When we talk about data and business analytics, Power BI is the best option we go for. Over the last few years, with the great advancement in science and technology, Microsoft Power BI has proven to be the most effective method of creating reports, data analysis, and business analysis.
Well, most people often get confused among the different versions of it, Desktop (Free), pro, and the premium version. Fear Not! Here are some of the major differences mentioned-below, that will give the interested readers a fair idea about the Microsoft Power BI versions briefly.
| Basis of Differentiation | DESKTOP (FREE) (Per User) | PRO (Per User) | PREMIUM (Per User) | PREMIUM (Capacity) |
| STORAGE CAPACITY | Maximum 10 GB per user | 10 GB per Pro user data storage limit | 100 TB | 100 TB |
| LICENSE | NA | User-based license | User-based license | Capacity-based license |
| COST | Free | $9.99/user/month | $20/user/month, For an already existing Pro user, an additional $10/month | Starts at $4,995 a month |
| TRIAL | NA | 60 Days | 60 Days | No Trial |
| ON-PREMISES REPORTING THROUGH POWER BI REPORT SERVER | No such feature | No such feature | No such feature | Power BI Report Server or on-premises available |
| CONNECT TO 100+ DATA SOURCES | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| PUBLISH TO WEB | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| PEER TO PEER SHARING | N | Y | Y | Y |
| EXPORT TO POWER POINT | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| EXPORT TO PDF | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Power BI APP AVAILABLITY | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| ANALYZE IN EXCEL | N | Y | Y | Y |
| SHARING REPORTS OR DASHBOARDS | Can’t share directly from Power BI Desktop. Free users can publish reports in Power BI services & use publish to web option to give view access to their stakeholders | To share the reports inside or outside the organization, need a Power BI Pro license. Recipients also need Power BI Pro licenses, unless the content is in a Premium capacity. | The reports can be shared with free licensed users as well. | The reports can be shared with free licensed users as well. |
| RESHARING OF REPORTS/ DASHBOARDS | No | If we let coworkers reshare, they can do so from the Power BI service and the mobile apps, or forward the email invitation to others in your organization. The invitation expires after one month. People outside your organization can’t reshare. | If we let coworkers reshare, they can do so from the Power BI service and the mobile apps, or forward the email invitation to others in your organization. The invitation expires after one month. People outside your organization can’t reshare. | If we let coworkers reshare, they can do so from the Power BI service and the mobile apps, or forward the email invitation to others in your organization. The invitation expires after one month. People outside your organization can’t reshare. |
| EMBEDDED REPORTS (In mail, On Website) | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| LICENSE NEEDEd TO VIEW SHARED REPORTS | Free users can view reports shared by premium users but not by pro users | In pro, both creator & reader need a pro license | Power BI Free (Viewer) licenses – Users that only need to view and interact with reports no longer need to purchase a Power BI Pro user license | Power BI Free (Viewer) licenses – Users that only need to view and interact with reports no longer need to purchase a Power BI Pro user license |
| MAXIMUM NUMBER OF AUTOMATIC REFRESHES PER DAY | 8 | 8 | 48 | 48 |
| CLOUD SERVICE | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| DATA SECURITY AND ENCRYPTION | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| ACCESS TO A LIBRARY OF POWER BI VISUALS | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT DATA TO GET IMMEDIATE ANSWERS | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| SUBSCRIBE TO REPORTS FOR NOTIFICATIONS ABOUT CHANGES | N | Y | Y | Y |
| MAXIMUM SIZE OF INDIVIDUAL DATASET | 1 GB | 1 GB | 10 GB | 10 GB |
| MINIMUM TIME BETWEEN REFRESHES | 30 mins | 30 mins | 1 min | 1 min |
| PUBLISH AND CONSUME PAGINATED REPORTS IN POWER BI (RDL Technology) | N | N | Y | Y |
| ACCESS TO OTHER WORKSPACE | N | Y | Y | Y |
| MODEL SIZE LIMIT | 1 GB | 1 GB | 100 GB | 400 GB |
| MULTI-GEO SUPPORT | N | N | N | Y |
| UNLIMITED DISTRIBUTION | N | N | N | Y |
| DATAFLOWS CAPABILITY | N | N | Y | Y |
| DRILL THROUGH FEATURE | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| CROSS REPORT FEATURE | Y | Y | Y | Y |
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This blog is very informative
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Yes I guess peoples will know the pros and cons pro and premium. Thanks for sharing it.
Thankyou for sharing this blog.
perfectly explained with the help of tabular form. really a great efforts
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I found this blog very informative as it gives me an insight into the various analytical tools.
Thanks for explaining
helpful content
informative
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This is nice article. Very helpful
Thank fo this information about PowerBI
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What a detailed comparison! nicely explained.