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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Appian

    Score7.9 out of 10
    N/AAppian is a low-code development and business process management platform. It features drag-and-drop design for app building, automated work processes, unified data management, and cloud-based deployment.

    $0

    Microsoft Power BI

    Score8.5 out of 10
    N/AMicrosoft Power BI is a visualization and data discovery tool from Microsoft. It allows users to convert data into visuals and graphics, visually explore and analyze data, collaborate on interactive dashboards and reports, and scale across their organization with built-in governance and security.

    $168

    per year per user

    Pricing
    AppianMicrosoft Power BI
    Editions & Modules
    Appian Community Edition
    $0
    Application - Input-Only
    $2
    per month per user
    Application - Infrequent
    $9
    per month per user
    Application - Standard
    $75
    per month per user
    Platform
    Custom Quote Priced per user with unlimited apps.
    minimum 100 users, no maximum
    Unlimited
    Custom Quote Priced per development with unlimited apps.
    unlimited
    Power BI Pro
    $14
    per month (billed annually) per user
    Power BI Premium
    $24
    per month (billed annually) per user
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    AppianMicrosoft Power BI
    Free Trial
    YesYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details—Power BI Desktop is the data exploration and report authoring experience for Power BI, and is available as a free download.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    AppianMicrosoft Power BI
    Considered Both Products
    Appian
    No answer on this topic
    Microsoft
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    95%
    Would buy again
    38 Answers
    96%
    Would buy again
    110 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    32 Answers
    97%
    Delivers good value for the price
    103 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    93%
    Happy with the feature set
    37 Answers
    97%
    Happy with the feature set
    112 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    96%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    25 Answers
    99%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    69 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    91%
    Implementation went as expected
    30 Answers
    95%
    Implementation went as expected
    73 Answers
    Features
    AppianMicrosoft Power BI
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Appian and Microsoft Power BI
    Feature
    Appian
    8.1
    9 Ratings
    4% above category average
    Microsoft Power BI
    -
    Ratings
    Dashboards8.29 Ratings00 Ratings
    Standard reports8.59 Ratings00 Ratings
    Custom reports7.69 Ratings00 Ratings
    Process Engine
    Comparison of Process Engine features of Appian and Microsoft Power BI
    Feature
    Appian
    7.4
    9 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Microsoft Power BI
    -
    Ratings
    Process designer7.99 Ratings00 Ratings
    Process simulation6.49 Ratings00 Ratings
    Business rules engine6.49 Ratings00 Ratings
    SOA support8.29 Ratings00 Ratings
    Process player7.39 Ratings00 Ratings
    Form builder7.69 Ratings00 Ratings
    Model execution8.59 Ratings00 Ratings
    BI Standard Reporting
    Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of Appian and Microsoft Power BI
    Feature
    Appian
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Power BI
    8.1
    198 Ratings
    1% below category average
    Pixel Perfect reports00 Ratings8.1169 Ratings
    Customizable dashboards00 Ratings8.6197 Ratings
    Report Formatting Templates00 Ratings7.7180 Ratings
    Ad-hoc Reporting
    Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of Appian and Microsoft Power BI
    Feature
    Appian
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Power BI
    7.9
    196 Ratings
    1% below category average
    Drill-down analysis00 Ratings8.4193 Ratings
    Formatting capabilities00 Ratings7.7193 Ratings
    Integration with R or other statistical packages00 Ratings7.4143 Ratings
    Report sharing and collaboration00 Ratings8.1191 Ratings
    Report Output and Scheduling
    Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of Appian and Microsoft Power BI
    Feature
    Appian
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Power BI
    7.9
    189 Ratings
    4% below category average
    Publish to Web00 Ratings8.1179 Ratings
    Publish to PDF00 Ratings7.7174 Ratings
    Report Versioning00 Ratings7.7145 Ratings
    Report Delivery Scheduling00 Ratings8.3148 Ratings
    Delivery to Remote Servers00 Ratings7.9111 Ratings
    Data Discovery and Visualization
    Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of Appian and Microsoft Power BI
    Feature
    Appian
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Power BI
    7.7
    189 Ratings
    4% below category average
    Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)00 Ratings8.3183 Ratings
    Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization00 Ratings8.1168 Ratings
    Predictive Analytics00 Ratings7.1138 Ratings
    Pattern Recognition and Data Mining00 Ratings7.339 Ratings
    Access Control and Security
    Comparison of Access Control and Security features of Appian and Microsoft Power BI
    Feature
    Appian
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Power BI
