CTA - Microsoft Fabric Free Edition Needed!

[libpekin]

To Whom It May Concern:

This June, Databricks introduced the Databricks Free Edition—a no-cost offering targeted at students, educators, technologists, and enthusiasts looking to explore data and AI. It’s a smart, inclusive move that builds long-term loyalty and broadens the Databricks user base at every level of expertise.

By contrast, Microsoft Fabric currently only offers a time-limited Free Trial based on the F64 SKU. While this may seem generous, it’s functionally impractical. The F64 SKU is not a realistic production option for most small or midsize organizations. These teams need to validate their workloads and test real usage scenarios, but the F64 trial is disconnected from the environments they'd actually deploy. I’ve run a POC through it myself, and the metrics I obtained weren’t actionable because the SKU didn’t match our operating realities.

Software time-limited trials are synonymous with early-stage startups trying to spur fast conversions. Microsoft, however, is a company with global reach, deep enterprise credibility, and a reputation for empowering customers. It shouldn’t rely solely on free trials with expiration dates—it should offer a true Microsoft Fabric Free Edition. One that mirrors the Databricks model and gives users the flexibility, time, and resource-appropriate scale they need to confidently test and evaluate the platform.

In a AI competitive landscape, accessibility is adoption. A Fabric Free Edition would ensure organizations have the freedom to plan thoughtfully, assess realistically, and migrate with confidence.

There's plenty more to say about Copilot being locked behind the F64 SKU paywall—but I'll leave that for another time.
 

CTA - Let's forward this to the Fabric License Decision-makers. 

Thanks!

[V-yubandi-msft]

Hi @libpekin ,

Have you had a chance to share your suggestion in the Ideas Forum? If not, I recommend posting it there, as it can help increase visibility for your idea and may influence future updates. The product team regularly reviews forum submissions, so your feedback could have a significant impact.

Yugandhar.

[V-yubandi-msft]

Hi @libpekin ,

Thank you for sharing your thoughtful and well explained perspective.  You make an good point accessibility is essential for encouraging more people to adopt and explore the platform. Your feedback on the current trial model is appreciated.

As @lbendlin  mentioned, Copilot workloads are no longer restricted to the F64 SKU. They can now run on paid SKUs starting from F2, making it easier for smaller teams to try out Fabrics AI features without needing large capacity.

Your input is valuable to the community, and discussions like this help drive progress. Thank @lbendlin , for being an engaged and thoughtful contributor it’s always appreciated.

Thanks & regards,
Communoity Support Team.

[libpekin]

Thank you @V-yubandi-msft for helping run Community Support! My hope is that my post gets forwarded to the right decision-makers.

Thanks

[V-yubandi-msft]

Thank you for your response, @libpekin. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please consider sharing them in the Ideas Forum. Microsoft reviews posts there, and community votes help determine which ideas are prioritized.

Whether you support an existing idea or propose something new, your input is valuable.

Fabric Ideas - Microsoft Fabric Community

Looking forward to your contributions there.

Thanks&regards,

Yugandhar.

[lbendlin]

If this is important to you please consider voting for an existing idea or raising a new one at https://ideas.fabric.microsoft.com

[libpekin]

This post is now a new Fabric Idea! @lbendlin @V-yubandi-msft please consider voting for the idea. Thanks!

[libpekin]

Thanks for that bit of information @lbendlin 

[lbendlin]

There's plenty more to say about Copilot being locked behind the F64 SKU paywall—but I'll leave that for another time.

CoPilot workloads can now run on lesser F SKUs, down to F2

Fabric Copilot capacity - Microsoft Fabric | Microsoft Learn