--- title: "Adea vs Power BI: the Power BI alternative that sets itself up · Adea" description: "Looking for a Power BI alternative? Adea sets itself up on your database, answers in plain words, builds dashboards and reports, and tells you each morning what moved and why. Start free." url: https://adea.app/vs/power-bi --- # Adea vs Power BI Adea is the Power BI alternative for companies without an analyst to build data models. It reads your database directly, answers managers in plain words, in Adea or in Teams, builds the reports, and tells you each morning what moved and why. [Start free](https://adea.app/signup) [See the demo](https://adea.app/demo) Free plan No card Read-only access ## “We already have Microsoft 365.” The licence isn't the cost. The analyst and the data model are: every new question waits for someone to model it and build a report. Adea reads the database directly, so a manager asks in Teams and gets the answer in seconds, with the query shown. ## The Power BI alternative that sets itself up. Choose Adea when: 1. 1 You don't want to model the data before the first answer: Adea learns what your tables mean by itself 2. 2 Your managers should ask in plain words, in Adea or in Teams, instead of waiting for an analyst 3. 3 You want the reports built for you, and the one you already have rebuilt from a PDF or screenshot 4. 4 You want every number checked each night, not only the tiles someone set an alert on 5. 5 You want Guardian to check every query and flag large pulls of personal data [Start free](https://adea.app/signup) [See the demo](https://adea.app/demo) [Start free](https://adea.app/signup) [See the demo](https://adea.app/demo) ## Adea vs Power BI side by side | Question | | Power BI | | --- | --- | --- | | Built for | Answering questions, building reports and dashboards, and watching every number of the business | Modelled reports and dashboards for a company on Microsoft's tools | | Asking a question | Ask in plain words and get the answer in seconds, with the query and its sources shown | Explore a report, or ask questions of a data model an analyst has built | | Reports and dashboards | Dashboards from a question in plain words. Bring a report you already have as a PDF, screenshot or Excel file, and Adea rebuilds it from your live data. Send any of it on a schedule | Reports an analyst builds on a data model, with deep control over the layout | | Who can build them | Anyone who can ask a question | Analysts who build the data models and reports | | Getting started | Connect a read-only database. Adea learns what the tables mean, works out what's normal and suggests the numbers to watch, the same day | Load data into a model, define relationships and measures, then build reports | | When a number moves | Checks every number each night against what is normal for it, tells you in the morning, and tests the likely causes | Data alerts on dashboard tiles, with limits you set | | Where answers arrive | In Adea, Slack, Teams, mail and the AI assistant you already use | In Power BI, in Teams and by mail subscription | | Personal data | Guardian checks every query before it runs and flags large pulls of personal data. On Business it can hold them until an admin says yes | Row-level security and sensitivity labels your admins set up | ### About Power BI Microsoft's business intelligence tool. Analysts model data and build reports on it, and it fits closely with Excel, Teams and the rest of Microsoft 365. Written from how each tool describes itself, in October 2026. Tools change, so check theirs for today's details. Found something wrong? Write to us and we'll correct it. ### Choose Power BI when - You need formatted reports shared across a large organisation - Your analysts already maintain data models you trust - Your Excel work is built on those models ## Switching from Power BI takes three steps Start on the same database. Nothing in Power BI has to change until you're ready. 1. 1 ### Connect the same database, read-only The one Power BI already reads from. Adea only reads, and refuses a user that can write. 2. 2 ### Adea sets itself up It learns what your tables mean, works out what's normal and suggests the numbers to watch. You check the first ones. 3. 3 ### Recreate the reports you rely on Bring a screenshot or PDF of a Power BI report, or its Excel export. Adea rebuilds it from your live data, ready to send on a schedule. Not ready to switch everything? Run both while you move. Adea only reads the database, so Power BI keeps working as it does today. ## Questions ### What is the best alternative to Power BI? For companies that don't have analysts to build and maintain data models, Adea. It answers questions in plain words, builds dashboards and reports, sends them to mail, Slack or Teams, and watches every number each night, with no model to build first. ### How is Adea different from Power BI? Power BI needs the data loaded into a model before anyone builds a report on it. Adea reads your database directly, learns what the tables mean by itself, and answers in plain words, with the query shown. ### Is Adea a replacement for Power BI? For many companies, yes: questions, dashboards, reports and scheduled sends, without building a data model. A large organisation with formatted reports its analysts maintain may keep Power BI for those, and let Adea take the questions and the watching. ### Can I use Adea with Power BI? Yes. Adea connects to your database, not to Power BI, so Power BI keeps working exactly as it does today. ### Is my data safe with Adea? Adea connects with a database user that can only read, and refuses one that can write. Guardian checks every query before it runs and flags large pulls of personal data. Everything travels over HTTPS, the passwords you give Adea are encrypted with a key that belongs to your company alone, and no other company can see your numbers. ### How long does it take to set up? A couple of minutes to connect a database. Then Adea sets itself up: it learns what your tables mean and suggests the numbers to watch, and you check the first one. You can start free, with no card. ## Related comparisons - [**Adea vs Tableau ** Dashboards and reports](https://adea.app/vs/tableau) - [**Adea vs Looker Studio ** Dashboards and reports](https://adea.app/vs/looker-studio) - [**Adea vs Metabase ** Dashboards and reports](https://adea.app/vs/metabase) - [**Adea vs Excel and Google Sheets ** Spreadsheets](https://adea.app/vs/spreadsheets) ### See Adea for your business [Leadership](https://adea.app/for/leadership) [Finance](https://adea.app/for/finance) [Sales](https://adea.app/for/sales) [All comparisons](https://adea.app/vs) ## What do you want to know? [Start free](https://adea.app/signup) [Book 20 minutes](mailto:hello@adea.app?subject=20%20minutes%20about%20Adea)