Intune Reporting Tools Compared (2026)
Native reports, Graph API, Log Analytics, BI for Intune, Patch My PC, Recast, and SquaredUp. A complete, honest comparison of every Intune reporting option — so you can choose the right solution for your environment.
Finding the right Intune reporting solution is harder than it should be
Microsoft Intune manages millions of endpoints worldwide, but the built-in reporting has never kept pace with what IT teams actually need. Whether you are preparing compliance audits, building executive dashboards, tracking app deployment across thousands of devices, or trying to answer a question that spans Intune, Defender, and SCCM — the native Intune admin center falls short.
The result is a fragmented ecosystem of reporting tools — some from Microsoft, some from third parties, and some that require you to build everything from scratch. Each has different trade-offs around cost, customization, data privacy, setup complexity, and cross-platform visibility.
This guide compares every major Intune reporting option available in 2026. We cover what each tool does well, where it falls short, and which scenarios it fits best — so you can make an informed decision without spending weeks evaluating each one individually.
Complete comparison at a glance
Seven Intune reporting options across eight critical evaluation criteria. Scroll right on mobile to see the full table.
| Criteria | Native Intune Reporting | Graph API + DIY | Log Analytics / KQL | BI for Intune by PowerStacks | Patch My PC Analytics | Recast Software | SquaredUp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data stays in tenant | |||||||
| Cross-platform (Intune + Defender + SCCM) | DIY | Partial | SCCM only | Partial | |||
| Custom reports (no code) | Limited | Dashboard only | |||||
| Pre-built dashboards / KPIs | Basic | Patching only | Admin views | Generic | |||
| Vulnerability reporting | DIY | Via Sentinel | Limited | ||||
| App deployment tracking | Basic | DIY | Patching only | ||||
| Cost model | Dev time | Azure costs | Subscription | Bundled | Subscription | SaaS sub | |
| Setup complexity | Medium | Medium | Medium |
Graph API access is free, but building and maintaining custom solutions requires developer time and infrastructure costs. Log Analytics costs scale with data ingestion volume.
Native Intune Reporting (built-in portal)
Every Intune license includes a set of pre-built reports in the Microsoft Intune admin center. These cover device compliance, app installation status, configuration profile assignments, and Windows Update ring status. For many admins, this is where Intune reporting begins — and where they quickly discover its limitations. The reports are pre-canned and cannot be customized, there is no historical trending, and there is no way to merge data with Defender or SCCM. You get a snapshot view of today's state and nothing more.
Strengths
- ✓ Free — included with every Intune license
- ✓ No setup required, available immediately
- ✓ Data stays in your tenant
- ✓ Covers basic compliance and device status
- ✓ No additional tools or skills needed
Limitations
- × Pre-canned views only — cannot customize columns, filters, or layout
- × No historical trending or time-series analysis
- × Cannot merge data from Defender, SCCM, or other sources
- × No Power BI integration or embedding
- × CSV export only — no API, no automation
- × No drill-through, no calculated fields, no star schema
Best for
Quick, one-off status checks by admins who need a fast answer and do not require custom reports, historical data, or executive dashboards. If your reporting needs end at "how many devices are compliant today," native reporting may be sufficient.
Microsoft Graph API + DIY Development
The Microsoft Graph API provides raw programmatic access to Intune data. Developers can use PowerShell, Python, C#, or any HTTP-capable language to pull device information, compliance states, app assignments, and more. This is the "build it yourself" option — maximum flexibility, maximum effort. You get access to every data point Intune exposes, but you are responsible for authentication, pagination, throttling, data modeling, storage, visualization, and ongoing maintenance as the Graph API evolves. Most organizations that start down this path underestimate the time investment required to produce a production-quality reporting solution.