    8.3
    180 Ratings
    2% below category average
    Multi-User Support (named login)00 Ratings8.6169 Ratings
    Role-Based Security Model00 Ratings8.1148 Ratings
    Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)00 Ratings8.1160 Ratings
    Report-Level Access Control00 Ratings8.149 Ratings
    Single Sign-On (SSO)00 Ratings8.5141 Ratings
    Mobile Capabilities
    Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of Appian and Microsoft Power BI
    Feature
    Appian
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Power BI
    7.9
    162 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Responsive Design for Web Access00 Ratings7.5152 Ratings
    Mobile Application00 Ratings7.5133 Ratings
    Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile00 Ratings7.8155 Ratings
    Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding
    Comparison of Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding features of Appian and Microsoft Power BI
    Feature
    Appian
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Power BI
    7.6
    116 Ratings
    2% below category average
    REST API00 Ratings7.7104 Ratings
    Javascript API00 Ratings7.485 Ratings
    iFrames00 Ratings8.055 Ratings
    Java API00 Ratings6.669 Ratings
    Themeable User Interface (UI)00 Ratings7.291 Ratings
    Customizable Platform (Open Source)00 Ratings8.444 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    AppianMicrosoft Power BI
    Small Businesses
    Bizagi
    Score8.3 out of 10
    Cyfe
    Score4 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation
    Score9 out of 10
    Zendesk Explore
    Score8.1 out of 10
    Enterprises
    IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation
    Score9 out of 10
    Jaspersoft Community Edition
    Score7 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    AppianMicrosoft Power BI
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.4
    (139 ratings)
    8.6
    (199 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    8.5
    (19 ratings)
    9.6
    (3 ratings)
    Usability
    8.7
    (95 ratings)
    8.3
    (115 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.4
    (118 ratings)
    10.0
    (52 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Online Training
    6.0
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    1.0
    (5 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Data Sharing and Collaboration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.5
    (82 ratings)
    Data Sources
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (81 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    AppianMicrosoft Power BI
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Appian
    Appian works great for automating manual processes and integrating multiple systems through its toolset. It gives great flexibility for establishing rules for approvals, routings, escalations, and the like. Because of the low code toolset, it's very easy to deploy and make changes as needed as processes evolve and as the organization learns to utilize the system better. Minimal maintenance is required to support the applications build on the platform. Some of the automated testing integration with tools like Jenkins is limited so that may be an issue for some.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    Has significantly improved collation of data and visualisation especially with business across Europe. Has given me the ability to see the Site availability at the click of a button to see which Site is in the "money" and seize opportunities based on Market data
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Appian
    • Allows at a glance workflow documentation which assists in the need we have for information readiation.
    • Drag and drop interface for workflow development greatly speeds our apps time to market.
    • Using the advanced features of Appian, we are able to create working sites in a fraction of the time it would take to do so using "traditional" development.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • Options for data source connections are immense. Not just which sources, but your options for *how* the data is brought in.
    • Constant updates (this is both good and bad at times).
    • User friendliness. I can get the data connections set up and draft some quick visuals, then release to the target audience and let them expand on it how they want to.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Appian
    • Search issues when type ahead and database search are used in the same field.
    • Buttons implementation where user is require[d] to click on the button description - if clicks on the button outside that text - button will not work.
    • Problems with using certain off-the-shelf performance tools like WebLoad or Neoload. That is because of different dynamic variables being used internally in Appian - which these tools are unable to correlate. We are still investigating using other tools like Jmeter to overcome dynamic correlation problem for performance testing.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • It would be easier for users could Microsoft Power BI and Excel used the same programming languages.
    • Would like to see the online version of Microsoft Power BI be as powerful as the desktop version.
    • Publishing a Microsoft Power BI file online and then having to save the file is somewhat redundant.
    • Would like to export each page or chart as an image.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Appian
