HEAD TO HEAD
Power BI vs Tableau
Compare Power BI and Tableau side by side: pricing, compliance (SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA), access methods, and how each one handles your data.
| // ATTRIBUTE | P Power BI | T Tableau |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing▲ | Freemium | Paid |
| Free Tier▲ | Power BI Desktop free for personal use | Tableau Public (free for public data) |
| Paid Plans▲ | Pro $10/user/month, Premium Per User $20/user/month | Tableau Creator $75/user/month, Explorer $42/user/month |
| API Cost | n/a | n/a |
| Access▲ | Web App · iOS App · Android App · Desktop App · API | Web App · Desktop App · API |
| SOC 2 | ● Yes | ● Yes |
| ISO 27001 | ● Yes | ● Yes |
| GDPR | ● Yes | ● Yes |
| HIPAA | ● Yes | ● Yes |
| Data Region▲ | Customer-selected Office 365/Power BI geo; Microsoft states it will not replicate customer data outside the chosen geographic area for data resiliency purposes. | Tableau Cloud runs on Salesforce Hyperforce infrastructure with regional options including US East/West, Canada, EU (Germany), UK, Japan, Singapore, and Australia; Tableau Server is self-hosted so data residency is entirely customer-controlled. |
| Trains on Data | No | No |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| Category | Data & Analytics | Data & Analytics |
| Subcategory▲ | Business Intelligence | Data Visualization |
Power BITableau
// Pricing▲ differ
Power BIFreemium
TableauPaid
// Free Tier▲ differ
Power BIPower BI Desktop free for personal use
TableauTableau Public (free for public data)
// Paid Plans▲ differ
Power BIPro $10/user/month, Premium Per User $20/user/month
TableauTableau Creator $75/user/month, Explorer $42/user/month
// API Cost
Power BIn/a
Tableaun/a
// Access▲ differ
Power BIWeb App · iOS App · Android App · Desktop App · API
TableauWeb App · Desktop App · API
// SOC 2
Power BI● Yes
Tableau● Yes
// ISO 27001
Power BI● Yes
Tableau● Yes
// GDPR
Power BI● Yes
Tableau● Yes
// HIPAA
Power BI● Yes
Tableau● Yes
// Data Region▲ differ
Power BICustomer-selected Office 365/Power BI geo; Microsoft states it will not replicate customer data outside the chosen geographic area for data resiliency purposes.
TableauTableau Cloud runs on Salesforce Hyperforce infrastructure with regional options including US East/West, Canada, EU (Germany), UK, Japan, Singapore, and Australia; Tableau Server is self-hosted so data residency is entirely customer-controlled.
// Trains on Data
Power BINo
TableauNo
// Self-hostable
Power BIYes
TableauYes
// Category
Power BIData & Analytics
TableauData & Analytics
// Subcategory▲ differ
Power BIBusiness Intelligence
TableauData Visualization
// FAQ
What is the difference between Power BI and Tableau?
Power BI is Freemium (Data & Analytics · Business Intelligence); Tableau is Paid (Data & Analytics · Data Visualization). This page compares their pricing, compliance, access methods, and data handling side by side.
Is Power BI or Tableau free?
Both Power BI and Tableau offer a free or freemium tier.