Forum Discussion
Licensing
Apologies if this has been asked before but I cant find anything. I am very new to Power BI and can really see how it can help us moving forward. What I woiuld like to understand is the types of licenses that we would need.
A colleague has developed an excellent system for our needs which I know needs Power BI desktop for the day to day updates, but what we need is a number of users (c 100) to be able to view their subsets of the data from their external browsers. Its a view only need so no updates from these users.
I am stuggling to understand what licenses I will need and hence costs involved.
Thank you
To allow around 100 users to view Power BI reports in their browsers (view-only), you’ll need appropriate licensing based on whether users are internal or external. For internal users, the most straightforward option is assigning each user a Power BI Pro license, now priced at $14/user/month as of April 1, 2025. This totals to approximately $1,400/month for 100 users. If you expect to scale up or need broader access without per-user licensing, Power BI Premium Capacity (starting at ~$4,995/month for P1 SKU) allows unlimited internal viewers without needing Pro licenses. For external users, you either need to provide each of them a Pro license or use Power BI Embedded, which lets you integrate reports into your app or portal and pay based on usage. Power BI Desktop remains free for developers who design and publish reports.
Hi IainC
- Creator: Your colleague uses Power BI Desktop to build and update reports.
- Viewers (~100 users): Need browser-based access to view-only subsets of data.
- No editing or collaboration required from viewers.
Option 1: Power BI Premium Capacity (F64 or higher)
This is the most cost-effective and scalable solution for large view-only audiences.
Role License Needed Notes Creator Power BI Pro or PPU Needed to publish reports to Premium workspace Viewers Free license Can view reports if hosted in Premium capacity (F64 or higher) - Cost Estimate: Starts around $5,000/month for F64 capacity
- Benefits:
- Viewers don’t need paid licenses
- Centralized management
- High performance and refresh rates
- Scalable for hundreds or thousands of users
Option 2: Power BI Pro for All Users
Not ideal for your case.
Role License Needed Notes Creator Power BI Pro Required Viewers Power BI Pro Each viewer needs a paid license (~$14/user/month) - Cost Estimate: ~$1,400/month for 100 viewers
- Drawback: Unnecessary cost for view-only access
Option 3: Power BI Embedded (A SKUs)
If you want to embed reports in a custom web portal or app, this is a flexible option.
Role License Needed Notes Creator Power BI Pro Required to publish content Viewers No license needed Covered by Azure capacity pricing - Cost Estimate: Starts around $735/month for A1 SKU
- Use Case: Ideal for external clients or partners accessing embedded reports
Reference
Types of licenses for Power BI business users - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
Power BI License Types: Who Each Plan Is For | DataCamp
Regards,
Ritesh
Community Champion
Please mark the answer if helpful so that it can help others
Dance-Sing with Data -BI & Analytics
12 Replies
- ribisht17
Super User
Hi IainC
- Creator: Your colleague uses Power BI Desktop to build and update reports.
- Viewers (~100 users): Need browser-based access to view-only subsets of data.
- No editing or collaboration required from viewers.
Option 1: Power BI Premium Capacity (F64 or higher)
This is the most cost-effective and scalable solution for large view-only audiences.
Role License Needed Notes Creator Power BI Pro or PPU Needed to publish reports to Premium workspace Viewers Free license Can view reports if hosted in Premium capacity (F64 or higher) - Cost Estimate: Starts around $5,000/month for F64 capacity
- Benefits:
- Viewers don’t need paid licenses
- Centralized management
- High performance and refresh rates
- Scalable for hundreds or thousands of users
Option 2: Power BI Pro for All Users
Not ideal for your case.
Role License Needed Notes Creator Power BI Pro Required Viewers Power BI Pro Each viewer needs a paid license (~$14/user/month) - Cost Estimate: ~$1,400/month for 100 viewers
- Drawback: Unnecessary cost for view-only access
Option 3: Power BI Embedded (A SKUs)
If you want to embed reports in a custom web portal or app, this is a flexible option.
Role License Needed Notes Creator Power BI Pro Required to publish content Viewers No license needed Covered by Azure capacity pricing - Cost Estimate: Starts around $735/month for A1 SKU
- Use Case: Ideal for external clients or partners accessing embedded reports
Reference
Types of licenses for Power BI business users - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
Power BI License Types: Who Each Plan Is For | DataCamp
Regards,
Ritesh
Community Champion
Please mark the answer if helpful so that it can help others
Dance-Sing with Data -BI & Analytics
v-venuppuCommunity Support
Hi IainC ,
Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Fabric Community.
Thank you ribisht17 FBergamaschi rohit1991 BhavinVyas3003 for the prompt response.
I wanted to check if you had the opportunity to review the information provided and resolve the issue..?Please let us know if you need any further assistance.We are happy to help.
Thank you.
- FBergamaschi
Pro locence, 14 USD per user and per month
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thank you
- FBergamaschi
Pls give kudos and mark as solutions answers that gave you what you were looking for. Thaks
- jaineshp
Memorable Member
Hi IainC,
This would help you make better descision: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/products/power-bi/pricing
Based on my expertise:
The Pro license is definitely your most cost-effective solution for 100 view-only users accessing reports via web browsers.
Best Regards,
Jainesh Poojara | Power BI Developerthank you
- BhavinVyas3003
To allow around 100 users to view Power BI reports in their browsers (view-only), you’ll need appropriate licensing based on whether users are internal or external. For internal users, the most straightforward option is assigning each user a Power BI Pro license, now priced at $14/user/month as of April 1, 2025. This totals to approximately $1,400/month for 100 users. If you expect to scale up or need broader access without per-user licensing, Power BI Premium Capacity (starting at ~$4,995/month for P1 SKU) allows unlimited internal viewers without needing Pro licenses. For external users, you either need to provide each of them a Pro license or use Power BI Embedded, which lets you integrate reports into your app or portal and pay based on usage. Power BI Desktop remains free for developers who design and publish reports.
rohit1991Hi IainC ,
Here’s the real-world breakdown:
-
Anyone building or updating reports uses Power BI Desktop (that part’s free).
-
For your ~100 users who just need to view their data in a browser (no editing, no updates), each person needs a Power BI Pro license right now it’s about $14 USD per user/month.
-
There isn’t a “view-only” or cheaper license for internal users, unfortunately.
-
The “Publish to web” feature is public and not secure, so not suitable for company data.
If you ever grow to several hundred users, Premium Capacity might be worth a look, but for 100 users Pro is your best (and simplest) option.
thank you
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