Bing Ads, now officially called Microsoft Advertising, is not a replacement for Google Ads. It is a smaller, cheaper add-on. Google still carries roughly 91% of global search volume, but Microsoft Advertising typically costs 30 to 60% less per click. Most advertisers get the best return running both platforms together, not choosing one over the other.
Google Ads runs on Google Search, YouTube, and the Google Display Network, and it commands the overwhelming majority of global search volume. Microsoft Advertising (the platform most people still call Bing Ads) runs on Bing, plus the syndicated Microsoft Search Network that includes Yahoo, AOL, DuckDuckGo, and Microsoft's own Edge and Windows search boxes. Both platforms sell text ads on an auction model, both use a form of quality scoring, and both let you target keywords, locations, devices, and audiences.
The real differences show up in three places: reach, cost, and targeting depth. Google has far more search volume and a broader ad ecosystem. Microsoft Advertising has meaningfully lower average CPCs and a targeting feature Google does not offer at all. We will walk through each in turn, since the honest answer to "which is better" depends entirely on what a business is optimizing for.
Microsoft rebranded Bing Ads to Microsoft Advertising in 2019 to reflect that the platform's ads run far beyond Bing.com itself. Yet years later, most search volume for this comparison still uses the old name, and a lot of the comparison content ranking for it never got updated either. If you are setting up an account today, you will be creating it inside Microsoft Advertising, not a product literally called "Bing Ads," even though the terms are used interchangeably throughout this guide because that is how people actually search.
Yes, on average. Improvado's 2026 platform analysis, citing Conversios cost data, found Google Ads running $2.85 to $5.26 per click on average, climbing to $7 to $10 or more in competitive verticals like legal and insurance. Microsoft Advertising averaged $1.50 to $2.80 per click over the same period, roughly 30 to 60% cheaper depending on the vertical.
That gap holds up across independent research too. WordStream's 2026 search advertising benchmarks, drawn from 13,474 US-based campaigns running between April 2025 and March 2026, put the blended average CPC across Google and Microsoft search campaigns at $5.42, with an average conversion rate of 8.18% and an average cost per lead of $66.69. Lower CPC by itself does not guarantee a lower cost per lead, since Microsoft's conversion rate can run slightly behind Google's on some accounts, but the starting price per click is consistently cheaper on Microsoft Advertising.
Why the gap? Fewer advertisers bid on Microsoft Advertising, so auction competition is thinner and the same keyword usually costs less than it does on Google, where more businesses are chasing the same clicks. That is also why Google Ads pricing varies so widely by industry: crowded, high-intent verticals push CPCs up on Google far more than they do on Microsoft.
Google dominates search volume by a wide margin. Statcounter's Global Stats for July 2026 puts Google at 91.31% of worldwide search traffic, with Bing at 4.47% and Yahoo at 1.24%. If you need maximum daily volume from search alone, Google Ads is where nearly all of it lives.
Microsoft Advertising's reach looks small next to that headline number, but it is not trivial. Microsoft states that its Search Network, which bundles Bing with Yahoo, AOL, DuckDuckGo, and Microsoft's own Edge browser and Windows search box, reaches over 1 billion unique monthly users worldwide. That audience is also less crowded from an advertiser's perspective: Search Engine Journal and multiple PPC agencies have noted that Microsoft's search network reaches millions of searchers who rarely, if ever, show up in Google's auction, largely because Bing is the default engine on every Windows PC and in Microsoft Copilot.
Beyond price and reach, the platforms diverge on what you can actually build inside them. Google Ads has more surface area: Search, YouTube, Shopping, Display, Discovery, and Performance Max campaigns that blend all of it under one automated bidding goal. Microsoft Advertising covers Search, Shopping, Audience (native display) ads, and a smaller but growing set of automated campaign types, generally running a version or two behind Google's rollout of new formats.
Where Microsoft pulls ahead is targeting precision for B2B advertisers. Its LinkedIn profile targeting lets you layer job function, industry, and company size on top of your existing keyword campaigns, so a search ad can bid higher specifically for searchers who work in, say, finance at companies with 500-plus employees. Google Ads has nothing directly equivalent; its closest options (in-market and affinity audiences) target intent and interest signals, not verified professional data.
| Category | Google Ads | Microsoft Advertising (Bing Ads) |
|---|---|---|
| Search market share | 91.31% worldwide (Statcounter, Jul 2026) | 4.47% worldwide, part of a 1B+ user network (Statcounter; Microsoft) |
| Average CPC | $2.85-$5.26, higher in competitive verticals | $1.50-$2.80, roughly 30-60% cheaper (Improvado/Conversios, 2026) |
| Ad networks | Search, YouTube, Shopping, Display, Discovery, Performance Max | Search, Shopping, Audience (native display) ads |
| Unique targeting | In-market and affinity audiences, first-party data matching | LinkedIn profile targeting (job function, industry, company size) |
| Typical audience | Broadest possible reach across every device and demographic | Skews desktop-heavy; strong on Windows and enterprise devices |
| Best fit | Businesses that need volume and cross-channel scale | B2B, lead-gen, and budget-conscious advertisers chasing efficiency |
In most cases, yes, as an addition rather than a replacement. Because Microsoft's audience barely overlaps with Google's (different default browsers, different devices, different habits), adding Microsoft Advertising rarely cannibalizes existing Google traffic. It tends to surface incremental clicks and leads you were not reaching before, at a lower cost per click than the campaign you already have running.
