Microsoft (MSFT) Competitors $521.76 -0.28 (-0.05%) Closing price 08/11/2025 03:59 PM EasternExtended Trading$523.38 +1.61 (+0.31%) As of 05:29 AM Eastern Extended trading is trading that happens on electronic markets outside of regular trading hours. This is a fair market value extended hours price provided by Polygon.io. Learn more. Add Compare Share Share Competitors Stock AnalysisAnalyst ForecastsChartCompetitorsDividendEarningsFinancialsHeadlinesInsider TradesOptions ChainOwnershipSEC FilingsShort InterestSustainabilityTrendsBuy This Stock MSFT vs. AAPL, AMD, AMZN, GOOG, GOOGL, META, NVDA, TSLA, CRM, and ORCLShould you be buying Microsoft stock or one of its competitors? The main competitors of Microsoft include Apple (AAPL), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Amazon.com (AMZN), Alphabet (GOOG), Alphabet (GOOGL), Meta Platforms (META), NVIDIA (NVDA), Tesla (TSLA), Salesforce (CRM), and Oracle (ORCL). Microsoft vs. Its Competitors Apple Advanced Micro Devices Amazon.com Alphabet Alphabet Meta Platforms NVIDIA Tesla Salesforce Oracle Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) are both large-cap computer and technology companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, media sentiment, analyst recommendations, risk, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings and profitability. Which has stronger earnings & valuation, MSFT or AAPL? Microsoft has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Apple. Apple is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Microsoft, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings RatioMicrosoft$281.72B13.77$101.83B$13.6438.25Apple$391.04B8.62$93.74B$6.5934.47 Do analysts recommend MSFT or AAPL? Microsoft currently has a consensus price target of $609.86, suggesting a potential upside of 16.88%. Apple has a consensus price target of $237.60, suggesting a potential upside of 4.59%. Given Microsoft's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Microsoft is more favorable than Apple.Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Microsoft 0 Sell rating(s) 2 Hold rating(s) 30 Buy rating(s) 0 Strong Buy rating(s) 2.94Apple 2 Sell rating(s) 11 Hold rating(s) 15 Buy rating(s) 2 Strong Buy rating(s) 2.57 Does the media refer more to MSFT or AAPL? In the previous week, Apple had 164 more articles in the media than Microsoft. MarketBeat recorded 385 mentions for Apple and 221 mentions for Microsoft. Microsoft's average media sentiment score of 1.22 beat Apple's score of 0.90 indicating that Microsoft is being referred to more favorably in the media. Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment Microsoft 164 Very Positive mention(s) 19 Positive mention(s) 25 Neutral mention(s) 8 Negative mention(s) 2 Very Negative mention(s) Positive Apple 214 Very Positive mention(s) 53 Positive mention(s) 81 Neutral mention(s) 25 Negative mention(s) 7 Very Negative mention(s) Positive Which has more risk & volatility, MSFT or AAPL? Microsoft has a beta of 1.06, meaning that its stock price is 6% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Apple has a beta of 1.16, meaning that its stock price is 16% more volatile than the S&P 500. Is MSFT or AAPL more profitable? Microsoft has a net margin of 36.15% compared to Apple's net margin of 24.30%. Apple's return on equity of 170.91% beat Microsoft's return on equity.Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Microsoft36.15% 32.44% 18.20% Apple 24.30%170.91%31.94% Is MSFT or AAPL a better dividend stock? Microsoft pays an annual dividend of $3.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.6%. Apple pays an annual dividend of $1.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.5%. Microsoft pays out 24.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Apple pays out 15.