What Type of Versions Are There for Microsoft Power BI?
Understanding the different versions of Microsoft Power BI is important for any organisation building a reporting or analytics capability. Power BI supports everyone from small teams creating their first dashboards to large enterprises managing complex and secure data environments. While the version names can seem similar, each one serves a specific purpose in how reports are created, shared, and scaled.
Many organisations start with Power BI Desktop because it is free and easy to use. As reporting becomes more important to day‑to‑day decision‑making, they often move to paid versions that support collaboration, governance, and performance. This natural progression reflects how analytics needs grow as more people rely on shared data.
Power BI Desktop
Power BI Desktop is the tool used to create reports and data models. It is a free Windows application and is usually the starting point for most organisations. Desktop allows users to connect to data sources, clean and shape data, and build visuals and reports.
The value of Power BI Desktop is its flexibility. Teams can explore data, test ideas, and develop early insights before formalising reporting. For example, a marketing coordinator might create a simple campaign dashboard to track weekly engagement trends. At this stage, reports typically remain within a team.
Power BI Desktop is designed for creation only. It does not support sharing or collaboration, which is why organisations usually move to cloud‑based versions when reports need to be distributed.
Power BI Pro
Power BI Pro is the entry‑level paid licence that enables sharing and collaboration. With Pro, users can publish reports to the Power BI Service, create shared workspaces, and securely share dashboards with others.
For many organisations, Pro is the first step towards structured reporting. Teams can standardise metrics, publish regular updates, and ensure everyone is working from the same data. A finance team, for example, might use Pro to share a monthly performance dashboard with managers and executives.
Power BI Pro is well suited to small and medium‑sized businesses, or teams that need reliable sharing without enterprise‑scale requirements.
Power BI Premium Per User
Power BI Premium Per User provides access to advanced features without requiring full Premium capacity. It supports larger data models, AI‑driven capabilities, paginated reports, and incremental refresh.
This version is ideal for organisations with a small number of advanced users who need more capability than Power BI Pro allows. For example, a data analyst managing a large operational dataset may need frequent refreshes that exceed Pro limits. Premium Per User supports these needs without upgrading the entire organisation.
It is often used as a stepping stone between Pro and Premium capacity.
Power BI Premium Capacity
Power BI Premium Capacity delivers dedicated performance, enterprise‑scale features, and the ability for users without individual licences to view reports. It also includes Power BI Report Server for on‑premises reporting.
Premium Capacity becomes relevant when per‑user licensing is no longer efficient. A large organisation may have hundreds of report viewers but only a small number of report creators. In this scenario, Premium enables broad access while keeping licensing costs manageable.
Dedicated compute resources also support complex data models, frequent refreshes, and stronger governance, making Premium suitable for organisations with large datasets or regulatory requirements.
Power BI Embedded
Power BI Embedded is designed for software providers and development teams that want to embed analytics into their own applications. Instead of accessing reports through the Power BI Service, users interact with dashboards inside a product or platform.
A common use case is a SaaS provider offering in‑app reporting to customers. The analytics experience feels native, and the organisation controls the user interface. Power BI Embedded is rarely used for internal reporting, as it requires development effort and is best suited to customer‑facing solutions.
Power BI Report Server
Power BI Report Server is used by organisations that need to keep reporting fully on‑premises. It supports Power BI reports, paginated reports, and traditional SQL Server Reporting Services content.
This option is relevant for organisations with strict security or compliance requirements. Government agencies or defence organisations, for example, may require all data and reporting to remain within internal infrastructure. Report Server allows these organisations to use Power BI Desktop while keeping reports hosted locally.
Choosing the Right Version for Your Organisation
The right Power BI version depends on your reporting maturity, governance needs, and the number of users who require access. Most organisations move through these versions as their analytics capability evolves.
When choosing a version, consider:
Each Power BI version is designed to solve different challenges. The best choice balances current needs with your long‑term analytics roadmap, helping you build a reporting environment that can grow with your organisation.