Tabular Editor 2 vs 3: Feature Comparison for Power BI
Start free with Tabular Editor 2 or unlock the full professional experience with Tabular Editor 3. Both help you manage and optimize semantic models – designed for different needs.
Tabular Editor 3 – Professional, Powerful, Complete
Tabular Editor 3 transforms semantic model development into a professional workflow. With advanced DAX editing, productivity tools, and optimization at scale, TE3 is the choice for BI professionals who need more than the basics.
- Customizable UI with theming and multi-monitor support.
- IntelliSense, inline queries, and smart DAX editor actions.
- VertiPaq Analyzer, best-practice checks, and DAX Optimizer.
- Interactive previews, pivot grids, and model diagrams.
Tabular Editor 2 – Fast, Simple, Free
It’s simple, efficient, and lightning-fast for metadata changes.
But when you need advanced DAX tooling, productivity features, and model optimization – step up to Tabular Editor 3.
- Instant metadata-only changes.
- Undo/redo, batch renaming, dependency browsing.
- C# scripting and best-practice rules.
Compare editions |
Tabular Editor 2 |
Tabular Editor 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Edit all Semantic Model objects and properties | ||
| Syntax highlighting and automatic formula fixup | ||
| Compare Table Schema with Source1 | ||
| Lightning fast - even on large, complex models | ||
| View DAX dependencies visually | ||
| Copy/paste, drag/drop, undo/redo any TOM object | ||
| Make batch changes to any TOM object | ||
| Best Practice Analyzer | ||
| C# scripting / macros | ||
| Preview table data (1 table at a time) | ||
| Preview table data (as many tables as you want) | ||
| Write and execute DAX queries | ||
| Select and execute partial DAX queries | ||
| Test and verify DAX calculations in a Pivot/Matrix | ||
| Edit DAX objects and their properties in a DAX script | ||
| DAX debugger | ||
| DAX code actions | ||
| VertiPaq Analyzer and DAX Optimization integration | ||
| Metadata Translations and Perspective Editor | ||
| Create and edit Direct Lake models | ||
| IntelliSenseTM / Code assist for DAX | ||
| Asynchronous (background) data refresh | ||
| Table Groups | ||
| Import tables from Fabric | ||
| Preview table data from Fabric | ||
| Visualise your model in a diagram | ||
| Try TE3 (30-day trial) |
Want the full breakdown?
If you’d like to go beyond this overview, read our in-depth article “Tabular Editor 2 vs Tabular Editor 3: What’s the difference?” by Kurt Buhler, Content Developer at Tabular Editor. It walks through real-world scenarios, advanced DAX tooling, model optimization, and when to choose TE2 vs TE3, with practical examples and screenshots.