Microsoft Power BI vs Tableau
Compare with for .
Microsoft Power BI is the better fit.
It has a free plan you can start on today.
How we work out the matchFine-tune
What you'd pay
Entry plan for 10 people, billed yearly where offered. Prices checked Oct 2026.
Microsoft Power BI
Organizations standardized on Microsoft 365, especially on E5, with Windows-based analysts and data in Microsoft systems.
Tableau
Analytics teams that want a full Power BI replacement with Mac authoring, deep visual analysis and the option to self-host.
Side by side
| Microsoft Power BI | Tableau | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free Desktop; Pro $14/user/mo (paid yearly) | From $15/user/month (Viewer, billed annually); Creator $75 |
| G2 Rating | Not yet verified | Not yet verified |
| Best For | Organizations standardized on Microsoft 365, especially on E5, with Windows-based analysts and data in Microsoft systems. | Analytics teams that want a full Power BI replacement with Mac authoring, deep visual analysis and the option to self-host. |
Pros and cons
Microsoft Power BI
Pros
- Lowest published per-user price among the full BI suites here
- Pro is included in Microsoft 365 E5 and Office 365 E5
- Tight integration with Teams, PowerPoint, SharePoint and Fabric
- Paginated reports and an on-premises Report Server option
Cons
- Power BI Desktop requires Windows
- Viewers without paid licences need F64 or higher capacity
- Pro caps models at 1 GB and 8 refreshes a day
Tableau
Pros
- Desktop authoring on Mac as well as Windows
- Choice of hosted Cloud or self-hosted Server
- Free Desktop edition and Tableau Public
- Strong visual analysis, data prep and AI features
Cons
- Clearly more expensive per seat than Power BI Pro
- Annual contracts only
- Advanced AI sits in Cloud+ or Tableau Next
Related comparisons
Best BI Tools for Small Business
Zoho Analytics is the best BI tool for most small businesses: a free plan, flat pricing with users included, and native connectors with prebuilt reports for accounting, CRM, ad and ecommerce apps. Data Studio is the best free choice for Google-centric teams.
Power BI alternatives
Tableau is the best all-round Power BI alternative, with Mac authoring and a self-hosted option. Choose Data Studio for Google shops, Metabase for open source, or Zoho Analytics on a budget.
Tableau alternatives
Switch to Microsoft Power BI for comparable authoring at a much lower per-user price. Choose Data Studio if you need free, Metabase for open source or self-hosting, and Sisense for embedded analytics.