Discover Power BI PPU

Last November, Microsoft announced it was developing a Power BI Premium Per User (PPU) license. As of April 2, this license is being added to the already extensive Power BI licensing portfolio. In this blog we explain exactly what this license is.

What is Power BI Premium Per User?

With Power BI Premium Per User (PPU), organizations can license Power BI Premium features per user. A PPU license gives you all the Power BI Pro licensing capabilities and adds extra functionality such as paginated reports, AI and other features that were normally only available to users with Power BI Premium licenses.

Why was this new license made available?

Within the Power BI licensing model, there was no offering for smaller organizations that want to use Power BI Premium functionality. With the introduction of Power BI Premium Per User, Microsoft now also has a suitable solution for these organizations. With this license, these (smaller) organizations can license Power BI Premium per user. In addition, it is no longer necessary to purchase separate Power BI Pro licenses, because these are included in the PPU licenses.

Not sure which license type you need? Get in touch with us or schedule a no-obligation conversation with one of our account managers.

Will Power BI Premium and Power BI Pro licenses continue to exist?

Yes. Power BI Premium Per User (PPU) is a new license option for organizations to purchase Premium licenses on a per-user basis. With the Power BI Premium Capacity license, you purchase Premium licenses based on capacity. The PPU license means you can now also use the Premium functionality per user. In addition, a PPU license also gives you all Power BI Pro functionality. This is different from Power BI Premium Capacity licenses, where you also have to purchase Pro licenses.

How does Power BI Premium Per User differ from Power BI Pro?

When you purchase Power BI Premium Per User (PPU), you don't need to purchase a Power BI Pro license as well. The PPU license includes both Power BI Pro and Power BI Premium functionality. The only major difference between PPU and Pro is that sharing content is less flexible with the PPU license than with the Pro license. With the PPU license you can only share content with other PPU users, so you cannot share your content with a Pro user. A Pro user, on the other hand, can share their content with a PPU user.

How do Power BI Premium Per User (PPU) and Power BI Premium licenses differ?

Power BI Premium Per User is a new user-based license and includes functionality that is normally only available with Power BI Pro licenses. This license also includes a number of Power BI Premium features such as AI capabilities and lifecycle management. The Power BI Premium (Capacity) license is capacity-based and is an addition to previously purchased Power BI Pro licenses. Users with Pro licenses can choose to purchase Premium (Capacity) licenses when, for example, they want to publish reports for sharing and collaboration. Besides these points, there are a number of other differences. They are listed for you in the table below.

Can I share content with other licenses?

Sharing content also works differently with the Power BI Premium Per User license. In the table below you can see that with a PPU license you can only share content with other users who have a PPU license.

How much does Power BI Premium Per User cost?

You can purchase a Power BI Premium Per User license for €16.90 per user, per month.

Can I also use Power BI Premium Per User if I already have a Power BI Pro license?

If you already have a Power BI Pro license and still want to use the Power BI Premium Per User license, that is possible. You can then purchase a per-user Premium SKU, which only adds the Premium Per User functionality to your account. This costs an extra $10 per user, per month on top of your existing Pro license costs.

Want to know more about Power BI licenses?

After reading this blog, are you interested in the other license types of Microsoft Power BI? Then read the blog 'How do Power BI licenses work'. Would you rather get personal (online) advice? Then schedule a no-obligation meeting with one of our account managers.

View the PPU FAQ