Choosing Power BI: Part 6. Licensing Considerations

(NOTE: The options for choosing Power BI platforms were substantially changed with the introduction of Fabric in early 2024. Please view the updated “Choosing Power BI in a Fabric Centric World: A Guide for New and Existing Customers” that was released in July 2024.)

• Power BI licensing is complex, but licensing rules have less influence on platform decisions than features.
• When licensing matters is when multiple platforms meet technology requirements.
• Per-user cost and hybrid deployments benefits should be analyzed to control cost.

Power BI licensing rules are generally consistent across the platforms and typically do not impact the decision on which back-end platform to choose. What does matter in licensing is understanding how the pricing models influence platform choices when multiple platforms have the features required. Customers also need to determine if dual-use rights can help reduce overall cost and understand how content sharing from the various platforms can raise per-user cost.

This report is the last in a multipart series that breaks down the most important factors to consider when selecting a Power BI back-end platform, provides guidance on the capabilities and limitations of each, and helps determine which platform (or platforms) best fit an organization’s needs: