What to Know

• Bing is a search engine much like Google, but Microsoft created it.
• While they are similar services, generally Google Search is more helpful than Bing.
• Bing has apps available for iOS and Android, and you can use it in any browser.

If you're tired of Google's plain old interface and you're in the mood to explore other search engine options, why not give Microsoft's Bing a try? Here's everything you need to know about Bing, including how it's different from Google and what to expect from its mobile app.

All About Microsoft Bing

Bing, sometimes also referred to as Bing Search, is a search engine developed by Microsoft. Since its creation, it has expanded to include features like an AI chatbot. This feature was originally called Bing Chat, but Microsoft has since rebranded it to Copilot.

Copilot is based on ChatGPT and started as a simple chatbot. Now, however, it includes image and music generation along with more specialized programs. "Copilot GPTs" focus on a single task and includes a cooking assistant, fitness trainer, and designer.

Along with its website, you can also access Bing via the Microsoft Edge browser, where it's the default search engine. Bing also has a mobile app for Android and iOS.

Bing vs. Google

Both Bing and Google are search engines, performing one of the most basic tasks of everyday web browsing, but how are they different from each other? Let's take a look at four of their main differences.

Appearance and Interface

The difference between Bing and Google is immediately apparent, just based on their respective interfaces. Google's main search page is famously simple and minimal by design, while Bing is the opposite, often filled with gorgeous photography and links to the latest news stories.

Bing still has a simple search bar that's easy to find; it's just a little higher on the page than Google's.

Bing's search homepage is also customizable. If you prefer more white space or a less busy background, you can hide the page's menu bar, news links, and even the daily homepage image.

Search Results Quality

For the most part, the consensus is there isn't much of a difference in quality between the search results generated by Bing and Google.

However, when it comes to searching for time-sensitive information, they have a couple of important differences.

First of all, if you're searching for news articles or researching something that requires the latest information, Bing can be slightly less helpful than Google because it doesn't always show the publication date next to its search results. That omission can make it harder to quickly see which article or resource has the most up-to-date information. Google provides these dates more often.

Bing also doesn't always put the latest articles at the top of its search results, and it has a tendency to show older articles instead of more appropriate and recent articles or videos. Google tends to be more consistent about making sure the latest headlines appear at the top of its search results.

Advanced Search Options

Both Bing and Google provide advanced search options and filters for narrowing down search results. While Bing's used to be harder to find in some cases than Google's, they're basically the same now.

For regular searches, aToolsoption appears to the right of the menu bar to let you filter by date. On image and video searches, you'll see aFilterheading in Bing. It contains many of the same options-image size, video length, etc.-as you'll find in Google, but the name is different.

Usage Incentives and Rewards Programs

While both engines offer rewards programs that let you receive rewards or money, Bing's is more reliable and easier to get points in. It helps that Bing's rewards program, Microsoft Rewards, works across a variety of platforms.

As long as you're signed in with your Microsoft account, you'll earn points for searching with Bing, taking quizzes, shopping in the Microsoft Store, playing titles on Xbox Game Pass, and more. Since so many activities will get you points, you'll see your total go up more quickly.

Once you earn enough points you can redeem them for gift cards, charitable donations, or sweepstakes entries.

Google's rewards program is all about surveys. Google Opinion Rewards works through an app and pays you in cash (through PayPal). How much you earn depends on how many surveys you take, andthatdepends on how many you qualify for based on your age, location, and other factors.

Mobile Searching With the Bing Search App

If you think you'll need to do most of your web searching on a mobile device, give the Bing Search app a try. The Bing Search app is available for both Android and iOS devices.

The search engine aspect of the app still provides the same quality of search results as Bing's main desktop website, but Bing's mobile app offers a few notable features like Near Me, Fun, and Gas:

• Near Me: Tap this and Bing will automatically populate a list of highly rated restaurants near you and a list of local attractions to visit.
• Fun: Bing will display a number of fun mobile-friendly games and quizzes you can occupy your time with.
• Gas: Bing will automatically generate a list of the closest gas stations with their address and the most updated gasoline prices.

Bing and Google may be the most well-known search engines around but they're certainly not the only ones. There are other great web search engines like DuckDuckGo and Dogpile that are more than up to the task.