Apple Inc's Competitiveness
A competitive positioning analysis and financial ratio benchmarking of Apple Inc (AAPL) against its publicly traded competitors: sales growth, net income, profitability, valuation and market share, plus each peer's market capitalization, revenue, income and employees. Free below: the top 5 peers. Subscriber access adds the full competitor list and CSV downloads.
Key Findings: Apple Inc vs Its Competitors
- TTM: Trailing 12-month revenue of 466,823M vs 2,491,380M combined for tracked competitors (15.8% combined share).
- Trending: Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is decelerating (-6.2% annualized vs trailing 12 months), vs accelerating (+6.2%) for its tracked peer group.
- Growth: Apple Inc generated 16.4% revenue growth year over year in Q3 2026, vs 20.1% for its tracked competitors combined.
- Profitability: Its 27.2% net margin compares with 38.7% for the peer group.
- Scale: Apple Inc ranks #1 of 15 companies by market capitalization in the Computer Hardware industry, holding 78.2% of industry market cap.
- Peer revenue share: Apple Inc accounted for 14.2% of combined revenue among its tracked peer group, down from 14.6% a year earlier.
- Peer differentiation: Revenue per employee of $2.81M compares with $0.89M for the peer group (3.2x).
Every figure above is sourced and cited in detail further down this page (Market Structure, Profitability & Cost Structure, Productivity vs Peers).
AAPL Sales vs. its Competitors, Q3 2026
Apple Inc reported revenue growth of 16.36 % year on year in Q3 2026, below its competitors' combined revenue growth of 20.13 %.
With a net margin of 27.23 %, Apple Inc reported lower profitability than its competitors (38.74 %).
Apple Inc generated 14.20 % of the combined sales of its peer group, down from 14.59 % a year earlier.
Apple Inc vs. its Competitors, Q3 2026
Revenue growth, year on year
Net income growth, year on year
Net margin
Revenue run-rate vs trailing 12 months
TTM net margin
TTM = trailing twelve months. Run-rate annualizes the latest quarter (×4) and compares it to TTM. In millions of $. High-Confidence Competitors are named as a competitor directly in an SEC filing; Similar-Size Competitors are the closest peers by market-cap rank within the same industry; Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors are the closest peers by combined revenue growth, operating margin and ROIC, all independent of the competitor list.
TTM revenue, latest-quarter run-rate and net income/margin benchmarked across Apple Inc and its 4 competitor groupings. Available under Commercial License.
| Entity | TTM Revenue | Rev Run-rate vs TTM |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Inc | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Competitors combined | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| High-Confidence Competitors (50) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar-Size Competitors (5) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar Growth & Profitability (8) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
TTM revenue, run-rate and net margin benchmarking across Apple Inc's competitor groups requires a Commercial License.
For context: the Computer Hardware industry grew revenue 29.2% year over year, combined, vs 16.4% for Apple Inc. Apple Inc's share of combined industry revenue moved from 52.17% to 47.00%, a loss of 5.18 percentage points.
Apple Inc's Competitor Quality Breadth
Share of each group, trailing 12 months: profitable (net margin > 0), expanding (revenue growth > 0), growing faster than the industry's own median, and financially distressed (Piotroski F-Score of 2 or below).
| Entity | Profitable | Expanding | Above Industry Growth | Distressed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Inc | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Competitors combined (88) | ||||
| High-Confidence Competitors (73) | ||||
| Similar-Size Competitors (5) | ||||
| Similar Growth & Profitability (8) | 100.00 % (8 of 8) | 87.50 % (7 of 8) | 62.50 % (5 of 8) | 0.00 % (0 of 8) |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Altman Z-Score is not shown here: it is not populated in the underlying data for any company. Percentages are of companies in each group that report the relevant metric, not of the full group size.
