Forum Discussion
Paid visuals from AppSource - Billing/Licensing
Hi everyone,
I have a user who wants to install a paid visual from AppSource. The paid visual has a plan based on the number of users using the visual per month.
How does the billing work? Would it be billed to the entire tenant? The user can install a free trial for a month, but I am unsure how the billing happens after the month passes since the free trial did not ask for a credit card from the user.
Currently, only a select users are allowed to install custom visuals in my tenant through the tenant setting: Power BI visuals > Allow users created using the Power BI SDK.
Hi sba_ur ,
Thanks for the follow up.
Most paid visuals need to check a license when the report opens. With Publish to Web, viewers do not sign in, so the visual normally cannot validate the license and may not show. Microsoft docs mention that Publish to Web does not support license enforcement for paid visuals.
References:
Main sources for acquiring Power BI custom visuals - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
License models for Power BI AppSource visuals - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
If public viewing is required, you may need to use a free visual, or share the report in a way where users sign in, such as secure embed or a Power BI app.
For buying the visual, both options work. If the tenant admin buys it, they can assign it to specific users, manage renewals, and control who is allowed to use the visual in the organization. If a user buys it themselves, they can start using the visual quickly without waiting for admin approval, but it is harder to manage licenses across multiple users or workspaces.
Thanks to rohit1991 for sharing information on billing and licensing.
Hope this helps. Please reach out for further assistance.
Thank you.
5 Replies
Hi sba_ur
My understanding is that the billing doesn't go through Microsoft at all. Each publisher handles their own payments separately. After the trial ends, the visual will usually show a message asking you to purchase a license. You'll need to go to the vendor's website (there's usually a link on the AppSource page) and buy it directly from them. They'll then give you a license key to activate it.
Nothing gets charged to your Microsoft tenant automatically, which is why the trial didn't ask for a credit card. The visual just stops working after the trial until a license is entered.
Can the paid visual be used with 'Publish to Web' feature? For example, a user who obtained their license through self-service. Would they be able to develop the report and publish it to web, so that the visual is visible to general web?
If not, do you have any recommendations for this?
Another question is that I guess there could be a couple of ways to install the paid visual - either they get the license themselves, or they an admin installs it for them and then assigns it to them? What is the recommendation or best practices in this case?
Hi sba_ur ,
Thanks for the follow up.
Most paid visuals need to check a license when the report opens. With Publish to Web, viewers do not sign in, so the visual normally cannot validate the license and may not show. Microsoft docs mention that Publish to Web does not support license enforcement for paid visuals.
References:
Main sources for acquiring Power BI custom visuals - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
License models for Power BI AppSource visuals - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
If public viewing is required, you may need to use a free visual, or share the report in a way where users sign in, such as secure embed or a Power BI app.
For buying the visual, both options work. If the tenant admin buys it, they can assign it to specific users, manage renewals, and control who is allowed to use the visual in the organization. If a user buys it themselves, they can start using the visual quickly without waiting for admin approval, but it is harder to manage licenses across multiple users or workspaces.
Thanks to rohit1991 for sharing information on billing and licensing.
Hope this helps. Please reach out for further assistance.
Thank you.
Hi sba_ur ,
Just checking in to see if you query is resolved and if any responses were helpful.
Otherwise, feel free to reach out for further assistance.Thank you.
