Google Ads vs. Bing Ads: Which Is More Cost-Effective in 2025?

If you’re running a business in 2025, online advertising is essential for growth. But when you start exploring your options, you quickly face a big question: should you invest in Google Ads or Bing Ads? Understanding the cost differences between Google Ads vs. Bing Ads can make or break your marketing budget. While Google dominates the search engine world, Bing offers some surprising advantages that could save you money while still reaching valuable customers. In this guide, we’ll break down the real costs, benefits, and strategies to help you decide which platform—or combination of both—will give you the best bang for your buck, empowering you to make a strategic decision that maximises your reach and ROI.

Understanding the Basics: What Are Google Ads and Bing Ads?

Before we delve into the costs, it’s crucial to understand what these platforms actually do.

Google Ads is the advertising platform created by Google that lets businesses display ads across Google Search, YouTube, Gmail, and millions of partner websites. When someone searches for something on Google, the ads that appear at the top or bottom of the results page are Google Ads. With over 8 billion searches on Google every day, it’s the world’s biggest advertising platform.

Bing Ads, now officially called Microsoft Advertising, works similarly but operates across Microsoft’s network. It includes the Bing search engine, Yahoo, AOL, and Microsoft properties such as MSN and Outlook. While Bing doesn’t have nearly as much traffic as Google, it still reaches millions of people daily—especially professionals and older adults who prefer using Microsoft products.

Both platforms work on a pay-per-click (PPC) model, which means you only pay when someone actually clicks on your ad. You set a budget, choose the keywords you want to target, create your ads, and then bid against other advertisers who wish to bid on the exact keywords. The platform shows your ads when people search for those keywords, and you pay each time someone clicks.

The Cost Breakdown: Real Numbers for 2025

Let’s get straight to what you really want to know: how much does each platform actually cost?

Google Ads Cost in 2025

Google Ads currently has an average cost-per-click (CPC) of around $2.69, though this varies significantly by industry and the specific keywords you’re targeting. In many industries, Google CPCs often range from $2 to $4 per click.

For the Google Display Network, which shows visual ads on websites and apps, costs are generally lower. The average CPC for display ads typically falls under $1. However, if you’re in a highly competitive industry like insurance, legal services, or finance, you could be paying $5, $10, or even more per click.

Most businesses using Google Ads spend between $9,000 and $10,000 per month on their campaigns. That might sound like a lot, but remember that effective campaigns can generate significant returns on that investment.

Bing Ads Cost in 2025

Here’s where things get interesting. Bing Ads have a lower average CPC of $1.45 compared to Google Ads’ $2.85. Other sources report Bing’s average CPC at $1.55, which is still considerably lower than Google’s costs.

The key finding is that businesses generally spend 20-35% less on Bing Ads than on Google Ads for identical campaigns. In some industries, the savings are even more dramatic—advertisers report Bing clicks costing 30-50% less than Google clicks, with some seeing savings of up to 70%. This significant potential for savings should give you hope for a more cost-effective advertising strategy.

This cost difference exists because there’s less competition on Bing. Fewer advertisers are bidding on the exact keywords, which drives down the prices.

Cost Comparison Table: Google Ads vs. Bing Ads

Here’s a quick visual comparison of the key cost metrics:

MetricGoogle AdsBing Ads

Average CPC $2.69 – $2.85 $1.45 – $1.55

Cost Difference Baseline 30-50% lower

Competition Level Very High Moderate

Minimum Budget Higher Lower

Beyond Just Costs: Understanding Value and ROI

While Bing Ads may win on cost, it’s important to remember that cheaper doesn’t always mean better. The overall value and return on investment (ROI) you’re getting from each platform should be a key consideration.

Market Share and Reach

Google absolutely dominates the search engine market. Google Ads has a staggering 81.95% share of the search engine market with a global reach of 90%. This massive audience means your ads can reach billions of people worldwide.

Bing, while much smaller, still has significant reach. It powers about 30% of desktop searches in the United States and reaches approximately 100 million daily active users globally. That’s not small—it’s just smaller than Google’s enormous audience.

Click-Through Rates (CTR)

The click-through rate measures how often people who see your ad actually click on it. Bing has an impressive average CTR of 2.83%, while Google’s average CTR is 1.91%. It means people on Bing are actually more likely to click on ads when they see them.

