Tableau vs Power BI Pricing 2026
Complete pricing comparison between Tableau and Power BI. Find out which business intelligence tool is right for you.
Tableau pricing ranges from $15–$75/user/month, while Power BI ranges from $0–$20/user/month. Power BI is typically 76% more affordable, though your actual cost depends on tier and team size.
The right choice between Tableau and Power BI depends on your specific requirements: team size, feature needs, and integration requirements all affect which option delivers better value.
See the tier-by-tier breakdown below to compare specific plans, or use our calculators to estimate costs: Tableau calculator | Power BI calculator
Tableau and Power BI are two of the most widely used business intelligence platforms, but they sit at very different price points. Tableau starts at $15/user/month for Viewers and scales up to $75/user/month for Creators, while Power BI offers a free tier and tops out at just $20/user/month for Premium. For organizations evaluating total cost of ownership, Power BI delivers a significant cost advantage, though Tableau's advanced visualization capabilities may justify the premium for data-intensive teams.
Pricing Tier Comparison
| Tier | Tableau | Power BI |
|---|---|---|
| Viewer | $15 /user/month | Free /user |
| Explorer | $42 /user/month | $10 /user/month |
| Creator | $75 /user/month | $20 /user/month |
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Our Verdict
Choose Tableau if you need best-in-class data visualization, advanced analytics capabilities, and your team can justify spending $42-$75/user/month for power users who build complex dashboards. Choose Power BI if you want an affordable BI solution that integrates seamlessly with the Microsoft ecosystem, starting free and scaling to just $20/user/month for premium features.
Frequently Asked Questions
01 Is Tableau cheaper than Power BI?
No, Tableau is significantly more expensive than Power BI. Tableau's lowest tier (Viewer) costs $15/user/month, while Power BI offers a free tier and its Pro plan is only $10/user/month. Even Tableau's entry price exceeds Power BI's top-tier Premium plan at $20/user/month.
02 Which is better for enterprise-scale analytics?
Both platforms serve enterprise needs, but they differ in approach. Tableau Creator at $75/user/month provides the most powerful authoring and data preparation tools for large-scale analytics. Power BI Premium at $20/user/month is more cost-effective for large deployments, especially organizations already invested in the Microsoft stack.
03 Can Power BI replace Tableau?
Power BI can replace Tableau for many use cases, particularly standard reporting and dashboard creation, at a fraction of the cost. However, Tableau remains superior for complex visual analytics and exploratory data analysis. Organizations switching from Tableau to Power BI could save between $22-$55/user/month depending on the tier.