Microsoft Power BI alternatives: 2 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Oct 30, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

Common reasons people leave Microsoft Power BI: desktop authoring app runs only on Windows, and sharing reports requires paid per-user or capacity licences. We ranked 2 alternatives by how directly each one replaces Microsoft Power BI, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. Tableau currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#	App	Pricing	Open source	Platforms	Verified facts	Score
1	Tableau	Free plan + paid	No	Web, Windows, macOS +1	5 of 5	66.5
2	Metabase	Open source	Yes	Web, Self-hosted	5 of 5	59.6

1. TableauTop pick
Best for: Analyst teams that want polished, interactive dashboards and can budget for per-user licences
Free plan + paidSelf-hostableWeb, Windows, macOS, Self-hosted
66.5
score / 100
Why switch from Microsoft Power BI
Richer visual exploration and runs on Mac too, at a higher per-user price.
Pros
Drag-and-drop canvas makes rich, interactive charts without code
Choice of hosted Tableau Cloud or self-managed Tableau Server
Free Tableau Public for learning and sharing public visualizations
Large community gallery and plenty of training material
Cons
Per-user licensing gets expensive as more people need access
Free Tableau Public workbooks are visible to anyone
Desktop authoring app has no Linux version
Visit Tableau Compare with Microsoft Power BI Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.3100
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
Freshness ×0.1585
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is Tableau a good Microsoft Power BI alternative?
Verified facts
5 of 5 verified
Free option
Tableau Public (public workbooks only)
Checked Oct 29, 2026help.tableau.com(opens source in a new tab)
Free desktop app
Tableau Desktop Public Edition
Checked Oct 29, 2026help.tableau.com(opens source in a new tab)
Hosted version
Tableau Cloud
Checked Oct 29, 2026help.tableau.com(opens source in a new tab)
Self-hosting
Tableau Server on Windows or Linux
Checked Oct 29, 2026help.tableau.com(opens source in a new tab)
API
REST API
Checked Oct 29, 2026help.tableau.com(opens source in a new tab)
2. Metabase
Best for: Startups and product teams wanting quick, self-hosted dashboards on top of their own database
Open sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted
59.6
score / 100
Why switch from Microsoft Power BI
Open-source and self-hostable, with no Windows dependency for building questions and dashboards.
Pros
Free open-source edition with unlimited users
Point-and-click question builder plus a SQL editor
Easy to self-host with Docker or a single JAR file
Popular choice for embedding analytics in a product
Cons
Row-level permissions and SSO need a paid plan
Lighter data modelling than Tableau or Power BI
Paid cloud plans start at a noticeable monthly base price
Visit Metabase Compare with Microsoft Power BI Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.377
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
Freshness ×0.1585
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is Metabase a good Microsoft Power BI alternative?
Verified facts
5 of 5 verified
License
AGPL (Open Source Edition)
Checked Oct 30, 2026metabase.com(opens source in a new tab)
Free plan
Open Source, unlimited users
Checked Oct 30, 2026metabase.com(opens source in a new tab)
Starting price
$100/month (Starter)
Checked Oct 30, 2026metabase.com(opens source in a new tab)
Free trial
14 days
Checked Oct 30, 2026metabase.com(opens source in a new tab)
Self-hosting
Docker or JAR
Checked Oct 30, 2026metabase.com(opens source in a new tab)