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Compare Microsoft Power BI and Tableau 
At a Glance
Market Segments
Enterprise (43.3% of reviews)
Enterprise (43.4% of reviews)
Entry-Level Pricing
Free 1 User
$70.00 1 User Per Month
Microsoft Power BI
Star Rating
(1,300)4.5 out of 5
Market Segments
Enterprise (43.3% of reviews)
Entry-Level Pricing
Free 1 User
Browse all 3 pricing plansTableau
Star Rating
(2,757)4.4 out of 5
Market Segments
Enterprise (43.4% of reviews)
Entry-Level Pricing
$70.00 1 User Per Month
Free Trial is available
Browse all 3 pricing plansSummary
AI Generated Summary
AI-generated. Powered by real user reviews.
- Users report that Tableau excels in data visualization, with a score of 9.2, providing a wide array of customizable charts and graphs. Reviewers mention that its drag-and-drop interface allows for intuitive design, making it easier to create visually appealing dashboards.
- Reviewers mention that Microsoft Power BI offers superior ease of setup with a score of 8.7 compared to Tableau's 8.3. Users on G2 appreciate the straightforward installation process and seamless integration with other Microsoft products, which enhances productivity.
- G2 users highlight that Power BI's data governance features score 8.8, surpassing Tableau's 8.4. Reviewers say that Power BI provides robust security and compliance options, making it a preferred choice for enterprises concerned about data integrity.
- Users say that both Tableau and Power BI score equally high in data visualization (9.2), but Power BI's predictive analytics capabilities (8.3) are noted to be more advanced than Tableau's (7.7). Reviewers mention that Power BI's AI-driven insights help in making data-driven decisions more effectively.
- Reviewers mention that Tableau's calculated fields score 8.5, while Power BI's score slightly higher at 8.6. Users report that Power BI's DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) language allows for more complex calculations, which can be a significant advantage for advanced users.
- Users on G2 report that Power BI's collaboration and workflow features score 8.4, compared to Tableau's 8.2. Reviewers say that Power BI's integration with Microsoft Teams facilitates better collaboration among team members, enhancing the overall workflow.
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Pricing
Entry-Level Pricing
Microsoft Power BI
Power BI in Microsoft Fabric
Free
1 User
Power BI in Microsoft Fabric
- Sign Up for A Fabric Account
Tableau
Creator
$70.00
1 User Per Month
- Includes Tableau Desktop, Tableau Prep Builder, and one Creator license on Tableau Cloud (SaaS) or Tableau Server (self-hosted).
Free Trial
Microsoft Power BI
Free Trial is available
Tableau
Free Trial is available
Ratings
Meets Requirements
8.9
1,032
8.7
2,213
Ease of Use
8.4
1,050
8.3
2,239
Ease of Setup
8.7
493
8.3
938
Ease of Admin
8.4
352
8.2
710
Quality of Support
8.4
908
8.3
1,886
Has the product been a good partner in doing business?
