GOOGL vs META
How Alphabet Inc. and Meta Platforms, Inc. compare on business model, dividends and risk — the structural picture, in plain English.
| GOOGL | META | |
|---|---|---|
| Sector | Communication Services | Communication Services |
| Industry | Internet Content & Information | Internet Content & Information |
| Headquarters | Mountain View, California, USA | Menlo Park, California, USA |
| Founded | 1998 | 2004 |
| Pays a dividend | Yes | Yes |
| Volatility | Roughly market-level | Higher than the market |
What each company does
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.
Meta Platforms, Inc. (META)
Meta owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, and earns almost all of its money from advertising against that enormous user base. It also spends heavily on Reality Labs, its long-term augmented- and virtual-reality bet.
From the latest 10-K filings
| Metric | GOOGLFY 2025, ended Dec 31, 202510-K filed Feb 5, 2026 | METAFY 2025, ended Dec 31, 202510-K filed Jan 29, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $402.8B | $201.0B |
| Net income | $132.2B | $60.5B |
| Operating cash flow | $164.7B | $115.8B |
| Source | GOOGL 10-K on EDGAR ↗ | META 10-K on EDGAR ↗ |
Alphabet’s fiscal 2025 revenue ($402.8B) was 2.0× Meta’s fiscal 2025 revenue ($201.0B). Both fiscal years ended Dec 31, 2025.
As reported to the SEC for each company’s own fiscal year; not a valuation or forecast.
Dividends
Both GOOGL and META pay a dividend.
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.
META: Meta began paying its first-ever quarterly dividend in 2024. The yield is small; the company also runs large buybacks.
Risk & volatility
Historically, GOOGL has been the steadier of the two: GOOGL is roughly market-level (beta band ~1.0–1.1) while META is higher than the market (beta band ~1.2–1.4). These are long-run tendencies, not live figures.
Frequently asked
Does GOOGL or META pay a dividend?
Both GOOGL and META pay a dividend. Yields change with price, so check current figures in the app.
Is GOOGL or META more volatile?
Historically, GOOGL has been the steadier of the two — GOOGL is "roughly market-level" and META is "higher than the market" versus the broad market. These are long-run tendencies, not live figures.
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Comparison is for educational purposes only and is not investment advice or a recommendation to buy or sell GOOGL or META. Company profiles reflect long-term, structural facts; volatility bands are approximate historical tendencies, not live data. Always do your own research.