BI).
Microsoft Power BI vs Tableau pricing
Microsoft Power BI
- Free$0Fabric free account, personal authoring
- Pro$14/user/moPaid yearly; publish and share reports
- Premium Per User$24/user/moPaid yearly; larger models, more refreshes
- Fabric capacityCustomVariable capacity pricing
Tableau
- Viewer$15/user/moBilled annually; Standard edition
- Explorer$42/user/moBilled annually; Standard edition
- Creator$75/user/moBilled annually; at least one Creator required
- Tableau+CustomEnterprise and AI bundle, quote only
Microsoft Power BI · Key features
- Power Query data preparation
- DAX data modeling and measures
- Interactive reports and dashboards
- Copilot for report and DAX generation
- Teams and SharePoint integration
- Microsoft Fabric for end-to-end data
Cons
- Desktop authoring is Windows-only
- DAX learning curve
- Licensing complexity with Fabric
Tableau · Key features
- Drag-and-drop visual analytics
- Live and extract connections to many sources
- Tableau Prep for data preparation
- Dashboards with interactivity and actions
- Pulse and Agent AI insights
- Cloud or self-hosted Server deployment
Cons
- Expensive per user
- Steeper learning curve for creators
- Power BI cheaper in Microsoft shops
Microsoft Power BI vs Tableau: FAQ
Which is cheaper, Microsoft Power BI or Tableau?
Microsoft Power BI starts at $14/mo and Tableau at $75/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do Microsoft Power BI and Tableau have a free plan?
Microsoft Power BI has a free plan. Tableau has no free plan, a 14-day free trial.
Which is better for small businesses, Microsoft Power BI or Tableau?
Microsoft Power BI lists small businesses as a core audience, while Tableau is aimed more at enterprise.