Strengths
- ✓ Full flexibility — access every data point Intune exposes
- ✓ Free data access (no per-call charges)
- ✓ Data stays in your tenant (you control where it lands)
- ✓ Can feed data into any downstream system
- ✓ Extensive Microsoft documentation and community samples
Limitations
- × Requires developer skills (PowerShell, Python, or application code)
- × Must build and maintain the entire data pipeline yourself
- × No pre-built dashboards, KPIs, or visualizations
- × Weeks-to-months development time for a proper data model
- × Graph API pagination, throttling, and beta endpoints add complexity
- × Ongoing maintenance burden as API endpoints change
Best for
Organizations with dedicated developer resources who want complete control over their data pipeline and are prepared to invest ongoing engineering time in building, maintaining, and extending custom reporting solutions. Be realistic about the total cost of ownership — "free API access" is not the same as "free reporting."
Log Analytics / KQL (Azure Monitor Workbooks)
Intune can export diagnostic data to Azure Log Analytics, where you write KQL (Kusto Query Language) queries and build Azure Monitor Workbooks. This approach is popular with security operations teams who already live in the Azure Monitor ecosystem and are comfortable with KQL. The raw analytical power is impressive — but the learning curve is steep, the costs scale with data volume, and the workbook visualizations are functional rather than executive-ready. There is no visual dashboard builder for non-technical users, and embedding workbooks outside of the Azure portal is limited.
Strengths
- ✓ Powerful KQL query language for complex analysis
- ✓ Historical data retention (configurable)
- ✓ Azure-native — integrates with Sentinel and Defender
- ✓ Data stays in your Azure subscription
- ✓ Alerting capabilities for threshold-based notifications
Limitations
- × Requires KQL expertise — steep learning curve for most IT teams
- × Complex initial setup (diagnostic settings, workspace configuration)
- × Expensive at scale — Azure costs grow with data ingestion volume
- × No visual dashboards out of the box for business users
- × Workbook visualizations are functional but not executive-ready
- × Cannot easily embed in Teams or SharePoint
Best for
Security operations teams who are already comfortable with KQL and Azure Monitor, and who value the ability to correlate Intune diagnostic data with Sentinel alerts and other Azure security signals. Not suitable for self-service reporting by non-technical stakeholders.
BI for Intune by PowerStacks
BI for Intune delivers a pre-built star-schema data model directly into your Power BI workspace. It includes 200+ pre-built KPIs spanning compliance, hardware, software, Windows Updates, Autopilot, configuration profiles, app deployment, and security — while also giving you the foundation to build any custom report using Power BI's native drag-and-drop interface. No coding required. The data model is designed so that every field, every relationship, and every measure is accessible through point-and-click — regardless of the user's technical skill level.
What sets BI for Intune apart
Star-schema data model
Purpose-built fact and dimension tables — create any report with point-and-click. No DAX, no M queries, no coding of any kind.
Data never leaves your tenant
Everything deploys into your Power BI workspace. Data is collected via native Microsoft Graph APIs and stored in your dataset. No vendor portal, no external processing.
Cross-platform merging
Merge with BI for Defender and BI for SCCM using a shared unique device key — answer questions that span all three platforms in one report.
200+ pre-built KPIs
Compliance, hardware, software, updates, security, Autopilot, app deployment — all modeled and ready to use on day one.
Historical trending
Automatic daily snapshots create time-series data out of the box. Track compliance drift, device growth, and app adoption over weeks and months.
Row-level security
Delegate reports to different teams. Help desk sees their region, managers see their department, leadership sees everything — enforced at the data layer.
Embeddable everywhere
Native Power BI embedding in Teams, SharePoint, and any web surface. Bring dashboards to where your stakeholders already work.
Up and running in under an hour
Deploy into your tenant, connect to your real Intune data, and have your first dashboards running the same day. 30-day free trial, no credit card required.
Strengths
- ✓ 200+ KPIs with comprehensive star-schema data model
- ✓ Point-and-click report building — zero coding
- ✓ Data stays in your Power BI workspace — your tenant, your region
- ✓ Merge Intune + Defender + SCCM (common unique key)
- ✓ Historical trending and daily snapshots out of the box
- ✓ Row-level security for delegation
- ✓ Embeddable in Teams, SharePoint, and web
- ✓ No agents — native Microsoft APIs only
- ✓ Low setup complexity — running in under an hour
Limitations
- × Requires Power BI Pro or Premium license
- × Annual subscription cost
Best for
IT teams who want comprehensive Intune reporting without coding, organizations that need cross-platform visibility across Intune, Defender, and SCCM, and any team that requires executive-ready dashboards, historical trending, or delegated reporting — all while keeping data entirely within their own tenant.
