kitio.aiMicrosoft Power BI vs Plotly Studio
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. Microsoft Power BI has the lower starting price: about $14 a month, against $29 for Plotly Studio.
At a glance
Best for
Category
Pricing model
Starting price
Free plan
Made by
Based in
Rating
Key features
- Power BI Desktop
- Copilot report creation
- DAX measures
- Scheduled refresh
- Microsoft Fabric integration
- AI-built data apps
- Dash framework
- Plotly Cloud hosting
- Open-source charting libraries
- Code export
| Feature | Microsoft Power BI | Plotly Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Microsoft's BI tool with Copilot for reports and data questions | AI-native tool for turning data into shareable Python analytics apps |
| Category | Data & analytics | Data & analytics |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $14/mo | $29/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Made by | Microsoft | Plotly |
| Based in | United States | Canada |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
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Pricing compared
Microsoft Power BI has the lower starting price: about $14 a month, against $29 for Plotly Studio.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
4 plans
Free
Free
- Power BI Desktop
- Personal reports
Pro
$14/mo
- Per user
- Share and collaborate on reports
Premium Per User
$24/mo
- Per user
- Larger models and AI features
- Paginated reports
Fabric capacity
Usage-based
- Organization-wide capacity
- Pay as you go or reserved
3 plans
Free
Free
- 10 credit trial
- 1 creator seat
- 3 private viewers
- 10 apps
Pro
$29/mo
- Per creator seat
- 30 credits monthly
- 10 private viewers
- Unlimited apps
Enterprise
Contact sales
- Hosted in your cloud or Plotly's
- SSO and OAuth
- Secure embedding
Prices in USD, checked Oct 28, 2026 or later. Plans change often, so confirm on each tool's site before you buy.
Pros and cons
Microsoft Power BI
- Low cost per user
- Deep Microsoft integration
- Free desktop authoring
- Copilot needs higher capacity licenses
- DAX has a learning curve
- Desktop app is Windows only
Plotly Studio
- Free plan with no credit card needed
- Built on open-source Python tooling
- Self-hosted option for sensitive data
- Free plan has only 10 trial credits
- Private viewers cost extra per seat
- Geared toward people who work in Python
Which one should you choose?
Choose Microsoft Power BI if you want:
- Low cost per user
- Deep Microsoft integration
- Free desktop authoring
Watch out: copilot needs higher capacity licenses.
Choose Plotly Studio if you want:
- Free plan with no credit card needed
- Built on open-source Python tooling
- Self-hosted option for sensitive data
Watch out: free plan has only 10 trial credits.
Microsoft Power BI vs Plotly Studio FAQ
What is the difference between Microsoft Power BI and Plotly Studio?
Microsoft Power BI: Microsoft's BI tool with Copilot for reports and data questions. Plotly Studio: AI-native tool for turning data into shareable Python analytics apps. Both are data & analytics tools.
Is Microsoft Power BI or Plotly Studio cheaper?
Microsoft Power BI has the lower starting price: about $14 a month, against $29 for Plotly Studio.
Do Microsoft Power BI and Plotly Studio have free plans?
Microsoft Power BI: Yes. Plotly Studio: Yes.
Who makes Microsoft Power BI?
Microsoft Power BI is made by Microsoft, based in United States.
Who makes Plotly Studio?
Plotly Studio is made by Plotly, based in Canada.
Which should I choose, Microsoft Power BI or Plotly Studio?
Choose Microsoft Power BI if you value low cost per user and deep microsoft integration. Choose Plotly Studio if you value free plan with no credit card needed and built on open-source python tooling.