Compare

Two tools, side by side. Openness included.

Pick two. The table shows their rating, their Openness score and the facts behind it, each from the vendor's own pages.

Platform A

Platform B

Side by side

Power BIUnderstand Your Numbers

STOA rating

6.9 / 10

Openness

OPENNESS 5/10API 2/3 · Export 2/3 · Contract 0/2 · Integrations 1/2

Add another tool (up to 4)

Want to compare general tools, like two CRMs or two project tools? Every tool page has a Compare button, with no limit.

Neither one does what you need?

Grab a 15-minute chat. Sometimes the answer is to build the missing piece next to what you run.

Grab a 15-minute chat

Microsoft documents Power BI REST APIs for embedding, administration, governance and user resources; the page read does not map them to licenses. learn.microsoft.com, checked 8 Oct 2026 (opens in a new tab)

Your data

You can export the data behind a visualization to Excel if you have permission to the data. learn.microsoft.com, checked 8 Oct 2026 (opens in a new tab)

What it does

Microsoft Power BI lets businesses connect spreadsheets, databases, and cloud apps to build interactive dashboards and share live reports across their team.

Strengths

Free desktop app is genuinely useful for solo users or analysts
Deep integration with Microsoft 365, Excel, and Azure
Handles large datasets without slowing down
Wide library of connectors to popular business tools
Strong community and learning resources available

Weaknesses

Sharing dashboards requires a paid Pro license at $10/user/month
Steeper learning curve than simpler BI tools
Mobile experience is limited compared to desktop
Can feel overly complex for very small teams with basic reporting needs

Key features

Connect data from Excel, databases, and cloud apps into one place
Build interactive charts, graphs, and dashboards without coding
Share live reports with your team or embed them in other tools
Ask questions about your data in plain English using Q&A features
Set up automatic data refreshes so reports stay current
Track key business metrics like sales, expenses, and performance in real time

AI features

Power BI includes AI-powered features like natural language Q&A so you can ask questions about your data in plain English and get instant visuals. It also has automated insights that spot trends and anomalies in your data without you having to dig for them.

STOA verdict

Power BI is best for small businesses already using Microsoft 365 that need to turn spreadsheets and data into clear charts and dashboards. The free desktop version is surprisingly powerful, but you'll need to pay $10/user/month to share reports with your team — which adds up fast. If you're not already in the Microsoft world, tools like Google Looker Studio or Tableau might feel less clunky to set up.