Microsoft Power BI vs. Sisense

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Microsoft Power BI
Score 8.3 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
Sisense
Score 8.3 out of 10
N/A
Sisense is a BI software and analytics platform. With what the vendor calls their In-Chip™ and Single Stack™ technologies, users have access to a comprehensive tool to analyze and visualize large, disparate data sets without IT resources.N/A
Pricing
Microsoft Power BISisense
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Microsoft Power BISisense
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsMust contact sales team for pricing.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Microsoft Power BISisense
Considered Both Products
Microsoft Power BI
Chose Microsoft Power BI
Cost-effective but has a lot of features to offer. The perfect tool to build reports and dashboards with a large amount of data and complex data modeling. End users do not require much knowledge to get used to the tool. Regular updates from Microsoft to add new features and has …
Chose Microsoft Power BI
Microsoft BI tool does a better job than most of the other software. The reason is excellent visualizations and its capability to connect with various other software and data sources. Tableau does a better job when it comes to tutorials and being more user-friendly. Also …
Sisense
Chose Sisense
Sisense truly stacks up against Power BI, Domo or Tableau as one of the most accurate data analysis applications that offers an intuitive approach to data exploration. You can use its web-based interface to tap the expertise of your data analytics team. They can build and share …
Chose Sisense
Sisense does very well against most of the tools in the market. We chose this tool because of its great visualizations and easy to deploy procedures. The reports are very easy to generate and distribute them across departments and organization. It provides a great interface to …
Chose Sisense
Before purchasing Sisense and began recommending it as a solution to our clients, we tested four other BI visualization tools. All four of these ranked high on the Gartner Magic Quadrant. We researched Domo, Looker, MS Power BI and Tableau. Looker could be a better solution if …
Chose Sisense
I've used a few different analytical engines over the last few years and none have the efficient ability as both a data manager and a dashboarding tool - usually, other platforms excel in one area or another. To expand further, tools that succeed in data management and …
Chose Sisense
Sisense can't compare to any tool for the ease of user, intuitive interface and "time to data". I gave been working with both large enterprise and small SMB's using Sisense, and it is amazing to see how small companies quickly learn how to use it and how practical and efficient …
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Microsoft Power BISisense
BI Standard Reporting
Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
7.3
138 Ratings
12% below category average
Sisense
8.7
46 Ratings
6% above category average
Pixel Perfect reports6.6118 Ratings8.036 Ratings
Customizable dashboards8.1138 Ratings9.046 Ratings
Report Formatting Templates7.3126 Ratings9.032 Ratings
Ad-hoc Reporting
Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
7.1
139 Ratings
13% below category average
Sisense
8.3
46 Ratings
2% above category average
Drill-down analysis7.3138 Ratings8.046 Ratings
Formatting capabilities6.5137 Ratings9.046 Ratings
Integration with R or other statistical packages7.6102 Ratings9.026 Ratings
Report sharing and collaboration7.0134 Ratings7.33 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
Sisense
8.2
45 Ratings
2% below category average
Publish to Web8.2128 Ratings8.035 Ratings
Publish to PDF8.2121 Ratings9.045 Ratings
Report Versioning7.3101 Ratings8.023 Ratings
Report Delivery Scheduling8.6103 Ratings8.038 Ratings
Delivery to Remote Servers6.873 Ratings00 Ratings
Data Discovery and Visualization
Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of Product A and Product B
Microsoft Power BI
7.6
135 Ratings
6% below category average
Sisense
9.0
44 Ratings
11% above category average
Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)7.6130 Ratings9.044 Ratings
Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization7.8121 Ratings9.041 Ratings
Predictive Analytics7.5101 Ratings9.028 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
Sisense
10.0
44 Ratings
15% above category average
Multi-User Support (named login)8.2120 Ratings10.044 Ratings
Role-Based Security Model8.8102 Ratings10.043 Ratings
Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)8.3110 Ratings10.044 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
Sisense
9.0
39 Ratings
12% above category average
Responsive Design for Web Access8.0111 Ratings9.039 Ratings
Mobile Application7.493 Ratings10.024 Ratings
Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile7.5112 Ratings8.033 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
Sisense
-
Ratings
REST API8.172 Ratings00 Ratings
Javascript API9.556 Ratings00 Ratings
iFrames8.055 Ratings00 Ratings
Java API7.946 Ratings00 Ratings
Themeable User Interface (UI)8.263 Ratings00 Ratings
Customizable Platform (Open Source)8.344 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Microsoft Power BISisense
Small Businesses
BrightGauge
BrightGauge
Score 8.9 out of 10
BrightGauge
BrightGauge
Score 8.9 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Reveal
Reveal
Score 9.9 out of 10
Reveal
Reveal
Score 9.9 out of 10
Enterprises
TIBCO Jaspersoft Community Edition
TIBCO Jaspersoft Community Edition
Score 9.7 out of 10
TIBCO Jaspersoft Community Edition
TIBCO Jaspersoft Community Edition
Score 9.7 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Microsoft Power BISisense
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(140 ratings)
6.1
(57 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(1 ratings)
8.9
(14 ratings)
Usability
8.9
(56 ratings)
8.0
(5 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
8.2
(1 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
8.2
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
8.0
(52 ratings)
9.0
(6 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
8.2
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
7.1
(3 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
8.2
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
8.2
(1 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
8.2
(1 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Microsoft Power BISisense
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
Sisense Ltd
I believe Sisense is perfectly suited for any organization of any size that have access to the proper resources, as the tool is very expensive. The data connectors come in all shapes and sizes out of the box, which allows a great deal of data control within the ElastiCubes. Additionally, while the platform only runs on Windows platforms, the web application can be accessed on any client: mobile, Apple, Windows, etc. This allows a much more flexible user experience, resulting in data and dashboards reaching further than any other tool.
