Power BI vs. Tableau- Which is the Best?

Business intelligence (BI) tools are now a fundamental part of every organisation. The two most well-known BI platforms on the market are Tableau and Power BI. Data from Gartner indicates that Power BI and Tableau are the top two business intelligence tools. Power BI slightly outperforms Tableau- the former has an average rating of 4.4 stars from over 2500 reviews, while the latter has an average rating of 4.3 stars out of 5 from more than 2100 reviews. But what makes these tools differ from each other? Let's find out!

1. Power BI vs. Tableau- Performance

Both Tableau and Power BI are designed to manage huge amounts of data.There are numerous storage and connectivity modes in both tools. While some are designed to manage large volumes of data, others are designed to offer real-time dashboard updates.

In contrast, Tableau usually surpasses Power BI when dealing with exceptionally huge data sets. With smaller data sets, Power BI runs more quickly. Which tool is best for you will depend once more on what you plan to use it for.

2. Power BI vs. Tableau- Data Visualization

Compared to Power BI, which provides a large number of data points for data visualization, Tableau is popular for its data visualization capabilities. Chart types available in Microsoft Power BI include ribbon charts, funnel charts, area charts, line charts, and column bar/stacked/cluster charts. Tableau offers a variety of visualisations, from simple ones like a bar chart or pie chart to more complex ones like a bullet chart, Gantt chart, boxplot, etc.

3. Power BI vs. Tableau- Dashboards

Modern capabilities in Power BI make it easier to transform raw data into engaging dashboards. Users with little prior knowledge or experience can still visualize data insights due to its simple design. Power BI's tiles, or visible metrics, which link directly to reports and datasets, make it easier to create dashboards. Both Tableau and Power BI have extensive features. However, many of the functions are tucked away behind menus in contrast to Power BI. Drag-and-dropand drop dashboard design is a popular method for generating Tableau's aesthetically beautiful dashboards.

4. Power BI vs. Tableau- Data Access

Hadoop databases are inaccessible to Power BI, however, it is possible to pull data from Salesforce, Google Analytics, and Azure. Tableau enables connections to Hadoop databases and cloud data access. Furthermore, it automatically detects the resource.

5. Power BI vs. Tableau- Pricing

Power BI can be used without an Office365 subscription. The price of Power BI Pro, a self-service BI in the cloud, is USD 9.99 per month. Advanced analytics, on-premises reporting, and cloud reporting are all features of Power BI Premium. There are two licensing options for Power BI Premium: per user (USD 20/user/month) and per capacity (USD 4995/capacity/month). Power BI is quite cost-effective for businesses that already integrate Microsoft software into their environments.

Tableau has an entirely different pricing model from Power BI. Individuals, teams, and embedded analytics are all priced differently. Tableau Creator, Tableau Explorer, and Tableau Viewer are further broken down in terms of price for teams. Tableau Creator has a monthly fee of USD 70. Both Tableau Desktop and Tableau Prep Builder are accessible through it. Tableau Server or Tableau Online Creator licenses are also available. For a monthly fee of 35 USD, Tableau Explorer offers one Explorer license of Tableau Server. It provides a minimum of 5 users and 12 USD per month of Tableau Viewers with a minimum of 100 viewers. Therefore, Power BI is more economical than Tableau.

So who is better, Tableau or Power BI? Well, that depends on what you are looking for. Each has a unique set of capabilities and advantages for business intelligence and data visualization. Power BI is a better option for beginners due to how user-friendly it is. Power BI is appropriate for small teams with minimal resources and also offers the ability to work with various data points. Large datasets can be easily managed using Tableau. It is widely popular for its visually appealing data visualizations and is ideal for medium and large organizations.

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