IBM Watson Explorer vs Microsoft Power BI comparison

The compared IBM and Microsoft solutions aren't in the same category. IBM is ranked #9 in DM , and holds a 3.3% mindshare in the category. Microsoft is ranked #1 in BIT , with an average rating of 8.2, and holds a 8.1% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

IBM Watson Explorer

Read 10 IBM Watson Explorer reviews

1,075 Views
258 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Microsoft Power BI

Read 331 Microsoft Power BI reviews

30,090 Views
19,559 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

IBM Watson Explorer

Microsoft Power BI

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between IBM Watson Explorer and Microsoft Power BI based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Data Mining solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Watson Explorer vs. Microsoft Power BI Report (Updated: March 2020).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Watson Explorer vs. Microsoft Power BI

March 2020

Download the complete report

Helped 893,244 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

IBM Watson Explorer

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Data Mining (9th)

Microsoft Power BI

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

331

Ranking in other categories

BI (Business Intelligence) Tools (1st), Reporting (1st)

Mindshare comparison

While both are Business Intelligence solutions, they serve different purposes. IBM Watson Explorer is designed for Data Mining and holds a mindshare of 3.3%, up 1.0% compared to last year.
Microsoft Power BI, on the other hand, focuses on BI (Business Intelligence) Tools, holds 8.1% mindshare, down 21.4% since last year.

Data Mining Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
IBM Watson Explorer	3.3%
IBM SPSS Statistics	16.8%
IBM SPSS Modeler	16.5%
Other	63.4%

Data Mining

BI (Business Intelligence) Tools Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Microsoft Power BI	8.1%
Tableau Enterprise	6.2%
Amazon QuickSight	3.3%
Other	82.4%

BI (Business Intelligence) Tools

Featured Reviews

it_user1319820

Lead Engineer at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees

A data analysis tool that is scalable and includes keyword search functionality

The solution is used for a government company for data collection and analysis I have found the auto-generated document very useful as well as the main keywords that are highlighted, which are used for the search functionality within IBM Watson Explorer. I have been using the solution for five…

Read full review

Hemanthreddy Vakiti

Data engineer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

Interactive dashboards have transformed restaurant data into faster daily business decisions

Microsoft Power BI has many features and there is not a lot to improve. However, the licensing can be confusing. When deciding between Pro and Premium, I find it difficult to distinguish what features are offered by Pro and what features are offered by Premium, including the particular differences to choose between both licensing models. Additionally, some features such as DAX, which I mentioned previously, involve DAX calculations and complex data modeling, which are somewhat advanced and not easily understandable. Prior knowledge is required or you need to go through the documentation. If the documentation is made comprehensive so that anyone with no knowledge on DAX can easily use it by going through the documentation, it would be really helpful. Additionally, if the integration with non-Microsoft tools is improved and performance is optimized, then Microsoft Power BI can become a top-ranked visualization tool. The user experience with Microsoft Power BI is quite good. The intuitive user interface makes it easy for both technical and non-technical users to create reports. However, only the advanced features are somewhat complex, and if the documentation is improved, it can be easily accessible.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The ability to easily pull together lots of different pieces of information and drill down in a smarter way than has been possible with other analytics tools is key. Watson is all based on a set of AI and deep learning, machine-learning capabilities, and it is looking behind the scenes at some relationships that you likely would not have spotted on your own. It's pulling things together, categorizing some things, that are not something that you might have seen on your own."

"I really can't talk enough about the team."

"Previously we'd have a set of health and safety analysts who would be the key focal points for doing work to understand health and safety risks; so a very small number of people, but through WEX and through our Watson HSEQ solution, we've managed to get engagement across at least one-third of our workforce, so over 1,300 people, and a 25% reduction in health and safety incidents."

"I have found the auto-generated document very useful as well as the main keywords that are highlighted, which are used for the search functionality within IBM Watson Explorer."

"What impressed me more about Watson is that it is easy to use it, not for the technical people, but for business people."

"The valuable feature of Watson Explorer for us is data entities, and being able to see hidden insights from within unstructured data."

"The main use case is FAQ for the user; it works for almost 80% of the use case coverage."

"The ability to easily pull together lots of different pieces of information and drill down in a smarter way than has been possible with other analytics tools is key."

