5 Best Power BI Embedded Analytics Alternatives & Competitors

If you’ve been exploring Power BI Embedded for analytics, you’ve probably run into some tough questions.

Will the pricing scale affordably as your users grow?

• Can it flexibly handle custom branding and integrations without extensive development?
  
  

• Will performance stay smooth under large datasets, or will it start slowing down your apps?
  
  

• And most importantly,  does it give you the control you need, or will you end up locked into Microsoft’s ecosystem?

These aren’t minor details; they’re the make-or-break factors that decide whether Power BI Embedded becomes a powerful investment or a costly limitation.

The truth is, Power BI has a lot going for it: tight integration with the Microsoft stack, strong visualization capabilities, and enterprise-grade security.

But it also comes with trade-offs, from complex licensing models to limited customization that push many companies to look for Power BI Embedded alternatives.

That’s why in this blog, I’ve broken down the five best Power BI Embedded competitors worth considering.

You’ll see:

• Which tools offer better scalability and flexibility
  
  

• Where each alternative outperforms Power BI (and where it doesn’t)
  
  

• How costs, usability, and customisation stack up across the options

By the end, you’ll know exactly which BI platform aligns best with your team’s needs, whether you’re serving clients with embedded dashboards or building internal analytics at scale. 

TL;DR - 5 Best Power BI Embedded Analytics (Quick View)

Upsolve AI – Fast, AI-powered, budget-friendly, and best for SaaS startups & scaleups.

Sisense – Enterprise-grade, highly customizable, but complex and costly.

Tableau – Best for advanced, interactive visualizations and self-service analytics.

Looker – Strong data modeling & unified metrics, ideal for modern SaaS teams.

Qlik Sense – Great for real-time insights and associative data exploration.

What is Power BI Embedded Analytics?

What it is:

• A Microsoft service that lets you embed Power BI dashboards and reports directly inside your app or product.
  
  

• Mainly used by SaaS companies, product teams, and enterprises that want to give analytics access to their customers without building everything from scratch.

Strengths:

• Microsoft ecosystem: Works well if you already use Azure, Office 365, or other Microsoft tools.
  
  

• Mature features: Wide range of data connectors, powerful reporting, enterprise security.
  
  

• Large user base: Lots of documentation, community help, and resources available.

Common Challenges:

• Pricing complexity: It is hard to predict costs as usage grows.
  
  

• Limited UI flexibility: Dashboards often look “Microsoft style” and can’t be fully customised to your brand.
  
  

• Performance issues: Can slow down with very large datasets.
  
  

• Scalability concerns: May not handle high user loads smoothly for some companies.

Why businesses look for alternatives:

• There is a need for more flexible UI and branding options.
  
  

• Easier and more predictable pricing models.
  
  

• Better scalability and faster performance for customer-facing apps.

This is exactly why many teams search for Power BI Embedded alternatives. 

What to Look for in Embedded Analytics Tools

Outline key criteria that matter to readers:

1. Embed Architecture & Performance (iframe vs SDK/headless embedding)
   
   

2. Security & Multi-Tenancy (e.g., row-level security, token-based access) holistics.io
   
   

3. Customization & White‑Labeling Capabilities
   
   

4. Integration & Ecosystem Compatibility (e.g., Google Cloud, AWS, Salesforce, etc.)
   
   

5. Ease of Integration & Developer Tools (APIs, JS SDKs)
   
   

6. Pricing & Scaling Model (e.g., seat-based vs capacity vs pay-per-session)
   
   

7. User Experience & Self-Service Analytics (embedded report builder, search UI)

Criteria for Choosing the Right Embedded Analytics Solution: s

Here are the main criteria you should keep in mind:

1. Cost-effectiveness and pricing transparency

• You don’t want to be surprised by hidden costs.
  
  

• A good alternative should have simple, predictable pricing that scales as your users grow.

2. Customizability and UI flexibility

• Your dashboards should look like your product, not Microsoft’s.
  
  

• Branding, themes, and layout flexibility matter when embedding analytics for customers.

3. Performance and speed

• Users won’t wait for slow dashboards.
  
  

• The right platform should load quickly, even with large datasets or high traffic.

4. AI and predictive analytics

• Today’s analytics isn’t just about “what happened” but also “what’s next.”
  
  

• Tools with AI and predictive features can give you a competitive edge.

5. Ease and speed of deployment

• You don’t want to spend months setting up.
  
