Since its inception, Power Bi has been more of a game changer in the data visualization industry. However, it’s not the “ultimate” software solution, or a one-off tool by far. There are plenty of other fish in the sea.
To that end, we have handpicked some of the best Power Bi alternatives to illustrate why they’re needed, their use cases and overall benefits.
If there’s a chance that you haven’t already used Power Bi before, don’t worry. It’s a nifty data visualization tool that Microsoft released not too long ago. But then again, that’s not much of an introduction. There’s more where it came from.
Let’s dig in and see what kind of best Power Bi alternatives and Power Bi embedded alternatives we’ve got in store for you.
What is Power Bi?
Power BI is a business analytics tool developed by Microsoft that provides interactive visualizations and business intelligence capabilities. It enables users to transform raw data into meaningful insights and share them across the organization, empowering data-driven decision-making.
At its core, Power BI is a collection of software services, apps, and connectors that work together to analyze data and present it in a visually appealing and easy-to-understand manner.
The program basically consists of three main components: Power BI Desktop, Power BI Service, and Power BI Mobile.
Power BI Desktop:
This is a Windows application that serves as the primary development environment for creating Power BI reports and dashboards.
Users can connect to various data sources, such as Excel spreadsheets, databases, cloud services, and more. With a drag-and-drop interface, users can manipulate, transform, and model the data, and then design interactive visualizations using a wide range of charts, graphs, and tables.
Advanced features like data modeling, calculations, and scripting are also available in Power BI Desktop.
Power BI Service:
This is a cloud-based service where users can publish, share, and collaborate on Power BI reports and dashboards.
Once a report is created in Power BI Desktop, it can be uploaded to the Power BI Service, where it becomes a web-based interactive report. Users can access these reports from any device with a web browser and can interact with the data, filter information, and explore insights.
The Power BI Service also offers features like data refresh, scheduled data updates, security settings, and sharing capabilities, allowing users to distribute reports within their organization or with external stakeholders.
Power BI Mobile:
Finally, we’ve got Power Bi mobile experience.
This component allows users to access and view Power BI reports and dashboards on mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets.
The Power BI Mobile app provides a responsive and touch-friendly interface, enabling users to explore data on the go, receive notifications, and stay connected with their business metrics and KPIs.
6 Reasons To Look For Power Bi Alternatives
While Power BI is a widely popular and robust business intelligence tool, there may be certain situations where organizations or individuals may consider exploring alternative options.
Here are some main reasons why someone might look for Power BI alternatives:
Cost:
Power BI offers several pricing options, including a free version with limited features and paid plans with varying capabilities.
However, for organizations with budget constraints or specific needs that are not adequately met by Power BI’s pricing structure, seeking alternative solutions may be more cost-effective. Exploring alternative tools that offer competitive pricing or open-source options can be beneficial in such cases.
Data Source Compatibility:
While Power BI provides support for numerous data sources, there might be specific data sources or systems that are not directly compatible with Power BI.
In such cases, exploring alternative tools that offer seamless integration with the required data sources can be advantageous. It’s important to consider the compatibility and connectivity options provided by alternative tools to ensure smooth data ingestion and analysis.
Advanced Analytics Requirements:
Many power bi embedded alternatives come with a solid set of analytical features, including data modeling, calculated columns, and measures.
For organizations with more advanced analytics needs, such as machine learning, statistical analysis, or predictive modeling, these alternatives to power bi are the right fit in the given situation.
Visualization Flexibility:
Even though the software provides a wide range of built-in visualizations and the ability to create custom visuals, organizations with specific visualization requirements or a need for highly customizable and interactive dashboards might find that alternative tools offer more flexibility in terms of visual design and customization options.
Exploring tools like Tableau, Looker, or Domo can provide alternative visualization capabilities.
Overall Learning Curve:
Power BI has a user-friendly interface and offers a range of resources and training materials to facilitate learning and adoption.
At times, depending on the users’ level of technical expertise and familiarity with Microsoft products, the learning curve for Power BI may vary.
