Power BI Licensing and Pricing – Detailed Guide
Power BI offers flexible licensing options to cater to different user needs, from individuals to small businesses and large enterprises. Understanding Power BI licensing and pricing is crucial for selecting the right plan based on your reporting, collaboration, and security requirements.
1. Overview of Power BI Licensing & Pricing
Power BI provides the following licensing options:
- Power BI Free – Best for individuals
- Power BI Pro – Best for small teams and report sharing
- Power BI Premium Per User (PPU) – Best for advanced AI and large datasets
- Power BI Premium Per Capacity – Best for enterprises with high-performance needs
- Power BI Embedded – Best for embedding reports into applications
- Power BI Report Server – Best for on-premises BI solutions
Each plan has different features, data capacity, collaboration options, and pricing. Let’s explore each in detail.
2. Power BI Free (Best for Individuals)
🔹 Price: $0 (Free)
🔹 Target Users: Individual users who want to create reports and dashboards but don’t need sharing or collaboration.
Key Features:
✅ Connect to multiple data sources (Excel, CSV, databases, cloud services)
✅ Use Power Query for data transformation
✅ Build interactive reports and dashboards
✅ Create data models using Power Pivot and DAX
✅ Use Power BI Mobile App
✅ Save reports on local machines
Limitations:
❌ Cannot share reports or dashboards with others
❌ No scheduled data refresh (manual refresh only)
❌ Limited AI-powered insights
❌ No Row-Level Security (RLS)
❌ Cannot publish to Power BI Service
📌 Use Case: Ideal for individuals who want to analyze data but don’t need collaboration or sharing features.
3. Power BI Pro (Best for Small Teams & Collaboration)
🔹 Price: $10 per user/month
🔹 Target Users: Small businesses and teams that need collaboration and sharing capabilities.
Key Features:
✅ Includes all Free features
✅ Share reports and dashboards with other Pro users
✅ Scheduled data refresh (up to 8 times per day)
✅ Access Power BI Service (cloud-based collaboration)
✅ Embed Power BI reports into apps like Teams, SharePoint, and PowerPoint
✅ Supports Row-Level Security (RLS) for controlled access
✅ Uses Microsoft AI insights
Limitations:
❌ Cannot handle large datasets (limited to 1GB per dataset)
❌ No Paginated Reports (for detailed, printable reports)
❌ No Advanced AI features
📌 Use Case: Best for teams that need to create, share, and collaborate on Power BI reports.
4. Power BI Premium Per User (PPU) (Best for AI & Large Data Models)
🔹 Price: $20 per user/month
🔹 Target Users: Organizations needing advanced analytics, AI features, and large datasets.
Key Features:
✅ Includes all Pro features
✅ Larger dataset storage (up to 100GB per dataset)
✅ Paginated Reports (for highly formatted reports)
✅ AI-powered analytics (automated machine learning, Cognitive Services)
✅ Incremental data refresh (refresh only updated data, not full dataset)
✅ XMLA endpoints (for enterprise-grade data modeling)
✅ Up to 48 refreshes per day (Pro allows only 8)
Limitations:
❌ Cannot be used for organization-wide capacity (better for individual power users)
❌ Not suitable for very large teams (better to use Premium Capacity)
📌 Use Case: Ideal for data analysts and power users who need AI-powered insights, large datasets, and paginated reports.
5. Power BI Premium Per Capacity (Best for Large Enterprises)
🔹 Price: Starts at $4,995 per month (Dedicated Cloud Capacity)
🔹 Target Users: Large enterprises requiring scalable, organization-wide analytics.
Key Features:
✅ Includes all PPU features
✅ Dedicated cloud resources (no shared capacity)
✅ Unlimited users can view reports (Pro users needed for report creation)
✅ Larger datasets (up to 400GB per dataset)
✅ On-premises Power BI Report Server included
✅ No per-user cost for report viewers
Limitations:
❌ High cost – not ideal for small businesses
❌ Requires dedicated IT and data management teams
📌 Use Case: Ideal for large enterprises that need high-performance BI with unlimited report sharing.
6. Power BI Embedded (Best for Developers & App Integration)
🔹 Price: Pay-as-you-go (Based on Azure capacity)
🔹 Target Users: Developers and SaaS companies who need to embed Power BI reports in their applications.
Key Features:
✅ Embed Power BI visuals into web and mobile applications
✅ Supports multi-tenant applications
✅ No per-user licensing – billed based on Azure capacity
✅ Full API access for custom integration
Limitations:
❌ Not for end-users (Only for embedding reports into apps)
❌ Requires Azure subscription for billing
📌 Use Case: Best for developers and ISVs who want to integrate Power BI reports into their applications.
7. Power BI Report Server (On-Premises BI Solution)
🔹 Price: Included with Power BI Premium OR SQL Server Enterprise with Software Assurance
🔹 Target Users: Organizations needing on-premises BI hosting.
Key Features:
✅ Host Power BI reports on-premises
✅ Includes SSRS (SQL Server Reporting Services)
✅ Supports Scheduled Data Refresh
✅ Integrates with Active Directory for authentication
Limitations:
❌ Requires server setup and maintenance
❌ Lacks some cloud-based AI and sharing features
📌 Use Case: Best for organizations with data security concerns that need an on-premises BI solution.
8. Power BI Licensing Comparison Table
| Plan | Price | Best For | Collaboration | Storage Limit | Data Refresh | AI Insights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power BI Free | $0 | Individuals | ❌ No sharing | 1GB | Manual | ❌ No AI |
| Power BI Pro | $10/user/month | Small teams | ✅ Yes (Pro users) | 1GB | 8x/day | ✅ Basic AI |
| Power BI Premium (PPU) | $20/user/month | Power users | ✅ Yes | 100GB | 48x/day | ✅ Advanced AI |
| Power BI Premium (Capacity) | $4,995/month | Enterprises | ✅ Unlimited users | 400GB | 48x/day | ✅ AI + Paginated Reports |
| Power BI Embedded | Pay-as-you-go | Developers | ❌ Not for collaboration | Custom | Custom | ✅ AI |
| Power BI Report Server | Included with Premium | On-Premises Users | ✅ Yes | Custom | Custom | ❌ No AI |
9. Final Thoughts on Power BI Licensing & Pricing
✔️ Power BI Free → Best for individuals
✔️ Power BI Pro → Best for teams needing collaboration
✔️ Power BI PPU → Best for power users and AI-driven insights
✔️ Power BI Premium → Best for large enterprises
✔️ Power BI Embedded → Best for app developers
✔️ Power BI Report Server → Best for on-premises solutions
By choosing the right Power BI license, businesses can optimize cost, collaboration, and data analytics capabilities effectively.