Why is this? It could be because fewer ads are competing for attention on Bing’s results pages. It might also be because Bing users are more engaged or receptive to advertising. Whatever the reason, a higher CTR means you’re getting more clicks per impression.

Conversion Rates

Getting clicks is excellent, but what really matters is conversions—turning those clicks into actual customers, sales, or leads. Google has a slightly higher average conversion rate of 3.75%, while Bing’s is 2.94%. However, some data shows that Bing ads deliver an average ROI of £2.53 per £1 spent, compared to Google’s £2 return per £1 spent.

The conversion story is more nuanced than just these numbers. The effectiveness depends heavily on your specific industry, target audience, and the optimisation of your campaigns.

Cost Per Acquisition (CPA)

Cost per acquisition measures how much you spend to get one customer or lead. Bing shows a 20% lower cost-per-acquisition on average compared to Google. It is a crucial metric because it directly measures the efficiency of your advertising spend.

If you’re spending $100 to acquire a customer on Google but only $80 on Bing, Bing is more cost-effective—even if you’re getting fewer total customers.

Who Uses Each Platform? Understanding the Audiences

The people who use Google versus Bing are somewhat different, and understanding these differences helps explain why one platform might work better for your specific business.

Google’s Audience: Google Ads vs. Bing Ads

Google attracts virtually everyone. It’s used by people of all ages, income levels, and demographics. People search on Google from their phones, tablets, and computers. The audience is massive and diverse, making it ideal for businesses looking to reach broad consumer markets.

Google is mighty for mobile users. Most Google searches now happen on mobile devices, which is essential if your customers are likely to be searching while on the go.

Bing’s Audience:Google Ads vs. Bing Ads

Bing’s user base has distinct characteristics that make it valuable for certain businesses. Bing users tend to be older, with higher incomes, and are more likely to use desktop computers. Many Bing users are professionals who use Microsoft products at work, where Bing is often the default search engine.

Bing’s integration with LinkedIn allows marketers to target by job function, company, and industry, making it particularly powerful for business-to-business (B2B) marketing. If you’re trying to reach executives, professionals, or corporate decision-makers, Bing’s audience might be more valuable to you than Google’s larger but more general audience.

Bing is also strong among people who prefer privacy and those who actively choose not to use Google products. This niche audience can be valuable depending on your business.

Platform Features: What You Get for Your Money

Both platforms offer sophisticated tools for creating and managing ads, but they have different strengths.

Google Ads Features

Google Ads provides an incredibly comprehensive set of tools:

Massive reach across multiple networks: Your ads can appear on Google Search, YouTube videos, Gmail inboxes, and millions of partner websites and apps
Advanced AI and machine learning: Google’s artificial intelligence helps optimise your campaigns automatically, predicting which ads will perform best
Detailed analytics: Google provides extensive data about who’s seeing and clicking your ads
Integration with Google Analytics: Seamlessly track user behaviour from ad click through to website conversion
Multiple ad formats: Text ads, image ads, video ads, shopping ads, and more
Performance Max campaigns: Automated campaigns that run across Google’s entire network

The Google Ads platform is powerful but complex. It has a steeper learning curve, and the interface can be overwhelming for beginners.

Bing Ads Features

Microsoft Advertising offers a more streamlined experience with some unique advantages:

LinkedIn Profile Targeting: A game-changer for B2B marketing. You can target visitors by company, industry, or job title, which Google does not offer.
More granular device control: Bing lets you adjust bids based on device type, browser, and even operating system
More straightforward interface: The platform is generally easier to learn and navigate
Import tool: You can copy your entire Google Ads campaign directly into Bing with just a few clicks, saving enormous setup time
Microsoft ecosystem integration: Ads appear across Microsoft properties, including MSN, Outlook, and Windows devices
Better transparency: Bing often provides more straightforward reporting

While Bing doesn’t have all the advanced features Google offers, its unique capabilities—especially LinkedIn targeting—make it powerful for specific use cases.

Industry-Specific Considerations

The cost-effectiveness of each platform varies significantly by industry. Let’s look at how different businesses might approach this decision.

E-Commerce and Retail

For online stores selling physical products, Google Ads is usually essential. Google Shopping ads display your products with images and prices directly in search results, which is incredibly effective. The massive mobile audience on Google is also crucial, as many people shop on their phones.

