The Problem
Why teams leave Power BI
Premium capacity pricing ($4,995/mo) for production workloads
Deep Microsoft 365/Azure dependency
Limited without Azure infrastructure
Embedded analytics requires Premium tier
DAX formula language has a steep learning curve
Gateway management for on-premise data is complex
What We Build Instead
Your custom bi & analytics tool
BI dashboards that work on any cloud, not just Azure
Embedded analytics without premium pricing
Direct connections to all your data sources
Intuitive formula and calculation builder
Self-service report creation for business users
Automated data refresh without gateway complexity
The Math
Power BI vs. custom build
Based on 75 seats at $20/seat/month, with ~10% annual SaaS price increases.
Keep paying Power BI
Build with 86 SaaS
3-year savings with 75 seats
-$2,225
-4% less than Power BI
Pricing Breakdown
Power BI tier pricing vs. one-time custom build
Compare what you pay per seat across Power BI's tiers against a single investment in software you own forever.
| Tier | Monthly/Seat | Annual/Seat | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pro | $10/mo | $10/mo | Dashboard creation, Data visualizations, Sharing & collaboration, Mobile app |
| Premium | $20/mo | $20/mo | Embedded analytics, Paginated reports, AI Copilot, Deployment pipelines |
| Premium Capacity | $500/mo | $4995/mo | Dedicated compute, Unlimited viewers, Advanced security, XMLA endpoints |
| Custom Build by 86 SaaS | $30,000–$55,000 one-time | $0/seat | Unlimited users, full ownership, no recurring fees |
Migration Timeline
From Power BI to ownership — week by week
A structured migration plan to move off Power BI in 8-12 weeks with zero downtime.
Discovery & Audit
1 weekAudit Power BI reports, datasets, DAX measures, and data gateway configurations.
Architecture & Design
2 weeksDesign BI platform with cloud-agnostic data connections and embedded analytics. Plan DAX migration.
Core Development
4-6 weeksBuild dashboard engine, direct data connections, embedded analytics, and self-service report builder.
Data Migration & Testing
1-2 weeksRecreate key reports and datasets, validate DAX calculations, and test embedded views.
Deployment & Training
1 weekDeploy platform, train report creators and business users, validate data accuracy.
Total build time
8-12 weeks
Feature Comparison
What you keep, what you skip, and why
A transparent comparison of Power BI features vs. your custom-built alternative.
| Feature | Power BI | Custom Build | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interactive Dashboards | |||
| Data Visualizations | |||
| Self-Service Reporting | |||
| Embedded Analytics | No Premium capacity pricing required | ||
| Direct Data Connections | No gateway management needed | ||
| Calculated Measures | Standard SQL formulas instead of DAX | ||
| Scheduled Refresh | |||
| Mobile Access | |||
| Cloud-Agnostic | Works with any cloud, not just Azure | ||
| AI Copilot | Intentionally omitted — early-stage feature with inconsistent results | ||
| Power Automate Integration | Replaced by direct webhook and API integrations | ||
| Data Ownership | Your infrastructure, no Microsoft dependency |
Your custom build focuses on the features your team actually uses — typically 15-20% of what Power BI offers — built exactly for your workflow.
How It Works
From Power BI to ownership in 8-12 weeks
Free Audit
We analyze your Power BI usage and identify exactly which features your team actually uses.
Scope & Build
We build your custom bi & analytics tool with only the features you need. 8-12 weeks.
Deploy & Migrate
We deploy to your infrastructure, migrate your data from Power BI, and train your team.
You Own It
Full source code, documentation, and optional maintenance retainer. No vendor lock-in. Ever.