Apple vs Amazon: which won?
Apple crushed Amazon since 1997 — about 2.5× as much.
Apple
Winner$2,426,083
2,426× · +31.6%/yr
Amazon
Runner-up$954,200
954× · +27.3%/yr
$1,000 lump sum · end of 1997 → 2026
Want a different year, amount, or a third asset in the mix?
Open this in the calculator →Head to head
| Apple | Amazon | |
|---|---|---|
| $1,000 would be | $2,426,083 | $954,200 |
| Total return | 2,426× | 954× |
| Annual return | +31.6% | +27.3% |
| Best single year | +44% (2001) | +124% (1998) |
| Worst single year | −58% (2000) | −41% (2001) |
| Deepest drop | −79.3% | −93.0% |
| The ride | Remarkably smooth ride | Fairly steady climb |
The story
Put $1,000 into each at the end of 1997 and leave it alone. By the latest data, the Apple stake is worth about $2,426,083 — a 2,426× return, or roughly +31.6% a year. The same money in Amazon grew to about $954,200 (954×). Apple wins this window decisively: about 2.5× as much, or about $1,471,883 more on the same $1,000.
The lead didn't come on the same road. Amazon's path was a fairly steady climb, while Apple was a remarkably smooth ride. So Apple managed to win while also handing investors the calmer ride of the two — the rarer combination.
Neither was a straight line. Apple's ugliest calendar year was −58% (2000) and its worst peak-to-trough fall reached −79.3%, recovered by 2004. Amazon bottomed at −41% (2001) with a deepest drop of −93.0%. If you'd sold in the worst of it, none of the headline numbers above would have been yours.
Those are nominal dollars. Prices rose about 0.0% over the same stretch, so the real, spending-power gain is smaller than the multiple suggests for both. And this is one start year out of many — pick a different year and the result can flip. Past performance never predicts the future; this is a history lesson, not advice. Run your own year and amount below.
Common questions
- Was Apple or Amazon a better investment since 1997?
- Over 1997–2026, Apple was the better investment: $1,000 grew to about $2,426,083 (2,426×), versus about $954,200 (954×) for Amazon — about 2.5× as much.
- How much would $1,000 in Apple be worth versus Amazon?
- Starting at the end of 1997, $1,000 in Apple would be worth about $2,426,083 today, and in Amazon about $954,200 — a difference of roughly $1,471,883 on the same stake.
- Which was more volatile, Apple or Amazon?
- Amazon was the wilder ride — fairly steady climb — with a deepest fall of −93.0%, while Apple was remarkably smooth ride (deepest fall −79.3%).
- Did Apple always beat Amazon?
- No. This compares a single start year (1997, the first both have data for). Different entry years — especially buying after a crash versus near a peak — can change or even reverse the winner. Use the calculator to test any year.