FrançaisApple Inc. vs Microsoft: which stock to buy?
Head to head
| Metric | Apple Inc. | Microsoft | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $315 | $505 | |
| Median target (12m) | $350 (+11%) | $540 (+7%) | |
| Analyst reliability (1y) | 61% | 60% | 🟢 AAPL |
| Avg gain / call (1y) | +28% | +20% | |
| P/E | 36.1 | 28.1 | 🔵 MSFT |
| $1000 invested (10y ago) | $11,971 | $7,331 | 🟢 AAPL |
Performance by year
| Year | AAPL | MSFT | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | +10% | -5% | 🟢 AAPL |
| 2025 | +9% | -1% | 🟢 AAPL |
| 2024 | +34% | -4% | 🟢 AAPL |
| 2023 | +23% | +66% | 🔵 MSFT |
| 2022 | -11% | -17% | 🟢 AAPL |
| 2021 | +36% | +29% | 🟢 AAPL |
| 2020 | +77% | +43% | 🟢 AAPL |
| 2019 | +58% | +45% | 🟢 AAPL |
| 2018 | -3% | +19% | 🔵 MSFT |
| 2017 | +30% | +47% | 🔵 MSFT |
| 2016 | +42% | +26% | 🟢 AAPL |
Frequently asked questions
Apple Inc. or Microsoft: which to buy?
Over ~10 years, Apple Inc. returned $11,971 on $1000 vs $7,331 for Microsoft, and Apple Inc. has better analyst reliability. Not advice: also check valuation (P/E) and your horizon.
Apple Inc. vs Microsoft: which performed best?
Over ~10 years, Apple Inc. wins ($11,971 vs $7,331 on $1000 invested, price return excluding dividends).
Apple Inc. vs Microsoft: which is cheaper?
On P/E, Microsoft is cheaper (36.1 vs 28.1). A lower P/E isn't always a better deal (growth matters).
What is JPI Invest?
JPI Invest aggregates analyst recommendations across the entire S&P 500 (plus the S&P MidCap 400), replays them against real prices and measures who predicts best — on results, not reputation. Instead of taking a price target at face value, you see each analyst's track record on each stock.
- 🏆 Analyst leaderboard by real reliability (beating their sector, not just riding the rally)
- 🎯 What to buy: 3 backtested methods over 6 years, from cautious to aggressive
- 💬 AI assistant: ask anything about any stock, with the numbers
- 📊 Portfolio tracking + 🔔 price alerts by email
⚠️ Educational information, not investment advice. Past price performance (excluding dividends). Data: Yahoo Finance.