Power BI Embedded vs. Webdashboard: which is the best choice for your organisation?
As an IT manager, you want one thing: to share Power BI reports securely and effortlessly with the right people, inside and outside your organisation. But which solution fits that need best? In this article, we compare Power BI Embedded with Webdashboard on the criteria that matter most to you.
The challenge: sharing reports outside Microsoft 365
Power BI is the standard BI platform for thousands of organisations worldwide. The dashboards are powerful, the visualisations impressive — but as soon as you want to share reports with external parties, customers or colleagues without a Power BI Pro licence, you hit a wall.
Microsoft offers two paths: Power BI Embedded for developers who want to integrate reports into their own applications, and solutions like Webdashboard that solve that problem directly and without code. What is the difference, and when do you choose which?
What is Power BI Embedded?
Power BI Embedded is an Azure service that allows developers to embed Power BI reports and dashboards into their own web applications via a REST API. Users don’t need a Power BI licence — costs are calculated based on capacity (A-SKUs in Azure).
How does it work technically? You register an Azure Active Directory application, generate embed tokens via the Power BI REST API, and integrate the reports using the JavaScript SDK in your own front-end. Security is handled by you via Row-Level Security (RLS) and token management.
What does it cost? The cheapest Azure A1 SKU costs around €700 per month. For higher capacity (more users, faster refresh rates) this quickly increases to €1,400 to €5,600 per month, on top of your existing Power BI Premium or Pro licences.
What is Webdashboard?
Webdashboard is a Dutch SaaS solution, developed by In Summa, that allows organisations to securely share Power BI reports through their own branded portal — without writing a single line of code and without recipients needing a Power BI licence.
You connect Webdashboard to your existing Power BI environment, assign reports to users or groups, and your portal is live. Users log in via a secure link, see only what is intended for them, and experience the platform in your organisation’s corporate identity.
What does it cost? Webdashboard offers two models to fit different organisational needs. In the standard model, Webdashboard manages the underlying capacity entirely, meaning no hidden Azure costs, no development budget and no monthly surprises on your cloud bill. Just a transparent SaaS subscription based on the number of users.
For organisations that prefer to use their own infrastructure, Webdashboard also offers a hybrid model, where you bring your own Microsoft Fabric or Power BI Embedded capacity. Even in this model, Webdashboard saves you significantly compared to building a custom solution, as all the complexity of portal management, security and branding is still handled for you.
The comparison: 5 criteria for IT managers
1. Implementation time
Power BI Embedded: expect weeks to months. You need a development team for Azure configuration, API integration, front-end development and setting up token management and security.
Webdashboard: up and running within a day. Connect to Power BI, create users, assign reports, and you’re live. No development capacity required.
2. Total cost of ownership (TCO)
Power BI Embedded: high initial investment (development) plus ongoing Azure costs. For mid-sized organisations, implementation costs easily reach €15,000 to €50,000, plus monthly capacity charges.
Webdashboard: in the standard model, total cost of ownership is highly predictable, with no implementation budget and no Azure bill on top of your subscription. In the hybrid model, you do bring your own capacity costs, but you still eliminate all development and maintenance overhead, resulting in significantly lower TCO compared to a fully custom Power BI Embedded build.
3. Technical complexity & management
Power BI Embedded: requires ongoing maintenance. Managing token expiry, monitoring capacity scaling in Azure, updating embed code when API changes occur, this requires continuous attention from your development team.
Webdashboard: managed via a clear dashboard. Add users, connect reports, set access rights, all without technical knowledge. Updates are rolled out automatically by Webdashboard.
4. Security & access management
Power BI Embedded: security is fully custom. Row-Level Security, token management and user authentication must be built and maintained by you. Powerful, but complex, and a potential source of errors if not configured correctly.
Webdashboard: security is built in. Users only see the reports they have access to, RLS flows directly from Power BI, and access can be managed at both user and group level. No custom token logic required.
5. Branding & user experience
Power BI Embedded: complete freedom in branding, since you build the environment yourself. But that also means design, UX and front-end are your responsibility.
Webdashboard: your portal runs under your own domain name, in your own corporate identity, with your own logo. Users see a professional environment that seamlessly fits your brand, without needing a designer or front-end developer.
When should you still choose Power BI Embedded?
Honesty matters: Power BI Embedded is the right choice when you want to integrate reports into an existing, complex web application or customer portal where customisation is essential. Think of software companies that want to offer BI as part of their own product, or organisations with very specific UX requirements that have a full development team available.
The conclusion: for most organisations, Webdashboard wins
For IT managers who want to share Power BI reports quickly, securely and cost-efficiently, internally or externally, Webdashboard is the logical choice. No Azure complexity, no development budget, no monthly capacity management. Just a working solution, live within a day.
Power BI Embedded is a powerful foundation for developers building a fully custom product. But for the vast majority of organisations, it’s using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
Try Webdashboard for yourself
Curious how Webdashboard works for your Power BI environment? Start a free trial or schedule a demo, and see within a day how simple secure report sharing can be.