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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Microsoft BI (MSBI)

    Score8.5 out of 10
    N/AMicrosoft BI is a business intelligence product used for data analysis and generating reports on server-based data. It features unlimited data analysis capacity with its reporting engine, SQL Server Reporting Services alongside ETL, master data management, and data cleansing.

    $14

    per month per user

    Zoho Creator

    Score7.7 out of 10
    Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
    Zoho Creator is a low-code application development platform for building enterprise-class applications that run on mobile, tablet, and web. It is designed to allow users to create custom forms, configure workflows, build pages, and deploy apps quickly.

    $12

    per month per user

    Pricing
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)Zoho Creator
    Editions & Modules
    Power BI Pro
    $14
    per month per user
    Power BI Premium
    $24
    per month per user
    Standard
    $12
    per month per user
    Professional
    $30
    per month per user
    Enterprise
    $37
    per month per user
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)Zoho Creator
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
    Additional Details—Add-ons: Customer Portal: $100/month onwards Premium Support : 20% of license fees Enterprise support: 25% of license fees
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)Zoho Creator
    Considered Both Products
    Microsoft
    No answer on this topic
    Zoho
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    15 Answers
    95%
    Would buy again
    19 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    15 Answers
    95%
    Delivers good value for the price
    19 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    15 Answers
    95%
    Happy with the feature set
    19 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    13 Answers
    95%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    18 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    11 Answers
    95%
    Implementation went as expected
    18 Answers
    Features
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)Zoho Creator
    BI Standard Reporting
    Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Zoho Creator
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    9.0
    53 Ratings
    10% above category average
    Zoho Creator
    -
    Ratings
    Pixel Perfect reports8.546 Ratings00 Ratings
    Customizable dashboards9.653 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report Formatting Templates8.951 Ratings00 Ratings
    Ad-hoc Reporting
    Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Zoho Creator
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    8.5
    53 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Zoho Creator
    -
    Ratings
    Drill-down analysis8.548 Ratings00 Ratings
    Formatting capabilities8.253 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integration with R or other statistical packages8.342 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report sharing and collaboration8.953 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report Output and Scheduling
    Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Zoho Creator
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    8.5
    52 Ratings
    3% above category average
    Zoho Creator
    -
    Ratings
    Publish to Web9.348 Ratings00 Ratings
    Publish to PDF9.148 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report Versioning7.444 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report Delivery Scheduling8.547 Ratings00 Ratings
    Delivery to Remote Servers8.426 Ratings00 Ratings
    Data Discovery and Visualization
    Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Zoho Creator
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    8.7
    52 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Zoho Creator
    -
    Ratings
    Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)9.651 Ratings00 Ratings
    Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization8.748 Ratings00 Ratings
    Predictive Analytics7.745 Ratings00 Ratings
    Pattern Recognition and Data Mining8.76 Ratings00 Ratings
    Access Control and Security
    Comparison of Access Control and Security features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Zoho Creator
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    9.3
    53 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Zoho Creator
    -
    Ratings
    Multi-User Support (named login)9.449 Ratings00 Ratings
    Role-Based Security Model9.347 Ratings00 Ratings
    Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)8.949 Ratings00 Ratings
    Report-Level Access Control9.36 Ratings00 Ratings
    Single Sign-On (SSO)9.431 Ratings00 Ratings
    Mobile Capabilities
    Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Zoho Creator
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    8.0
    42 Ratings
    3% above category average
    Zoho Creator
    -
    Ratings
    Responsive Design for Web Access8.239 Ratings00 Ratings
    Mobile Application8.030 Ratings00 Ratings
    Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile7.739 Ratings00 Ratings
    Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding
    Comparison of Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Zoho Creator
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    8.5
    24 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Zoho Creator
    -
    Ratings
    REST API9.221 Ratings00 Ratings
    Javascript API8.821 Ratings00 Ratings
    iFrames8.820 Ratings00 Ratings
    Java API8.718 Ratings00 Ratings
    Themeable User Interface (UI)8.021 Ratings00 Ratings
    Customizable Platform (Open Source)7.319 Ratings00 Ratings
    Low-Code Development
    Comparison of Low-Code Development features of Microsoft BI (MSBI) and Zoho Creator
    Feature
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)
    -
    Ratings
    Zoho Creator
    7.9
    18 Ratings
    6% below category average
    Visual Modeling00 Ratings7.717 Ratings
    Drag-and-drop Interfaces00 Ratings8.917 Ratings
    Platform Security00 Ratings7.918 Ratings
    Platform User Management00 Ratings7.818 Ratings