  

• A good alternative should be quick to integrate with your existing product.

6. Scalability for growing businesses

• As your user base grows, the tool should handle more data and more users without breaking.
  
  

• Scalability ensures your analytics doesn’t become a bottleneck.

7. Support and customer success

• Having a dedicated support team matters.
  
  

• You want a partner that helps you solve issues fast and guides you through best practices.

The 5 Best Power BI Embedded Alternatives

1) Upsolve AI - The Next-Gen AI-Powered Embedded Analytics Platform

If you want an embedded analytics solution that is fast, AI-driven, and designed specifically for SaaS products, Upsolve AI is built for you. 

Unlike Power BI Embedded, which often feels heavy and restrictive, Upsolve gives you modern dashboards that you can deploy in a day without needing a huge dev team.

Key Features:

• No-code dashboard builder – Build dashboards with drag-and-drop simplicity. No SQL or coding required.
  
  

• AI-powered insights – Get predictions, anomaly detection, and guided recommendations, not just static reports.
  
  

• Lightning-fast embedding – Drop in a React or Vue component, and your dashboards go live in less than 24 hours.
  
  

• Multi-tenant support – Serve multiple clients, each with their secure data environment.
  
  

• Customisation flexibility – Change themes, layouts, and branding so dashboards look like part of your product.

Real-World Example:

• PAXAFE, a supply chain intelligence platform, improved its customer experience by embedding Upsolve dashboards. Instead of building analytics from scratch (which could take months), they went live quickly with branded dashboards that provided real-time supply chain visibility and predictive risk analysis.

Pricing Plans (Transparent Tiers):

• Launch Plan – $300/month
  
  

  • Great for early-stage startups.
    
    

  • Includes 3+ dashboard templates, up to 50 tenants, and iFrame embedding.
    
    

• Growth Plan – $1000/month
  
  

  • Designed for scaling SaaS companies.
    
    

  • 50+ tenants, React component embedding, and dashboard custom styling.
    
    

• Professional Plan – $2000/month
  
  

  • For mid-size to enterprise teams.
    
    

  • Advanced tenant management, AI insights at scale, and dedicated support.
    
    

• Enterprise – Custom Pricing
  
  

  • For large companies with complex needs.
    
    

  • Tailored SLAs, full white labeling, and unlimited tenants.

Upsolve AI vs Power BI Embedded:

• Deployment Speed: Power BI often takes weeks or months to set up, while Upsolve gets you live in a day.
  
  

• UI Customization: Power BI dashboards look like Microsoft. Upsolve dashboards look like your product.
  
  

• Pricing Simplicity: Power BI’s per-user and capacity pricing can get expensive fast. Upsolve has clear, predictable tiers.
  
  

• AI Advantage: Upsolve includes predictive analytics and insights out of the box — Power BI needs extra setup.
  
  

• Scalability: Built for SaaS businesses with multi-tenancy baked in.

In short, if you’re building customer-facing analytics, Upsolve AI isn’t just an alternative; it’s a smarter, faster upgrade to Power BI Embedded.

2) Sisense — Best End-to-End Embedded Analytics Platform

Sisense is an end-to-end BI platform that offers advanced analytics, API-driven embedding, and customizable dashboards.

It’s built for companies that want full control over how analytics are integrated into their product.

Key Features:

• API-first embedding for full developer flexibility.
  
  

• Customizable dashboards with wide data connector support.
  
  

• Advanced analytics with AI/ML capabilities.
  
  

• Scalable for enterprise workloads.

Pricing:

Sisense does not list public pricing.

Market estimates suggest it starts around $21,000+ per year, with enterprise pricing available on request.

Sisense vs Power BI Embedded:

• Sisense is more flexible and powerful for embedding analytics.
  
  

• Power BI is easier if you’re already in Microsoft’s ecosystem.
  
  

• For SaaS companies, Sisense can be costly and complex compared to simpler options.

Sisense is a strong option among Power BI Embedded alternatives for enterprises needing developer flexibility.

3) Tableau — Best for Advanced Visualisation and Interactive Dashboards

Overview:

Tableau is widely recognized for its powerful data visualisation and self-service analytics.

With Tableau Embedded, companies can integrate interactive dasvisualizationhboards into their applications, making it a favourite for teams that want visually rich reporting.

Pricing:

• Creator: $75 per user/month
  
  

• Explorer: $42 per user/month
  
  

• Viewer: $15 per user/month

Tableau vs Power BI Embedded:

• Tableau provides more advanced visualizations and a strong user community.
  
