Image from Atharva Sonune.
Everybody has long shunned Microsoft Edge in favor of Google. Both search engines are widely used, but Microsoft Edge hasn’t been given the credit it deserves. Edge for a long time has been seen as a knock-off since people deem it a Google copy-cat. Although Google and Edge both share similar tools and other add-ons, Bing not only has what Google offers but has even more perks such as a faster and smarter AI as well as rewards just for using Bing. Though Google and Edge are similar, Edge offers more than Google with its better AI and rewards. So is Bing worth using over Google?
When was the last time you used Microsoft Edge? Was it during a rushed search for homework or searching up new trends? More likely than not you just Googled it. You’ve been tricked by social norms into using Google without giving Bing a try. With the increase in popularity of Google Chrome, people don’t see that Microsoft Edge has improved, but why is Bing better than Google?
First, Edge presents better search results and has special factors to replace Google. It has search speeds 112% that of Google. Do you finally see that Google is slow? Edge also uses less of your RAM (random access memory) than Google, allowing you to have more tabs open without lagging, unlike Google. Another perk Edge has is a rewards system for playing games within the browser, doing quizzes, and using everyday searches. You might be thinking, “So what If I get virtual rewards from Edge?” but you have made a grave error. The rewards you receive aren’t just virtual, it’s real dollars. I have gotten 10 dollars these past few months. The points can be redeemed for gift cards, sweepstakes, and donations such as the Red Cross.
Bing is also farther ahead of Google in the world of AI. Both Edge and Google have their own AI chat which can be used along with searches. Edge’s is called “Bing Chat” and Google’s is called “Bard.” While Google is faster, it doesn’t have as many tools and is less convenient than Bing. Bing Chat is better at coding, has conversation styles you can choose from, cites sources it uses, answers detailed questions that Bard struggles with, and can respond with emotion.
Though Bing overwhelmingly beats Google at the majority of things, there are a few things that Google does better. Google has a better search index (more results), but this is only because Google is more widely used than Bing.
So, is Bing worth using over Google? Yes. Not only can you get paid using it, but the search engine is faster and shows more promise. The only reason Google is “better” is because of the illusion we create that Google is better. If we give Bing the chance it deserves, we will see that it is more convenient, easier to use, faster, and well-integrated with other Microsoft benefits. Regardless of what Edge was in the past, Bing is the new browser we all should use.
Matthew La Brutto is a Junior at Washington High School. He grew up in San Diego, and moved to Fremont when he was about three years old. This is his first year at the paper. His journaling interests include local news, school news, food reviews, and movie/tv reviews. Some hobbies Matthew has are skateboarding, video games, water polo, swimming, and hanging out with his family. He wants to become a lawyer in the future, or do something related to literature.