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Power BI alternative ·

Klipfolio vs Power BI

Live dashboards for your whole team, or Microsoft's modelling and BI stack. Here's how Klips and Power BI compare.

Comparing Klipfolio Klips, our dashboard product. Explore the upcoming AI analyst.

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At a glance

Klips and Power BI at a glance
Klips logoPower BI
Best forTeams & agenciesMicrosoft data teams
Starting price$120 / mo$14 / user / month
Pricing modelFlat, unlimited usersPer user or Fabric capacity
Connectors130+100+ data sources
Free option14-day trialFree account (no sharing)

The short answer

Klips or Power BI?

Klips fits teams that want live dashboards on top of their business apps, APIs and spreadsheets, shared with unlimited users at a flat price. Power BI fits organizations invested in Microsoft 365 and Fabric that want DAX semantic models, row-level security and embedded analytics, and are ready to license every author and viewer or buy capacity.

Choose Klips if…

  • YesYou want unlimited users on a flat plan instead of a licence for every viewer.
  • YesYou'd rather build metrics with spreadsheet-style formulas than learn DAX and Power Query.
  • YesYou want to share live dashboards by link, protect them with a password or put them on a TV.
  • YesYou run an agency and need separate client accounts.

Choose Power BI if…

  • YesYou already run Microsoft 365, Azure or Fabric and want BI inside that stack.
  • YesYou need shared DAX semantic models that many reports build on.
  • YesYou need row-level security or customer-facing embedded analytics.

What sets Klips apart from Power BI

  1. 01

    Unlimited users, flat price

    Every Klips plan includes unlimited users, so adding viewers, executives or clients never changes the bill. Power BI Pro is $14 per user per month, and people without a paid licence can only view shared content when it sits on Fabric F64 or Premium capacity.

  2. 02

    Spreadsheet-style formulas, not DAX

    Klips builds metrics with 100+ spreadsheet-style functions, so anyone comfortable in Excel can maintain a dashboard. Power BI's DAX and Power Query are built for deep semantic modelling, with a steeper learning curve to match.

  3. 03

    Share live dashboards by link

    On Grow and above, Klips shares live dashboards by link, with optional password protection, to people who don't have an account. Power BI's Publish to web makes a report public to anyone on the internet, needs an admin to enable it and doesn't work with row-level security.

Feature comparison

  • Yes Included
  • Partial Limited or add-on
  • No Not available
  • 1 Vendor source
Klips vs Power BI feature comparison
FeatureKlipsPower BI
Data connections
Pre-built connectorsAll included on every Klips plan130+100+ data sources3Databases, cloud services, files and web sources through Power Query.
Generic REST API connectorPull from almost any JSON or XML APIYesYes4The Web connector reads JSON, XML and CSV from URLs; API-key authentication works in Desktop but isn't supported for refresh in the Power BI service.
SQL databases & cloud warehousesYesYes3
Spreadsheets & cloud filesExcel, CSV, Google Sheets, Drive, OneDrive, SharePointYesYes5Excel and CSV, plus a Google Sheets connector for import.
Push data in via API or ZapierYesYes6Push semantic models via the REST API; creation of new ones ends October 31, 2027.
Scheduled data refreshKlips: Base 4 hr · Grow 1 hr · Team 15 min · Team+ up-to-the-minute; Agency plans 4 hr to 30 minBy plan8/day Pro; 48/day PPU7Scheduled refreshes per day on shared capacity, versus Premium, PPU or Fabric capacity.
Needs a data warehouse firstNoNo3Connects to files, cloud services and databases directly.
Building dashboards
Data modelling & joinsYesYes3Relationships, calculated columns and composite models.
Spreadsheet-style formulas100+ functionsDAX / Power Query3
Combine sources in one visualYesYes3
Chart & visual types30+30+3Plus more visuals from AppSource.
Custom HTML/JS visualsYesYes8Developers package custom visuals as .pbiviz files.
Pre-built dashboard templatesYesYes9Partner-built template apps in the Power BI Apps marketplace.
Interactive filters & drill-downYesYes3
Governed semantic layerNoYes3Shared semantic models with DAX measures.
Sharing & access
User pricingUnlimited usersPer user or capacity2Sharing needs Pro or PPU; free users can view shared content only on Fabric F64 or Premium capacity.
Live dashboard links, no loginGrow+ / Lite+Publish to web (public)11Anyone on the internet can view; an admin must enable it, and reports with row-level security aren't supported.
Scheduled email reportsKlips: PDF or image snapshotsGrow+ / Lite+Pro / PPU12Hourly to monthly snapshots; full-report PDF or PowerPoint attachments need Premium capacity or PPU.
TV / wallboard modeYesFull screen mode10Hides menus for presentations and kiosk displays.
Embed interactive dashboardsKlips embeds as live-updating images; interactive dashboards share by linkPartialYes13Customer-facing embeds need Embedded or Fabric capacity in production; internal embeds need a licence per viewer.
Native mobile appMobile webYes14iOS and Android.
Agencies & client reporting
White-label & custom domainAgency Pro+ / add-onVia Power BI Embedded13Brand embedded reports as your own inside your app.
Security & admin
SAML single sign-onPlan / add-onMicrosoft Entra ID15All sign-in runs through Microsoft Entra ID.
Custom roles & permissionsYes4 fixed workspace roles16Admin, Member, Contributor and Viewer.
Row-level securityNoYes17Applies to workspace Viewers, not Admins, Members or Contributors.
SOC 2 reportType IType II18
AI & automation
REST management APIYesYes19
MCP server for AI assistantsLets Claude, ChatGPT and agents work with your Klips accountYesYes20An authoring MCP server edits semantic models; Fabric IQ answers questions over them.
Ask questions in plain EnglishKlips AI is a Chrome-based AI assistant, available on all plansKlips AICopilot on capacity21Copilot needs paid Fabric (F2+) or Premium (P1+) capacity; Pro or PPU alone isn't enough.

