Teams look past Power BI when readers need paid licences to see shared reports, when the Windows-only Desktop tool blocks Mac users, or when Fabric capacity makes the bill hard to forecast. Most go to Tableau or Looker for a like-for-like platform, to Metabase for a cheaper self-serve tool, and to Qlik or Domo to escape per-reader pricing.
Visibility in our rankings can be paid for. Payment moves a vendor's position within
the shortlist; it never adds a vendor, and it never changes a word of the review or of this page. The first three alternatives
go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands in a category, wherever the category has them; the
established names follow in their ranked order. How it works:
placement disclosure · editorial process.
What each alternative does differently
1. Tableau
Visual analytics platform owned by Salesforce · United States
Priced per user by role (Creator, Explorer, Viewer), which is the same shape of bill as Power BI Pro but with a heavier authoring tool and a larger visual-design reputation. Tableau also runs on Mac. We could not fetch Tableau's own pricing page, so check current rates directly.
Switch from Microsoft Power BI if your analysts want freer visual design than Power BI gives and some of them work on Macs.
Pricing: Role-based per-user pricing; the Creator licence is listed at around $75 per user per month on annual billing, with cheaper Explorer and Viewer roles. (free trial)
Full review: #7 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Tableau →
2. Looker
Google Cloud's BI built on the LookML semantic layer · United States
Models every metric in code (LookML) on Google Cloud, so definitions live in one governed layer instead of in each report. Sold by quote with Standard, Enterprise and Embed editions; the Standard edition bundles 10 Standard Users and 2 Developer Users. It is a developer-led tool, not a desktop one.
Switch from Microsoft Power BI if you want metrics defined once in code and reviewed like software, and you are on Google Cloud.
Pricing: Quote only, sold through Google Cloud with Standard, Enterprise and Embed platform editions plus developer, standard and viewer user licences; free trial on request. (free trial)
Full review: #8 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Looker →
3. Qlik Cloud Analytics (Qlik Sense)
Associative in-memory analytics from a BI incumbent · United States
Qlik Cloud Analytics prices by data capacity rather than seat. Starter lists $300 a month for 10 users and 10 GB of data, Standard $825 a month for 25 GB with no cost for additional users, and Premium $2,750 a month for 50 GB, all billed annually.
Switch from Microsoft Power BI if you would rather pay for data volume than for every reader and want unlimited viewers on larger tiers.
Pricing: Qlik Cloud Analytics tiers priced by capacity and users, with a free trial; larger deployments on quote. (free trial)
Full review: #9 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Qlik Cloud Analytics (Qlik Sense) →
4. Metabase
Open-source BI with a no-SQL query builder · United States
The open-source edition is free to self-host with unlimited users. The hosted Starter plan is $100 a month with the first five users included and $6 for each additional user. Query builder and SQL editor sit side by side. There is no desktop authoring app and no DAX.
Switch from Microsoft Power BI if you want a free, self-hostable tool that managers can query without learning a modeling language.
Pricing: Open-source edition free to self-host; Starter ($100 a month) and Pro ($575 a month) plans combine a base fee with a per-user charge above the included seats, and Enterprise is quoted. (open source)
Full review: #3 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Metabase →
5. Zoho Analytics
Self-service BI with built-in connectors and data prep · India
Sold in published monthly tiers by users and data rows, with a free plan for two users and 10,000 rows. It suits teams already inside Zoho apps and offers connectors for other business systems. Expect a smaller community and fewer advanced modeling options than Power BI offers.
Switch from Microsoft Power BI if you run Zoho business apps and want published entry prices with a small free tier.
Pricing: Free plan for two users; published monthly tiers priced by users and data rows, with on-premises and enterprise options quoted. (free plan)
Full review: #4 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Zoho Analytics →
6. Domo
All-in-one cloud platform from connectors to dashboards · United States
Charges by consumption credits rather than by seat and states that users are unlimited, with a 30-day free trial and no credit card. It bundles data integration and ETL with dashboards. The bill is harder to predict, because credits are spent on storage, refreshes and workflows.
Switch from Microsoft Power BI if you want everyone in the company to view dashboards without buying a licence per reader.
