Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Microsoft Power BI VS Apache Superset

Compare Microsoft Power BI VS Apache Superset and see what are their differences

Microsoft Power BI logo Microsoft Power BI

BI visualization and reporting for desktop, web or mobile

Apache Superset logo Apache Superset

modern, enterprise-ready business intelligence web application
  • Microsoft Power BI Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-14
  • Apache Superset Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-09-18

Microsoft Power BI features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Power BI has an intuitive drag-and-drop interface that makes it easy for users to create reports and dashboards without extensive technical knowledge.
  • Integration with Microsoft Products
    Seamlessly integrates with other Microsoft products like Excel, Azure, and Office 365, enhancing productivity and data accessibility.
  • Real-Time Data
    Supports real-time data streaming, which allows users to get up-to-date insights and make informed decisions quickly.
  • Custom Visualizations
    Offers a wide range of built-in visualizations, as well as the ability to create custom visuals, helping users present data in a meaningful way.
  • Robust Security
    Provides strong security features including role-based access, data encryption, and compliance with global regulatory standards.

Possible disadvantages of Microsoft Power BI

  • Complex Licensing
    The licensing model can be confusing and expensive, especially for small businesses or individual users.
  • Performance Issues with Large Data Sets
    Performance can be impacted when handling very large data sets, making it less suitable for extremely data-intensive applications.
  • Limited Customization
    While offering many built-in features, deep customization options may require advanced knowledge of DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) and Power Query.
  • Learning Curve
    Users new to business intelligence tools may find there is a significant learning curve to fully utilize all of Power BI's features.
  • Dependency on Internet Connection
    Many features, especially those involving cloud services, require a stable internet connection, which may be a limitation for some users.

Apache Superset features and specs

  • Open Source
    Apache Superset is fully open source, allowing users to modify and extend it as needed without any licensing fees.
  • Rich Visualization Options
    Superset offers a wide range of pre-built visualization types, including pie charts, line charts, and maps, allowing for versatile data representation.
  • SQL Lab
    The SQL Lab feature makes it easy to explore and query data in a natural SQL interface, which is highly valuable for analysts and data scientists.
  • Lightweight
    Superset is designed to be a lightweight platform, making it relatively easy to set up and manage compared to more cumbersome BI tools.
  • Extensibility
    With its plugin architecture, Superset can be extended to support additional visualizations and data sources, which makes it highly customizable.
  • Community and Ecosystem
    As part of the Apache Software Foundation, Superset benefits from a robust community and a broad ecosystem of tools and integrations.

Possible disadvantages of Apache Superset

  • Steep Learning Curve
    New users may find it difficult to get started with Superset due to its wide array of features and technical jargon.
  • Limited Documentation
    While there is community-driven documentation, it may not be as comprehensive or up-to-date as needed, posing challenges during troubleshooting.
  • Resource Intensive
    Superset can be resource-intensive and may require significant optimization to run efficiently, especially with large datasets or numerous concurrent users.
  • Basic User Management
    User management features are somewhat basic compared to other BI tools, lacking advanced role-based access control and detailed audit logs.
  • Less Polished UI
    The user interface, while functional, may not be as polished or intuitive as some of the commercial alternatives, impacting the user experience.
  • Scaling Issues
    Superset can face scalability challenges when dealing with massive datasets or a high number of concurrent users, though ongoing improvements are being made.

Analysis of Microsoft Power BI

Overall verdict

  • Power BI is a highly recommended tool for business intelligence and data visualization, particularly within organizations that are already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem. Its integration capabilities, ease of use, and robust feature set make it an excellent choice for turning data into actionable insights.

Why this product is good

  • Microsoft Power BI provides a robust data visualization and business intelligence tool, allowing users to transform raw data into informative insights through interactive dashboards and reports.
  • The platform integrates seamlessly with a wide range of Microsoft services, such as Azure, Excel, and SQL Server, and offers connectivity with numerous third-party data sources, enhancing its versatility.
  • Power BI is known for its user-friendly interface, which makes it accessible to both technical and non-technical users. The drag-and-drop functionality makes creating visualizations straightforward.
  • It offers strong data security features, including authentication and data encryption, which are essential for maintaining data integrity and confidentiality.
  • Power BI is cost-effective, providing a competitive pricing model that scales from individual users to large organizations, ensuring value for businesses of all sizes.