    We recently renewed our license with Appian. We are convinced that its flexibility, relative ease of use, the support they provide, there mobile advancements and their general willingness and desire to see us succeed all contributed to our reason to renew our agreement with Appian
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    Microsoft Power BI is an excellent and scalable tool. It has a learning curve, but once you get past that, the sky is the limit and you can build from the most simple to the most complex dashboards. I have built everything from simple reports with only a few data points to complex reports with many pages and advanced filtering.
    Read full review
    Usability
    Appian
    Appian is a low code environment, because of this, a very good visual interface is required. Appian is providing a feature-rich dashboard [that] we can use for building the dashboards and other interfaces. Appian also provides patches and releases to enhance these features. A developer can start off development just by going through a basic course from the Appian learning community.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    Automating reporting has reduced manual data processing by 50-70%, freeing up analysts for higher-value tasks. A finance team that previously spent 20+ hours per week on Excel-based reports now does it in minutes with Microsoft Power BI's automated Real-time dashboards have shortened decision cycles by 30-40%, enabling leadership to react quickly to sales trends, operational bottlenecks, and customer behavior.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Appian
    Appian is one of the leading low code business automation platforms that support RPA, decision rules, case management, workflow automation, and machine learning all in a single bundle. But it is also harder to implement and replace the traditional business process.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    It is a fantastic tool, you can do almost everything related with data and reports, it is a perfect substitutive of Power Point and Excel with a high evolution and flexibility, and also it is very friendly and easy to share. I think all companies should have Power BI (or other BI tool) in their software package and if they are in the MS Suite, for sure Power BI should be the one due to all the benefits of the MS ecosystem.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    Appian
    As analyst I participated in a developer boot camp. At times it was hard to keep up but most of the time it made sense. Trainer took the time to explain and slowed pace down to answer questions etc.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Online Training
    Appian
    Very boring; hard to get through quickly, but rather effective in demonstrating the use of the platform.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    Appian
    It was really seamless. SaaS in the true definition of the word. We logged on and started using the product. Very easy.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    It was integrated with our erp easily and was accessible on cloud.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Appian
    Appian has enormously transformed and keeps on updating the product every quarter to meet the latest needs of the world with new innovations & technologies being integrated within the platform. What gives more pleasure than a product that keeps on continuous[ly] improv[ing]?
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    Microsoft Power BI is free. If I didn't want to create a custom platform (i.e. my organization insisted on an existing platform that I *had* to use), I'd use Microsoft Power BI. For any start-up or SMB, I'd just use Claude & Grok to build it quickly, also for free. Would not pay for Tableau or Sigma anymore. Not worth it at all.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Appian
    • I believe it has negatively impacted our release dates. There may have been a misunderstanding as to the learning curve, even though it is "low code."
    • The look and feel of the applications created using Appian have uniformity and it's easier to have "reuse" between applications.
    • There is less developer control when it comes to features. I think this mainly has to do with the amount of plugins available. I would think there should be many more available plugins. But again, our use case is probably different than most others.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • Power BI usage reduced the effort of analytical reports creation by about 80%
    • Empowered all the level of employee to be more vigilant of the data and business insights, gained the profit of 8% overall.
    • AI-powered predictive analytics improved forecasting accuracy by 17%, that topped the overall sales.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Appian Screenshots

    Screenshot of Low-Code DevelopmentScreenshot of Business Process Management SuiteScreenshot of Dynamic Case ManagementScreenshot of Mobile App DevelopmentScreenshot of Appian RPA with Blue Prism

    Microsoft Power BI Screenshots

    Screenshot of Microsoft Power BI - Turns insights into impact for business usersScreenshot of Power BI integrates easily with Microsoft 365Screenshot of Microsoft Power BI - AI-Powered CapabilitiesScreenshot of Microsoft Power BI - Copilot can be used to create reportsScreenshot of Microsoft Power BI - Data HubScreenshot of Microsoft Power BI - Scales as organizational needs grow