Power BI licences: what do you actually need to buy?
Quick answer
Most UK SMEs only need Power BI Pro for everyone who views or builds reports. Premium Per User (PPU) is only forced by big models, frequent refreshes or deployment pipelines. Fabric capacity does not make everyone free: builders always need Pro, and viewers can use a free licence only on F64 or larger. This planner works out the cheapest option for your team.
Answer a few quick things and see the cheapest licence mix for your team, including what a Fabric capacity really costs once you add the licences it still needs.
Ticking any of these rules out plain Pro. Everyone using that workspace then needs Premium Per User, or the workspace has to sit on Fabric capacity. These are the three hard limits people actually hit.
Defaults are Microsoft's UK prices per user per month, paid yearly, before VAT: £10.80 for Pro and £18.50 for Premium Per User. Prices checked 8 October 2026 on Microsoft's UK Power BI pricing page.
Capacity does not replace every licence. Builders always need Pro or Premium Per User. Viewers can use a free licence only when the capacity is F64 or larger. On anything smaller, viewers need Pro as well.
When does capacity win?
Fabric capacity is one monthly price for the workspace, but it does not replace every licence. Builders always need Pro or Premium Per User. Viewers can use a free licence only on F64 or larger. Below F64, viewers need Pro too.
Can people view my reports on the free licence?
Only on a big enough capacity. The free licence covers personal use in "My workspace". To open a shared report, a viewer needs Pro or Premium Per User, unless the workspace sits on Fabric capacity of F64 or larger (or an older P SKU) and they only have the Viewer role. On a capacity smaller than F64, viewers still need Pro.
Do report builders need a licence on Fabric capacity?
Yes, on every capacity size. Anyone who creates or publishes Power BI content needs Pro or Premium Per User. So does anyone with a workspace role above Viewer.
Does Microsoft 365 include Power BI Pro?
E5 does, one Pro licence per E5 user. E3, Business Premium and Business Standard don't. If some of your team are on E5, count them above, you're already paying for their Pro. E5 does not include Premium Per User. Microsoft sells a step-up add-on for people who already hold Pro or E5, so ask your reseller for that price. This planner prices everyone at the full PPU rate, which makes the PPU figure a ceiling if you have E5.
What actually forces Premium Per User?
Models over 1 GB, more than 8 scheduled refreshes a day, and deployment pipelines are the three that catch SMEs. PPU lifts those to 100 GB, 48 refreshes a day, and includes pipelines. Everyone who opens content in a PPU workspace needs PPU as well.
When is Fabric capacity worth it?
On licence cost alone, only at F64 or larger, where viewers stop needing a paid licence. Builders still need Pro. Divide the capacity quote by the Pro price to get the number of viewers where capacity starts to win. Below F64 you pay for the capacity and still license everybody, so buy it for Fabric workloads or premium features, not to save on licences.
Does a small capacity cover big models?
Up to a point. Any F SKU gives you 48 refreshes a day and deployment pipelines, but the model size limit depends on the SKU: 3 GB on F2 to F8, 5 GB on F16, 10 GB on F32 and 25 GB on F64. Check your model fits before you rely on a small capacity.
Default prices are Microsoft's UK prices per user per month, paid yearly, before VAT, checked 8 October 2026 and editable above. Resellers and renewals can differ, and Microsoft says the price at checkout is the one that counts. Fabric capacity prices vary by size, region and commitment, so use your own quote. A planning aid, not a quote. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.
- Microsoft Fabric concepts and licences (Microsoft Learn): who needs Pro, and free viewing on F64 or larger.
- Power BI pricing, UK (Microsoft): Pro and Premium Per User prices.
- Power BI Premium Per User (Microsoft Learn): 100 GB models, 48 refreshes a day, deployment pipelines.
- Data refresh in Power BI (Microsoft Learn): eight scheduled refreshes a day on shared capacity.
- Data reduction techniques for Import modelling (Microsoft Learn): the 1 GB model limit on shared capacity.
- What is Power BI Premium? (Microsoft Learn): model memory limits by capacity SKU.
- Power BI licensing for your organisation (Microsoft Learn): Pro included with Microsoft 365 E5.
Published by Digital Adaption. Last checked 8 October 2026.
Digital Adaption also helps UK firms with reporting and data migration.