Which was the better investment since 2020, Apple or Microsoft?

Apple was the better investment. $1,000 invested in Apple in 2020 would be worth $3,882 today, compared to $2,318 for Microsoft.

What would $1,000 in Apple vs Microsoft be worth today?

$1,000 invested in Apple in 2020 would be worth $3,882 today (+288.2%). The same $1,000 in Microsoft would be worth $2,318 (+131.8%).

How do Apple 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 $2,540 today (+154%). Apple returned $3,882 and Microsoft returned $2,318 over the same period.

Apple vs Microsoft: $1,000 invested since 2020

AAPL vs MSFT · Data through 2026-06-01

Investment amount

$1,000 invested in 2020 would be worth

AppleWinner

$3,882

+288.2%

Microsoft

$2,318

+131.8%

The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $2,540(+154%)

Growth of $1,000

Apple vs. Microsoft vs. S&P 500, 2020 to present

Year-by-year comparison

Apple vs. Microsoft, 2020 to present

Year	Apple	Return	Microsoft	Return	S&P 500
2020	$1,000	-	$1,000	-	$1,000
2021	$1,720	+72.0%	$1,377	+37.7%	$1,172
2022	$2,292	+33.3%	$1,862	+35.2%	$1,444
2023	$1,903	-17.0%	$1,497	-19.6%	$1,325
2024	$2,446	+28.5%	$2,424	+61.9%	$1,598
2025	$3,146	+28.6%	$2,549	+5.2%	$2,018
2026	$3,475	+10.4%	$2,662	+4.4%	$2,347

Which came out ahead

From a $1,000 stake at the start of 2020, Apple (AAPL) came out ahead of Microsoft (MSFT). That $1,000 grew to $3,882 in AAPL versus $2,318 in MSFT as of 2026-06-01, roughly $1,564 more in the end.

In total-return terms the order is clear. Apple returned +288.2% against Microsoft at +131.8%, a gap of about 156.4 percentage points over the 6.6-year window. Compounded, that is about 22.9% a year for AAPL against 13.6% for MSFT.

Apple cleared a plain S&P 500 fund over the same span while Microsoft fell short of it. The index would have grown that $1,000 to about $2,540, compounding near 15.2% 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

Apple vs Microsoft from a different starting point

Since 2000 Since 2005 Since 2010 Since 2015 Since 2023

Individual stock pages

Apple since 2020+288.2%Microsoft since 2020+131.8%

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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.