AAPL Stock Performance relative to its Competitors
AAPL Stock Performance relative to High-Confidence Competitors
AAPL Stock Performance relative to Similar-Size Competitors
AAPL Stock Performance relative to Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors
5 Best-Performing Tracked Competitors, Trailing 12 Months
| # | Competitor | TTM Share Price Return | vs U.S.A. 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cuentas Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 2 | Dell Technologies Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 3 | Movano Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 4 | Sphere Entertainment Co | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 5 | Electrocore Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
TTM share price return and U.S.A. 500 outperformance for Apple Inc's best-performing tracked competitors requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months.
Apple Inc's Comment on Competition and Industry Peers
Publicly Traded Peers of Apple Inc
Revenue and income for trailing 12 months, in millions of $, except employees| Company | Market Cap | Revenues |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Inc | 4,979,446.36 | 466,823.00 |
| Alphabet Inc | 4,174,720.44 | 445,866.00 |
| Microsoft Corporation | 3,795,216.66 | 331,839.00 |
| Amazon com Inc | 2,683,773.45 | 776,231.00 |
| Meta Platforms Inc | 1,836,280.92 | 228,248.00 |
| Dell Technologies Inc | 354,368.52 | 151,197.00 |
| SUBTOTAL | 19,337,961.96 | 3,203,238.79 |
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Sources: Apple Inc's official press releases and regulatory filings; CSIMarket.com's market research; and the financial filings and press releases of the other companies cited.
Updated on:
Focus of this report: publicly traded companies. Ten additional tables on Apple Inc versus competitors, including market share analysis, are in the navigation menu under Competition. To download the tables, please subscribe.
Apple Inc's Competitors Named by the Company
Competitive relationships identified from SEC filings and corroborating sources, each with a basis and confidence.| Competitor | Basis | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Dropbox Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Ai Era Corp | Named by the company | 85% |
| Liveone Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Pixelworks Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Cuentas Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Skillz Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Sonos Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Healthlynked Corp | Named by the company | 85% |
| Kopin Corporation | Named by the company | 85% |
| Appsoft Technologies Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Podcastone Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Snap One Holdings Corp | Named by the company | 85% |
| Irhythm Holdings Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Versus Systems Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Qualcomm Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Datchat Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Snap Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Fossil Group inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| The New York Times Company | Named by the company | 85% |
| Pixie Dust Technologies Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Sirius Xm Holdings Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Dariohealth Corp | Named by the company | 85% |
| Dna X Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Gen Digital Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Movano Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Zoom Communications Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Pc Connection Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Sezzle Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Synchronoss Technologies Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Fitell Corporation | Named by the company | 85% |
| Siyata Mobile Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Gopro Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Intel Corporation | Named by the company | 85% |
| Xiao I Corporation | Named by the company | 85% |
| VRAR | Named by the company | 85% |
| Activision Blizzard inc | Named by the company | 85% |
| Xunlei Ltd | Named by the company | 85% |
| OB | Named by the company | 85% |
| Beamr Imaging Ltd | Named by the company | 85% |
| Fiee Inc | Named by the company | 85% |
Filing basis, confidence, active dates and source counts for Apple Inc's named competitors require a Commercial License.
Methodology: relationships are extracted from SEC filings (named-competitor disclosures) and corroborating sources. Named by the company = explicitly disclosed as a competitor; Inferred = derived from corroborating signals. Confidence reflects evidence strength.
Apple Inc's Business Segment Mix vs Peers
Revenue by operating segment or division, as named and reported by each company. Segment names are the filer's own and are not standardized across companies. Do not assume a same-named or similarly-named segment is defined identically between two companies. Shares are of each company's own total revenue and are not required to sum to 100% (intersegment revenue, unallocated items).| Company | Largest Segment |
|---|---|
| Apple Inc | Americas 41.84 % |
| Alphabet Inc | Google Services 85.60 % |
| Microsoft Corporation | Productivity and Business Processes 42.19 % |
| Amazon com Inc | North America 57.75 % |
| Meta Platforms Inc | Family of Apps 99.29 % |
| Dell Technologies Inc | Infrastructure Solutions Group 53.57 % |
Source: operating segment revenue as reported in each company's SEC filings (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API, leaf-level reportable segments only (parent roll-up segments are excluded where sub-segments are separately disclosed).
