A comparison of the prices reflects a 3x to 10x increase across different tiers for Bing Search and Bing Image Search APIs. Credit: Microsoft Microsoft is all set to more than triple the pricing for its Bing Search APIs across all markets in what can be seen as an effort to recoup its investments into the search engine. The new pricing will kick in from May 1, 2023, for all Microsoft Bing APIs including Image Search, Video Search, News Search, Visual Search, Entity Search, Web Search, Autosuggest, and Spell Check, the company said in a blog post. “The new pricing model reflects more accurately the technology investments Bing continues to make to improve Search, including newer experiences such as Bing Visual Search and Bing Entity Search,” a Microsoft spokesperson said. Last month, Microsoft announced a $10 billion investment in OpenAI after reports claimed that the company was planning to integrate ChatGPT with its search engine. Microsoft has been betting on the rising popularity of ChatGPT, as it showcases a new way to search the internet and respond to queries using conversational language — different from what Google offers currently in the way of links. Google commands more than 91% market share in the internet search category globally, compared to Bing’s abysmal 2.95% as of November 2022, according to similarweb.com. The hike in prices can also be attributed to the addition of OpenAPI’s ChatGPT engine to Bing. “Customers will also benefit from new AI integrations that improve the Bing search index experience,” the spokesperson added. Steep rise in Web Search and Image Search APIs prices A comparison of the prices reflects a 3x to 10x increase across different tiers for Bing Search and Bing Image Search APIs. In the S1 category that allows 250 transactions per second, the new pricing for Web Search stands at $25 per 1,000 transactions compared to just $7 per 1,000 transactions. In the same category, Bing Image Search’s new pricing stands at $25 per 25,000 transactions compared to just $7 for the same number of transactions. In the S2 category, that allows 100 transactions per second, new Web Search pricing stands at $15 per 1,000 transactions compared to just $3 for the same number of transactions. Pricing for Bing Autosuggest for the same category has been raised from $3 per 10,000 transactions to $15. Other tiers including the optional Bing Statistics Add-on will also see a 10X increase across all tiers. Related content feature How to set – and achieve – DEI goals in IT Company-wide diversity, equity, and inclusion goals aren’t enough. IT leaders need to set concrete, measurable DEI goals for their tech workforce — and then meet those goals. Here’s how. By Linda Rosencrance May 09, 2024 10 mins Diversity and Inclusion IT Leadership IT Management news Microsoft once again under fire over cloud software licensing Spanish startups are the latest to accuse the company of anti-competitive practices. By John Leyden May 09, 2024 4 mins Regulation Microsoft Azure Microsoft 365 news Businesses lack AI strategy despite employee interest — Microsoft survey Microsoft’s fourth annual Work Trend Index survey shows that workers are coming to grips with generative AI tools, but leaders aren’t convinced they have a proper deployment strategy in place. By Matthew Finnegan May 08, 2024 6 mins Microsoft Generative AI IT Skills news analysis Apple Silicon sets scene for a new AI ecosystem With its new iPads, Apple presses home the message that Apple Silicon is built for AI. By Jonny Evans May 08, 2024 12 mins Apple Generative AI iPad Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe