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.
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.
- 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
Read full descriptionHide 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.
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.
- 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
Read full descriptionHide 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
Verdict
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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
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.
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.
| Parameter | SAS Visual Analytics | Microsoft Power BI |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | 4.7 (96K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 20.0% of reviews | 46.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 96K — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | — | #132 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.5 | 18.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 128 MB | 213 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | SAS Institute Inc. | Microsoft Corporation |
Customer experience
SAS Visual Analytics
Microsoft Power BI
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
SAS Visual Analytics
No in-app purchases
Microsoft Power BI
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is SAS Visual Analytics free?
Is Microsoft Power BI free?
Which has better reviews, SAS Visual Analytics or Microsoft Power BI?
Do SAS Visual Analytics or Microsoft Power BI have ads?
Which is updated more often, SAS Visual Analytics or Microsoft Power BI?
Other comparisons