8.8
332
8.5
688
Product Direction (% positive)
9.2
1,004
8.8
2,190
Features by Category
Reports
8.9
882
|
Verified
8.7
1572
|
Verified
8.4
824
|
Verified
8.3
1442
|
Verified
9.1
885
|
Verified
9.1
1614
|
Verified
8.8
540
8.6
1222
9.1
870
|
Verified
9.1
1594
|
Verified
Self Service
8.6
744
8.5
1535
|
Verified
8.9
751
8.7
1566
|
Verified
8.6
832
|
Verified
8.5
1485
|
Verified
8.4
720
8.2
1283
8.4
808
|
Verified
8.2
1372
|
Verified
8.2
745
|
Verified
7.9
1194
|
Verified
Advanced Analytics
8.3
603
|
Verified
7.8
1146
9.2
870
|
Verified
9.2
1572
|
Verified
8.4
604
|
Verified
8.1
1157
Building Reports
8.8
522
|
Verified
8.3
896
|
Verified
8.7
512
|
Verified
8.2
859
|
Verified
8.5
447
|
Verified
8.3
732
|
Verified
8.5
443
|
Verified
8.1
743
|
Verified
Platform
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Reports
8.9
882
|
Verified
8.7
1572
|
Verified
8.4
824
|
Verified
8.3
1442
|
Verified
9.1
885
|
Verified
9.1
1614
|
Verified
8.8
540
8.6
1222
9.1
870
|
Verified
9.1
1594
|
Verified
Data Preparation
8.9
506
|
Verified
8.6
733
|
Verified
8.8
498
|
Verified
8.4
726
|
Verified
Data Modeling and Blending
8.9
520
|
Verified
8.5
762
|
Verified
9.1
532
|
Verified
8.8
786
|
Verified
8.7
516
|
Verified
8.6
757
|
Verified
Generative AI
7.5
180
7.4
313
7.6
180
7.5
340
Agentic AI - Analytics Platforms
7.3
30
7.1
21
8.1
30
7.5
21
8.5
30
7.4
21
8.4
30
7.2
21
8.0
30
7.6
21
8.1
30
7.5
20
8.7
31
8.0
21
Self Service
8.6
744
8.5
1535
|
Verified
8.9
751
8.7
1566
|
Verified
8.6
832
|
Verified
8.5
1485
|
Verified
8.4
720
8.2
1283
8.4
808
|
Verified
8.2
1372
|
Verified
8.2
745
|
Verified
7.9
1194
|
Verified
Deployment & Integration - Analytics Platforms
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Advanced Analytics
8.3
603
|
Verified
7.8
1146
9.2
870
|
Verified
9.2
1572
|
Verified
8.4
604
|
Verified
8.1
1157
Performance & Scalability - Analytics Platforms
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Advanced Analytics & Modeling - Analytics Platforms
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Agentic AI Capabilities - Analytics Platforms
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Personalized Intelligence - Analytics Platforms
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Not enough data
Building Reports
8.8
522
|
Verified
8.3
896
|
Verified
8.7
512
|
Verified
8.2
859
|
Verified
8.5
447
|
Verified
8.3
732
|
Verified
8.5
443
|
Verified
8.1
743
|
Verified
Reports
8.9
882
|
Verified
8.7
1572
|
Verified
8.4
824
|
Verified
8.3
1442
|
Verified
9.1
885
|
Verified
9.1
1614
|
Verified
8.8
540
8.6
1222
9.1
870
|
Verified
9.1
1594
|
Verified
Self Service
8.6
744
8.5
1535
|
Verified
8.9
751
8.7
1566
|
Verified
8.6
832
|
Verified
8.5
1485
|
Verified
8.4
720
8.2
1283
8.4
808
|
Verified
8.2
1372
|
Verified
8.2
745
|
Verified
7.9
1194
|
Verified
Building Reports
8.8
522
|
Verified
8.3
896
|
Verified
8.7
512
|
Verified
8.2
859
|
Verified
8.5
447
|
Verified
8.3
732
|
Verified
8.5
443
|
Verified
8.1
743
|
Verified
Cartography
Not enough data
9.4
21
Not enough data
9.4
21
Not enough data
9.5
22
Not enough data
9.5
22
Analysis
Not enough data
9.2
22
Not enough data
9.5
22
Not enough data
9.4
22
Not enough data
9.2
22
Reporting
Not enough data
9.5
22
Not enough data
9.3
21
Not enough data
9.4
21
Data Source Access
Not enough data
8.6
187
Not enough data
8.7
186
Not enough data
8.1
186
Data Interaction
Not enough data
8.1
186
Not enough data
8.0
188
Not enough data
8.2
185
Not enough data
8.4
187
Not enough data
8.2
186
Not enough data
8.3
185
Not enough data
8.3
187
Not enough data
8.2
184
Data Exporting
Not enough data
8.5
182
Not enough data
8.4
181
Not enough data
8.4
182
Generative AI
Not enough data
7.4
182
Additional Functionality
Not enough data
8.8
55
Not enough data
9.3
56
Basics
Not enough data
9.2
56
Content
Not enough data
8.9
53
Data
Not enough data
9.4
55
Interoperability
Not enough data
8.9
53
Performance
Not enough data
9.2
56
Statistical Tool
Not enough data
8.4
216
Not enough data
8.3
218
Not enough data
8.4
209
Data Analysis
Not enough data
9.0
237
Not enough data
8.9
232
Decision Making
Not enough data
8.7
224
Not enough data
9.4
235
Not enough data
9.1
232
Not enough data
8.7
227
Generative AI
Not enough data
8.1
142
Not enough data
8.0
142
Categories
Categories
Shared Categories
Microsoft Power BI and Tableau are categorized as Analytics Platforms
Unique Categories
Microsoft Power BI has no unique categories
Tableau is categorized as Insurance Analytics, Location Intelligence, Embedded Business Intelligence, Predictive Analytics, and Data Preparation
Reviews
Reviewers' Company Size
Microsoft Power BI
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
Tableau
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
Small-Business
(50 or fewer emp.)
