Microsoft's Bing gains momentum as Google sees decline in market share

Microsoft Bing's usage is gaining popularity among users. The company has to thank Copilot for its growth.

According to Microsoft's FY25 Q3 earnings report, there was a significant focus on cloud services and artificial intelligence, with notable highlights including a 22% year-over-year growth in Bing's engagement rates. Powered by ChatGPT and other OpenAI technologies, Microsoft Copilot is deeply integrated with Bing Search, enabling the tool to provide real-time information to users, enhancing the overall search experience.

Google had initially failed to capitalize on the AI trend, and it may cost it dearly. StatCounter reports that Google's usage share has fallen below 90% of the global, currently standing at 89.9%. As Tuta points out, approximately 5.56 Billion people use the internet. This means that the measly 1% could be 50 million users, which is actually a significant number. This is not the first time that Google has dropped below 90% market share. In October 2024 Google Search's market share dropped to 89.34%, but it managed to climb back up to 89.99% in November, but dropped back to 89.73 in December. Something similar happened in the first quarter of 2015.

The decline in Google’s market share may not stem from a singular cause but rather a culmination of various factors. Anecdotal evidence suggests that users are increasingly searching for viable alternatives like such as Ecosia, and DuckDuckGo due to growing concerns over Google’s monopolistic practices, which have come under increasing regulatory scrutiny. Antitrust cases in the U.S. are raising questions about the company's control over services like Google Chrome and Android, potentially leading to significant changes in its operational structure. Other factors that may have impacted Google's decline include antitrust regulations in some regions that forced the search giant to offer alternative search engine options like Microsoft Bing.

Bing and other search engines may not be able to unseat Google from its dominant position that easily, but the current trends may present Microsoft with a rare opportunity. As more users look for alternatives, Bing powered by Copilot is positioned to capitalize on this shift, should Google’s decline continue. The next few quarters will be crucial in determining if Bing can pivot these gains into sustained growth in the highly competitive search engine market.