Microsoft may soon ‘bribe’ users for choosing Edge over Google Chrome: here’s how

We have all been through the trope — you get a new Windows device that comes pre-installed with Microsoft Edge. The first thing one usually does is open Edge and use Bing to search for Google Chrome, and ditch the Microsoft browser for good. Well, it turns out that Microsoft is well aware of this issue and is now even willing to offer users money (or more precisely, rewards) to stop them from ditching its browser.

A report by Windows Latest found that when users search “Chrome” on Bing, Microsoft is now offering them 1,300 Rewards points to keep using Edge. These points can be redeemed for a gift card that can be used to buy real products. Or, if you are philanthropically inclined, you can even use the reward points to donate to your favourite NGO.

“Earn 1,300 Microsoft Rewards points by trying Edge,” reads a banner spotted by the publication while searching for Chrome on Bing, followed by the text, “Redeem your points for gift cards or donate to one of over 2 million nonprofits.”

Microsoft Edge vs Google Chrome:

Curiously enough, searching for other popular browsers like Opera, Brave, or even Perplexity’s Comet or OpenAI’s Atlas does not bring out the same competitive streak from Microsoft. As per the latest Similarweb data, Chrome holds a mammoth 69.3% share of the PC browser market, while Edge comes a distant second at 15.48%.

When we tried to follow the same example by searching for Chrome on Bing, we weren’t offered the proverbial carrot, but instead given a lesson about the benefits of Edge over Google’s browser.

“All you need is right here. Microsoft Edge runs on the same technology as Chrome, with the added trust of Microsoft,” the ad on the Bing search page reads.

The company is not-so-subtly highlighting that Edge is built on the same Chromium architecture as Google Chrome. Notably, Chromium is an open-source browser project started by Google and forms the foundation for not just Chrome but even its top rivals, including Samsung Internet, Opera, Brave, Arc, Vivaldi, Comet, Atlas and others.

The ad also shows the four features that Edge offers which Chrome doesn’t — built-in VPN, “earn rewards”, Microsoft Recommend and AI personalisation. AI has obviously been among the top selling points for Microsoft for both its Edge browser and Bing search engine, yet it hasn’t meaningfully shifted user behaviour in favour of Microsoft as the company would have expected.