Microsoft Power BI vs. Rational BI

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Microsoft Power BI
Score 8.4 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft 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.
$10
per month per user
Rational BI
Score 7.7 out of 10
Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
Rational BI provides analytics, data science and business intelligence in an analytical platform that connects to databases, data files and cloud drives including AWS and Azure data sources, enabling users to explore and visualize data. Users can build real-time notebook-style reports directly in a web browser with JavaScript and SQL with direct and live connections to data. Filter and query data with an SQL database embedded in the client, without network…
$0
single user
Pricing
Microsoft Power BIRational BI
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Free
$0
single user
Professional
$129
single user
Enterprise
Varies
single user
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Microsoft Power BIRational BI
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
Additional DetailsAdditional cost per extra user (varies by edition)
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Microsoft Power BIRational BI
Considered Both Products
Microsoft Power BI

No answer on this topic

Rational BI
Chose Rational BI
Today there are many companies providing BI solutions, and generally, I think Microsoft Power BI is the easiest go-to solution as it is part of the Office365 software. However all software solutions have their limitations, advantages, and disadvantages, but sometimes you don't …
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Microsoft Power BIRational BI
BI Standard Reporting
Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
7.2
138 Ratings
13% below category average
Rational BI
8.3
4 Ratings
1% below category average
Pixel Perfect reports6.5118 Ratings7.63 Ratings
Customizable dashboards8.0138 Ratings8.74 Ratings
Report Formatting Templates7.2126 Ratings8.54 Ratings
Ad-hoc Reporting
Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
7.0
139 Ratings
15% below category average
Rational BI
8.3
4 Ratings
3% above category average
Drill-down analysis7.2138 Ratings7.73 Ratings
Formatting capabilities6.4137 Ratings8.24 Ratings
Integration with R or other statistical packages7.5102 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Report sharing and collaboration7.0134 Ratings9.24 Ratings
Report Output and Scheduling
Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
7.8
133 Ratings
7% below category average
Rational BI
9.0
4 Ratings
7% above category average
Publish to Web8.1128 Ratings9.03 Ratings
Publish to PDF8.1121 Ratings9.04 Ratings
Report Versioning7.3101 Ratings8.63 Ratings
Report Delivery Scheduling8.7103 Ratings9.24 Ratings
Delivery to Remote Servers6.773 Ratings9.33 Ratings
Data Discovery and Visualization
Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
7.5
135 Ratings
7% below category average
Rational BI
8.2
4 Ratings
0% above category average
Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)7.5130 Ratings8.24 Ratings
Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization7.8121 Ratings8.33 Ratings
Predictive Analytics7.4101 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Access Control and Security
Comparison of Access Control and Security features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
8.2
126 Ratings
5% below category average
Rational BI
-
Ratings
Multi-User Support (named login)8.2120 Ratings00 Ratings
Role-Based Security Model8.8102 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)8.4110 Ratings00 Ratings
Report-Level Access Control7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Single Sign-On (SSO)8.694 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile Capabilities
Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
7.9
117 Ratings
1% below category average
Rational BI
-
Ratings
Responsive Design for Web Access8.0111 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile Application7.493 Ratings00 Ratings
Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile7.4112 Ratings00 Ratings
Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding
Comparison of Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
8.4
80 Ratings
6% above category average
Rational BI
-
Ratings
REST API8.172 Ratings00 Ratings
Javascript API9.656 Ratings00 Ratings
iFrames8.055 Ratings00 Ratings
Java API7.946 Ratings00 Ratings
Themeable User Interface (UI)8.263 Ratings00 Ratings
Customizable Platform (Open Source)8.444 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Microsoft Power BIRational BI
Small Businesses
BrightGauge
BrightGauge
Score 8.9 out of 10
IBM SPSS Modeler
IBM SPSS Modeler
Score 7.8 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Reveal
Reveal
Score 9.9 out of 10
Mathematica
Mathematica
Score 8.2 out of 10
Enterprises
Jaspersoft Community Edition
Jaspersoft Community Edition
Score 9.7 out of 10
IBM SPSS Modeler
IBM SPSS Modeler
Score 7.8 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Microsoft Power BIRational BI
Likelihood to Recommend
7.9
(140 ratings)
7.7
(4 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(56 ratings)
8.7
(4 ratings)
Support Rating
7.9
(52 ratings)
7.7
(4 ratings)
User Testimonials
Microsoft Power BIRational BI
Likelihood to Recommend
Microsoft
