FastBI vs Power BI
Power BI is a mature enterprise BI suite. FastBI is a lighter, notebook-native tool where every number is computed deterministically and AI only narrates. Here is how they compare for a spreadsheet-to-dashboard workflow.
| Dimension | Power BI | FastBI |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Desktop app + service, data model design | Open the hosted app, upload a CSV, charts appear quickly (AI narrative 1-3 min) |
| Measures | DAX (powerful, a language to learn) | Auto-derived + a small pandas expression DSL, editable |
| AI | Copilot (cloud) | Optional; deterministic math never touches the LLM |
| Local model | No | Yes — Pro tier local-LLM mode (Ollama / LM Studio) |
| Export | Reports/PDF | Fixed 16:9 artboard = WYSIWYG slides/PDF |
| Price | Per-user Pro/Premium | Free deterministic, $10/mo AI (Pro), $30/mo local-LLM (Max) |