Pricing: Consumption-based credit pricing on a quote, with a free trial. (free trial)
Full review: #10 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Domo →
7. Sigma
Spreadsheet-style analytics running live on the warehouse · United States
A cloud workbook that runs live queries against your warehouse, with a spreadsheet-style interface for exploring and writing back. Sold by quote with a free trial. It assumes a modern cloud warehouse already exists, so it does not replace data preparation tools such as Power Query.
Switch from Microsoft Power BI if your team thinks in spreadsheets and your data already sits in a cloud warehouse.
Pricing: Annual subscription on a quote, generally based on creator seats and platform tier, with a free trial. (free trial)
Full review: #5 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Sigma →
8. ThoughtSpot
Search and AI-driven analytics on cloud warehouses · United States
Built around search and AI questions rather than hand-built report pages. Essentials is listed from $25 per user per month billed annually, for 5 to 50 users and up to 25M rows; Pro and Enterprise are sold on a quote. It is a poor fit for pixel-exact paginated reports.
Switch from Microsoft Power BI if you want business users to ask questions in plain language instead of waiting for report builds.
Pricing: Tiered plans with published entry pricing for smaller teams and quotes for enterprise, with a free trial. (free trial)
Full review: #11 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit ThoughtSpot →
9. Sisense
Embedded analytics and AI platform for software products · Israel
Aimed at embedding analytics inside a product, with iframe and SDK options. It has a self-serve plan that starts with a free trial and an Enterprise plan on a quote, deployable as SaaS, on your own cloud or on-premises. Self-serve rates are not printed on the page we fetched.
Switch from Microsoft Power BI if you are putting analytics inside your own product and need on-premises or private-cloud deployment.
Pricing: Two routes: a self-serve plan that starts with a free trial, and an Enterprise plan sold on a quote. Self-serve rates are not printed in the pricing page we fetched. (free trial)
Full review: #12 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Sisense →
10. Omni
Semantic-layer BI with SQL and spreadsheet flexibility · United States
Combines a shared semantic model with a spreadsheet view, point-and-click exploration, raw SQL and AI chat in one tool, with white-label embedding. Pricing is on a quote with a free trial. It is a newer, warehouse-oriented product, not a like-for-like drop-in for a Power BI estate.
Switch from Microsoft Power BI if your data team wants one governed model that analysts can reach by SQL, spreadsheet or clicks.
Pricing: Annual subscription on a quote, with a free trial. (free trial)
Full review: #1 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Omni →
11. Preset
Managed cloud service for Apache Superset · United States
Hosted Apache Superset. The Starter plan is free for up to five users; Professional lists $20 per user per month billed annually or $25 monthly. Embedded dashboard viewers are an add-on starting at $500 a month for 50. Expect more assembly work than a Microsoft-bundled tool.
Switch from Microsoft Power BI if you want an open-source engine behind your dashboards with a cheap managed option for a small team.
Pricing: Free Starter plan for small teams; Professional plan priced per user per month; Enterprise on quote. (free plan)
Full review: #2 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Preset →
Questions and answers
Can I export my Power BI reports to use in another tool?
Only in part. You can download a report as a .pbix file or save a project as text, but these formats are read by Power BI. What moves out cleanly is data: visuals export to .csv or Excel when you have permission to the data, and you rebuild reports in the new tool.
Do my readers need a licence to view shared reports?
Yes, unless the content is in a Premium or Fabric F64 or larger capacity. Microsoft states that Pro users can share with free users only in such a capacity, and that sharing between Pro users otherwise needs every reader to hold Pro.
What does Power BI cost per user?
Microsoft's pricing page lists Power BI Pro at $14.00 per user per month and Premium Per User at $24.00 per user per month, both paid yearly. Embedded and Fabric capacity are priced separately on a quote or by SKU, and Desktop is free.
Can Power BI run on my own servers?
Yes, in one form. Power BI Report Server is an on-premises report server for Power BI reports, paginated reports and KPIs. Microsoft says it is licensed by cores, through Fabric F64+ reserved instances or SQL Server licences with the right coverage.
Does Power BI Desktop run on a Mac?
No. The Desktop requirements page lists Windows 10 or Windows Server 2016 or later. Mac users can use the Power BI service in a browser to build and edit reports, or run Desktop in a Windows virtual machine.
What breaks when I move away from Power BI?
DAX measures, Power Query steps, row-level security roles and scheduled refreshes all have to be rebuilt, because the .pbix and project formats are Power BI specific. Plan a period where old and new reports run in parallel, so totals can be compared.
