Which was the better investment since 2005, Apple or Alphabet (Google)?

Apple was the better investment. $1,000 invested in Apple in 2005 would be worth $251,395 today, compared to $73,605 for Alphabet (Google).

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

$1,000 invested in Apple in 2005 would be worth $251,395 today (+25039.5%). The same $1,000 in Alphabet (Google) would be worth $73,605 (+7260.5%).

How do Apple and Alphabet (Google) compare to the S&P 500 since 2005?

The same $1,000 invested in the S&P 500 in 2005 would be worth $9,342 today (+834.2%). Apple returned $251,395 and Alphabet (Google) returned $73,605 over the same period.

Apple vs Alphabet (Google): $1,000 invested since 2005

AAPL vs GOOGL · Data through 2026-06-01

Investment amount

$1,000 invested in 2005 would be worth

AppleWinner

$251,617

+25061.7%

Alphabet (Google)

$73,641

+7264.1%

The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $9,342(+834.2%)

Growth of $1,000

Apple vs. Alphabet (Google) vs. S&P 500, 2005 to present

Year-by-year comparison

Apple vs. Alphabet (Google), 2005 to present

Year	Apple	Return	Alphabet (Google)	Return	S&P 500
2005	$1,000	-	$1,000	-	$1,000
2006	$1,964	+96.4%	$2,212	+121.2%	$1,098
2007	$2,230	+13.5%	$2,564	+15.9%	$1,261
2008	$3,520	+57.9%	$2,885	+12.5%	$1,227
2009	$2,344	-33.4%	$1,731	-40.0%	$758
2010	$4,995	+113.1%	$2,709	+56.5%	$1,005
2011	$8,825	+76.7%	$3,069	+13.3%	$1,228
2012	$11,872	+34.5%	$2,965	-3.4%	$1,280
2013	$11,952	+0.7%	$3,863	+30.3%	$1,491
2014	$13,465	+12.7%	$6,037	+56.3%	$1,811
2015	$22,524	+67.3%	$5,490	-9.1%	$2,066
2016	$19,032	-15.5%	$7,776	+41.6%	$2,048
2017	$24,255	+27.4%	$8,377	+7.7%	$2,458
2018	$34,003	+40.2%	$12,075	+44.1%	$3,104
2019	$34,309	+0.9%	$11,499	-4.8%	$3,029
2020	$64,760	+88.8%	$14,634	+27.3%	$3,678
2021	$111,396	+72.0%	$18,664	+27.5%	$4,310
2022	$148,453	+33.3%	$27,639	+48.1%	$5,309
2023	$123,267	-17.0%	$20,190	-26.9%	$4,875
2024	$158,413	+28.5%	$28,619	+41.7%	$5,879
2025	$203,734	+28.6%	$41,827	+46.2%	$7,421
2026	$225,017	+10.4%	$69,566	+66.3%	$8,633

Which came out ahead

From a $1,000 stake at the start of 2005, Apple (AAPL) came out ahead of Alphabet (Google) (GOOGL). That $1,000 grew to $251,395 in AAPL versus $73,605 in GOOGL as of 2026-06-01, roughly $177,790 more in the end.

In total-return terms the order is clear. Apple returned +25,040% against Alphabet (Google) at +7260.5%, a gap of about 17,779 percentage points over the 21.6-year window. Compounded, that is about 29.2% a year for AAPL against 22% for GOOGL.

Both holdings beat a plain S&P 500 fund over the same span, which would have turned that $1,000 into about $9,342 at roughly 10.9% a year. Across this long 21.6-year window, small annual differences compounded into the wide ending gap. 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

Apple vs Alphabet (Google) from a different starting point

Since 2010 Since 2015 Since 2020 Since 2023

Individual stock pages

Apple since 2005+25,040%Alphabet (Google) since 2005+7260.5%

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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.