Short answer
Microsoft Ads is usually worth adding to Google Ads as a second channel, once Google is working. Bing handles about 8.9% of US searches and 12.8% of desktop searches, Microsoft ads also run on Yahoo, AOL, DuckDuckGo and inside Copilot, and you can import a working Google Ads account in minutes.
Do not start with it. On a small budget, Google’s much larger search volume teaches you what works faster.
Key takeaways
- Google has 86.1% of US search; Bing has 8.92%, rising to 12.82% on desktop but only 1.81% on mobile (StatCounter, August 2026).
- One Microsoft campaign reaches Bing plus partner sites including Yahoo, AOL, DuckDuckGo and Ecosia.
- Ads in Copilot come from your existing campaigns automatically. You cannot opt out, search ads need a logo, and Copilot is not reported separately.
- Microsoft says Copilot ads earned 73% higher click-through rates than traditional search in its own data. That is a vendor claim, not an independent benchmark.
- Costs are rising faster on Microsoft: among Tinuiti clients, cost per click grew 19% year over year in Q2 2026, against 1% for Google Search.
How big is Bing compared with Google in 2026?
Bing is a desktop story. It is the default search engine in Microsoft Edge and on Windows, so its share on desktop computers (12.82%) is seven times its share on phones (1.81%). Add Yahoo, DuckDuckGo and Ecosia, which Microsoft lists as search partners, and the searches where a Microsoft ad can appear rise to about 13.5% of US searches, and 17.7% on desktop (our sum of StatCounter figures).
Microsoft’s own marketing uses a bigger number: 38.1% of US PC searches across its network, from Comscore data for March 2023, desktop only. The two figures measure different things, but both point the same way: Microsoft matters on desktops, and barely registers on phones.
Microsoft is growing, slowly. Satya Nadella told investors in April 2026 that Bing monthly active users reached 1 billion for the first time, and in July that Bing and Edge have both taken share for five straight years. Microsoft’s search and news advertising revenue, excluding traffic acquisition costs, grew 10% in the quarter to June 2026.
Where do Microsoft ads show?
One Microsoft Advertising account
Search ads can appear on
Audience ads can appear on
A standard search campaign can show on Bing and on partner sites such as Yahoo, AOL, DuckDuckGo and Ecosia. Audience campaigns reach MSN, Microsoft Start, Edge and Outlook.com. And since 2024, eligible ads also appear inside Microsoft Copilot answers.
How do ads in Microsoft Copilot work?
You do not build a separate Copilot campaign. According to Microsoft Advertising Help, all eligible campaign and ad types are automatically opted in, advertisers cannot opt out, and there is no guarantee an ad will show. Ads are built from your campaign’s existing text and images and appear within Copilot’s responses.
- Eligible: Multimedia ads, Product ads from Shopping and Performance Max, and search ads with a logo, including responsive search ads, dynamic search ads and Performance Max search placements.
- A logo is required for search ads to be eligible in Copilot. Microsoft says Performance Max is the best way to increase exposure there.
- Negative keywords still apply, which is the main control you have.
- No separate reporting. Microsoft says it does not currently support specific metrics for ads served in Copilot.
Microsoft keeps adding formats. In January 2026 it launched Copilot Checkout and Brand Agents on Copilot.com in the US, letting shoppers buy without leaving the conversation, with Shopify merchants enrolled automatically. In April 2026 it added Offer Highlights to promote product differences inside Copilot conversations.
On performance, Microsoft reports that Copilot ads drive 73% higher click-through rates and 16% stronger conversion rates than traditional search, with customer journeys 33% shorter, based on its own data from February to May 2025. Those are vendor figures that nobody outside Microsoft can check, and because Copilot is not reported separately, you cannot check them in your own account either.
Is Microsoft Ads cheaper than Google Ads?
You will often hear that Microsoft clicks are cheaper. We could not find a reliable, independent 2026 study that compares the two side by side. The WordStream and LocaliQ 2026 benchmarks mix Google and Microsoft campaigns together, with a median cost per click of $5.42 and cost per lead of $66.69, and do not publish a Microsoft-only split.
What we do have points the other way this year. Tinuiti’s Q2 2026 benchmark report, as reported by MediaPost, found Microsoft cost per click up 19% year over year, against 1% for Google Search, with Microsoft paid search spend up 7%. That is one agency’s client base, but it is a good reason to test with your own keywords rather than assume Microsoft is the bargain channel.
Our view: judge Microsoft on cost per lead, not cost per click. A cheaper click that converts less often is not cheaper.
How to add Microsoft Ads without doubling your work
Microsoft has made copying a Google account easy, because it knows almost every advertiser starts there. Import from Google Ads lets you sign in to Google, choose Quick import or a custom import, and bring in up to 10 accounts at once. Microsoft raises any bids and budgets that fall below its minimums, turns broad match negative keywords into phrase match, and skips video files. Scheduled imports then sync changes daily, weekly or monthly, and stores can import their Google Merchant Center products the same way. A new import center added in May 2026 flags problems after each import.
- Fix Google first. Import copies problems as faithfully as it copies what works.
- Import, then check location settings, budgets and bid strategy on every campaign.
- Add your logo as an image asset so search ads can qualify for Copilot.
- Install the Microsoft UET tag and set up the same conversions you track in Google, including calls.
- Give it its own budget, and review search terms every week for the first month.
If you sell to other businesses, Microsoft has one thing Google does not: LinkedIn profile targeting by company, industry and job function, available on Search and other campaign types. Job seniority targeting became generally available for Search in August 2026. These work as bid adjustments, so they do not narrow your reach.
When is Microsoft Ads worth it for a small business?
Add it when:
- Google Ads is already producing leads at a cost you are happy with, and you want more at a similar price.
