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Machine Learning · head to head

Alteryx vs Power BI

Alteryx logo

Alteryx

Machine Learning

Analytics automation platform

From
$250/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Power BI logo

Power BI

Business Intelligence

Business analytics by Microsoft

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Power BI has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Alteryx starter is $250 per user per month billed annually, and the Professional and Enterprise editions are quote-only; Power BI free tier cannot publish or share reports; Pro tier required for collaboration
  • They diverge on capability: Alteryx covers Data preparation, Power BI covers AI-powered Insights.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Alteryx and Power BI actually diverge.

Attributes where Alteryx and Power BI differ
AttributeAlteryxPower BI
Starting price$250/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, WebWeb, Desktop, Mobile
CategoryMachine LearningBusiness Intelligence
Founded19971975

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Alteryx

  • Data preparation
  • Data blending
  • Predictive analytics
  • Spatial analytics
  • Reporting
  • Python
  • R
  • Snowflake

Only in Power BI

  • AI-powered Insights
  • Natural Language Queries
  • Real-time Dashboards
  • Paginated Reports
  • Mobile Apps
  • Excel
  • Azure
  • Dynamics 365

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Alteryx

  • Data preparation and building AI-ready datasetsnot Power BI
  • Predictive analytics without writing codenot Power BI
  • Automating and orchestrating repeatable analytics workflowsnot Power BI
  • Enterprise reporting with governed, reusable logicnot Power BI
  • Connecting to Snowflake, Databricks and cloud warehouses alongside on-premises systemsnot Power BI

Power BI

  • Self-service analyticsnot Alteryx
  • Data explorationnot Alteryx
  • Ad-hoc reportingnot Alteryx
  • Collaborative analysisnot Alteryx
  • Embedded analyticsnot Alteryx

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Alteryx

  • Starter is $250 per user per month billed annually, and the Professional and Enterprise editions are quote-only
  • Automation runs are metered, with 50 included on Starter and 15,000 on Professional, and more must be bought
  • Cost depends on three separate dimensions at once: edition, user role and automation capacity
  • Advanced analytics, governance and orchestration are withheld from the entry edition

Power BI

  • Free tier cannot publish or share reports; Pro tier required for collaboration
  • Free tier cannot schedule automatic data refreshes
  • Offline capabilities limited to local Power BI Desktop; cloud service always requires internet
  • Data refresh capped at 8 times per day on Pro tier without Premium Per User

Pricing, plan by plan

Alteryx

$250/month
  • Starter Edition$250/month
    • 1-10 users
    • 50 automation runs included
    • Cloud only
  • Professional Edition$null/month
    • Basic and Full users
    • 15,000 automation runs included
    • Cloud and desktop deployment
  • Enterprise Edition$null/month
    • All user types
    • 15,000 automation runs included
    • All deployment options

Power BI

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Local report creation in Power BI Desktop
    • Cannot publish or share
    • No scheduled refreshes
  • Power BI Pro$14/user/month
    • Publish and share reports
    • Up to 8 scheduled refreshes/day
    • Collaborate with other Pro users
  • Premium Per User$24/user/month
    • All Pro features
    • Up to 48 scheduled refreshes/day
    • Copilot integration

Which should you pick?

Choose Alteryx if

  • You need data preparation.
  • You work on Windows, Web.
  • You also want data blending.
Alteryx review

Choose Power BI if

  • You need ai-powered insights.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Desktop, Mobile.
  • You also want natural language queries.
Power BI review

Questions people ask

Is Alteryx or Power BI better?
Neither clearly leads. Alteryx starts at $250/month and Power BI at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Alteryx or Power BI?
Power BI has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $250/month for Alteryx and Free for Power BI.
Does Alteryx or Power BI run on more platforms?
Alteryx runs on Windows, Web. Power BI runs on Web, Desktop, Mobile.
Can I use Power BI for free?
Yes. Power BI has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Alteryx starts at $250/month.
What is Alteryx best used for?
Alteryx is most often used for data preparation and building ai-ready datasets, predictive analytics without writing code, automating and orchestrating repeatable analytics workflows, enterprise reporting with governed, reusable logic. Of those, data preparation and building ai-ready datasets and predictive analytics without writing code are not what Power BI is typically brought in for.
What can Alteryx do that Power BI cannot?
Alteryx covers Data preparation, Data blending, Predictive analytics, Spatial analytics. Power BI covers AI-powered Insights, Natural Language Queries, Real-time Dashboards, Paginated Reports. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Alteryx: How much does Alteryx Starter cost?

Alteryx Starter Edition costs $250 USD per user per month when billed annually, for teams of 1-10 users.

Source
Power BI: Can I use Power BI Desktop offline?

Power BI Desktop runs locally and can edit reports offline, but publishing to the service and refreshing cloud data sources requires internet connection. Offline reports show cached data from the last refresh.

Source
Alteryx: Is there a free trial for Alteryx?

Yes, Alteryx offers a 30-day free trial to evaluate the platform before committing to a paid plan.

Source
Power BI: What are the data refresh limits for each tier?

Power BI Premium Per User allows up to 48 scheduled refreshes per day, while Pro tier is limited to 8 scheduled refreshes per day. Free tier cannot schedule automatic refreshes.

Source
Alteryx: What differentiates Alteryx Professional from Starter?

Professional Edition supports both Basic and Full user roles, includes 15,000 automation runs, offers cloud and desktop deployment, connects to 100+ data sources, and enables advanced data preparation and macros. Professional and Enterprise editions require contacting sales for pricing.

Source
Power BI: Can I use Power BI Free with shared data sources?

Free tier users can create local reports in Power BI Desktop but cannot publish to the Power BI Service for collaboration. Publishing requires Power BI Pro ($14/user/month).

Source
Power BI: Is SSO available and on which plan?

SSO is available on Power BI Premium Per User ($24/user/month) and Fabric capacity plans through Azure AD integration.

Source
Power BI: What does Copilot require in Power BI?

Copilot for natural language queries and automatic report generation requires Power BI Premium Per User or Fabric capacity pricing, not available on Pro or Free tiers.

Source
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