Do You Really Need a Power BI License?
- nitin rungta
- Apr 12
- 2 min read
Before diving into Power BI plans and pricing, let’s start with a simpler question:
Do you even need a Power BI license in the first place?
The answer depends entirely on how you’re using Power BI. In most cases, if even one of the following features becomes a requirement, then yes, you need a license.
When a License Is Required
Scheduled Refreshes – 48 per Day
Power BI Pro and Premium let you refresh your dataset up to 48 times a day. If your data changes frequently and your team needs updated numbers every hour (or even more often), this becomes essential.
Login-Based Access
If you want only selected users to access the report after logging in, licensing becomes mandatory. This ensures secure access and prevents unauthorized viewing, even if someone forwards the link.
Row-Level Security (RLS)
Want each user to see only the data relevant to their role or region? For example, Boston should not see California’s numbers. That’s only possible with proper user authentication—again, which requires a license.
What You Can Do Without a License
8 Refreshes Per Day
Most teams don’t need more than one or two refreshes daily. Some reports are reviewed weekly or even monthly. If your data doesn’t require real-time updates, 8 refreshes are more than enough.
Sharing via Public Link
Reports can be shared using a direct link. If you control who gets the link, you control who sees the report. The link can be revoked or replaced anytime if needed.
No Need to Pay If the Features Aren’t Required
If you don’t need login-based security, row-level access, or high-frequency refreshes, then a license isn’t required.
It’s not about saving money—it’s about not paying unnecessarily.
Admin Access Note (For No-License Route)
If you're planning to go the no-license route, please make sure the ID you're using has Power BI Admin permissions.
To do this:
- Go to your Microsoft Admin Portal
- Click on the user ID
- Assign either 'Fabric Admin' or 'Power BI Admin' (based on your tenant setup)
Without these permissions, even the free plan setup may not work as expected.
More details on assigning Power BI Admin permissions are covered here:
Quick Next Step
Please reply back with one of the options below:
Option 1 - I don’t think a license is needed. I have provided the ID with Power BI Admin permissions.
Option 2 - We would need the license. Please let me know the next steps.
Option 3 - Not sure yet. We need to discuss this on call once.
Still unsure which setup is best for your team?
Let’s figure it out together — drop us a message and we’ll help you decide in under 10 minutes. :)
Power BI Licensing Comparison
A simplified comparison of Power BI Free, Pro, and Premium Per User (PPU) licenses.
Feature | Power BI Free | Power BI Pro | Power BI PPU |
Max Refreshes per Day | 8 | 8 | 48 |
Storage per Dataset | 1 GB | 1 GB | 100 GB |
Total Storage per User | 10 GB (shared capacity) | 10 GB | 100 GB |
Row-Level Security | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
Share Reports with Login | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
Schedule Refresh | Limited | ✅ | ✅ + Paginated Reports |
Price (per user/month) | $0 | $10 | About $20 |
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