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
Sisense Ltd
  • Customization - lots of supported and community plugins available. Users can also adjust the look and feel through JavaScript.
  • Innovation - Sisense is continuing to push the envelope by developing new features through Sisense Labs.
  • Customer support - the commitment to excellent customer service and ensuring organizations get the most out of their investment.
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
Sisense Ltd
  • The usability of the application on mobile devices needs some improvement, especially navigation and filtering.
  • Dashboards that are created by multiple users can be a bit of a hassle to share by Admins.
  • If you need to embed dashboards into your website, you are require to buy a license separate from the user and platform license. This is a norm on most BI visualization tools, but Sisense can seem a bit on the high side, cost-wide.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Microsoft
I find it helpful and easy to use
Read full review
Sisense Ltd
I think the business and myself as a user has come to rely on SiSense as a dashboarding and quick ad-hoc reporting tool. I am hoping to integrate SiSense dashboards into more parts of the business in the future. We have reduced our report turn-around time for the most part from hours/days to minutes and in some cases almost the speed of thought. Reports are also easier on the eye and more easily distributed. I would also like to say that the support and professionalism from the SiSense team has been excellent.
Read full review
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
Sisense Ltd
New V5 is ground floor of an exciting collection of possibilities. Weekly Sisense developers come up with new functionality that they share with us in their forums. The move to HTML5 has been pleasing in that widgets auto size themselves into appropriate forms in the board but everyone of them can be popped out to full page size to be looked at in more detail
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Sisense Ltd
There are very few situations when there is unexpected downtime. Mostly during development, new dashboard implementation and during upgrades. other then that there were very few crashes.
Read full review
Performance
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Sisense Ltd
SiSense is usually performing better then other solutions even if going for complex reports/dashboards(of course within reasonable frames). I haven't noticed any bad influence on other systems, usually if something happens it stays within SiSense.
Read full review
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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Sisense Ltd
SiSense's support ninjas are very knowledgeable and are exceptionally responsive. So far, all of the issues we ran into were resolved within minimum time. My sense of dealing with the support staff at SiSense is that they are very focused on not just answering your immediate question, but also to delve into the cause of the matter.
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In-Person Training
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Sisense Ltd
Easy and free training that allowed us quickly understand basics in SiSense and start using them. More advanced features requires some browsing through SiSense forums, but there is always support to help, and SiSense support is one of the best whith which I worked so far.
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Online Training
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Sisense Ltd
Many examples, videos and scenarios which you try on your own right away. This combined with in-person training gives you enough to utilize most of SiSense's power.
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Implementation Rating
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Sisense Ltd
Remember to migrate the plugins. The documentation however is pretty straight forward.
Read full review
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 .
Read full review
Sisense Ltd
1) Easy to use, really, there is nothing too much to say. The set up is easy and not confusing. You can use it internally or externally.
2) Customer Service, having spoken to various product reps from similar industry. Sisense rep provides you with the best support to get started, and it is really appreciated.
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Scalability
Microsoft
No answers on this topic
Sisense Ltd
Product is quite easily scalable. The whole installation can be easily moved to stronger machine if needed.
Read full review
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
Sisense Ltd
  • Report development time is reduced from 2~3 days to 2~3 hours.
  • Report querying time is improved from 0.5~10 mins to 2~30 seconds.
  • A 2-staff team delivers 10 times the BI output that we did on the old system.
  • We were able to deliver BI and data analysis for all business functions instead of a very limited group of users
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