A Power BI alternative
for teams without a BI developer
AI Insights 365 lets a small team ask its data questions in plain English and get charts and reports back, without learning DAX or building a data model first. It costs $15 per user per month after a free first report, and it can read the Power BI semantic models you already have.
Why teams switch
Ask instead of model
Type the question you would have sent to an analyst. The answer comes back as a chart you can add to a report, with no measures or relationships to set up first.
Reports built for you
Charts are suggested from the columns in your data, and Auto Report builds a complete first draft of a report in one step. You edit it rather than start from a blank page.
Keep what you have
Connect a Power BI semantic model as a datasource and ask it questions. A report can also be exported as a Power BI project, so nothing is locked in.
Questions people ask on day one
- What were sales by region last quarter, compared with the quarter before?
- Which ten customers grew the most this year?
- Show monthly revenue as a line chart, split by product category.
- Build a report on our open orders.
Side by side
| Power BI | AI Insights 365 | |
|---|---|---|
| Building a chart | Choose a visual, drag fields onto it, write DAX for anything beyond simple totals | Ask in plain English, or pick one of the charts suggested from your columns |
| Getting started | Install Power BI Desktop on Windows, model the data, then publish | Sign up in the browser, connect a datasource, ask a question |
| A whole report at once | Built visual by visual | Auto Report drafts every page from your data |
| Datasources | A very large connector library | 24 datasource types, including Power BI semantic models |
| Price | Microsoft per-user licences (see Microsoft's current price list) | First report free, then $5 for the first month and $15 per user per month |
| Self-hosted option | Power BI Report Server, under Microsoft's licensing terms | AI Insights 365 On-Prem, with an offline AI option |
Power BI facts are summarised from Microsoft's public product information. Check Microsoft's site for current details.
When to stay on Power BI
- You already have Power BI developers and data models that work. Connect AI Insights 365 to those models so business users can ask questions, and keep the models where they are.
- You rely on a connector or a custom visual that only Power BI has.
- You need pixel-perfect paginated reports, such as invoices or regulatory forms.
- Your organisation has standardised on Microsoft Fabric for governance and security.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to know DAX or SQL?
No. You ask questions in plain English and AI Insights 365 writes the query for you. You can see the query behind any answer if you want to check it.
Can it use my existing Power BI data?
Yes. Add a Power BI semantic model as a datasource, then ask it questions and build reports from it, the same way as any other source.
Can I move a report back into Power BI?
Yes. A report can be exported as a Power BI project and opened in Power BI Desktop.
How much does it cost?
Your first report is free, with no card and no deadline. After that, Premium is $5 for the first month, then $15 per user per month, with every feature included.
Further reading
Try it on your own data
Connect a datasource and ask your first question. Your first report is free, with no card and no deadline.