Recommended for

  • Businesses that already use Microsoft products and services, as they can fully leverage the integrations Power BI offers.
  • Data analysts and business professionals who need to create visual reports and dashboards without extensive technical knowledge.
  • Organizations looking for a scalable and affordable BI solution to facilitate data-driven decision-making.
  • Teams or companies that need to collaborate on reports and share insights easily within a secure and controlled environment.

Analysis of Apache Superset

Overall verdict

  • Apache Superset is a good choice for teams and organizations looking for a flexible, scalable, and user-friendly data visualization tool. It offers a balance between simplicity for non-technical users and depth for advanced users who want to perform complex data analyses. However, it might require some initial setup and configuration, especially for those not familiar with managing web applications or working with databases.

Why this product is good

  • Apache Superset is a powerful, open-source business intelligence tool that provides a wide range of data visualization and exploration capabilities. It is designed to handle large volumes of data, offers an intuitive user interface, and supports a variety of data sources through SQLAlchemy. Its main strengths lie in its ability to create complex dashboards with minimal effort, and its extensibility through a plugin framework. Superset also benefits from a vibrant open-source community, which contributes to its continuous improvement and feature expansion.

Recommended for

  • Organizations with medium to large datasets that need efficient data exploration and visualization.
  • Data analysts and scientists who require a tool that provides powerful SQL capabilities and extensive chart options.
  • Teams looking for an open-source, cost-effective alternative to proprietary business intelligence solutions.
  • Developers who are interested in customizing or extending the platform to fit specific needs via a robust API and plugin system.

Microsoft Power BI videos

No Microsoft Power BI videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Apache Superset videos

Observing Intraday Indicators Using Real-Time Tick Data on Apache Superset and Druid

More videos:

  • Review - Apache Superset-Building Dashboard-Filter or Slicer
  • Review - Installing Apache Superset

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Microsoft Power BI and Apache Superset)
Data Dashboard
84 84%
16% 16
Data Visualization
86 86%
14% 14
Business Intelligence
86 86%
14% 14
Data Analysis
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using Microsoft Power BI and Apache Superset. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Microsoft Power BI and Apache Superset

Microsoft Power BI Reviews

Explore 7 Tableau Alternatives for Data Visualization and Analysis
Microsoft Power BI is a robust data visualization and business intelligence tool that enables users to create interactive, real-time dashboards and reports with minimal coding. It supports over 100 data connectors, integrates seamlessly with the Azure SQL Database, and features advanced data modeling with the DAX language. Power BI's intuitive interface, frequent AI-driven...
Source: www.draxlr.com
Explore 6 Metabase Alternatives for Data Visualization and Analysis
It offers multiple pricing options, including a free version for individual users and paid plans like Power BI Pro and Power BI Premium. Pricing is based on user and capacity needs.
Source: www.draxlr.com
5 best Looker alternatives
Power BI: Microsoft Power BI is a legacy BI tool that is known for its seamless integration to Microsoft ecosystem, which is one of its strongest advantages. However, this tight integration can also be a drawback, as it tends to have limited compatibility with other ecosystems and often relies on Microsoft tools for optimal functionality.
Source: www.draxlr.com
10 Best Alternatives to Looker in 2024
Power BI: Microsoft's Power BI stands out for its seamless integration with other Microsoft products, making it a top choice for organizations deeply invested in the Microsoft ecosystem. Its powerful data visualization tools and extensive community support make it a strong contender in the BI landscape.
Top 10 AI Data Analysis Tools in 2024
Microsoft Power BI is a versatile business intelligence platform that enables users to sort through their data and visualize it for actionable insights. One of its key strengths lies in its ability to import data from nearly any source, allowing users to build reports and dashboards effortlessly. Additionally, Power BI empowers users to build machine learning models and...
Source: powerdrill.ai

