Compare Options
Choose your deployment
Start with BI Pixie Cloud for the fastest path to insights, run it natively as a Microsoft Fabric Workload, or deploy self-hosted in your own Azure tenant. The full product works on Power BI — with or without Fabric.
BI Pixie Cloud
Fully managed SaaS
- Start in 5 minutes. No infrastructure
- Managed updates and scaling
- From $150/mo · 14-day free trial
BI Pixie Workload
Native in Microsoft Fabric
- Add it from the Fabric Workload Hub
- Data agent, Spark ETL & Direct Lake
- Optional OneLake data residency
BI Pixie Self-Hosted
Your Azure or Power Platform
- Full data sovereignty in your tenant
- Performance & business-outcome analysis
- Azure (scalable) or Power Platform
No Fabric? No problem. Every deployment includes the full tracking engine, the BI Pixie Dashboard, and the MCP server for AI agents. Microsoft Fabric adds native extras — a Data agent, a Spark ETL notebook, and Direct Lake — but BI Pixie works fully on Power BI without Fabric.
Detailed comparison
| Cloud | Fabric Workload | Self-Hosted | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tracking engine (page views, clicks, filters, exports) | |||
| BI Pixie Dashboard, metrics & semantic model | |||
| Heatmaps & design-impact analysis | |||
| MCP server for AI agents (read-only DAX) |
Tracking engine (page views, clicks, filters, exports)
Cloud
Fabric
Self-Hosted
BI Pixie Dashboard, metrics & semantic model
Cloud
Fabric
Self-Hosted
Heatmaps & design-impact analysis
Cloud
Fabric
Self-Hosted
MCP server for AI agents (read-only DAX)
Cloud
Fabric
Self-Hosted
| Cloud | Fabric Workload | Self-Hosted | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runs natively inside Microsoft Fabric | — | — | |
| Fabric Data agent (natural-language Q&A) | — | Native Fabric item | — |
| Spark / PySpark ETL notebook (incremental) | — | With Fabric capacity | |
| Direct Lake dashboard (no-import refresh) | — | With Fabric capacity |
Runs natively inside Microsoft Fabric
Cloud
—
Fabric
Self-Hosted
—
Fabric Data agent (natural-language Q&A)
Cloud
—
Fabric
Native Fabric item
Self-Hosted
—
Spark / PySpark ETL notebook (incremental)
Cloud
—
Fabric
Self-Hosted
With Fabric capacity
Direct Lake dashboard (no-import refresh)
Cloud
—
Fabric
Self-Hosted
With Fabric capacity
| Cloud | Fabric Workload | Self-Hosted | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time to first insight | 5 minutes | Minutes, in Fabric | Up to 1 hour |
| Infrastructure needed | None — we manage it | None — runs in your Fabric tenant | Your Azure, or Power Platform |
| Updates | Automatic | Automatic (Workload Hub) | Manual (Marketplace / solution) |
| Scaling | Managed automatically | Spark notebook + Direct Lake | You configure (Fabric capacity for largest volumes) |
| Monitoring | Built-in portal dashboard | In-item progress; ETL runs in Fabric Monitoring Hub | Azure Monitor + Application Insights |
Time to first insight
Cloud
5 minutes
Fabric
Minutes, in Fabric
Self-Hosted
Up to 1 hour
Infrastructure needed
Cloud
None — we manage it
Fabric
None — runs in your Fabric tenant
Self-Hosted
Your Azure, or Power Platform
Updates
Cloud
Automatic
Fabric
Automatic (Workload Hub)
Self-Hosted
Manual (Marketplace / solution)
Scaling
Cloud
Managed automatically
Fabric
Spark notebook + Direct Lake
Self-Hosted
You configure (Fabric capacity for largest volumes)
Monitoring
Cloud
Built-in portal dashboard
Fabric
In-item progress; ETL runs in Fabric Monitoring Hub
Self-Hosted
Azure Monitor + Application Insights
| Cloud | Fabric Workload | Self-Hosted | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Page view tracking | |||
| Visual click tracking | |||
| Filter / slicer tracking | |||
| Heatmaps | |||
| Feedback controls | Pro plan+ | Pro plan+ | Pro plan+ |
| Embedded surveys | Pro plan+ | Pro plan+ | Pro plan+ |
| Data auditing | |||
| Export tracking |
Page view tracking
Cloud
Fabric
Self-Hosted
Visual click tracking
Cloud
Fabric
Self-Hosted
Filter / slicer tracking
Cloud
Fabric
Self-Hosted
Heatmaps
Cloud
Fabric
Self-Hosted
Feedback controls
Cloud
Pro plan+
Fabric
Pro plan+
Self-Hosted
Pro plan+
Embedded surveys
Cloud
Pro plan+
Fabric
Pro plan+
Self-Hosted
Pro plan+
Data auditing
Cloud
Fabric
Self-Hosted
Export tracking
Cloud
