💁 About this article
This article is part of Fugo’s Power BI knowledge base: a collection of resources answering common Power BI questions. We include notes throughout where Fugo’s integration may be helpful for displaying dashboards on digital signage.
Table of contents
Short answer
No, Power BI is not automatically free with Office 365.
However, some Microsoft 365 plans include a Power BI Pro license, which can make it feel free if you already have the right subscription.
The distinction matters.
Why this question comes up so often
Many organizations already pay for Microsoft 365 and assume Power BI is part of the standard bundle, like Excel or PowerPoint.
In reality:
Power BI has its own licensing model
Some Microsoft 365 plans bundle Power BI Pro
Others do not include Power BI at all
Whether Power BI feels “free” depends entirely on which plan you’re on.
Which Office 365 plans include Power BI
Power BI Pro is included with certain enterprise-level Microsoft 365 plans, most notably:
In these cases:
Users already have a Power BI Pro license
No separate Power BI purchase is required
Sharing and viewing reports works as expected
This is often why Power BI appears to be “free” in larger organizations.
Which plans do not include Power BI
Most lower-tier Microsoft 365 plans do not include Power BI Pro, including:
Office 365 E1 and E3
Users on these plans can:
Use Power BI Desktop for free
Build reports locally
But cannot share or securely view reports without upgrading
In these cases, Power BI requires a separate license.
“Included” does not mean unlimited
Even when Power BI Pro is included with Office 365, normal Power BI rules still apply.
For example:
Each user still needs their own Pro license
Licenses cannot be shared
Viewing reports at scale may still require Premium capacity
Office 365 doesn’t remove Power BI’s licensing constraints; it just bundles some of them.
How to check what your organization has
If you’re unsure whether Power BI is included in your Office 365 plan:
Check your Microsoft 365 admin portal
Look for "Power BI Pro" under assigned licenses
Don’t assume access based on Excel or Teams availability
Many organizations discover Power BI licensing limits only when they try to share reports.
Summary
Power BI is not universally free with Office 365
Some E5 plans include Power BI Pro
Most business and personal plans do not
“Included” still follows normal Power BI licensing rules
Understanding this upfront helps avoid surprises when Power BI moves from personal analysis to shared reporting.
Power BI on digital signage with Fugo
Even when Power BI Pro is included through Microsoft 365, it’s still designed around individual user access, not passive or shared viewing. That gap becomes obvious when teams want dashboards visible in physical spaces, such as office screens, operations areas, or shared TVs.
Fugo’s Power BI app is built specifically for this scenario, acting as a secure delivery layer for Power BI content on digital signage. You can explore it on a free trial or book a demo to see how teams typically deploy Power BI to screens at scale.