Licensing

[IainC]

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

[BhavinVyas3003 · Accepted solution]

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.

[v-venuppu]

Hi @IainC ,

I hope the information provided is helpful.I wanted to check whether you were able to resolve the issue with the provided solutions.Please let us know if you need any further assistance.

Thank you.

[v-venuppu]

Hi @IainC ,

May I ask if you have resolved this issue? Please let us know if you have any further issues, we are happy to help.

Thank you.

[v-venuppu]

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.

[ribisht17 · Accepted solution]

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

[rohit1991]

Hi @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.

[IainC]

thank you

[BhavinVyas3003 · Accepted solution]

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.

[jaineshp]

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 Developer

[IainC]

thank you

[FBergamaschi]

Pro locence, 14 USD per user and per month

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[IainC]

thank you

[FBergamaschi]

Pls give kudos and mark as solutions answers that gave you what you were looking for. Thaks