    Reusability00 Ratings7.018 Ratings
    Platform Scalability00 Ratings7.918 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)Zoho Creator
    Small Businesses
    Cyfe
    Score4 out of 10
    OutSystems
    Score6.4 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Qlik Cloud Analytics (Qlik Sense)
    Score8.1 out of 10
    AppSheet
    Score8.2 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Jaspersoft Community Edition
    Score7 out of 10
    Oracle APEX
    Score9.1 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)Zoho Creator
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.9
    (77 ratings)
    8.8
    (24 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    8.0
    (25 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Usability
    8.9
    (19 ratings)
    8.0
    (18 ratings)
    Availability
    9.5
    (2 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    7.0
    (2 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.9
    (15 ratings)
    9.8
    (4 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    6.9
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Online Training
    8.5
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    9.6
    (7 ratings)
    8.0
    (2 ratings)
    Configurability
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Data Sharing and Collaboration
    8.5
    (42 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Data Sources
    8.4
    (41 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Microsoft BI (MSBI)Zoho Creator
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Microsoft
    Microsoft BI has a lot of features and is a very powerful tool, especially if you have folks on your team that know how to utilize all of its capabilities. To truly unlock all that it can do, it does require people to have a deep understanding of its capabilities. That's where the software really shines. If you are looking for a simpler, more basic reporting tool, there are other programs available that do not require such a steep learning curve.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zoho
    If you are using some application of Zoho and want some more functionality into it, Use Zoho creator to develop a separate app as per requirement and integrate it with your Zoho App. Small organization can use creator to make apps but it can be used for small range of storage, For Large organization , it may be not feasible.
    Incentivized
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    Pros
    Microsoft
    • Comparatively easy to use compared to other data analytics solutions, collaborating with other colleagues on data work is simple.
    • Using Visual Studio for database, ETL, reporting, and analytics development save time and money.
    • Transfer of data from one application to another via Excel and comparison of data attributes between applications
    • Dashboard functionality, as well as Python support, are available, allowing you to add additional charts and graphs.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zoho
    • Accountability for each employee work which is very vital for any organization
    • Making operations very simple even that a simple lay man would be able to perform detailed work like a pro
    • Data tracking in live was made possible
    • Using proper Manpower for the work they are apt.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Microsoft
    • MSBI designs can work on increasing data processing capabilities enough to handle the huge datasets etc.
    • It would be a lot better if it is a little low on cost.
    • it needs to create opportunities little more than they do regarding customization of some very unique visualization effects
    Read full review
    Zoho
    • In C6, the new setup of permissions is not logical. Admins now have access to every application rather than specific applications, which impacts data confidentiality.
    • In C6, the new feature for having multiple environments is very limited as it does not work for ZOHO Creator applications that are linked to other Zoho Creator applications in the same workspace - which is not logical at all.
    • In C6, the revised permissions for Developers do not allow the developer to assign permissions to users or to publish forms, reports, pages, etc....which again is not logical.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Microsoft
    Microsoft BI is fundamental to our suite of BI applications. That being said, Northcraft Analytics is focused on delighting our customers, so if the underlying factors of our decision change, we would choose to re-write our BI applications on a different stack. Luckily, mathematics are the fundamental IP of our technology... and is portable across all BI platforms for the foreseeable future.
    Read full review
    Zoho
    Today Zoho Creator is included in our current plan from Zoho One, but if it was needed to pay apart it should be done because the software we created became very important for our team. The use of Zoho Creator contributes to endorse the Zoho One subscription year after year.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Microsoft
    The Microsoft BI tools have great usability for both developers and end users alike. For developers familiar with Visual Studio, there is little learning curve. For those not, the single Visual Studio IDE means not having to learn separate tools for each component. For end-users, the web interface for SSRS is simple to navigate with intuitive controls. For ad-hoc analysis, Excel can connect directly to SSAS and provide a pivot table like experience which is familiar to many users. For database development, there is beginning to be some confusion, as there are now three tool choices (VS, SSMS, Azure Data Studio) for developers. I would like to see Azure Data Studio become the superset of SSMS and eventually supplant it.
    Incentivized
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    Zoho
    Its quite easy if one has the need, interest and passion to build applications and solutions through low-code. One example would be, that my finance head who has absolutely nothing to do with tech and apps, is now able to create apps and manage Zoho Creator all by himself. So its all about the interest and how much time we put to learn the tool. Having said that, its quite easy to learn the tool and create anything that's within our scope of knowledge.