The exception is a very small budget. If you are spending under a few hundred dollars a month total, splitting it across two platforms can leave both accounts too thin on data for automated bidding to learn properly. In that case, get one Google Ads campaign profitable first using a resource like our Google Ads for small business guide, then add Microsoft Advertising once you have budget to spare, rather than splitting a small budget two ways from day one.
Run through four questions before you commit budget to either platform, or both.
If you already run Google Ads and are unsure whether the account itself is in good shape before you add a second platform, run it through our Google Ads audit checklist first. A messy Google account will not get cleaner by adding Microsoft Advertising on top of it, and the same structural mistakes (broad match with no negatives, one ad per group, ignored search terms) tend to show up on both platforms once you import the campaign.
Every one of these mistakes comes from treating Microsoft Advertising as an afterthought rather than its own platform with its own auction dynamics. Set it up with the same care you gave your Google account, and it tends to reward that attention with a lower cost per lead.
Is Bing Ads the same thing as Microsoft Advertising? Yes. Microsoft rebranded Bing Ads to Microsoft Advertising in 2019. The platform runs ads on Bing plus the wider Microsoft Search Network, which includes Yahoo, AOL, and DuckDuckGo. Most people still search for and refer to it as "Bing Ads" out of habit.
Is Microsoft Advertising actually cheaper than Google Ads? On average, yes. Improvado's 2026 platform analysis found Microsoft Advertising CPCs of $1.50 to $2.80 versus $2.85 to $5.26 on Google Ads, roughly 30 to 60% cheaper depending on the industry. Cost per lead can still vary since conversion rates are not identical across platforms.
How much of the search market does Bing actually have? Statcounter's Global Stats for July 2026 puts Bing at 4.47% of worldwide search volume, next to Google's 91.31%. Microsoft's own Search Network, which bundles in Yahoo, AOL, and DuckDuckGo, reaches over 1 billion unique monthly users worldwide by Microsoft's count.
Should I advertise on Bing if I already run Google Ads? In most cases, yes, as an addition rather than a swap. Microsoft's audience barely overlaps with Google's, so a second campaign usually adds incremental leads at a lower cost per click rather than cannibalizing traffic you already had.
Can I import my Google Ads campaigns into Microsoft Advertising? Yes. Microsoft Advertising has a built-in import tool that copies campaigns, ad groups, keywords, and ads from a connected Google Ads account in a few clicks. It saves setup time, but you still need to review Quality Score, negatives, and audience settings separately once it is live.
Does Microsoft Advertising have automated bidding like Google's Smart Bidding? Yes. Microsoft Advertising offers Target CPA, Target ROAS, Maximize Conversions, and Maximize Clicks, mirroring Google's core automated strategies, though its algorithm generally has less training data to work with than Google's given the smaller volume.
What kind of businesses see the best results on Microsoft Advertising? B2B, professional services, enterprise software, and finance tend to overperform there because of LinkedIn profile targeting and an audience that skews older, more desktop-based, and higher income. Consumer and mobile-first brands usually see a smaller lift.
Why is Bing Ads CPC lower than Google's? Fewer advertisers compete for the same keywords on Microsoft Advertising, since most PPC budgets default to Google first. Thinner auction competition keeps the average cost per click down even for identical search terms and match types.
How do I get started on Microsoft Advertising? Create a Microsoft Advertising account, then either import an existing Google Ads account structure or build campaigns manually. Set a realistic starting budget, install conversion tracking before you launch, and give the account at least a few weeks of stable settings before judging results.
Is Microsoft Advertising worth it for a small business with a tight budget? It depends on the budget size. Under roughly $1,000 to $1,500 a month, concentrate spend on Google Ads first so the algorithm has enough data to optimize. Once budget allows a second channel, Microsoft Advertising is usually worth testing for the lower CPC alone.
Do not treat this as a choice between two logos. Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising solve different problems: one buys you reach, the other buys you efficiency, and running both is how most accounts end up with a lower blended cost per lead than either platform alone. If you are weighing this decision against your broader marketing mix, our Google Ads vs SEO comparison is a useful next read, and if you are still unsure whether paid search earns its budget at all, start with our honest look at whether Google Ads is worth it. For a second set of eyes on whether your current account (Google, Microsoft, or both) is set up to convert, book a free strategy call with Rankite and we will show you where the budget is leaking.
Get a free, no-obligation SEO audit and a 30-minute strategy session. We'll show you exactly where the growth is hiding.
Fill out the form and we'll get back to you within one business day. Prefer email? Write to us directly at contact@rankite.com.
