Microsoft Power BI vs Qlik Sense

Microsoft Power BI is a business intelligence tool for exploring data and creating interactive reports and dashboards. A free account supports reports and dashboards for personal use, and Power BI Desktop is a free download for data exploration and report authoring. Sharing reports requires upgrading to Pro or Premium. Native mobile apps are available for Windows, iOS, and Android, while Power BI also integrates with Microsoft 365, Azure, Purview, Dynamics 365, and Power Platform. Users can ask questions about data in natural language, with Copilot generating visuals and reports. Insights can be shared through Microsoft Teams, PowerPoint, SharePoint, and other apps, and developers can embed interactive reports in their own applications. Power BI includes scheduled reports, hourly refresh frequency, row-level security, and embedded analytics. Pro costs $14 a month when paid yearly; Premium Per User costs $24 a month when paid yearly. Power BI Embedded is listed at as little as $1 per hour for analytics. The free account does not require a credit card, and regional pricing can vary by currency, country, and other regional factors.

Qlik Sense is an analytics product Qlik describes as the foundation for Qlik Cloud Analytics. The cloud offering provides interactive dashboards and visualizations for exploring data, alongside automated insights, forecasting and trend detection. Qlik Answers lets users ask questions about their data and find connections. Teams can automate and share reports, and connect third-party apps; Qlik says its Connector Factory provides access to hundreds of applications and data sources. Listed capabilities include hourly refresh, row-level security, scheduled reports, embedded analytics and natural-language queries. Deployment is hybrid, with custom plans available for customers hosting on their own IT infrastructure. Qlik Cloud Analytics region options include North America, Germany, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan and Singapore. Qlik Sense Desktop is available for Windows 10 and Windows 11, with 4 GB minimum memory and 5 GB installation space listed. Starter costs $300 a month, billed annually for 10 users. Standard costs $825 a month, billed annually; Premium costs $2,750 a month, billed annually. Enterprise pricing is available by quote.