Integration and Ecosystem:
As you all know, Power Bi is a Microsoft product, meaning that it integrates flawlessly with the entire or most of the Microsoft apps’ suite. That’s cool.
But it also comes with a limitation because organizations using different software ecosystems or requiring seamless integration with specific tools or platforms are sometimes short-handed.
Exploring alternatives to Power Bi tools that align better with their existing infrastructure might be a more practical choice.
You can try options, such as Looker, Google Data Studio, or Tableau, which integrate well with various platforms.
Specific Industry or Use Case Requirements:
Depending on the industry or specific use case, alternative tools may offer specialized features and functionalities that cater to unique requirements.
For example, if the focus is on geospatial analysis, tools like Esri or Mapbox may be preferred. Similarly, for marketing analytics, tools like Google Analytics or Adobe Analytics might be more suitable.
Best 5 Power Bi Alternatives To Use In 2023
Without keeping you waiting any further, here are the 5 best power bi alternatives for you. We reviewed and recommended these alternatives to Power Bi, based on their overall key features, deliverability, and of course, pricing.
1. Dotnet Report – Editor’s Pick as One of The Best Power Bi Alternatives
Dotnet Report is a comprehensive reporting and business intelligence platform built on an uber light and flexible framework.
It offers a wide range of key features, deliverables, and performance capabilities that enable users to create, manage, and distribute interactive reports and dashboards.
Key Features:
Report Designer:
Dotnet Report provides a powerful and intuitive report creation tool that allows users to create visually appealing and interactive reports.
This feature enables users to easily add data sources, define queries, design layouts, and customize visual elements such as charts, tables, and graphs.
Data Integration:
The platform seamlessly integrates with various data sources, including databases, web services, and Excel files.
It supports popular databases like Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, and PostgreSQL, enabling users to access and analyze data from multiple sources in a unified environment.
Interactive Dashboards:
Dotnet Report enables the creation of interactive dashboards that provide a consolidated view of key metrics and performance indicators.
Users can design dynamic dashboards with real-time data updates, interactive filters, and drill-down capabilities. This feature allows for in-depth analysis and exploration of data within a centralized dashboard interface.
Collaboration and Sharing:
The platform facilitates collaboration and sharing of reports and dashboards within teams.
In addition to that, there are permission roles that allow users to access a specific report to a certain extent for the sake of data protection and privacy.
Security and Access Controls:
Dotnet Report prioritizes data security and provides robust access controls. It offers role-based authentication and authorization mechanisms, allowing administrators to manage user permissions and control access to sensitive data.
The platform also ensures data encryption at rest and in transit, protecting data privacy.
Their support team is responsive and offers timely assistance to address user queries and concerns, contributing to a positive user experience.
2. Trevor.Io
Moving on with alternatives to Power Bi, Trevor.io is comes as a powerful data analysis and visualization platform that allows users to easily explore and analyze data from various sources.
It offers a wide range of key features and deliverables that enable efficient data analysis and reporting.
Key Features:
Data Integration:
Seamlessly integrates with multiple data sources, including databases, cloud storage, and third-party applications.
Query Builder:
Trevor.io provides an intuitive and user-friendly query builder interface.
Users can create complex SQL queries using a visual interface without the need for writing code.
Interactive Dashboards:
Enables the creation of interactive dashboards to visualize and share insights.
Data Exploration:
Facilitates comprehensive data exploration through advanced filtering, sorting, and grouping capabilities.
Automated Reports:
The platform offers automated report generation, saving time and effort for recurring analysis tasks.
Users can schedule reports to be generated at specific intervals, such as daily, weekly, or monthly, and have them delivered to their inbox or shared with team members.
3. Google Data Studio
Up next on our Power Bi Alternatives list, we’ve got Google Data Studio.
It is a web-based data visualization and reporting tool that allows users to create interactive and visually appealing reports and dashboards.
As one of the most robust alternatives to Power BI, it offers several key features and delivers strong performance.
Key Features:
Data Integration:
Google Data Studio seamlessly integrates with various data sources, including Google Analytics, Google Sheets, Google BigQuery, and popular databases like MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server.