Apache Superset Reviews

8 Alternatives to Apache Superset That’ll Empower Start-ups and Small Businesses with BI
Open-source vs cloud-hosted vs self-hosted Apache Superset open-sourceApache Superset interactive example dashboard. Image source: https://superset.apache.org/Main features and benefits Pricing and offersBest for Main drawbacks Apache Superset alternatives that are suitable for a small business or startup 1. Trevor.ioMain features and benefits Pricing and offersKey...
Source: trevor.io
Top 10 Tableau Open Source Alternatives: A Comprehensive List
Apache Superset is one of the best Tableau Open Source alternatives that you can opt for Data Exploration and Business Analytics. This Open-Source project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0, which allows anyone to use it and distribute a modified version of it. In comparison to Tableau, which charges a minimum of $15 per month for Tableau Viewer, this software is...
Source: hevodata.com
Top 10 Data Analysis Tools in 2022
Apache Superset It is an open-source software application, meaning it can be modified to suit a company’s needs. It is among the few data analysis tools available to handle big data. Apache Superset is free to use. Apache Superset is a free tool businesses can use to explore and visualize data. However, it does not support NoSQL databases.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Apache Superset should be more popular than Microsoft Power BI. It has been mentiond 59 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Microsoft Power BI mentions (17)

  • Unified Analytics Platform: Microsoft Fabric
    Microsoft Fabric is currently in preview and provides data integration, engineering, data warehousing, data science, real-time analytics, applied observability, and business intelligence under a single architecture by integrating services such as Azure Data Factory, Azure Synapse Analytics, Data Activator, and Power BI. In addition, it comes with a SaaS, multi-cloud data lake called "OneLake" that is built-in and... Source: about 2 years ago
  • NSS Data Analytics Program Question
    I'd suggest spending some time learning the material before you invest thousands in tuition only to find that you don't like it or aren't good at it. Download Tableau Public or Power BI and force yourself to use them for a few months. That's how I taught myself R. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Why Is Data Analytics Important?
    Discover why business analytics is crucial for your business and how to utilise data analytics and PowerBI to make informed and data-backed decisions! Source: about 2 years ago
  • Cloud dB reporting tool?
    Power BI is popular... But for table reports with Excel/PDF export you can use Pebble Reports. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Asking for guidance on migrating to a database from Excel
    Yes, MySQL can do the job. You can use Airforms to do data entry. No need to learn MySQL syntax. You will also need a reporting tool, such as Power BI. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

Apache Superset mentions (59)

  • RisingWave Turns Four: Our Journey Beyond Democratizing Stream Processing
    By making RisingWave compatible with PostgreSQL, we ensured that any developer familiar with SQL could immediately start writing streaming queries. This wasn't just about syntax; it meant RisingWave could plug seamlessly into existing data workflows and connect easily with a vast ecosystem of familiar tools like DBeaver, Grafana, Apache Superset, dbt, and countless others. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Apache ECharts
    Superset[1] BI tool is a good example of how useful ECharts are [1] https://superset.apache.org/. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 months ago
  • The DOJ Still Wants Google to Sell Off Chrome
    Is this really true? Something that can be supported by clear evidence? I’ve seen this trotted out many times, but it seems like there are interesting Apache projects: https://airflow.apache.org/ https://iceberg.apache.org/ https://kafka.apache.org/ https://superset.apache.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Major Technologies Worth Learning in 2025 for Data Professionals
    Open source tools like Apache Superset, Airbyte, and DuckDB are providing cost-effective and customizable solutions for data professionals. Becoming adept at these tools not only reduces dependency on proprietary software but also fosters community engagement. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • ClickHouse: The Key to Faster Insights
    ClickHouse is highly compatible with a wide range of data tools, including ETL/ELT processes and BI tools like Apache Superset. It supports virtually all common data formats, making integration seamless across diverse ecosystems. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Microsoft Power BI and Apache Superset, you can also consider the following products

Tableau - Tableau can help anyone see and understand their data. Connect to almost any database, drag and drop to create visualizations, and share with a click.

Metabase - Metabase is the easy, open source way for everyone in your company to ask questions and learn from...

Looker - Looker makes it easy for analysts to create and curate custom data experiences—so everyone in the business can explore the data that matters to them, in the context that makes it truly meaningful.

Sisense - The BI & Dashboard Software to handle multiple, large data sets.

Fluent BI - Chat with spreadsheets & docs for AI-powered insights, charts & dashboards in seconds. No code required. Perfect for small business reporting.

Qlik - Qlik offers an Active Intelligence platform, delivering end-to-end, real-time data integration and analytics cloud solutions to close the gaps between data, insights, and action.