Charts · Daniel Marsh-Patrick

Deneb: pricing, limits and alternatives

Free✓ Microsoft-certifiedFree (MIT)

Deneb lets you write Vega or Vega-Lite specifications inside a Power BI visual, so almost any chart you can describe in JSON can be built and wired to Power BI tooltips, cross-filtering and drill-through. It is free, MIT-licensed and Microsoft-certified, and it bundles every library it needs, so it also works in Publish to web, Report Server and mobile.

By Nawaf Sharaf · Founder & Reliability Engineer · Updated November 4, 2026

Skip to: build your own version →

Facts as of November 4, 2026

Deneb facts
Listing name	Deneb: Declarative Visualization in Power BI (Microsoft Marketplace)
Publisher	Daniel Marsh-Patrick
Category	Charts
Licence model	Free
Price	Free (MIT)
Certified	Yes
Latest version	2.0.1.0 · released October 18, 2026
Source code	github.com/deneb-viz/deneb

Pricing

Deneb is free: the listing has no paid plan.

Checked on November 4, 2026. Prices change; confirm with the vendor before you buy.

Strengths

Expressive: any chart Vega or Vega-Lite can draw.
Free and open source (MIT); no per-user cost.
Certified: no external calls, works in PDF export and email subscriptions.

Limits

You author JSON specifications: real learning curve for analysts new to Vega-Lite.
Each report's spec is yours to maintain; there is no vendor support contract.

Certification and tenant notes

Microsoft-certified on the check date; version released 2026-10-18.

Microsoft certifies visuals whose code it has reviewed and that make no external calls; certified visuals work in PowerPoint/PDF export and email subscriptions, and admins can restrict a tenant to certified visuals only (Microsoft Learn). To see whether your tenant allows it in the service, Desktop, exports and subscriptions, run the free custom visual tenant check.

When native Power BI is enough

Our take: Use native visuals for standard charts. Deneb is the right free tool when you need a chart type Power BI lacks and someone on the team can write or adapt a Vega-Lite spec.

Alternatives to Deneb

HTML ContentDaniel Marsh-Patrick · Free (MIT) · not certified
Same author; renders HTML/SVG you build with DAX.
CharticulatorIlfat Galiev (community fork) · Free · certified
Drag-and-drop chart design, but the original project is retired.
Inforiver Analytics+Lumel (Inforiver) · From $3/user/month · certified
Point-and-click charts if your team won't write specs; per-user licence.
Generate your own with VizForgeOne-off credits · you own the code · not certified
A visual built to your brief from a plain-English prompt. Trade-offs are listed in the panel below.

Build your own version

Generate a visual that does the part of Deneb you need

VizForge writes a Power BI custom visual from a plain-English brief and gives you the .pbiviz and its TypeScript source. The brief below is a starting point based on what Deneb is used for; edit it to match your report, then send it to the generator.

Generator prompt

317/2,000 characters

Sign in or sign up free (5 credits on signup); the prompt is saved for 30 minutes and opens in the workspace once you're in.

What it costs

One generated visual costs 1–5 credits, once. The smallest pack that covers it is the Starter Pack: $9.99 for 10 credits, which leaves room for a few refinements. No per-user or annual fee: the file is yours.

Deneb itself is free, so generate only if you need something it doesn't do.

Honest trade-offs

Not Microsoft-certified: Power BI only shows certified custom visuals in PowerPoint/PDF exports and email subscriptions, and tenants that allow certified visuals only will block it unless an admin deploys it as an organizational visual.
You own the .pbiviz and its TypeScript source, so there is no per-user licence and nothing expires; you also maintain it yourself when Power BI changes.
Deneb is free and certified; VizForge makes sense when you would rather describe the chart in plain English than write and debug a spec, or want a stand-alone visual others can reuse without editing JSON.

FAQ

Is Deneb free?

Yes. Deneb is released under the MIT licence and is free of charge, per deneb.guide.

Is Deneb certified by Microsoft?

Yes. Its documentation says it is certified, meaning it doesn't access external services and can be exported to PDF or shown in emails.

Do I need to know Vega-Lite to use Deneb?

You need to write or adapt a Vega or Vega-Lite JSON spec. Many people start from community templates; AI assistants can draft specs, but you still debug them in the editor.

Sources

All sources read on November 4, 2026. VizForge is not affiliated with Daniel Marsh-Patrick; product names identify the products only. Corrections are welcome.

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