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Business Intelligence · head to head

Power BI vs Whatagraph

Power BI logo

Power BI

Business Intelligence

Business analytics by Microsoft

From
Free
Rated
-
Whatagraph logo

Whatagraph

Marketing

Automated marketing reporting and analytics

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Power BI free tier cannot publish or share reports; Pro tier required for collaboration; Whatagraph the entry Max plan starts at 699 EUR per month and is billed annually, with no monthly billing option shown
  • They diverge on capability: Power BI covers AI-powered Insights, Whatagraph covers Automated reporting.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Power BI and Whatagraph differ
AttributePower BIWhatagraph
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
PlatformsWeb, Desktop, MobileWeb, Mobile, Api
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 Whatagraph

  • Automated reporting
  • Multi-channel integration
  • Custom dashboards
  • Data visualization
  • PDF reports
  • Real-time updates
  • Historical tracking
  • Anomaly detection

Both cover

  • Google Analytics

What people use each for

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

Power BI

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

Whatagraph

  • Automated client marketing reports for agenciesnot Power BI
  • Blending data from multiple ad platforms into one dashboardnot Power BI
  • White-labelled reporting under an agency's own brandingnot 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

Whatagraph

  • The entry Max plan starts at 699 EUR per month and is billed annually, with no monthly billing option shown
  • Only two plans exist and the Prime plan is custom priced with no published rate
  • Public API access, transfer to BigQuery and Looker, a custom report domain and premium integrations all require the Prime plan
  • Data sources are metered as credits at 1 credit per connected data account, so each additional ad account consumes quota
  • Extra credits can be bought only up to the next plan threshold, after which an upgrade is required
  • Moving to either the Max or Prime plan requires booking a call with sales rather than self-serve upgrade
  • The free trial is 14 days

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

Whatagraph

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 3 data sources
    • Basic dashboards
    • Daily updates
  • Starter$99/month
    • Up to 10 data sources
    • Advanced dashboards
    • Hourly updates
  • Professional$299/month
    • Unlimited data sources
    • Real-time updates
    • White-label

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.

Choose Whatagraph if

  • You need automated reporting.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile, Api.
  • You also want multi-channel integration.

Questions people ask

Is Power BI or Whatagraph better?
Neither clearly leads. Power BI starts at Free and Whatagraph at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Power BI or Whatagraph?
Power BI starts at Free and Whatagraph at Free.
Does Power BI or Whatagraph run on more platforms?
Power BI runs on Web, Desktop, Mobile. Whatagraph runs on Web, Mobile, Api.
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 Whatagraph is typically brought in for.
What can Power BI do that Whatagraph cannot?
Power BI covers AI-powered Insights, Natural Language Queries, Real-time Dashboards, Paginated Reports. Whatagraph covers Automated reporting, Multi-channel integration, Custom dashboards, Data visualization. Both handle Google Analytics.

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
Whatagraph: What is the starting price for Whatagraph's Max plan?

The Max plan starts at 699 euros per month when billed annually.

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
Whatagraph: Do Whatagraph plans limit the number of users or reports?

No, both the Max and Prime plans include unlimited users and unlimited reports.

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
Whatagraph: What is a 'source credit' in Whatagraph pricing?

One source credit equals one connected data account. The Max plan starts with 50 source credits, and the Prime plan includes a custom amount based on needs.

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
Whatagraph: What's included in both Whatagraph plans?

Both Max and Prime plans include Whatagraph IQ with automated report creation, live chat support, EU data center access, and version history.

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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