Patch My PC Vulnerability & Threat Analytics
Patch My PC is primarily known as a third-party application patching solution for SCCM and Intune. Their product includes vulnerability and threat analytics that help organizations understand which managed applications have known CVEs and need updating. It is a focused tool that does patching visibility well — but it is not a general-purpose Intune reporting solution. The analytics are tightly coupled to their patching product and do not cover device compliance, configuration profiles, Windows Updates, or Autopilot. Device and application data is processed through Patch My PC's infrastructure, meaning your endpoint information leaves your tenant during the patching and analytics workflow.
Strengths
- ✓ Strong vulnerability and patching visibility for third-party apps
- ✓ Tight integration with their own patching product
- ✓ Good CVE-to-application mapping
- ✓ Actionable — analytics feed directly into patch deployment
Limitations
- × Patching-focused only — not comprehensive Intune reporting
- × Data processed through Patch My PC infrastructure (leaves your tenant)
- × No device compliance, configuration profile, or Windows Update reporting
- × Cannot build custom ad-hoc reports or Power BI dashboards
- × Limited reporting depth beyond patching analytics
- × Requires Patch My PC subscription (analytics bundled with patching)
Best for
Organizations already using Patch My PC for third-party application patching who want vulnerability visibility tied directly to their patching workflow. Not a replacement for comprehensive Intune reporting or executive dashboards.
Recast Software
Recast Software (formerly Right Click Tools) provides admin tooling for ConfigMgr and Intune environments. Their product includes an Enhanced Inventory feature and some reporting/insights capabilities that extend the data available in the admin console. It is primarily an admin productivity tool with reporting as a secondary feature — not a dedicated BI or analytics solution. The Enhanced Inventory feature collects additional hardware and software data from managed devices, but this data is sent to Recast's API for processing, meaning device serial numbers, BIOS details, and hardware model information leave your tenant.
Strengths
- ✓ Convenient right-click admin tools for day-to-day management
- ✓ Enhanced inventory collects data beyond what Intune natively reports
- ✓ Strong ConfigMgr heritage and deep SCCM integration
- ✓ Useful for admin workflow automation
Limitations
- × Device data (serial numbers, BIOS, hardware) sent to Recast's API
- × Admin tools, not a reporting or BI platform
- × No star-schema data model or Power BI integration
- × No executive dashboards or custom report building
- × Limited historical trending and time-series analysis
- × Primarily a ConfigMgr tool extending into Intune
Best for
ConfigMgr administrators who need right-click convenience tools and enhanced hardware inventory. Not a replacement for comprehensive Intune BI reporting, executive dashboards, or cross-platform analytics.
SquaredUp
SquaredUp is a dashboard platform designed for IT operations that connects to a wide range of data sources, including Microsoft Graph and Azure. It provides a visual dashboard builder for creating status boards and operational views. However, it is a general-purpose IT ops dashboarding tool — not an Intune-specific reporting solution. There is no pre-built Intune data model, no star schema, and no Intune-specific KPIs. You are building dashboards on top of raw API data, which means you need to understand the Graph API structure to get meaningful results. As a SaaS platform, your data is processed through SquaredUp's infrastructure rather than staying in your tenant.
Strengths
- ✓ Polished dashboard visualizations for operations
- ✓ Multiple data source connectors beyond Microsoft
- ✓ Good for operational "wall board" style dashboards
- ✓ Relatively low learning curve for basic dashboards
Limitations
- × SaaS platform — data processed outside your tenant
- × Not Intune-specific — no pre-built data model or Intune KPIs
- × Not Power BI native — separate dashboard platform to manage
- × No star-schema data model for ad-hoc analysis
- × Limited historical trending compared to a proper BI data model
- × Another vendor SaaS subscription and login to manage
Best for
Organizations already using SquaredUp for other infrastructure or application monitoring who want to add Intune as another data source in their existing dashboard platform. Not suitable as a primary Intune reporting solution.
