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Free alternatives to Microsoft Power BI

Best free option: Metabase (Strong). Switching saves about $168 USD a year.

Microsoft Power BI, Power BI Pro, per user

$168 USDa year

≈$239.52 CAD (converted from USD)

Every pick below has a free version.

Runs on
  • Windows
  • Web
  • iOS
  • Android
Key file formats
Not listed

Filter alternatives

3 alternatives

Strong

2 tools

Covers most of the same work, with trade-offs noted on each card.

  1. Rank 1: Metabase

    Best for self-hosted dashboards with free sharing

    License: Open source
    • Web
    • Self-hosted
    Status: Active

    AGPL-licensed and free to self-host. Cannot open .pbix files, so reports must be rebuilt. Free version: The open-source edition is free to self-host. Starter costs $100 a month and Pro $575 a month, with SSO on Pro.

  2. Rank 2: Apache Superset

    Best for a large chart library and SQL-first analysts

    License: Open source
    • Web
    • Self-hosted
    Status: Active

    Apache-2.0 and free to self-host, but it needs setup and upkeep. Cannot open .pbix files, so reports must be rebuilt.

Situational

1 tool

Right for specific needs, or not yet mature enough to recommend widely.

  1. Rank 3: Data Studio

    Best for free web reports on Google data sources

    License: Free tier
    • Web
    Status: Verified

    Web only and needs a Google account. Google renamed it Data Studio; the Pro edition is paid. Reports must be rebuilt from .pbix files. Free version: Free for creators and report viewers. Data Studio Pro adds admin features and support for $9 per user per project a month.

Sponsor this page: $149 for 30 days. Sponsors appear above the ranking, labeled; the ranking itself is not for sale.

Feature parity

How each alternative covers what people use Microsoft Power BI for. Numbers link to editor notes.

Feature parity with Microsoft Power BI
FeatureMetabaseApache SupersetData Studio
Authoring
Drag-and-drop reports and dashboardsPartialNote 1YesNote 2PartialNote 3
Data
Connectors for many data sourcesPartialNote 4PartialNote 5YesNote 6
Data shaping and cleaning (Power Query)PartialNote 7PartialNote 8PartialNote 9
Scheduled data refreshYesNote 10PartialNote 11PartialNote 12
Analysis
Data model and DAX measuresPartialNote 13PartialNote 14PartialNote 15
Interactivity
Filters, slicers and drill-downYesNote 16YesNote 17YesNote 18
Sharing
Share reports with colleaguesYesNote 19YesNote 20YesNote 21
AI
Copilot and natural language Q&APartialNote 22NoNote 23PartialNote 24
Parity score69%63%69%
  1. Metabase, Drag-and-drop reports and dashboards: Covers common charts and dashboards with less formatting control
  2. Apache Superset, Drag-and-drop reports and dashboards: Chart builder and dashboards with a wide chart library
  3. Data Studio, Drag-and-drop reports and dashboards: Simple charts and report layouts; fewer visuals than Power BI
  4. Metabase, Connectors for many data sources: About 20 databases and warehouses; few SaaS connectors
  5. Apache Superset, Connectors for many data sources: Any SQL database with a SQLAlchemy driver; no direct SaaS connectors
  6. Data Studio, Connectors for many data sources: Over 1,400 data sources through built-in and partner connectors
  7. Metabase, Data shaping and cleaning (Power Query): Models and joins in the query editor; no Power Query style steps
  8. Apache Superset, Data shaping and cleaning (Power Query): Virtual datasets written in SQL; no visual shaping steps
  9. Data Studio, Data shaping and cleaning (Power Query): Calculated fields and blended data; no separate shaping step
  10. Metabase, Scheduled data refresh: Queries run live against your database; dashboard subscriptions send updates on a schedule
  11. Apache Superset, Scheduled data refresh: Queries run live; caching and email reports are configurable
  12. Data Studio, Scheduled data refresh: Data freshness depends on the connector and cache settings
  13. Metabase, Data model and DAX measures: Models and metrics defined in the app or SQL; no DAX
  14. Apache Superset, Data model and DAX measures: Calculated columns and SQL metrics; no DAX
  15. Data Studio, Data model and DAX measures: Calculated fields and metrics; no semantic model or DAX
  16. Metabase, Filters, slicers and drill-down: Dashboard filters and click-through drill-down
  17. Apache Superset, Filters, slicers and drill-down: Native filters and cross-filtering
  18. Data Studio, Filters, slicers and drill-down: Filter controls and drill-down
  19. Metabase, Share reports with colleagues: Sharing is free with groups and permissions; SSO needs a paid plan
  20. Apache Superset, Share reports with colleagues: Role-based access and row-level security
  21. Data Studio, Share reports with colleagues: Free sharing and embedding of reports
  22. Metabase, Copilot and natural language Q&A: AI questions and SQL generation are listed for the open-source edition
  23. Apache Superset, Copilot and natural language Q&A: No built-in AI assistant in the open-source release
  24. Data Studio, Copilot and natural language Q&A: Conversational analytics works with BigQuery data agents

Not covered by any free alternative yet: Data shaping and cleaning (Power Query), Data model and DAX measures, Copilot and natural language Q&A. See all feature gaps

What switching saves

Switching saves about $168 USD / ≈$240 CAD (estimated from the USD price) a year. Prices checked ; ≈ means converted from USD.

Based on Power BI Pro, per user. Price source. USD to CAD at 1.4257 as of Oct 7, 2026.

About this page

Last verified . Ranking: tier first, then the published score.

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Related

Microsoft Power BI is a product of Microsoft, named here for comparison only. Platforms listed for Microsoft Power BI: Windows, Web, iOS, Android.