Which was the better investment since 2020, Alphabet (Google) or Microsoft?

Alphabet (Google) was the better investment. $1,000 invested in Alphabet (Google) in 2020 would be worth $5,015 today, compared to $2,888 for Microsoft.

What would $1,000 in Alphabet (Google) vs Microsoft be worth today?

$1,000 invested in Alphabet (Google) in 2020 would be worth $5,015 today (+401.5%). The same $1,000 in Microsoft would be worth $2,888 (+188.8%).

How do Alphabet (Google) and Microsoft compare to the S&P 500 since 2020?

The same $1,000 invested in the S&P 500 in 2020 would be worth $2,547 today (+154.7%). Alphabet (Google) returned $5,015 and Microsoft returned $2,888 over the same period.

Alphabet (Google) vs Microsoft: $1,000 invested since 2020

GOOGL vs MSFT · Data through 2026-07-01

Investment amount

$1,000 invested in 2020 would be worth

Alphabet (Google)Winner

$5,015

+401.5%

Microsoft

$2,888

+188.8%

The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $2,547(+154.7%)

Growth of $1,000

Alphabet (Google) vs. Microsoft vs. S&P 500, 2020 to present

Year-by-year comparison

Alphabet (Google) vs. Microsoft, 2020 to present

Year	Alphabet (Google)	Return	Microsoft	Return	S&P 500
2020	$1,000	-	$1,000	-	$1,000
2021	$1,275	+27.5%	$1,377	+37.7%	$1,172
2022	$1,889	+48.1%	$1,862	+35.2%	$1,444
2023	$1,380	-26.9%	$1,497	-19.6%	$1,325
2024	$1,956	+41.7%	$2,424	+61.9%	$1,598
2025	$2,858	+46.2%	$2,549	+5.2%	$2,018
2026	$4,754	+66.3%	$2,662	+4.4%	$2,347

Which came out ahead

Alphabet (Google) (GOOGL) outpaced Microsoft (MSFT) over this stretch from 2020. That $1,000 grew to $5,015 in GOOGL versus $2,888 in MSFT as of 2026-07-01, roughly $2,127 more in the end.

The headline returns line up with the dollar figures. Alphabet (Google) returned +401.5% against Microsoft at +188.8%, a gap of about 212.7 percentage points over the 6.7-year window. Compounded, that is about 27.4% a year for GOOGL against 17.2% for MSFT.

Both holdings beat a plain S&P 500 fund over the same span, which would have turned that $1,000 into about $2,547 at roughly 15.1% a year. All figures use split-adjusted closing prices and exclude dividends, taxes, fees, and inflation, so a real after-tax result would differ.

None of this recommends one holding over the other. It is historical math, and past performance does not guarantee future results.

Other start years

Alphabet (Google) vs Microsoft from a different starting point

Since 2005 Since 2010 Since 2015 Since 2023

Individual stock pages

Alphabet (Google) since 2020+401.5%Microsoft since 2020+188.8%

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For informational and educational purposes only. Not financial advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. All calculations are based on split-adjusted closing prices from Yahoo Finance and do not account for dividends, taxes, or trading fees. See our methodology and full disclaimer.