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Smartsheet vs Microsoft Power BI: Which is a better fit?

Updated on February 16th, 2025
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Summary
Key features rated by users
Features selected based on 2,388 reviews from Dashboard users.
% Fit
Missing features
Not enough reviews
Feature ratings
Real-Time Data
4.5
Multiple Data Sources
NA
Workflow Management
4.5
Reporting/Analytics
4.4
Dashboard Creation
4.5
% Fit
Missing features
Feature ratings
Real-Time Data
NA
Multiple Data Sources
NA
Workflow Management
NA
Reporting/Analytics
4.6
Dashboard Creation
4.4
User satisfaction
4.5
User reviews3,412
Ease of use
4.3
Functionality
4.3
Value for money
4.4
Customer support
4.3
4.6
User reviews1,768
Ease of use
4.1
Functionality
4.5
Value for money
4.4
Customer support
4.1
Price starts from
/user
Monthly subscription
Free version
Free trial
/user
Monthly subscription
Free version
Free trial
Best for

Smartsheet's intuitive online project management app is used broadly across organizations to track and manage diverse types of work for teams large and small, from enterprise companies to SMB's.

Power BI is used by developers, analysts, IT, and other businesses to visualize and analyze data on a unified interface.

User reviews
pros & cons
1 / 4
View Reviews
1 / 4
View Reviews
Video reviews
Kendrick N
CEO
5.0

Kendrick N.: Hi. My name is Kendrick, owner of Kennys Kitchen LLC. I give Smartsheet five out of five. The product I used was Microsoft Excel. I actually created my own sheets, so I was really doing everything myself. And one day I said, "You know what? Someone should be able to help you." I went searching, found Smartsheet; best decision I ever made. Inventory, scheduling, day-to-day operations, checklists, everything I need in one, which is what most businesses like. Getting started with Smartsheet was too easy. All I really had to do was enter my email address and sign up. I did start with the free trial, and the free trial went on for 30 days, but during that free trial, I just couldn't let it go and I've been using it ever since. Recommendations for anyone else using Smartsheet; stick with it for a while. Browse, explore, and look. You'll find what you need for your business, and that's no lie.

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Eric H
CFO
4.0

Eric H.: Hi, my name is Eric. I'm a CFO, I give Power BI four stars. And for more reviews like this, please click below. Before Power BI, we used Tableau. We used it on a trial basis, and while it was all right, an early leader in this space, it just didn't integrate as well as Microsoft Power BI with the whole suite of products that we use as a company. We chose Power BI because it is easy to integrate with the rest of the Microsoft Office Suite, especially Excel. It has powerful analytics tools and it allows for some pretty cool graphics and dashboarding as part of that data visualization suite. It was relatively easy to get started with Microsoft Power BI. The integration with the rest of the Microsoft Office Suite really helps. There is some challenges though with data integration, making sure that the data is in the right format to be loaded into Power BI, but once you go from there, it's pretty easy and feels very intuitive if you're used to the rest of the Microsoft Office Suite. My advice for anyone looking to implement Microsoft Power BI would be to first watch some YouTube videos or take a tutorial or maybe even a class. Getting the data validation, data integration piece is really key to the functionality of the system. It can pull in some awesome graphics, some really good dashboards and analytics, but if you don't set up the data right, you'll never get it to work properly.

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User interface
79104 video thumbnail}
1 Video
176586 video thumbnail}
1 Video
79104
5 screenshots
176586
5 screenshots
Do these products fit your needs?

Prioritize real-user-identified key features according to your needs to find your best fit.

Logo Img
--%
Logo Img
--%
Access Controls/Permissions
207
Important
Activity Tracking
388
Important

Smartsheet

Top Features
30/40
  • Customizable Branding
  • Data Aggregation
  • Forecasting
  • Interactive Elements
  • Multiple Data Sources
  • Natural Language Search
  • Performance Metrics
  • Predictive Analytics
  • Scorecards
  • Trend Analysis
  • Access Controls/Permissions
  • Activity Tracking
  • Ad hoc Reporting
  • Alerts/Notifications
  • API
  • Collaboration Tools
  • Customizable Reports
  • Customizable Templates
  • Dashboard Creation
  • Data Connectors
  • Data Import/Export
  • Data Synchronization
  • Data Visualization
  • Drag & Drop
  • Functions/Calculations
  • KPI Monitoring
  • Mobile Dashboards
  • Private Dashboards
  • Public Dashboards
  • Real-Time Data
  • Real-Time Notifications
  • Reporting/Analytics
  • Scheduled/Automated Reports
  • Search/Filter
  • Secure Data Storage
  • Single Page View
  • Single Sign On
  • Third-Party Integrations
  • Widgets
  • Workflow Management
See All features
Hide Dashboard Software Features -

Microsoft Power BI

13/40
Show Dashboard Software Features +
Smartsheet
Deployment
  • Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based
  • Desktop - Mac
  • Desktop - Windows
  • Desktop - Linux
  • Desktop - Chromebook
  • On-Premise - Windows
  • On-Premise - Linux
  • Mobile - Android
  • Mobile - iPhone
  • Mobile - iPad
Support
  • Email/Help Desk
  • FAQs/Forum
  • Knowledge Base
  • Phone Support
  • 24/7 (Live rep)
  • Chat
Training
  • In Person
  • Live Online
  • Webinars
  • Documentation
  • Videos
Microsoft Power BI
Deployment
  • Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based
  • Desktop - Mac
  • Desktop - Windows
  • Desktop - Linux
  • Desktop - Chromebook
  • On-Premise - Windows
  • On-Premise - Linux
  • Mobile - Android
  • Mobile - iPhone
  • Mobile - iPad
Support
  • Email/Help Desk
  • FAQs/Forum
  • Knowledge Base
  • Phone Support
  • 24/7 (Live rep)
  • Chat
Training
  • In Person
  • Live Online
  • Webinars
  • Documentation
  • Videos
Smartsheet
  • By Smartsheet
  • Located in United States
  • Founded in 2012
Microsoft Power BI
  • By Microsoft
  • Located in United States
  • Founded in 1975
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