Apple vs Microsoft vs Google Since 2010: 15 Years of Big Tech
AAPL · MSFT · GOOGL · Since 2010 · $1,000 split across each
In 2010, Apple was the iPhone company, Microsoft was a post-Ballmer question mark, and Google was still mostly a search business.
15 years is long enough to smooth out most single-event volatility and long enough to show how different strategies compounded. The three paths are close enough that the chart is readable on a linear scale, which is rare for this site.
What the chart shows
Apple led from start to finish
Apple was first of the three at the start of every year from 2011 on. Its largest drawdown was about 40 percent, from September 2012 to June 2013, with smaller ones of roughly 30 percent in late 2018 and 26 percent in 2022. Buybacks and services revenue did much of the work.
Microsoft's turnaround under Nadella is textbook
Microsoft was roughly flat from 2010 to 2013 while Apple pulled away. Satya Nadella took over in February 2014, and over the period since then the stock has gained more than Alphabet but less than Apple. The cloud pivot (Azure) is usually credited, but the cultural reset matters just as much.
Google is the median, in a good way
Alphabet finished in the middle of the three. It led in about as many calendar years as it finished last, and the chart shows it finishing close to Microsoft and well below Apple.
All three beat the S&P 500 handily
Add SPY as a baseline in the chart and the outperformance is roughly 4x over the full window. That is a large number, and it explains why passive indexes became more concentrated in these three names over time.
The 2022 correction hit all three, Alphabet hardest
Apple and Microsoft fell roughly 26 to 31 percent from their late-2021 peaks and Alphabet about 40 percent. Apple and Microsoft were back above their peaks by mid-2023 and Alphabet by early 2024. The synchronized drawdown was a rates story more than a fundamentals story.
Frequently asked questions
Which has been the best of the three since 2010?
The ranking depends on the exact start and end date within the window. From a January 2010 start, Apple has been first of the three at the start of every year since 2011. The order can change from later start dates, so month-level start dates matter.
Why 2010 as a start date?
It captures the full smartphone era (iPhone launched 2007, reached mass adoption 2010), the start of cloud computing as a meaningful business, and avoids the 2008 to 2009 crisis distortions that make shorter windows look different than they should.
What about dividends?
Apple began paying a dividend in 2012, Microsoft has paid throughout, and Alphabet started in 2024. Returns on this page are adjusted for splits and dividends, so those payouts are already counted.
How does this compare to just buying the Nasdaq?
QQQ returned less than each of these three over the window, but more than the S&P 500. The Magnificent 7 (which adds Nvidia, Amazon, Meta, and Tesla) pulled ahead starting in 2020, and before that these three were a reasonable proxy for large-cap US tech.
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Occasional data drops when something interesting surfaces. No schedule, just signal.
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.