Can I Get Power BI for Free?

Last Updated on November 22, 2023

Power BI is one of the most commonly used software solutions developed by Microsoft. It aims to enable businesses to connect to apps and use connectors to turn unrelated sources of data into something visually pleasing, immersive, and interactive.

Power BI is a unified, scalable platform for self-service and enterprise business intelligence (BI) which can visualize any data and seamlessly put the visuals into apps that are utilized daily. 

People are often amazed at how easy it is to learn Power BI, even without Microsoft Power BI training. Once you start to understand the tools, it’s a snap to create dashboards, translate data, and even export Power BI to Excel. 

Of course, people wonder if Power BI can be downloaded, installed, and used for free. Today, we are going to explore those opportunities.

How To Get Power BI For Free

Power BI Desktop is always a free product. There are also paid packages that are available, including Power BI Pro, Power BI Premium, and Power BI Premium Per User. This means that any individual can download and use Power BI at no cost. 

There are numerous ways through which you can sign up for the Power BI service as an individual. You can visit the official website and click on ‘Try Power BI for Free.’ Then, all you need to do is submit your email address.

Upon creating a Microsoft account, you can download Power BI desktop by navigating to the official page and selecting ‘Download Free.’ You can also select the ‘See Download or Language Options’ button to find the client there. 

Now, you need to select the setup version. There are two files to choose from, including:

• PBIDesktopSetup_x64.exe
• PBIDesktopSetup.exe

The right file will depend on your operating system. The main difference is that one is a thirty-two-bit version, while the other is a sixty-four-bit version. Most modern computers are sixty-four-bit, so usually, users will want the ‘x64’ version. Now, you need to click on ‘Next’ and wait for the application to download. 

Upon installation, you can log in with your account, select ‘My Workplace’ from the navigation pane, and begin using the application.

Why Power BI Can Be an Essential Tool

Power BI is used to find insights into an organization’s data. It can help connect disparate data sets or transform and clean data while enabling users to create charts and graphs as visual representations. All of this can be shared with other Power BI users.

The Value Behind Power BI

There are numerous reasons why Power BI is valuable. There’s artificial intelligence that allows users to access image recognition and text analytics or create machine learning models through automated capabilities, which can then be integrated with Azure Machine Learning. There’s also hybrid deployment support, quick insights, and common data model support.

Additionally, Microsoft enabled Cortana integration, which allows users to query data verbally, allowing them to access results using Cortana as a digital assistant. There’s also a high level of customization—developers can utilize sample code and an application program interface (API) to embed the Power BI dashboard onto other software products. 

Power BI has received numerous updates, all of which have aimed to make the application a bit more powerful.

In Summary

Power BI premium plans are only required through specific use cases and are generally purchased and used by organizations or enterprises, not individuals. As such, anyone can easily gain access to the Power BI software package with ease.