Why BI for Intune stands out
Every tool in this guide has legitimate use cases. But BI for Intune is the only solution that combines data sovereignty, a star-schema data model, cross-platform merging, and 200+ pre-built KPIs in a single product — with zero coding required.
Data sovereignty: your data never leaves your tenant
BI for Intune is the only third-party Intune reporting solution where customer data never leaves the customer's environment. Everything runs in your Power BI workspace, in your Azure tenant, in your region. Data is collected using native Microsoft Graph APIs and stored in your Power BI dataset. There is no vendor portal, no external database, no call-home telemetry, and no data processing on third-party servers. Your existing Microsoft 365 security controls — conditional access, audit logging, sensitivity labels, and DLP policies — apply automatically because the data never leaves the services you already govern.
Star-schema data model: create ANY report with point-and-click
The star-schema architecture is what makes BI for Intune fundamentally different from other reporting tools. Properly designed fact tables and dimension tables mean any Power BI user can create any report imaginable using the native drag-and-drop interface. No DAX formulas. No M queries. No coding of any kind. Filter by OS, department, compliance state, app name, or any other dimension — the data model handles the joins automatically. This is the same approach Fortune 500 data warehouses use, pre-built and ready for your Intune data.
Cross-platform merging: Intune + Defender + SCCM in one report
BI for Intune, BI for Defender, and BI for SCCM all share a common unique device key. This means you can build a single Power BI report that answers: "Which devices are enrolled in Intune, have a critical Defender vulnerability, and are still co-managed from SCCM?" — something no other tool on this list can do. Every other solution either covers only one platform or requires you to build custom data pipelines to join the data yourself.
200+ KPIs across compliance, hardware, software, updates, and security
Out of the box, BI for Intune includes 200+ key performance indicators covering device compliance rates, hardware refresh eligibility, software inventory, Windows Update ring status, Autopilot enrollment, configuration profile deployment, app installation success rates, and security posture metrics. These are not static reports — they are measures in the data model that you can slice by any dimension, combine with other KPIs, and embed in any Power BI report you create.
The data privacy question: where does your data go?
When evaluating Intune reporting tools, one of the most critical questions is whether your device, user, and compliance data stays in your environment or passes through a third-party service. This has direct implications for compliance frameworks like GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2, and FedRAMP.
| Tool | Where does data reside? | Third-party data access? |
|---|---|---|
| Native Intune Reporting | Microsoft Intune service (your tenant) | No |
| Graph API + DIY | Wherever you store it (your control) | No |
| Log Analytics / KQL | Your Azure subscription | No |
| BI for Intune | Your Power BI workspace — your tenant, your region | No — data never leaves your tenant |
| Patch My PC Analytics | Patch My PC infrastructure | Yes — data flows through their service |
| Recast Software | Recast API (Enhanced Inventory) | Yes — device data sent to Recast API |
| SquaredUp | SquaredUp SaaS infrastructure | Yes — data processed by SquaredUp |
Why this matters: Organizations in regulated industries (healthcare, finance, government, defense) often have strict policies about where endpoint data can be stored and who can access it. Tools that process data outside your tenant require additional vendor security assessments, data processing agreements, and compliance reviews that can take months. Solutions that keep data entirely within your Microsoft tenant — like BI for Intune — inherit your existing M365 compliance posture automatically, with no additional vendor risk to evaluate.
Which tool fits your scenario?
The right Intune reporting tool depends on your team's skills, requirements, and constraints. Use this guide to find your best fit.
Scenario
"I just need to check device compliance right now"
Recommended: Native Intune Reporting
It is free, built-in, and requires no setup. For a quick one-off check, there is no reason to use anything else.
Scenario
"I need to build a custom automated data pipeline from Intune"
Recommended: Microsoft Graph API + DIY
If you have the developer skills and need a specific data pull for a specific project, the Graph API gives you full access. Be prepared for pagination, throttling, and ongoing maintenance.
Scenario
"I need to correlate Intune events with security alerts in Azure Sentinel"
Recommended: Log Analytics / KQL
If your primary use case is security event correlation and your team already knows KQL, Log Analytics is the natural fit within the Azure security ecosystem.