Mid-Market
(51-1000 emp.)
Enterprise
(> 1000 emp.)
Reviewers' Industry
Information Technology and Services
16.6%
Computer Software
6.7%
Financial Services
5.0%
Hospital & Health Care
3.5%
Marketing and Advertising
3.0%
Other
65.3%
Information Technology and Services
10.7%
Computer Software
7.0%
Financial Services
6.6%
Marketing and Advertising
4.9%
Higher Education
4.4%
Other
66.4%
Most Helpful Reviews
Microsoft Power BI
Most Helpful Favorable Review
Verified User in Marketing and Advertising
Visualizations. They're absolutely fantastic. Importing data is incredibly easy and it's much more powerful than excel or many SQL based visualization tools.
Most Helpful Critical Review
Delaney B.
Verified User in Retail
Power BI was made by people who never use it. Its user interface is not great, data doesn't always load, and find reports is very difficult.
Tableau
Most Helpful Favorable Review
Jeff B.
Verified User in Retail
Tableau enables users the ability build data visualizations in the matter of minutes without requiring technical report development knowledge. In my opinion, the top 5 best qualities: 1. Drag and drop functionality is easy for any user to...
Most Helpful Critical Review
Verified User in Capital Markets
requires a desktop application for editing reports, data needs to be in a certain format (cube), ugly looking UI, not very slick at all.
Verified User in Marketing and Advertising
Visualizations. They're absolutely fantastic. Importing data is incredibly easy and it's much more powerful than excel or many SQL based visualization tools.
Jeff B.
Verified User in Retail
Tableau enables users the ability build data visualizations in the matter of minutes without requiring technical report development knowledge. In my opinion, the top 5 best qualities: 1. Drag and drop functionality is easy for any user to...
Delaney B.
Verified User in Retail
Power BI was made by people who never use it. Its user interface is not great, data doesn't always load, and find reports is very difficult.
Verified User in Capital Markets
requires a desktop application for editing reports, data needs to be in a certain format (cube), ugly looking UI, not very slick at all.
Discussions
What is Microsoft Power BI Desktop used for?
3 comments
DM
PowerBI desktop is the desktop version of PowerBI unlike the web version which you open in a web browser like Google Chrome or EDGE. The desktop version has...Read more
How I can have the free version of this application?
2 comments
DZ
Here: https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/downloads/Read more
Support Multiple Data Types
2 comments
LS
I'd recommend putting requests like that on ideas.powerbi.com.Read more
why did saleforce by tableau? IS SFDC reporting going to change now?
2 comments
TR
Perfect answer by Derrick. I totally agree.Read more
Tableau Desktop is a data visualization software that allows users to connect to various data sources, create interactive and shareable dashboards, and gain insights through visual analytics. It enables users to transform raw data into understandable and actionable insights by creating charts, graphs, and other visual representations.
2 comments
NA
Tableau Desktop help create interactive Dashboards offline and publish it to the wider audience through Tableau public. Tableau Desktop is one of the version...Read more
Do I need Tableau Desktop if I have Tableau Server?
2 comments
LT
Anyway, whether you need Tableau Desktop depends on your specific use case and requirements. If you're unsure, you can consider the following
Evaluate...Read more
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