Drag-and-Drop Interface:
The platform provides an intuitive drag-and-drop interface that allows users to create reports and dashboards without coding knowledge.
Interactive Visualizations:
Google Data Studio offers a variety of interactive visualizations, including charts, tables, maps, and scorecards.
The interactive features allow users to drill down into data, apply filters, and interact with the visualizations in real-time.
Collaboration and Sharing:
The platform supports collaboration and sharing features, allowing multiple users to work together on reports and dashboards.
Data Refresh and Scheduling:
Google Data Studio enables data refresh and scheduling options, ensuring that reports and dashboards display up-to-date information.
The platform offers fast and responsive visualizations, leveraging Google’s infrastructure and technologies. It utilizes caching mechanisms and query optimization techniques to enhance performance and reduce latency, resulting in smooth and interactive user experiences, even with complex reports and large datasets.
4. Apache Superset
Apache Superset is an open-source business intelligence (BI) platform that provides powerful data exploration, visualization, and reporting capabilities.
Based on the business requirements, the program offers a range of key features and delivers strong performance.
Key Features:
Data Integration:
Apache Superset supports a wide range of data sources, including popular databases like MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server, as well as cloud services like Google BigQuery and Amazon Redshift.
It allows users to connect to multiple data sources, providing a unified view for analysis and reporting.
Visual Exploration:
The platform offers a visual interface that enables users to explore and analyze data intuitively. Users can create interactive dashboards and reports by selecting from a variety of visualizations, including charts, graphs, and maps.
Customizable Dashboards:
Apache Superset allows users to create customized dashboards tailored to their specific needs.
Users can arrange visualizations, add filters and parameters, and design layouts that best represent their data.
SQL Querying and Data Modeling:
Apache Superset provides a SQL editor that allows users to write custom SQL queries to extract and transform data.
In addition to that, it also supports complex SQL operations and functions, enabling users to perform advanced data modeling and calculations.
Collaboration and Sharing:
The platform offers collaboration features, allowing multiple users to work together on dashboards and reports.
Users can share their work with specific individuals or teams, set access permissions, and collaborate in real-time.
In terms of extensibility, Apache Superset provides a rich ecosystem of integrations and customizations.
5. Looker
Finally at the 5th spot, Looker comes as one of the best alternatives to Power Bi for anyone looking for a convenient data visualization tool.
Owned by Google, Looker is recognized as a business intelligence and data analytics platform that provides a wide range of features for data exploration, visualization, and reporting.
You can get started for free, but the overall ticket price suits enterprises with a larger range of requirements.
Key Features:
Data Modeling and Exploration:
Looker allows users to model and explore their data easily.
It offers a modeling layer that abstracts complex SQL queries, making it user-friendly for non-technical users.
LookML, Looker’s proprietary modeling language, enables users to define relationships, calculations, and business logic, facilitating efficient data exploration.
Interactive Dashboards and Reports:
Enables the creation of interactive dashboards and reports.
Data Collaboration and Sharing:
The platform emphasizes collaboration and sharing capabilities. Depending on the use-case, users can share reports, dashboards, and individual visualizations with colleagues, teams, or external stakeholders.
Data Governance and Security:
Prioritizes data governance and security. It offers robust security features, including user authentication, role-based access controls, and data encryption.
Embedded Analytics:
Of course when it comes to Power Bi embedded alternatives, Looker enables the embedding of dashboards and reports into external applications, websites, or portals.
Overall Performance:
One notable aspect of Looker is its strong community and support ecosystem. Looker has an active community of users and developers who share knowledge, best practices, and custom extensions.
This community-driven approach contributes to the platform’s growth, feature enhancements, and overall user experience.
However, it’s important to realize that Looker’s licensing model is primarily focused on enterprise customers, and the pricing may be higher compared to Power BI for smaller organizations or individual users.
Other than that, the program’s implementation and maintenance may also require technical expertise and resources, especially for complex deployments.
Conclusion:
There you have it, some of the coolest alternatives to Power Bi that are just as much intuitive and robust as the former successor. In case you don’t find your favorite tool on the list, feel free to reach out to us, and we’d be happy to add it to this post.