In operations we use the tool for many different topics, from factory quality systems to high level reviews. We have created kind of an internal "App Store" based on Power BI where you have a lot of different dashboards for different solutions (cost, cash, health and safety, sales, factories, distribution centers...) and you as an user just need to get in that "App Store" and enter in whatever tool can be useful for you. It is open to all the operations employees and can use on demand. Also it has raised the imagination of our colleagues, as they are not only working by themselves creating new reports, but also raising fantastic ideas that can be extended for the usage of all the community.
Read full review
Rational BI
Definitely well suited for small companies, but again many of their competitors are also well suited in this segment. We were in general happy with the solution provided, but I'm not blown away by their solution or support. If you want to get more data-driven visual boards with data displayed in nice graphics is in my opinion a good start, and here Rational BI delivers what it should.
Read full review
Pros
Microsoft
  • Quickly filter and view granular data sets with easily configurable reporting figures.
  • The ability to quickly switch between tabs allows for historical data comparisons and progress tracking.
  • It's helpful to dive into the data and break it down from high levels to small.
  • Achieve actionable insights faster by using real-time data. It's incredible to have online access to reports.
Read full review
Rational BI
  • Arrange data.
  • Dashboard.
  • Automatic reports.
Read full review
Cons
Microsoft
  • The desktop app is great but needs a lot of performance improvements
  • No MacOS Version for the Desktop app, this is a big limitation for business since executives prefer Macs
  • Premium Cloud Version of Power BI is awfully expensive
  • On-Premise Version of the Power BI Reports Server is bundled only with SQL Server Enterprise License and cannot be purchased separately and requires Software Assurance Subscription
  • On-Premise Power BI Report Server doesn't support ADFS, AzureAD or any Claims-Based authentication platform, a sad disadvantage for enterprises
Read full review
Rational BI
  • Not seeing anything at this time, comprehensive product.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Microsoft
I find it helpful and easy to use
Read full review
Rational BI
No answers on this topic
Usability
Microsoft
At this point, I think we all know who has taken the lead in the business intelligence and analytics market worldwide. With fresh new updates every other day on top of an already robustly built product with all features that one can dream of is a no brainer, I feel. Microsoft will invariably be synonymous with quality and professionalism.
Read full review
Rational BI
Overall Rational BI is a valuable enterprise reporting tool for any data driven organization. It offers great depth and breadth of features for reporting and analytics that can lead to better business outcomes. Its easy to use and highly configurable to evolve to changing reporting needs of organizations of any scale.
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Support Rating
Microsoft
I can't really speak to the support overall, [but] I will say that in the almost three years I have used the system, I have only needed to contact their support team once. I think the team was helpful, but it did take some time for us to resolve the issues/ request that they had. I guess the good news is that the system is pretty stable, and I personally have rarely needed to contact their technical support team.
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Rational BI
I haven't used the support myself, but my colleagues have been satisfied with the support. As I have understood from my colleagues the support is as you could expect. Still, the documentation could be better and that could avoid the need to contact their support, but overall we're still happy with the support as well.
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Alternatives Considered
Microsoft
[Microsoft] Power BI is practical and effective, like a hammer for a nail, it is easy to use and produces very quickly the results that in most cases are urgently required by clients (nice reports to share on the web). To start using [Microsoft] Power BI you need a business email address, with that you create an account in Power BI Service and in less than 1 hour you will have installed Power BI Desktop, a report will have been created and it will have been published on the web .
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Rational BI
Rational BI allows a deeper data analysis with respect to the other software I experimented with. The velocity to perform the analysis is similar to the other one. The predictive analysis could be very useful, but at the moment I do not use it in my activities. Dashboards are nice and easy to understand.
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Return on Investment
Microsoft
  • It helps us track and achieve company goals.
  • It shows us [our] performance in areas we could not previously track and allows us to see and work on how to improve their performance.
  • Quick easy access for executives to use in helping teams and addressing issues.
Read full review
Rational BI
  • Allows folks to work on other items as reporting is done in the background.
  • Scheduling and delivery of reports with one click.
  • Single pane of management.
  • Ease of use.
Read full review
ScreenShots

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

Rational BI Screenshots

Screenshot of Modern Business IntelligenceScreenshot of Drag-and-drop InsightsScreenshot of Accessible for everyone, power when you need itScreenshot of Beautiful analytics on every screen and deviceScreenshot of Scheduled reporting: Broadcast your findings to everyoneScreenshot of Connect all your data no matter where it lives