More IBM Watson Explorer pros

"The demand estimation and forecasting profitability are the most effective features of Microsoft Power BI, along with vendor and supply chain risk analysis, inventory and stock forecasting, real-time production monitoring, and quality control through defect tracking and root cause analysis."

"The initial setup is pretty straightforward."

"The most valuable feature would be the abundance of connectors. It is also easy to use."

"In summary, this is a good product and I recommend it."

"It is a good platform for data analysis, organization, and all of the other interim performances that are necessary."

"If you don't have any analytical tool and you don't have any budget, then Power BI can be the best product in terms of the price-quality index."

"In a world surrounded by data, tools that allow navigation of large data volumes ensure decisions are data-driven."

"We have found the product very stable and reliable."

More Microsoft Power BI pros

Cons

"Sometimes the service stops."

"No, it's not yet stable."

"Stability is actually one of the areas that could use improvement. Setting it up is always tough. Setting Explorer requires experts, but also the underlying platform is not that stable. So it really needs a good expert to keep it running."

"Much of IBM operates this way, where they have sets of tools that are in the middleware space, and it becomes the customer's responsibility or the business partner's responsibility to develop full solutions that take advantage of that middleware."

"We haven't used it in production yet so I can't answer this."

"It needs better language support, to include some other languages. Also, they should improve the user interface."

"The solution is expensive."

"I think we'll get it to a 10, but I think at the moment it's got to be a good eight or nine out of 10 at least."

More IBM Watson Explorer cons

"They should add mobile access."

"Lacks the ability to copy data from BI into PowerPoint."

"I would rate the stability of Microsoft BI at 70 percent. While the solution is scalable, it certainly has its limitations."

"I find the solution to be 70 percent stable."

"There needs to be support for more data sources in DirectQuery."

"Adding paginated reports to this tool could be of great help for users who want to move away from SSRS."

"In Microsoft Excel, you are able to have tabs. However, in Microsoft BI you do not have this flexibility."

"I would suggest improvements in visualization standards, particularly in customization and appearance."

More Microsoft Power BI cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is expensive."

"Power BI is cheaper for smaller groups when comparing to competitors. It requires a monthly per-user subscription."

"From a cost point of view, it's competitive in the enterprise space, although it's not as competitive when you add up all of the additional costs. Things like integrations cost extra and it's probably where Microsoft makes more of the money."

"We have enterprise licenses and some of the other tools or features come as a package and others you have to purchase separately."

"Regarding cost, the initial investment wasn't too high, but ongoing licensing could add up."

"Microsoft Power BI has reasonable pricing."

"Their price is good."

"Microsoft BI is not expensive. Compared to the price of other BI products, the price is very fair."

"No comment."

More Microsoft Power BI pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Data Mining solutions are best for your needs.

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Comparison Review

it_user79932

Senior Manager - BI Head with 5,001-10,000 employees

Feb 4, 2015

Comparison of SAP BO, Tableau, QlikView, Cognos, Microsoft, OBIEE and Pentaho

1. SAP BO/BI Enterprise scalability Security Ease of use Semantic layer 2. Tableau Visualization Data discovery Turnaround time 3. IBM Cognos Enterprise scalability Security In-memory feature 4. MS BI - Flexibility 5. Pentaho - Open source but still enterprise grade 6. QlikView Data…

Read full review

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Performing Arts

11%

Healthcare Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

11%

University

Financial Services Firm

14%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	2
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	7

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	135
Midsize Enterprise	59
Large Enterprise	169

Questions from the Community

Ask a question

Earn 20 points

Seeking lightweight open source BI software

There are many...It would rather depend what System BI architecture or Enterprise legacy you have at your end...I would recommend as follows: 1) If you have legacies of SAP, Oracle - look for SAP...

See all answers

Is Power BI a complete platform or only a visualization tool?

Power BI is an advanced visualization tool oriented to big data with a very complete set of widgets to visualize information, control users accessing information, the configuration of governance po...

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How does Oracle OBIEE compare with Microsoft BI?

Oracle OBIEE is great in allowing design and creativity per the individual needs of the organization. Dashboards are fully customizable and very user-friendly. This solution is very stable. Oracle ...

