{"id":2214,"date":"2025-08-29T14:36:12","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T04:36:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dynamicwebtraining.com.au\/blog\/?p=2214"},"modified":"2025-08-29T14:52:15","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T04:52:15","slug":"guide-to-free-power-bi-visuals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dynamicwebtraining.com.au\/blog\/guide-to-free-power-bi-visuals","title":{"rendered":"2025 Guide to Free Power BI Visuals from AppSource \u2014 With Bonus Power BI Service Apps"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Power BI\u2019s rich ecosystem of AppSource offers freely build solutions that can supercharge your analytics. In this guide, we will highlight several must-try free Power BI<\/a> (PBI) custom visuals and additional PBI apps with pro features that Power BI users should explore in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

With step-by-step instructions on how to install each one, configure or connect it to your data, and apply it in a real scenario this guide is ideal for data analysts, report builders, and IT teams, providing practical tips and best practices along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Infographic Designer (Custom Visual by Microsoft)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What it is:<\/strong> A popular Power BI custom visual by Microsoft for creating rich, pictogram-based charts. It extends Power BI\u2019s native bar, column, and line visuals by letting you use shapes, images, and precise layouts to craft pictorial representations. For example, you can make icon-based bar charts (pictograms), stylized KPI cards, or layered infographics that tell a story. It\u2019s great for dashboard elements that need a bespoke design touch without coding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Install:<\/strong> In Power BI Desktop, click the \u2026 (ellipsis)<\/code> in the Build pane and choose Get more visuals. From AppSource visuals, search for \u201cInfographic Designer”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Power<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Click Add<\/code>. The Infographic Designer icon will appear in your Visual gallery. Also Download Sample PBIX, this lets you explore the features of the Infographic Designer with the fictitious data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Power<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Why it\u2019s useful:<\/strong> This visual is ideal when you want to beautify reports with thematic visuals or tell an engaging data story. You can layer multiple shapes and text on data points, tile icons to represent quantities, or fill images to show proportions. Infographic Designer assists in the development of visually appealing presentations and displays by facilitating the incorporation of these “small details” that are not possible with conventional charts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Example Scenario – \u201cWine Sales”:<\/strong> Which regions lead wine consumption, and how has that changed over the last five years?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Power<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This infographic designer uses small-multiples grid to display four identical-scale (0\u20137M) column charts for 2011\u20132014. Fixed category order (China, France, Russia, UK, USA) and consistent colours let the viewers compare across years. The wine-glass callouts simply spotlight yearly peaks \ud83c\udf77. Read left to right and the narrative is immediate\u2014USA leads and holds #1 in 2011\u20132014 followed by France<\/strong>, while China sits mid-pack with a flat trend, and Russia remains lowest. It\u2019s clean, on-brand, and disciplined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Chiclet Slicer (Custom Visual by Microsoft)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

How to Install:<\/strong> In Power BI Desktop, click the \u2026 (ellipsis)<\/code> in the Build pane and choose Get more visuals. From AppSource visuals, search for \u201cChiclet Slicer”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What it is:<\/strong> An enhanced slicer visual by Microsoft that provides button-based filtering with plenty of customization. Inspired by Excel\u2019s slicers, Chiclet Slicer lets you display filter values as interactive buttons (text or images) arranged in a grid or row for efficient use of space. It supports cross-highlighting and even images on the buttons, making your report filters more visual and user-friendly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Power<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Click Add.<\/code> The Chiclet Slicer icon will appear in your Visual gallery. Also Download Sample PBIX, this lets you explore the features of the Chiclet Slicer with the fictitious data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Power<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Why it\u2019s useful:<\/strong> Chiclet Slicer is extremely handy for building intuitive navigation and interactive filtering in reports. Instead of a plain checklist filter, you can create eye-catching buttons (even with icons or logos) that act as in-canvas filters. This is great for scenarios like switching between regions by clicking country flags, or filtering products by clicking product images. It makes the slicer experience more engaging for end users, without any complex setup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Example Scenario – \u201cPower BI Integrations”:<\/strong> Which connectors account for the largest share of reports (e.g., Excel vs SQL vs SharePoint)?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Power<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This page uses a Chiclet Slicer as navigation\/filter grid. Each branded button (Excel, SQL Server, SharePoint, Salesforce, etc.) is a chiclet with a logo image, arranged in a tidy multi-column layout. Users can click on a connector logo to filter the rest of the page\u2014here, the pie chart will instantly update to show the volume of reports by the selected source(s). Most of the reports uses Excel connection for Power BI integration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Play Axis (Dynamic Slicer) \u2013 Custom Visual by mprozil<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What it is:<\/strong> A unique dynamic slicer visual that adds \u201cplay” controls to your reports. The Play Axis visual allows you to animate other Power BI visuals by cycling through a field (typically a date or time) without user interaction. Essentially, it\u2019s like a play button for your charts: once activated, it will iterate through the values (e.g. months or years) and update the visuals continuously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Install:<\/strong> In Power BI Desktop, click the \u2026 (ellipsis)<\/code> in the Build pane and choose Get more visuals. From AppSource visuals, search for \u201cPlay Axis”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Power<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Click Add.<\/code> The Play Axis icon will appear in your Visual gallery. Also Download Sample PBIX, this lets you explore the features of the Play Axis with the fictitious data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Power<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Why it\u2019s useful:<\/strong> Play Axis is perfect for showing trends over time or sequences in an automated way. For example, you can place a time field on the Play Axis and hit play to watch a line chart progress through months, or a map evolve over years. This makes it ideal for unattended displays (like a wall monitor dashboard) or when you want to observe patterns without manually clicking a slicer. It creates a more dynamic storytelling experience, helping viewers focus on how the data evolves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n