However, adding Bing can be worthwhile, especially if you’re selling higher-priced items that Bing’s affluent audience might purchase.

B2B and Professional Services

If you’re selling software to businesses, offering consulting services, or targeting corporate clients, Bing’s LinkedIn integration makes it exceptionally valuable. The ability to target by job title and company is worth paying for, even if clicks cost the same as Google.

Many B2B companies find that while Bing delivers less traffic, the leads are higher quality and convert at better rates.

Local Services

For local businesses like restaurants, plumbers, dentists, or hair salons, Google’s dominance in local search makes it the priority. Google’s local service ads and integration with Google Maps are powerful tools for businesses serving local customers.

Bing can supplement this, particularly in areas with older populations who are more likely to use Bing.

Legal, Insurance, and Finance

These industries have some of the highest advertising costs on Google, with clicks sometimes costing $50 or more. For these businesses, Bing’s 30-50% lower costs can represent massive savings. Even with less traffic, the cost efficiency often makes Bing highly attractive.

Education and Healthcare

Both platforms work well for these industries, but Bing’s desktop-heavy audience aligns well with how people research educational programs and healthcare options—typically spending significant time researching on desktop computers.

The Smart Strategy: Why Not Both?

Here’s the truth that many successful advertisers have discovered: you don’t have to choose just one platform. In fact, the most innovative approach for most businesses is to use both Google and Bing strategically.

The 80/20 Budget Split

A common strategy is allocating about 80% of your PPC budget to Google Ads and 20% to Bing Ads. This approach recognises Google’s superior reach while capturing the cost-effective opportunities on Bing.

You can adjust this ratio based on your results. If Bing is delivering exceptional ROI for your business, you might increase its budget share to 30% or even 40%.

Complementary Strengths

Google builds brand awareness at scale while Bing drives high-conversion B2B leads at lower costs. By using both, you’re getting the best of both worlds:

Broader reach: You’re visible to virtually everyone searching online
Cost efficiency: Bing’s lower costs bring down your overall average CPC
Audience diversity: You reach both mobile consumers and desktop professionals
Risk mitigation: If costs rise on one platform, you have presence on the other
More data: Testing campaigns on both platforms gives you better insights

Testing and Learning: Google Ads vs. Bing Ads

Many advertisers use Bing as a testing ground. Because clicks are cheaper, you can experiment with different ad copy, landing pages, and strategies on Bing. Once you identify what works, you can deploy those winning approaches on Google with more confidence.

This testing-on-Bing strategy can save you significant money compared to testing everything on Google’s more expensive platform.

Practical Tips for Maximising Cost-Effectiveness

Whether you choose Google, Bing, or both, here are strategies to get the most value from your advertising budget:

Start with Clear Goals

Before spending a dollar, define what success looks like. Are you trying to generate leads? Make sales? Build brand awareness? Your goals should directly influence which platform you prioritise and how you measure cost-effectiveness.

Focus on Quality Score

Both platforms use a Quality Score system that rewards relevant, high-quality ads with lower costs and better ad positions. Improving your Quality Score is one of the most effective ways to reduce your CPC. Focus on:

Writing ads that closely match your keywords
Creating landing pages relevant to your ads
Achieving good click-through rates
Providing an excellent user experience

Use Negative Keywords

Negative keywords prevent your ads from showing for irrelevant searches, saving you money on clicks that won’t convert. If you sell luxury watches, you might add “cheap” or “free” as negative keywords to avoid people looking for bargains.

Start Small and Scale

Don’t blow your entire budget in one go. Start with small campaigns, test what works, and gradually increase spending on ads and keywords that deliver the best results. This approach works on both platforms but is especially valuable on Google, where costs are higher.

Leverage Bing’s Import Tool

If you’re already running Google Ads, use Bing’s import feature to replicate your campaigns quickly. It takes just minutes and lets you expand to Bing with minimal effort. You can then optimise the Bing campaigns separately based on their performance.

Monitor and Optimise Regularly

Set up conversion tracking, review your data weekly, and continuously refine your campaigns. Pause underperforming ads, increase budgets for winners, and adjust bids based on performance. This ongoing optimisation is crucial for maintaining cost-effectiveness.