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Comparisons

Tableau Enterprise vs IBM Watson Explorer

Compared 15% of the time

Oracle OBIEE vs IBM Watson Explorer

Compared 11% of the time

IBM SPSS Modeler vs IBM Watson Explorer

Compared 10% of the time

IBM Planning Analytics vs IBM Watson Explorer

Compared 8% of the time

Salesforce Einstein Analytics vs IBM Watson Explorer

Compared 5% of the time

More IBM Watson Explorer Competitors

Amazon QuickSight vs Microsoft Power BI

Compared 17% of the time

Tableau Enterprise vs Microsoft Power BI

Compared 12% of the time

Domo vs Microsoft Power BI

Compared 6% of the time

QlikView vs Microsoft Power BI

Compared 2% of the time

IBM Cognos vs Microsoft Power BI

Compared 2% of the time

More Microsoft Power BI Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM Watson Explorer

May 2026

Download IBM Watson Explorer product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Power BI

April 2026

Download Microsoft Power BI product report

Also Known As

IBM WEX

SSRS, SSAS, MSBI, MS Reporting Services, Microsoft BI Tools, Microsoft Big Data, Power BI Pro, MS BI

Overview

IBM Watson Explorer integrates diverse information using AI to uncover insights from unstructured data. It excels in data visualization, simplifying complex queries and enhancing machine-learning integration with ease of use through its APIs.

IBM Watson Explorer stands out with its ability to analyze unstructured data and provide visual representations, aiding in simplifying complex queries. Its machine-learning integration and easy-to-use API functionalities offer businesses unique insights. The solution is equipped with features like auto-generated documents and keyword highlighting, with voice command integration further enhancing its capabilities. Despite its strengths, there is room for improvements in language support, interface design, and accessibility for non-experts. More readily available middleware solutions and innovations in natural language analysis are needed, alongside community editions for trial use.

What features make IBM Watson Explorer distinct?

AI Integration: Utilizes AI to analyze diverse information and uncover hidden insights.
Data Visualization: Provides visual formats to simplify complex queries.
Machine Learning: Integrates machine-learning capabilities with user-friendly APIs.
Auto-Generated Documents: Automatically generates documents for ease of reporting.
Keyword Highlighting: Highlights keywords efficiently for better data review.
Aggregation Mode: Offers aggregated data insights for complex analysis.
Voice Command Integration: Enables control and operations via voice commands.

What benefits should we look for in reviews?

Enhanced Analytics: Provides deep analysis of unstructured data for better decision-making.
Improved Data Management: Simplifies data management processes through visual tools.
Increased Efficiency: Streamlines operations with easy-to-use APIs and automated features.
Adaptability: Flexible integration with existing systems and data environments.
Innovative Features: Leverages advanced AI and machine-learning technologies.

IBM Watson Explorer is utilized by enterprises in banking for integrating technologies and managing FAQs. It processes large datasets for building knowledge bases and analyzing unstructured data for government purposes. The solution aids in creating indexes from scientific papers and integrating platforms via natural language processing, offering valuable insights for business analytics and fraud detection.

IBM

Microsoft Power BI is a powerful tool for data analysis and visualization. This tool stands out for its ability to merge and analyze data from various sources. Widely adopted across different industries and departments, Power BI is instrumental in creating visually appealing dashboards and generating insightful business intelligence reports. Its intuitive interface, robust visualization capabilities, and seamless integration with other Microsoft applications empower users to easily create interactive reports and gain valuable insights.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

RIMAC, Westpac New Zealand, Toyota Financial Services, Swiss Re, Akershus University Hospital, Korean Air Lines, Mizuho Bank, Honda

Accenture Adidas Aetna AIG Airbus Alibaba Allstate Amazon American Express Aon AT&T Audi Bank of America BASF Bayer Berkshire Hathaway Boeing Coca-Cola Comcast Cisco Coca-Cola Dell Disney Emirates Equinix FedEx Ford GE Google H&M Home Depot Honda IBM Intel JPMorgan Chase Kellogg's Kroger L'Oréal McDonald's Merck MetLife Microsoft Nike Oracle P&G PepsiCo Procter & Gamble Prudential Financial SAP Siemens Snapchat Spotify Starbucks Target Toyota T-Mobile Unilever Visa Walmart WeWork World Bank Xerox

Buyer's Guide

IBM Watson Explorer vs. Microsoft Power BI

March 2020

Free Report: IBM Watson Explorer vs. Microsoft Power BI

Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Watson Explorer vs. Microsoft Power BI and other solutions. Updated: March 2020.

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