AAPL vs GOOGL
How Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc. compare on business model, dividends and risk — the structural picture, in plain English.
| AAPL | GOOGL | |
|---|---|---|
| Sector | Technology | Communication Services |
| Industry | Consumer Electronics | Internet Content & Information |
| Headquarters | Cupertino, California, USA | Mountain View, California, USA |
| Founded | 1976 | 1998 |
| Pays a dividend | Yes | Yes |
| Volatility | Roughly market-level | Roughly market-level |
What each company does
Apple Inc. (AAPL)
Apple designs and sells the iPhone, Mac, iPad and Apple Watch, and runs a fast-growing Services business — the App Store, iCloud, Apple Music and more — that wraps its hardware in recurring, high-margin revenue.
Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL)
Alphabet is the parent of Google. It makes the large majority of its money from advertising across Google Search and YouTube, and also runs Google Cloud, the Android ecosystem and long-shot bets like Waymo self-driving.
From the latest 10-K filings
| Metric | AAPLFY 2025, ended Sep 27, 202510-K filed Oct 31, 2025 | GOOGLFY 2025, ended Dec 31, 202510-K filed Feb 5, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $416.2B | $402.8B |
| Net income | $112.0B | $132.2B |
| Operating cash flow | $111.5B | $164.7B |
| Source | AAPL 10-K on EDGAR ↗ | GOOGL 10-K on EDGAR ↗ |
Apple’s fiscal 2025 revenue ($416.2B) was 1.03× Alphabet’s fiscal 2025 revenue ($402.8B). The fiscal years differ (AAPL’s ended Sep 27, 2025, GOOGL’s ended Dec 31, 2025), so the two columns cover different periods.
As reported to the SEC for each company’s own fiscal year; not a valuation or forecast.
Dividends
Both AAPL and GOOGL pay a dividend.
AAPL: Pays a modest quarterly dividend and has raised it every year for over a decade. The yield is small — Apple returns far more cash through buybacks than dividends.
GOOGL: Alphabet began paying a small quarterly dividend in 2024 — a notable shift for a company that had never paid one. The yield is minimal.
Risk & volatility
Both have shown broadly similar volatility versus the market (AAPL: ~1.1–1.3, GOOGL: ~1.0–1.1) — long-run tendencies, not live figures.
Frequently asked
Does AAPL or GOOGL pay a dividend?
Both AAPL and GOOGL pay a dividend. Yields change with price, so check current figures in the app.
Is AAPL or GOOGL more volatile?
Historically both have shown similar volatility (roughly market-level versus the broad market) — a long-run tendency, not a live figure.
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Comparison is for educational purposes only and is not investment advice or a recommendation to buy or sell AAPL or GOOGL. Company profiles reflect long-term, structural facts; volatility bands are approximate historical tendencies, not live data. Always do your own research.