Consider Time of Day and Day of Week

Both platforms let you schedule when your ads appear. Analyse when your best conversions happen and adjust your bids or plan accordingly. If your customers mainly convert during business hours, don’t waste budget on late-night clicks that rarely convert.

Common Mistakes That Waste Money

Avoid these costly errors that many advertisers make:

Mistake 1: Choosing Based on Price Alone

Just because Bing is cheaper doesn’t mean it’s better for your business. If your target audience doesn’t use Bing, those cheap clicks won’t convert into customers. Always consider your specific audience and goals.

Mistake 2: Ignoring Mobile Optimisation

With most searches happening on mobile, having a mobile-optimised website and ad experience is crucial, especially for Google Ads. Sending mobile users to a desktop-only website wastes clicks and money.

Mistake 3: Using Broad Match Keywords Without Negatives

Broad match keywords can trigger your ads for loosely related searches, many of which might be irrelevant. Always use negative keywords extensively when using broad match.

Mistake 4: Neglecting Landing Page Quality

Even perfect ads won’t convert if your landing page is slow, confusing, or doesn’t match what the ad promised. Both platforms consider landing page quality when determining your costs and ad position.

Mistake 5: Setting and Forgetting

PPC advertising requires active management. Markets change, competitors adjust their strategies, and customer behaviour shifts. Regular monitoring and optimisation are essential for maintaining cost-effectiveness.

Looking Ahead: The Future of PPC Advertising

As we progress through 2025, several trends are shaping the Google Ads versus Bing Ads landscape:

Artificial Intelligence Integration

Both platforms are heavily investing in AI. Google’s AI tools are becoming more sophisticated at predicting which ads will perform best and automatically optimising campaigns. Bing has integrated AI chat features into its search engine, creating new advertising opportunities.

Privacy Changes

With increasing privacy regulations and the decline of third-party cookies, both platforms are developing new ways to target ads while respecting user privacy. First-party data and contextual targeting are becoming more critical.

Video and Visual Content

Video advertising continues to grow. While Google has YouTube as a massive advantage, both platforms are expanding video ad options and improving visual ad formats.

Voice Search

As voice-activated searches increase, the way people search is changing. It affects keyword strategies and may shift the competitive landscape between platforms.

Making Your Decision: A Framework

Here’s a simple framework to help you decide which platform is more cost-effective for your specific situation:

Choose Google Ads as your priority if: Google Ads vs. Bing Ads

You need maximum reach and volume
Your target audience is broad and includes mobile users
You’re in e-commerce or retail
You want to advertise on YouTube
Brand awareness is a key goal

Choose Bing Ads as your priority if: Google Ads vs. Bing Ads

You’re working with a limited budget
You target B2B or professional audiences
Your customers are older or higher-income
Desktop conversions are essential for your business
You’re in a competitive industry with high Google costs

Use both platforms if:

You have sufficient budget (typically $5,000+ monthly)
You want maximum market coverage
You can dedicate time to managing multiple campaigns
You want to test and optimise across platforms
You’re seeing positive ROI and want to scale

Conclusion: The Real Answer About Cost-Effectiveness

So, which is more cost-effective in 2025-Google Ads or Bing Ads? The honest answer is: it depends on your business.

On pure costs, Bing wins clearly. You’ll pay 30-50% less per click, enjoy less competition, and potentially achieve a lower cost per acquisition. For businesses on tight budgets or in expensive industries, this makes Bing incredibly attractive.

However, Google’s massive reach, advanced features, and dominant market position make it essential for most businesses wanting to maximise their online presence. The higher costs often translate to higher volume and more opportunities.

The real winner is the strategic approach that recognises the strengths of each platform. By starting with Google for reach and scale, adding Bing for cost efficiency and niche targeting, and continuously optimising both, you create a powerful advertising strategy that maximises cost-effectiveness while minimising risk.

Remember that cost-effectiveness isn’t just about the lowest price—it’s about getting the best return on your investment. A more expensive click that converts is always better than a cheap click that doesn’t. Track your results, measure your actual ROI, and let the data guide your decisions.

The digital advertising landscape continues to evolve, but one thing remains constant: the businesses that succeed are those that understand their audience, test their strategies, measure their results, and adapt continuously. Whether you choose Google, Bing, or both, commit to ongoing optimisation and you’ll find the most cost-effective path for your unique business needs.

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