Power BI Free vs Pro

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Differences Between Power BI Free and Pro

In Power BI, free versions have some limitations, which we can overcome by purchasing the pro version of the Power BI software. Such as, in free versions, we cannot share the data with multiple users. However, we can view it with the same login. However, in the pro version, we can share the data with the users who also have the pro version. It offers 10GB space additionally.

Power BI Desktop is a basic version of Power BI, where we can download the software like any other and install it on our computer. However, it does not support mobile apps or embedded APIs and is limited to analyzing 10,000 data rows per hour. In contrast, Power BI Pro is the full version of Power BI that costs $9.99 per month and comes with many more advanced features like a mobile app, email subscription, sharing ability, and analysis of 1 million data rows per hour.

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Key Differences

  • Cost: This is the main difference every user wants to be aware of. Power BI Desktop comes free of cost. All the users in your team do not require to pay anything.
  • Power BI Pro comes at $9.99 per user per month. So, everybody using the Pro version must pay $9.99 per month.
  • Features: Some important features like workspace in the mobile app and analysis in Excel are not available with the Power BI Desktop version but with the Pro version.
  • Storage Capacity: When the data is large, the Power BI Desktop or free version seems to run in space where it can support only 1 GB of data. But, the Power BI Pro version can support 10 GB per Power BI Pro license.

Power BI Free vs Pro Version Comparative Table

Below are head-to-head comparisons and features supported by both versions of Power BI.

ItemsPower BI Desktop or FreePower BI Pro
DefinitionPower BI Desktop is a basic version of Power BI, where we can download the software like any other and install it on our computer.Power BI Pro is the full version of Power BI with many advanced features that are not available with the desktop version.
Is it Free??Power BI Desktop is free of cost. It takes $0.00 from your pocket.Power BI Pro is not free like Power Bi Desktop. Instead, we need to pay for it. This plan costs $9.99 per month per user.
Data CapacityYou need to keep in mind the data limits of Power BI Desktop and Pro versions. With the Desktop version, the data limit is 1 GB per user.With the Pro version, the data limit is 10 GB per user.
Data ConnectionPower BI Desktop can connect up to 70 + data sources.Power BI Pro too can connect up to 70 + data sources.
Report ExtractionWe can export the dashboard to PowerPoint, Excel, and CSV.We can export the dashboard to PowerPoint, Excel, and CSV.
Office 365 PlanPower BI Desktop is a free version and not necessarily part of the office 365 plan.Power BI Pro supports the mobile app version. Additionally, the app workspace is available with the Pro version.
Mobile App SupportPower BI Desktop does not support the mobile app version. No app workspace is available.Power BI Pro supports the Mobile App version. App workspace is available with the pro version.
Email SubscriptionsPower BI Desktop does not have email subscriptions.Power BI Pro has email subscriptions.
Embedded APIs and ControlsPower BI Desktop cannot support embedded API and Controls.Power BI Pro supports embedded API and Controls.
Sharing with OthersUsing Power BI Desktop, we cannot share with your subordinates.Using Power BI Pro, we can share with our subordinates.
Analyze in ExcelPower BI Desktop does not allow us to analyze the data in Excel within Power BI.Power BI Pro version allows us to analyze the data in Excel within Power BI.
Data RefreshmentThe Power BI Desktop version consumes 10,000 data rows per hour.The Power BI Pro version consumes 1 million data rows per hour.
Data Refreshment 1Data refreshment happens daily.Data refreshment happens hourly.

Conclusion

At the bottom line, confusion is about which one to take up and whether to go for a free or Pro version. If you are not sharing the report with anybody and doing the analysis yourself, then better use the free version. On the other hand, if you are using a high volume of data, especially online real-time data. If you require better refreshment of the real-time data on your dashboard, you must buy the Pro version of Power BI.

Not many people need the Pro version because the free version comes with enough features to create dashboards for our data.