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Microsoft has increased its dividend for 23 consecutive years and Apple has increased its dividend for 14 consecutive years. Microsoft is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth. Do insiders & institutionals have more ownership in MSFT or AAPL? 71.1% of Microsoft shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 67.7% of Apple shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.0% of Microsoft shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.1% of Apple shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term. SummaryMicrosoft beats Apple on 12 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks. Get Microsoft News Delivered to You Automatically Sign up to receive the latest news and ratings for MSFT and its competitors with MarketBeat's FREE daily newsletter. Email Address New MarketBeat Followers Over TimeWhat are MarkeBeat Followers?This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding MSFT and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period. Skip ChartMedia Sentiment Over TimeWhat is Media Sentiment?This chart shows the average media sentiment of NASDAQ and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.Skip Chart MSFT vs. The Competition Export to ExcelMetricMicrosoftCOMP IndustryComputer SectorNASDAQ ExchangeMarket Cap$3.88T$168.81B$29.87B$9.72BDividend Yield0.64%1.33%3.11%4.13%P/E Ratio38.2537.9349.9724.63Price / Sales13.7710.051,466.70102.60Price / Cash28.5428.1933.5727.99Price / Book11.299.757.175.76Net Income$101.83B$4.12B$803.97M$264.95M7 Day Performance-1.13%-1.16%-0.50%0.01%1 Month Performance3.66%-2.29%-0.73%1.28%1 Year Performance28.26%34.66%24,040.80%26.11% Microsoft Competitors List Export to ExcelCompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)MSFTMicrosoft4.9364 of 5 stars$521.77-0.1%$609.86+16.9%+28.5%$3.88T$281.72B38.25228,000Trending NewsAAPLApple4.6835 of 5 stars$204.13+0.9%$237.25+16.2%+5.1%$3.04T$391.04B30.93164,000Trending NewsAMDAdvanced Micro Devices4.3115 of 5 stars$177.62+3.4%$162.94-8.3%+28.3%$287.92B$25.79B130.5728,000Trending NewsEarnings ReportAnalyst ForecastAMZNAmazon.com4.7907 of 5 stars$212.80-0.9%$262.45+23.3%+32.6%$2.26T$670.04B32.421,556,000Trending NewsGOOGAlphabet4.7796 of 5 stars$195.51+2.9%$215.19+10.1%+21.9%$2.36T$350.02B20.80190,200Trending NewsInsider TradeOptions VolumeGOOGLAlphabet4.1621 of 5 stars$194.67+2.9%$211.39+8.6%+22.8%$2.35T$350.02B20.71183,323Trending NewsInsider TradeMETAMeta Platforms4.2362 of 5 stars$773.47+3.1%$820.32+6.1%+47.9%$1.94T$164.50B27.9974,067Trending NewsInsider TradeNVDANVIDIA4.6519 of 5 stars$179.59+3.4%$182.03+1.4%+73.8%$4.38T$148.52B57.9236,000Trending NewsTSLATesla4.3678 of 5 stars$309.24+2.2%$303.31-1.9%+69.5%$996.30B$92.72B178.55125,665Trending NewsAnalyst RevisionCRMSalesforce4.9002 of 5 stars$251.95+0.5%$348.16+38.2%-7.9%$240.82B$38.59B39.4276,453Trending NewsInsider TradeORCLOracle4.4254 of 5 stars$251.63+3.0%$218.29-13.3%+91.6%$706.31B$57.40B57.94162,000Trending News Related Companies and Tools Related Companies Apple Competitors Advanced Micro Devices Competitors Amazon.com Competitors Alphabet Competitors Alphabet Competitors Meta Platforms Competitors NVIDIA Competitors Tesla Competitors Salesforce Competitors Oracle Competitors Top 10 Stock Comparisons Semiconductor Stocks Artificial Intelligence Stocks Growth Stocks Magnificent Seven Stocks Pharmaceutical Stocks Ecommerce Stocks Bitcoin Stocks Meme Stocks Cryptocurrency Stocks Cybersecurity Stocks This page (NASDAQ:MSFT) was last updated on 8/12/2025 by MarketBeat.com Staff From Our PartnersWhen the levee breaksThe U.S. Treasury just confirmed it plans to borrow $1.01 trillion this quarter—nearly double what was project...Porter & Company | SponsoredREVEALED FREE: Our top 3 stocks to own in 2025 and beyondEvery time Weiss Ratings flashed green like this, the average gain on each and every stock has been 303% (incl...Weiss Ratings | SponsoredWhy Elon put $51 million into thisChris Rowe has made legendary calls—Tesla at $13, Nvidia at $40, Bitcoin under $1,000, Amazon at 12 cents. 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