Dashboards and data visualization · November 2026 Edition
Microsoft Power BI vs Tableau
Thirteen of fourteen models named Microsoft Power BI first on the direct prompt; one named Tableau. Both were named by all fourteen models and Microsoft Power BI carries 76 labels and Tableau 61, so the shares are not directly comparable.
By Microsoft, Vancouver, Canada, founded 1975. Named in four categories this edition.
Named in seven categories this edition.
First-choice share65%4%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate9%16%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#1#3A position in a field of 13; printed, not drawn.
Labels7661A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, Microsoft Power BI reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Looker was named alongside these two in eight of the fourteen direct answers. Microsoft Power BI vs Looker Studio · Microsoft Power BI vs Metabase · Microsoft Power BI vs Zoho Analytics
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the dashboards and data visualization page.
By framing
How many of the fourteen models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
Microsoft Power BIFirst choices, of fourteen modelsTableau
Direct1311 against Tableau
Paraphrase120
Comparative82
Budget-constrained30
Scale-constrained41
Negative107 against Microsoft Power BI · 9 against Tableau
Bars are first choices, 0 to 14 each sideModels that argued againstA model can name both, so the two sides of a row do not sum to fourteen.
Across every category in the November 2026 Edition, Microsoft Power BI and Tableau were named in the same answer 203 times, of the 281 answers naming Microsoft Power BI and the 244 naming Tableau. In those answers Tableau took the first choice five times and Microsoft Power BI ninety-seven.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where Microsoft Power BI and Tableau stood in it.
| Model | Direct | Paraphrase | Comparative | Budget-constrained | Scale-constrained | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | | | | |||
| GPT-5.4 mini | | | | | | |
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | | | | | | |
| Perplexity Sonar | | | | | ||
| Grok 4.20 | | | | | | |
| Mistral Small | | | | |||
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | | | | | | |
| Llama 4 Maverick | | | | |||
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | | | | | ||
| Kimi K2 | | | | | | |
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | | | | | | |
| MiniMax M2.5 | | | | | | |
| GPT-6 Luna | | | | | | |
| Muse Glimmer 30B | | | |
Microsoft Power BI Tableau first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Microsoft Power BI on the left and Tableau on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Microsoft Power BI and Tableau stood in it.
Microsoft Power BI first, Tableau an alternative
13 of 14 modelsTableau was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.GPT-5.4 miniMicrosoft Power BI alternatives: Looker, Tableau
Gemini 3.5 FlashMicrosoft Power BI alternatives: Looker, Metabase, Sigma
Perplexity SonarMicrosoft Power BI alternatives: Looker, Metabase, Tableau, Zoho Analytics
Grok 4.20Microsoft Power BI alternatives: Domo, Looker, Qlik Sense
Mistral SmallMicrosoft Power BI alternatives: Databox, Tableau
DeepSeek V4 FlashMicrosoft Power BI alternatives: Databox, Metabase, Tableau
Llama 4 MaverickMicrosoft Power BI alternatives: Databox
Qwen 3.7 FlashMicrosoft Power BI alternatives: Databox, Tableau
Kimi K2Microsoft Power BI alternatives: Databox, Domo, Tableau
GLM 4.7 FlashXMicrosoft Power BI alternatives: Databox, Looker Studio, Tableau
MiniMax M2.5Domo, Microsoft Power BI alternatives: Databox, Looker, Tableau
GPT-6 LunaMicrosoft Power BI alternatives: Looker, Sigma
Muse Glimmer 30BMicrosoft Power BI alternatives: Databox, Looker, Tableau
Tableau first, Microsoft Power BI an alternative
1 of 14 modelsMicrosoft Power BI was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Claude Haiku 4.5Tableau alternatives: Looker, Microsoft Power BI, Qlik Sense, Sisense
Bold names in an answer are the products the judge labeled a first choice; a model naming several gives each of them that label. The full answer text for every row is in the record.
By buyer segment
The same question asked on behalf of a different buyer. Each standing is computed within its segment and they are never added together. The figures above are the mid-market standing, which is the one the category orders by.
Small business
Microsoft Power BI leads by forty-six points.
Microsoft Power BI46%#1 of 9Tableau0%#9 of 9Mid-marketThe figures above
Microsoft Power BI leads by sixty-one points.
Microsoft Power BI65%#1 of 13Tableau4%#3 of 13Enterprise
Microsoft Power BI leads by forty-four points.
Microsoft Power BI61%#1 of 13Tableau18%#2 of 13What the models said about Microsoft Power BI
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“Extremely popular and cost-effective, but watch for specialist needs (like building complex models), reconciliation errors, and AI that doesn't always meet hype.” Grok 4.20 · negative prompt · soft negative
“Power BI deeply locks you into Microsoft and can struggle with performance and governance when querying massive, complex datasets” Claude Haiku 4.5 · negative prompt · soft negative
“Power BI, for example, has meaningful differences between Free, Pro, and PPU, and sharing/collaboration can require paid licenses” GPT-5.4 mini · negative prompt · soft negative
“The strongest general-purpose choices are Microsoft Power BI, Tableau, Looker, Qlik, ThoughtSpot, Sigma, Sisense, Domo, Metabase, and Zoho Analytics.” Perplexity Sonar · comparative prompt · first choice
“Microsoft Power BI is the most-deployed mid-market BI platform globally... Power BI is the lowest-friction, cost-predictable default.” Muse Glimmer 30B · direct prompt · first choice
“Default / cost-effective for most mid-sized B2B: Microsoft Power BI. Strong Microsoft integration, Excel familiarity, low entry price” Muse Glimmer 30B · paraphrase prompt · first choice
What the models said about Tableau
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of seven in this category shown.
“Tableau documents cases where some composed data-source extracts can't be done on the web and require Desktop, which can be a maintenance or governance burden.” GPT-5.4 mini · negative prompt · soft negative
“Frequently cited for high costs and licensing... Dashboards can feel dated/rigid, require specialists for changes, and AI features underdeliver.” Grok 4.20 · negative prompt · soft negative
“The cost is significantly higher than competitors like Power BI... Tableau may be overkill and too expensive relative to the ROI.” Qwen 3.7 Flash · negative prompt · soft negative
“Tableau - Known for powerful visualization and analytics capabilities, strong community support, and scalability.” Claude Haiku 4.5 · direct prompt · first choice
“Choose Tableau when analysts prioritize sophisticated visual storytelling and exploratory analysis.” Perplexity Sonar · comparative prompt · first choice
“Choose Tableau if visualization quality and handling massive datasets are priorities” Kimi K2 · comparative prompt · first choice
Also compared
Microsoft Power BI vs Looker StudioMicrosoft Power BI vs MetabaseMicrosoft Power BI vs Zoho AnalyticsMicrosoft Power BI vs Qlik SenseMicrosoft Power BI vs DomoLooker Studio vs TableauTableau vs MetabaseTableau vs Zoho AnalyticsTableau vs Qlik SenseTableau vs DomoAll twenty-one head-to-head pages and the full BI & dashboards standing
Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category, each against each. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.