  

• Power BI is cheaper and better for teams already in Microsoft’s ecosystem.
  
  

• Tableau can be costly and harder to fully white-label, but it’s unmatched in visualization depth.

4) Looker — Best for Unified Data Modelling and Modern Embedded Analytics

Overview:

Looker (part of Google Cloud) is known for its modern embedded analytics and strong data modelling capabilities using LookML.

It’s a good choice for companies that want to centralize metrics and deliver consistent analytics experiences inside applications.

Pricing:

• Looker does not publish public pricing.
  
  

• Market estimates suggest pricing starts at $5,000–$10,000 per month, depending on the number of users and the features included.
  
  

• Custom enterprise pricing is available via Google Cloud’s Looker page.

Looker vs Power BI Embedded:

• Looker offers better data modelling and centralised definitions of business metrics.
  centralized
  
  

• Power BI is easier to adopt if your team already uses Microsoft tools.
  
  

• Looker is powerful for modern SaaS use cases, but it comes at a higher cost and requires more setup expertise.

5) Qlik Sense — Best for Associative Data Model and Real-Time Insights

Overview:

Qlik Sense is known for its associative data model, which allows users to explore data freely without being restricted to predefined queries.

It’s strong in real-time insights and supports embedded analytics for apps that need fast, interactive dashboards.

Pricing:

• Qlik Sense Business: $30 per user/month
  
  

• Qlik Sense Enterprise SaaS: Custom pricing based on deployment and usage
  
  

• More details are available on the Qlik pricing page.

Qlik Sense vs Power BI Embedded:

• Qlik offers better real-time analysis and an intuitive associative model.
  
  

• Power BI is often cheaper and easier for teams already using Microsoft tools.
  
  

• Qlik is a solid choice for businesses that value speed and real-time insights, but it can be more expensive at scale.

How to Evaluate & Make the Final Choice

• Define your embedding depth: surface-level dashboards vs. fully integrated analytics.
  
  

• Match your ecosystem and developer proficiency.
  
  

• Estimate user volume and suitability of the cost model.
  
  

• Run proofs-of-concept to test performance, embedding, security, and UX.
  
  

• Consider future needs like AI, storytelling, or collaboration.

Conclusion

Choosing the right embedded BI solution can make or break how your customers experience data inside your product.

The wrong tool can slow you down with hidden costs, limited flexibility, or months of setup.

The right one helps you move fast, scale confidently, and deliver insights that matter.

That’s where Upsolve AI stands out. Unlike traditional BI tools, Upsolve AI is built for speed, AI-driven insights, and a great user experience.

You can embed dashboards in just one day, give your users predictive insights (not just reports), and scale as your SaaS grows, all with transparent pricing that doesn’t leave you guessing.

If you’re serious about making analytics a strength in your product, not a bottleneck, now is the time to try it out.

FAQs

Q1. What are the best alternatives to Power BI Embedded for customer-facing analytics in 2025?

Some of the top alternatives include Upsolve AI, Sisense, Tableau, Looker, and Qlik Sense. Each has strengths, but Upsolve AI stands out for its AI-powered insights, quick setup, and SaaS-friendly scalability.

Q2. How does Upsolve AI compare with Power BI Embedded for embedding dashboards?

Power BI Embedded is strong if you’re already in Microsoft’s ecosystem. But Upsolve AI is faster to deploy, more customizable, and AI-driven, making it better for SaaS companies that need customer-facing dashboards.

Q3. Which embedded BI tools offer the fastest deployment and easiest integration for SaaS platforms?

Upsolve AI is the fastest way to go live in a single day. Most others, like Sisense or Looker, require weeks or even months of setup.

Q4. What are the key benefits of AI-powered embedded analytics compared to traditional BI tools?

AI-powered analytics doesn’t just show data; it predicts trends, spots anomalies, and gives proactive insights. This means your customers spend less time analyzing and more time acting on the insights.

Q5. How do pricing and scalability differ between Power BI Embedded and its top competitors, like Upsolve AI, Sisense, and Looker?

• Power BI Embedded: Low entry cost, but can scale up quickly with usage.
  
  

• Sisense & Looker: Enterprise-focused, often starting at tens of thousands of dollars annually.
  
  

• Upsolve AI: Transparent tiered pricing, built to scale from startups to enterprises, making it more predictable and cost-effective for growing SaaS businesses.