Short answer: The Template model fits when your customers want to own the report and customize it themselves. The Hosted model fits when you want recurring revenue and a seamless customer experience without Power BI licenses. Many SaaS companies offer both for different customer segments.
Below: the numbers, strengths and limits of each model — plus a simple decision framework. If you are still weighing whether to build analytics in-house or with a partner, start with SaaS analytics: build vs. buy — the real cost.
Comparison at a glance
| Feature | Template model | Hosted model |
|---|---|---|
| Who owns the report? | Customer | BI4SaaS (buyout option included) |
| Customer's Power BI license | Required (Pro or Premium) | Not needed |
| Customization | Full — customer can edit everything | Limited — changes through partner |
| Onboarding time | Days | Immediate |
| Other data sources | Standard | Custom build |
| Embed in SaaS product | Limited | Seamless (iframe / Embedded) |
| Customer pricing | One-time fee + own PBI license | Monthly fee, license included |
| Your revenue model | €500–€2,500 per customer (one-time) | €124–€250 / month / customer (recurring) |
| Best fit | Mid-size and large enterprise customers | SMBs, self-service sales |
| Example | Falcony | Aneo Software |
Template model in brief
Your customer buys a Power BI report template with a one-time fee and publishes it in their own Power BI workspace. The customer needs their own Power BI license (Pro or Premium, around €10–€20/month/user).
Strengths
- Customer owns the report and can modify it freely
- Standard ability to combine CRM, ERP, finance and other data sources
- Leverages the full Power BI ecosystem — Copilot, Fabric, OneLake
- You earn one-time revenue from every sale
Limits
- Customer needs their own Power BI license
- Onboarding requires some technical capability (setting up the Power BI workspace)
- Version control fragments as customers customize their copies
Example: Falcony uses the template model. Their customers receive Power BI report templates (inspections, ESG, customer satisfaction, risk management) in their own Power BI environment.
Hosted model in brief
We host the report in Power BI Embedded capacity, and your customer accesses it through a branded portal or embedded view inside your SaaS product. The customer does not need Power BI licenses — the price covers everything.
Strengths
- Customer does not need their own Power BI license
- Embeddable directly in your SaaS product or branded portal (e.g. reports.customer.com)
- Mobile support out of the box — works on phones without a separate app
- Unified versioning: updates roll out to all customers at once
- Recurring monthly billing = ongoing revenue for you
Limits
- Customer cannot edit the template themselves
- Combining other data sources requires custom work — possible, but not in the standard package
- Dependency on partner — but contracts always include a buyout option, so you can transfer the implementation to your own operations if you wish
Example: Aneo Software uses the hosted model. Their maintenance reports are delivered to customers without Power BI licenses — as part of Aneo's own product experience.
Pricing in concrete terms
Assume: 100 paying customers, 30 of whom buy the analytics add-on.
| Item | Template model | Hosted model |
|---|---|---|
| Your investment | €0 | €0 |
| Customer price | €1,500 one-time + own PBI Pro | €150/month, everything included |
| Revenue per customer / year 1 | €1,500 | €1,800 |
| 30 customers, year 1 | €45,000 | €54,000 |
| 30 customers, years 2–3 | €0 (unless you sell updates) | €108,000 |
| Cumulative 3 years | €45,000 | €162,000 |
Template is front-loaded, Hosted is recurring. Template can also be resold as updates and add-ons — that levels the comparison.
When to choose Template?
- Your customers are mid-size or large enterprises with a Microsoft 365 ecosystem
- Customers want to refine the data and add their own sources
- Your sales process is project-based, one big deal at a time
- Customer has in-house IT or consultants handling customization
When to choose Hosted?
- Your customers are SMBs without Power BI expertise
- Your SaaS has a short sales cycle (self-service, freemium, low-touch)
- Usability and "works immediately" are critical
- You want recurring revenue instead of one-time sales
- You want to embed the report inside your own SaaS product experience
Can you offer both?
Yes — and we recommend it for growing SaaS companies. Customers naturally split into two segments: those who value ownership and customization (Template) and those who value ease and low friction (Hosted). Offering both lets you cover both halves of the market.
Example: Gate Apps offers both. Smaller customers choose Hosted, larger organizations choose Template.
Decision in three questions
| Question | Template | Hosted |
|---|---|---|
| Is your customer base IT-strong or IT-light? | Strong | Light |
| Is combining other data sources a standard need? | Yes | Only sometimes (via custom build) |
| Do you want one-time or recurring revenue? | One-time | Recurring |
If your answers split, consider offering both — different customer segments will naturally pick different models.
How to get started
The partnership always starts with a pilot — commission is paid only when your first end customer pays for their report. Zero risk for you.
Book a free 30-minute conversation and we will walk through your customer base, current architecture and the right model for your SaaS product.