Comparison

SAS Visual Analytics vs Microsoft Power BI

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

SAS Visual Analytics

Access and interact with business reports and dashboards on the go. Explore data with multi-touch gestures, filter information, and stay updated with real-time changes. Securely view big data from anywhere, whether connected or offline.

Highlights
  • Interactive reports and dashboards
  • Multi-touch gestures for data exploration
  • Data filtering and drill-down capabilities
  • Offline report access
  • Secure data access based on user roles
  • Access to big data
Features
Read full description

SAS® Visual Analytics empowers decision makers with business reports and dashboards anywhere, anytime! SAS® Visual Analytics App, part of the SAS Visual Analytics product family, enables you to view and interact with reports that can contain a variety of charts, graphs, gauges, tables, and other report objects.   With easy-to-use multi-touch gestures, you can move through the application, filter and drill into data in the reports, and make decisions in the office, in meetings, or out on the road. Business users can interactively explore vast amounts of data and collaborate with others via the SAS Visual Analytics App. When reports and data change, the app updates the view ensuring users are always up to date.   Requirements: A supported version of SAS Visual Analytics: •SAS Visual Analytics on SAS® Viya® •SAS Visual Analytics 7.5 (SAS® 9.5)   SAS Visual Analytics server backend versions 8.5, 8.4, 8.3, and 7.5.   Highlights: • Anywhere you go. You can work with reports whether you are connected or not. • Interactive reports, dashboards and graphs. A variety of reports, dashboards, graphs, and gauges provide the customization and flexibility you need to meet your wide range of business demands. • Multiple gestures. You can use familiar gestures, including pinch, zoom, tap, and multi-touch. • Fast. Just as you’d expect – the application provides great response times and a fantastic experience while you work with your reports. • Secure. Data access is based on user role and access permissions. • Access to big data. You have the ability to access big data from SAS Visual Analytics. Release 7.5 is powered by SAS® LASR(TM) Analytic Server. Release 8.3 and later, on SAS Viya, are powered by SAS® Cloud Analytic Services (CAS).   License Agreement:   Your use of this application indicates your acceptance of the terms of the SAS Institute Inc. License Agreement for SAS® Visual Analytics App Software, linked to below. If you do not agree with these terms, you are not authorized to use the application.

About

Microsoft Power BI

Access and analyze your business data from anywhere with powerful mobile tools. Visualize key metrics, filter information, and share insights on the go. Get real-time notifications and ask questions of your data with a virtual analyst.

Highlights
  • View data in one place
  • Explore, filter, and focus data
  • Annotate and share reports
  • Set data alerts and notifications
  • Q&A virtual analyst for insights
  • Secure on-premises data access
  • Scan barcodes/QR codes for data
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Access your data from anywhere. Get notifications, annotate and share, and dive deep into your data with powerful features for decision making on the go.    Highlights:    • View all your important data in one place    • Tap to explore, filter, and focus on what’s most important     • Easily annotate and share reports and visualizations      • Set data alerts and get real-time notifications     • Ask questions in your own words and get meaningful insights into your data with the Q&A virtual analyst    • Securely access your on-premises data     • Scan barcodes and QR codes to easily track inventory and get real-world data in context    • Start exploring your Power BI data instantly, with no setup needed    Get the full Power BI suite and never miss a beat with Power BI Desktop, the Power BI web service, and Power BI Mobile! By installing this app, you agree to the terms at: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2178902

Screenshots

SAS Visual Analytics3 screens
Microsoft Power BI4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Microsoft Power BI at 47% against SAS Visual Analytics's 20%. Microsoft Power BI also leads on ratings volume (96K vs 3) and chart position (#132 vs unranked). SAS Visual Analytics's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SAS Visual Analytics holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Microsoft Power BI has 96K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 20% of SAS Visual Analytics's written reviews are positive against 47% of Microsoft Power BI's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SAS Visual Analytics ships an update monthly, Microsoft Power BI fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on August 27, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
SAS Visual Analytics versus Microsoft Power BI: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSAS Visual AnalyticsMicrosoft Power BI
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better4.7 (96K ratings)
Positive reviews20.0% of reviews46.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings396K — better
Update frequencyMonthlyFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank—#132 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS18.518.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size128 MB213 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSAS Institute Inc.Microsoft Corporation

Customer experience

SAS Visual Analytics

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive20.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative80.0%

Microsoft Power BI

All ratings96,464 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral2.3%
Negative4.4%
Written reviews366 reviews
Positive46.7%
Neutral10.9%
Negative42.3%

Bugs and requests

SAS Visual Analytics

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Microsoft Power BI

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Frequent login issues and SSO problems
  • Visualizations not rendering correctly
  • Inconsistent behavior when switching between reports
  • Drill-through functionality not working as expected
  • Scaling and layout issues on iPad and larger devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to refresh data and reports remotely
  • Enhanced navigation and bookmarking features
  • Improved support for touch-based interactions
  • Better optimization for smaller mobile screens
  • Integration with other Microsoft 365 apps

In-app purchases

None

SAS Visual Analytics

No in-app purchases

None

Microsoft Power BI

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SAS Visual Analytics free?
SAS Visual Analytics is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Microsoft Power BI free?
Microsoft Power BI is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SAS Visual Analytics or Microsoft Power BI?
SAS Visual Analytics is rated higher. SAS Visual Analytics averages 5.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Microsoft Power BI averages 4.7 from 96K ratings.
Do SAS Visual Analytics or Microsoft Power BI have ads?
Neither SAS Visual Analytics nor Microsoft Power BI shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SAS Visual Analytics or Microsoft Power BI?
SAS Visual Analytics ships an update monthly, and Microsoft Power BI fortnightly. Most recently, SAS Visual Analytics was updated on August 27, 2026 and Microsoft Power BI on September 25, 2026.

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