Apple vs Microsoft: which won?
Microsoft crushed Apple since 1986 — about 1.4× as much.
Microsoft
Winner$2,298,471
2,298× · +21.7%/yr
Apple
Runner-up$1,617,389
1,617× · +20.6%/yr
$1,000 lump sum · end of 1986 → 2026
Want a different year, amount, or a third asset in the mix?
Open this in the calculator →Head to head
| Microsoft | Apple | |
|---|---|---|
| $1,000 would be | $2,298,471 | $1,617,389 |
| Total return | 2,298× | 1,617× |
| Annual return | +21.7% | +20.6% |
| Best single year | +47% (1987) | +44% (2001) |
| Worst single year | −34% (2000) | −58% (2000) |
| Deepest drop | −72.3% | −80.3% |
| The ride | Remarkably smooth ride | Remarkably smooth ride |
The story
Put $1,000 into each at the end of 1986 and leave it alone. By the latest data, the Microsoft stake is worth about $2,298,471 — a 2,298× return, or roughly +21.7% a year. The same money in Apple grew to about $1,617,389 (1,617×). Microsoft wins this window decisively: about 1.4× as much, or about $681,082 more on the same $1,000.
The lead didn't come on the same road. Apple's path was a remarkably smooth ride, while Microsoft was a remarkably smooth ride. So Microsoft managed to win while also handing investors the calmer ride of the two — the rarer combination.
Neither was a straight line. Microsoft's ugliest calendar year was −34% (2000) and its worst peak-to-trough fall reached −72.3%, recovered by 2014. Apple bottomed at −58% (2000) with a deepest drop of −80.3%. 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 Microsoft a better investment since 1986?
- Over 1986–2026, Microsoft was the better investment: $1,000 grew to about $2,298,471 (2,298×), versus about $1,617,389 (1,617×) for Apple — about 1.4× as much.
- How much would $1,000 in Microsoft be worth versus Apple?
- Starting at the end of 1986, $1,000 in Microsoft would be worth about $2,298,471 today, and in Apple about $1,617,389 — a difference of roughly $681,082 on the same stake.
- Which was more volatile, Apple or Microsoft?
- Apple was the wilder ride — remarkably smooth ride — with a deepest fall of −80.3%, while Microsoft was remarkably smooth ride (deepest fall −72.3%).
- Did Microsoft always beat Apple?
- No. This compares a single start year (1986, 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.