Scenario
"I need comprehensive Intune dashboards that anyone on my team can customize"
Recommended: BI for Intune
The pre-built star schema with 200+ KPIs means any Power BI user can create custom reports without coding. Historical trending, row-level security, and cross-platform merging are included out of the box.
Scenario
"I need to report across Intune, Defender, AND SCCM in a single view"
Recommended: BI for Intune + BI for Defender + BI for SCCM
The shared unique device key across all three PowerStacks datasets is the only way to build a unified cross-platform report without months of custom development.
Scenario
"I need vulnerability visibility tied directly to my patching workflow"
Recommended: Patch My PC Analytics
If you are already using Patch My PC for third-party app patching, their bundled analytics give you CVE-to-application visibility within the same tool.
Scenario
"I already use SquaredUp for infrastructure monitoring"
Recommended: SquaredUp
If SquaredUp is already your operational dashboard platform, adding Intune as another data source is a reasonable incremental step — though it will not replace comprehensive BI reporting.
Frequently asked questions
Can I build custom reports in Intune without Power BI?
The native Intune admin center does not support custom reports. You can filter existing reports and export to CSV, but you cannot change columns, add calculated fields, or create new report layouts. For custom Intune reports, you need either a BI tool like Power BI with BI for Intune, a custom Graph API solution, or Log Analytics with KQL queries.
What is the best Intune reporting tool for historical trending?
Native Intune reporting has no historical data — it only shows the current state. Log Analytics can retain historical data but requires KQL expertise to query it. BI for Intune provides historical trending out of the box with automatic daily snapshots that track compliance, device counts, app adoption, and more over time — no configuration needed.
Can I create an Intune Power BI dashboard without coding?
If you connect Power BI to the Graph API yourself, you will need to write M queries or use Power Automate to handle authentication, pagination, and data transformation — which requires coding. BI for Intune eliminates this by providing a ready-made star-schema data model in your Power BI workspace. Once installed, you can create any Intune Power BI dashboard using the standard drag-and-drop interface with no DAX or M queries required.
How do I report across Intune, Defender, and SCCM in a single dashboard?
Cross-platform reporting is one of the biggest gaps in the Microsoft endpoint management ecosystem. Native Intune only shows Intune data, SCCM has its own separate reporting, and Defender lives in yet another portal. BI for Intune, BI for Defender, and BI for SCCM all share a common unique device key, allowing you to merge all three datasets in a single Power BI report — giving you a unified view of co-managed devices, security posture, and platform-specific data side by side.
Which Intune reporting tools keep data in my tenant?
Native Intune reporting, Graph API solutions (depending on where you store results), Log Analytics, and BI for Intune all keep data within your Microsoft tenant. SaaS tools like SquaredUp, Patch My PC, and Recast Software process data through their own infrastructure, which may require additional compliance reviews and data processing agreements for organizations in regulated industries.
Is there a free Intune reporting tool that supports custom reports?
The Microsoft Graph API is free to query, but building custom reports on top of it requires significant development effort. There is no free tool that provides a pre-built data model with point-and-click custom reporting for Intune. BI for Intune offers a 30-day free trial so you can evaluate the full product with your real Intune data before committing.
What is a star-schema data model and why does it matter for Intune reporting?
A star schema organizes data into fact tables (measurements like compliance status, app install counts) and dimension tables (descriptive attributes like device type, OS version, department). This structure is specifically optimized for Power BI and enables any user to create reports by dragging and dropping fields — without needing to understand table joins, write DAX formulas, or know query languages. BI for Intune delivers a pre-built star schema with 200+ KPIs so you can start building custom reports immediately.
How many KPIs does BI for Intune include out of the box?
BI for Intune includes 200+ pre-built KPIs spanning compliance, hardware inventory, software inventory, Windows Updates, Autopilot enrollment, configuration profiles, app deployment, and security posture. These KPIs are organized in a star-schema data model that also allows you to create unlimited custom measures and reports using Power BI point-and-click.
See what comprehensive Intune reporting looks like
Start a free 30-day trial of BI for Intune. Deploy into your own Power BI workspace, connect to your real Intune data, and build your first custom dashboards in under an hour. No agents, no data leaving your tenant, no credit card required.