Some capabilities need a specific plan, add-on or setup. Features we couldn’t confirm from Power BI’s own documentation are left out, and connector counts use each vendor’s own definition. Numbered links go to the vendor pages behind each answer.

Pricing compared

Klips

$120 / month

Base plan, billed annually · plans to $600/mo

  • Unlimited users on every plan
  • All 130+ connectors included
  • 14-day free trial, no credit card
See Klips pricing

Power BI

$14 / user / month

Power BI Pro; USD, paid yearly

  • A free account builds reports for your own use; sharing needs Pro or Premium Per User.
  • Premium Per User is $24/user/month paid yearly, with 48 refreshes a day and larger models.
  • Free viewers need content on Fabric F64 or Premium capacity, priced separately.
  • Copilot needs paid Fabric or Premium capacity; Embedded pricing is quoted separately.

Klips prices are in USD, billed annually. Power BI pricing reflects the plan named above, checked October 29, 2026; taxes, add-ons and usage charges may apply.

Switching from Power BI

  1. Step 1

    Connect your sources

    Point Klips at the databases and business apps behind your Power BI models, using 130+ connectors or the REST API connector. Bring in Excel files and Google Sheets the same way.

  2. Step 2

    Rebuild your key reports

    Start with your most-viewed Power BI report and recreate its DAX measures as Klips formulas. Check the totals side by side for the same date range.

  3. Step 3

    Share it with everyone

    Invite everyone who needs the dashboard; every Klips plan includes unlimited users. Use personalization so each viewer sees their own region or accounts, and share live links or scheduled emails on Grow and above.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Sources & methodology

Written by Klipfolio. Power BI details come from Power BI’s public pricing and product documentation, checked on October 29, 2026; Klips details come from our current product and pricing. Features and prices change, so confirm with each vendor before you decide. A listed capability doesn’t mean the two work identically. All trademarks belong to their respective owners.

  1. Power BI pricing
  2. Features by license type
  3. What is Power BI?
  4. Web connector
  5. Google Sheets connector
  6. Real-time streaming and push data
  7. Data refresh
  8. Custom visuals
  9. Template apps
  10. Report display and full screen
  11. Publish to web
  12. Email subscriptions
  13. Embedded analytics
  14. Mobile apps
  15. Power BI security
  16. Workspace roles
  17. Row-level security
  18. Microsoft SOC 2 Type 2
  19. Power BI REST API
  20. MCP servers
  21. Copilot in Power BI
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