    Incentivized
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    Reliability and Availability
    Microsoft
    The product has been reliable.
    Read full review
    Zoho
    In an earlier comment, I mentioned Zoho's excellent uptime. I have been using the system for over 6 years, and have experienced only momentary outages, and of those, only a hand full over the years. It is extremely reliable
    Incentivized
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    Performance
    Microsoft
    SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) can drag at times. We created two report servers and placed them under an F5 load balancer. This configuration has worked well. We have seen sluggish performance at times due to the Windows Firewall.
    Read full review
    Zoho
    We do not integrate Zoho with other systems at this time, but rarely are searches, database exports, record edits or creation tasks ever slow enough to notice. It is quite usable
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Microsoft
    MSBI natively has a site that allows you to vote on user enhancements and bug fixes. This allows the largest nagging issues to float to the top and the development team can prioritize accordingly. As mentioned earlier, the large community base of MSBI developers assist technical resources in handling technical questions.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zoho
    I recommend Zoho Creator very often. A lot of companies go big earlier than they need to and spend way too much on SalesForce & Marketo. I worked for a small company with some limited budget that pivoted to sell it's product to the Enterprise. Zoho Creator was incredibly easy to set up, intuitive to use, and contains all the most essential features that most users need and seek in SalesForce. We integrated with MailChimp & Unbounce and were able to be incredibly useful in acquiring leads, nurturing them, and tracking pipeline in Zoho Creator. Our small sales team found it very easy to use and loved it.
    Incentivized
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    In-Person Training
    Microsoft
    This training was more directed toward what the product was capable of rather than actual programming.
    Read full review
    Zoho
    No answers on this topic
    Online Training
    Microsoft
    I have used on-line training from Microsoft and from Pragmatic Works. I would recommend Pragmatic Works as the best way to get up to speed quickly, and then use the Microsoft on-line training to deep dive into specific features that you need to get depth with.
    Read full review
    Zoho
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    Microsoft
    We are a consulting firm and as such our best resources are always billing on client projects. Our internal implementation has weaknesses, but that's true for any company like ours. My rating is based on the product's ease of implementation.
    Read full review
    Zoho
    Even if it is a easy to use platform, it got some issues on the implementation that could easily handle by IT teams. In our scenario this team don't exist anymore, and the business/marketing team had their expectations that it was quickier to be implemented. So, consider a professional help on this implementation could be cost more (of cource) but it would be helpful to manage the issues and expectations.
    Incentivized
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    Alternatives Considered
    Microsoft
    We have used the built in ConnectWise Manager reports and custom reports. The reports provide static data. PowerBI shows us live data we can drill down into and easily adjust parameters. It's much more useful than a static PDF report.
    Incentivized
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    Zoho
    Zoho Creator stands out for its balance of affordability, ease of use, and powerful customization options. While it may not offer the same level of enterprise-scale features as platforms like OutSystems or Mendix, it provides a robust solution that meets the needs of many businesses, especially those looking for an integrated, cost-effective low-code platform with strong support for both simple and complex applications.
    Incentivized
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    Scalability
    Microsoft
    No answers on this topic
    Zoho
    Zoho is incredibly versatile. Much thought was put in to the way the platform functions. I've yet to face a situation where Zoho would not be able to do what I needed. That being said, because of its power, it can also be a bit intimidating technically. Simple needs are simple. More complex needs are ... more complex! Overall, it's a powerful, robust platform
    Incentivized
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    Return on Investment
    Microsoft
    • As a SaaS provider we see being able to provide self-service BI to our client users as a competitive advantage. In fact the MSSQL enabled BI is a contributing factor to many winning RFPs we have done for prospective client organisations.
    • However MSSQL BI requires extensive knowledge and skills to design and develop data warehouses & data models as a foundation to support business analysts and users to interrogate data effectively and efficiently. Often times we find having strong in-house MSSQL expertise is a bless.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Zoho
    • With using Zoho Creator we are able to build apps that we may otherwise pay a pretty penny for. We may risk some features we could get from a 3rd party app but the fact that the data we do collect can easily syn with our CRM and Accounting systems makes up for this.
    • Negatively speaking, it takes time to fine tune and really craft your application. I am not a coder, nor do I have a coding background, so patience is key as you design and build out your application.
    Incentivized
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    ScreenShots

    Zoho Creator Screenshots

    Screenshot of Multi-Platform App builderScreenshot of Dashboards created using Zoho CreatorScreenshot of An overview of Hotel management dashboardScreenshot of Schedule and manage eventsScreenshot of BI and AnalyticsScreenshot of Help Desk overview