- Your customers search from work computers: business services, B2B suppliers, trades that serve offices and property managers.
- You sell to businesses and would benefit from LinkedIn company or job targeting.
- You run a store with a product feed that you can import in a few clicks.
Wait when:
- Your total budget is under about $1,500 a month. Splitting it slows learning on both platforms.
- Your customers search on their phones in urgent moments. Bing has 1.81% of US mobile search.
- You cannot yet track conversions on Google. Fix that first, then copy it across.
When you do add it, start small. As a rule of thumb, and this is our opinion rather than a benchmark, 10% to 20% of your Google budget for 60 days is enough to see whether Microsoft leads cost the same or less.
Microsoft Ads vs Google Ads at a glance
| Google Ads | Microsoft Advertising | |
|---|---|---|
| US search share, August 2026 | 86.1% (82.0% desktop, 93.5% mobile) | Bing 8.92% (12.82% desktop, 1.81% mobile) |
| Where search ads show | Google Search and Google search partners | Bing, Yahoo, AOL, DuckDuckGo, Ecosia and other partners |
| Ads inside AI answers | AI Overviews and AI Mode, from existing Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns | Copilot, from existing eligible campaigns; search ads need a logo |
| Separate reporting for AI answers | No | No |
| Opting out of AI placements | Not offered as a setting | Not possible for eligible ads |
| Getting started | Build campaigns from scratch | Import a Google Ads account in minutes, then sync on a schedule |
| Extra targeting | Google audience segments | LinkedIn profile targeting: company, industry, job function, seniority |
| 2026 automation change | AI Max upgrades for Search from 1 September 2026 | AI Max for Search generally available from 31 August 2026 |
Google also shows ads inside its AI answers: text and Shopping ads from existing campaigns are eligible for AI Overviews, and Google has said that Search campaigns using broad match or AI Max are eligible for AI Mode. Google began moving many Search campaigns to AI Max on 1 September 2026. We cover what that means for costs in how much Google Ads costs in 2026.
Paid Pilot only runs Google Ads, so we have no reason to talk you into or out of Microsoft. If your Google account is not yet profitable, fixing it will pay more than adding a second platform. Our free recorded audit shows where the money goes. You can also compare Google with Meta Ads and ChatGPT ads.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Microsoft renamed Bing Ads to Microsoft Advertising in 2019, and most people call it Microsoft Ads. One account runs search ads on Bing and its search partners, plus ads in Copilot and audience ads across Microsoft sites.
Yes. Microsoft lists Yahoo, AOL, DuckDuckGo and Ecosia among the partner sites where its search ads can appear, alongside Bing itself. Together with Bing they made up about 13.5% of US search engine traffic in August 2026, by our sum of StatCounter figures.
No. Microsoft automatically opts eligible campaigns into Copilot and says advertisers cannot opt out. Your negative keywords still apply, search ads need a logo to be eligible, and Copilot results are not reported separately.
There is no reliable independent 2026 comparison. Among Tinuiti clients, Microsoft cost per click rose 19% year over year in the second quarter of 2026 against 1% for Google Search. The honest answer is to run the same keywords on both and compare cost per lead.
Use Import from Google Ads in Microsoft Advertising: sign in to Google, choose Quick import or Customize, and pick up to 10 accounts. You can then schedule imports daily, weekly or monthly so changes you make in Google Ads carry across.
No. Paid Pilot only runs Google Ads. Because Microsoft can import a Google Ads account in minutes, many businesses copy a well-run Google account across and manage the Microsoft side lightly themselves.
Sources
- Search engine market share, United States, all platforms, August 2026, StatCounter Global Stats, accessed 30 September 2026.
- Search engine market share, United States, desktop, August 2026, StatCounter Global Stats, accessed 30 September 2026.
- Search engine market share, United States, mobile, August 2026, StatCounter Global Stats, accessed 30 September 2026.
- About the Microsoft Advertising network, Microsoft Advertising Help, updated 19 June 2026.
- Search ads, Microsoft Advertising, accessed 30 September 2026.
- About ads in Copilot, Microsoft Advertising Help, updated 19 June 2026.
- 73% higher CTRs: why advertisers need to pay attention to conversational AI, Microsoft Advertising, 6 August 2025.
- Conversations that convert: Copilot Checkout and Brand Agents, Microsoft Advertising, 8 January 2026.
- Win across all three eras of the web, Microsoft Advertising, 21 April 2026.
- Import campaigns from Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising Help, updated 17 June 2026.
- Scheduled imports, Microsoft Advertising Help, updated 26 June 2026.
- Import a Google Merchant Center store, Microsoft Advertising Help, accessed 30 September 2026.
- New import center and other product news for May 2026, Microsoft Advertising, 19 May 2026.
- About LinkedIn profile targeting, Microsoft Advertising Help, accessed 30 September 2026.
- AI Max for Search and other product news for August 2026, Microsoft Advertising, 31 August 2026.
- Earnings release, fiscal year 2026 fourth quarter, Microsoft, 29 July 2026.
- Earnings call, fiscal year 2026 fourth quarter, Microsoft, 29 July 2026.
- Earnings call, fiscal year 2026 third quarter, Microsoft, 29 April 2026.
- Microsoft sees paid search ad media buys rise, MediaPost, 16 July 2026.
- Google Ads Benchmarks 2026: Competitive Data & Insights for Every Industry, WordStream by LocaliQ, updated 19 May 2026.
- About ads and AI Overviews, Google Ads Help, accessed 30 September 2026.
- New ways to connect with customers in AI Mode and AI Overviews, Google, 21 May 2025.
- Migrate campaign-level broad match and automatically created assets to AI Max, Google Ads Developer Blog, 12 August 2026.
