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Business Intelligence · head to head

Power BI vs Simple Analytics

Power BI logo

Power BI

Business Intelligence

Business analytics by Microsoft

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Simple Analytics logo

Simple Analytics

Marketing

Privacy-friendly analytics without cookies

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Power BI free tier cannot publish or share reports; Pro tier required for collaboration; Simple Analytics the free plan requires a Simple Analytics badge on your site and is limited to 1 user, 5 websites and 30 days of history
  • They diverge on capability: Power BI covers AI-powered Insights, Simple Analytics covers Page view tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Power BI and Simple Analytics actually diverge.

Attributes where Power BI and Simple Analytics differ
AttributePower BISimple Analytics
Pricing modelUnknownfreemium
PlatformsWeb, Desktop, MobileWeb
CategoryBusiness IntelligenceMarketing
Founded19752016

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Power BI

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

Only in Simple Analytics

  • Page view tracking
  • Goal tracking
  • Real-time analytics
  • Privacy-focused
  • GDPR compliant
  • Cloud deployment
  • English language support

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Power BI

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

Simple Analytics

  • Cookie-free website analytics that avoids a consent bannernot Power BI
  • Keeping visitor data hosted in the EU for GDPR purposesnot Power BI
  • Replacing or running alongside Google Analytics with a single-page dashboardnot Power BI

Where each one falls short

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

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

Simple Analytics

  • The free plan requires a Simple Analytics badge on your site and is limited to 1 user, 5 websites and 30 days of history
  • Data older than 30 days is automatically deleted on the free plan
  • The paid plan starts at $20 per month for 100,000 pageviews and includes only 1 user, with each extra user costing another $20 per month
  • Single Sign-On, role-based access, SOC 2 documentation, an SLA and raw data export are Enterprise features quoted only by demo request
  • On yearly plans, exceeding your estimated limit gives you one week to raise it before Simple Analytics raises it for you
  • Paying by Bitcoin adds 10% and is only offered on yearly billing
  • Bank transfer is only available for bills from $500 and adds 10% in banking and service fees
  • Unlimited pageviews on the free plan are subject to a fair use policy rather than a stated number

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Simple Analytics

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 30-day data retention
    • Fair use policy applies
    • Unlimited pageviews within fair use
  • Self-Serve$20/month
    • Monthly or annual billing (2 months free with yearly)
    • 1 user included; additional users $20/month each
    • Up to 5 sites per user
  • Enterprise$null/custom
    • Custom pricing available upon demo request
    • Traffic recovery (20-60% of invisible traffic)
    • Raw data access

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Simple Analytics if

  • You need page view tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want goal tracking.
Simple Analytics review

Questions people ask

Is Power BI or Simple Analytics better?
Neither clearly leads. Power BI starts at Free and Simple Analytics at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Power BI or Simple Analytics?
Power BI starts at Free and Simple Analytics at Free.
Does Power BI or Simple Analytics run on more platforms?
Power BI runs on Web, Desktop, Mobile. Simple Analytics runs on Web.
Can I use Power BI for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Power BI best used for?
Power BI is most often used for self-service analytics, data exploration, ad-hoc reporting, collaborative analysis. Of those, self-service analytics and data exploration are not what Simple Analytics is typically brought in for.
What can Power BI do that Simple Analytics cannot?
Power BI covers AI-powered Insights, Natural Language Queries, Real-time Dashboards, Paginated Reports. Simple Analytics covers Page view tracking, Goal tracking, Real-time analytics, Privacy-focused. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
Simple Analytics: How much does Simple Analytics cost?

Simple Analytics offers a free plan forever and a Self-Serve plan at $20/month per user (or $240/year with 2 months free). Enterprise pricing is available upon request.

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
Simple Analytics: What currencies does Simple Analytics accept?

Simple Analytics accepts Euros, US Dollars, and British Pounds. Payment methods include credit/debit cards, Bitcoin (with +10% fee), Apple Pay, and Google Pay. Bank transfers are available for invoices $500+, with 10% additional fees applied.

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
Simple Analytics: How long is the free trial?

Simple Analytics offers a 14-day free trial that requires no credit card to start.

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
Simple Analytics: Can I cancel Simple Analytics anytime?

Yes. You can cancel your subscription at any moment without penalties or notice requirements.

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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