Fabric
Self-Hosted
| Cloud | Fabric Workload | Self-Hosted | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breakdown by capacities & workspaces | — | — | |
| Data source lineage | — | — | |
| Endorsement analysis | — | — | |
| Producers vs. consumers | — | — | |
| BI Developer leaderboard | — | — | |
| ROI calculations | — | — |
Breakdown by capacities & workspaces
Cloud
—
Fabric
—
Self-Hosted
Data source lineage
Cloud
—
Fabric
—
Self-Hosted
Endorsement analysis
Cloud
—
Fabric
—
Self-Hosted
Producers vs. consumers
Cloud
—
Fabric
—
Self-Hosted
BI Developer leaderboard
Cloud
—
Fabric
—
Self-Hosted
ROI calculations
Cloud
—
Fabric
—
Self-Hosted
| Cloud | Fabric Workload | Self-Hosted | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Performance monitoring (DAX, CPU, delays) | — | — | |
| Performance heatmap & trends | — | — | |
| Outlier detection | — | — | |
| Data export auditing | — | — |
Performance monitoring (DAX, CPU, delays)
Cloud
—
Fabric
—
Self-Hosted
Performance heatmap & trends
Cloud
—
Fabric
—
Self-Hosted
Outlier detection
Cloud
—
Fabric
—
Self-Hosted
Data export auditing
Cloud
—
Fabric
—
Self-Hosted
| Cloud | Fabric Workload | Self-Hosted | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RLS auditing | Pro plan+ | Pro plan+ | |
| Data auditing | |||
| Custom visual governance | |||
| Data export monitoring | — | — | |
| Producer audit logs | — | — | |
| Real-time auditing (Fabric RTI) | — | — |
RLS auditing
Cloud
Pro plan+
Fabric
Pro plan+
Self-Hosted
Data auditing
Cloud
Fabric
Self-Hosted
Custom visual governance
Cloud
Fabric
Self-Hosted
Data export monitoring
Cloud
—
Fabric
—
Self-Hosted
Producer audit logs
Cloud
—
Fabric
—
Self-Hosted
Real-time auditing (Fabric RTI)
Cloud
—
Fabric
—
Self-Hosted
| Cloud | Fabric Workload | Self-Hosted | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data location | BI Pixie’s Azure (auto-assigned region), or your own Azure storage (BYOS) | BI Pixie’s Azure, or your OneLake (residency option) | Your Azure tenant |
| Data ownership | You own your data | You own your data | You own your data |
| Encryption | At rest & in transit | At rest & in transit | Your Azure settings |
| Tenant isolation | Dedicated per-customer | Per-tenant / per-license | Your own environment |
| Compliance | SOC 2 (planned), GDPR | SOC 2 (planned), GDPR | Your framework |
Data location
Cloud
BI Pixie’s Azure (auto-assigned region), or your own Azure storage (BYOS)
Fabric
BI Pixie’s Azure, or your OneLake (residency option)
Self-Hosted
Your Azure tenant
Data ownership
Cloud
You own your data
Fabric
You own your data
Self-Hosted
You own your data
Encryption
Cloud
At rest & in transit
Fabric
At rest & in transit
Self-Hosted
Your Azure settings
Tenant isolation
Cloud
Dedicated per-customer
Fabric
Per-tenant / per-license
Self-Hosted
Your own environment
Compliance
Cloud
SOC 2 (planned), GDPR
Fabric
SOC 2 (planned), GDPR
Self-Hosted
Your framework
| Cloud | Fabric Workload | Self-Hosted | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per-unit (reports × sessions) | Per-unit (via Fabric Workload) | Custom |
| Starting price | From $150/mo | From $150/mo | Custom (Contact Sales) |
| Plans | Standard / Pro / Enterprise | Standard / Pro / Enterprise | Pro / Enterprise |
| Billing | Monthly or Annual | Monthly or Annual | Annual contract |
| Free trial | 14 days | 14 days | PoC available (Contact Sales) |
Pricing model
Cloud
Per-unit (reports × sessions)
Fabric
Per-unit (via Fabric Workload)
Self-Hosted
Custom
Starting price
Cloud
From $150/mo
Fabric
From $150/mo
Self-Hosted
Custom (Contact Sales)
Plans
Cloud
Standard / Pro / Enterprise
Fabric
Standard / Pro / Enterprise
Self-Hosted
Pro / Enterprise
Billing
Cloud
Monthly or Annual
Fabric
Monthly or Annual
Self-Hosted
Annual contract
Free trial
Cloud
14 days
Fabric
14 days
Self-Hosted
PoC available (Contact Sales)
Start anywhere, move when your needs change
Most teams begin with BI Pixie Cloud for immediate value. Live in Fabric? Add the Workload from the Hub. Need data sovereignty or deep performance analysis? Go self-hosted in your Azure tenant. Your tracking data and dashboards come with you — our team handles the move.
Ready to get started?
Start your 14-day free trial. No credit card required.