Apple Inc's Productivity vs Peers Comparison
Revenue and income per employee, trailing 12 months, in $; market cap in millions of $| Company | Market Cap | Revenue / Employee | Income / Employee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Inc | 4,979,446 | 2,812,187 | 776,687 |
| Alphabet Inc | 4,174,720 | 9,645,768 | 5,283,078 |
| Microsoft Corporation | 3,795,217 | 1,488,067 | 599,771 |
| Amazon com Inc | 2,683,773 | 492,532 | 85,838 |
| Meta Platforms Inc | 1,836,281 | 2,894,161 | 863,476 |
| Dell Technologies Inc | 354,369 | 1,558,732 | 117,299 |
| PEERS TOTAL | 14,358,516 | 891,725 | 217,644 |
Apple Inc's Geographic Revenue Exposure vs Peers
Revenue by country/region as reported in each company's most recent filing. Disclosure granularity varies by filer (some report by country, others by broad region) and is shown as disclosed.| Company | Largest Market |
|---|---|
| Alphabet Inc | United States 47.77 % |
| Microsoft Corporation | US 51.47 % |
| Meta Platforms Inc | US & Canada 37.77 % |
| Dell Technologies Inc | United States 55.61 % |
| International Business Machines Corporation | Americas 49.04 % |
Source: revenue geography as reported in each company's SEC filings (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API. Percentages are of that company's own total consolidated revenue for its most recent reported period.
Apple Inc's Position in Industry Market Structure
Market-capitalization share and concentration across all 15 companies in Apple Inc's industry classification, broader than the peer set above. Market cap in millions of $.Apple Inc ranks #1 of 15 companies by market capitalization in its industry, holding 78.20 % of total industry market cap. The industry's Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) is 6,194, indicating a highly concentrated market structure (U.S. antitrust guidance: below 1,500 unconcentrated, 1,500 to 2,500 moderately concentrated, above 2,500 highly concentrated).
| Rank | Company | Market Cap | Industry Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple Inc | 5,038,673 | 78.20 % |
| 2 | Dell Technologies Inc | 357,518 | 5.55 % |
| 3 | Sandisk Corporation | 266,499 | 4.14 % |
| 4 | International Business Machines Corporation | 210,099 | 3.26 % |
| 5 | Seagate Technology Holdings Plc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 6 | Western Digital Corporation | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 7 | Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 8 | Netapp Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 9 | Super Micro Computer Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 10 | Hp inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
Market cap and industry share for the rest of Apple Inc's industry peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation) across CSIMarket's industry classification, market capitalization as of 2026-09-28.
Apple Inc's Same-Size Peers & Stock Performance
Peers chosen by closeness in market-cap rank within the same industry classification (not the named-competitor list above). Trailing 12-month total return, 3-month price momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio vs the broad U.S. market.| Rank | Company | Market Cap | TTM Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple Inc | 5,038,673 | 33.31 % |
| 2 | Dell Technologies Inc | 357,518 | 318.71 % |
| 3 | Sandisk Corporation | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 4 | International Business Machines Corporation | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 5 | Seagate Technology Holdings Plc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 6 | Western Digital Corporation | 1,234 | 12.3% |
Market cap, return, momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio for the rest of Apple Inc's same-size peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation); returns and risk metrics as of 2026-09-28. Beta and Sharpe ratio are versus the broad U.S. equity market, not this industry.
Apple Inc's Profitability & Cost Structure
Trailing 12-month margins from SEC-filed financials. Operating margin is compared to the Computer Hardware industry median; gross margin, EBITDA margin and capital intensity are compared to the live industry average (21 companies).| Metric | Company | Industry | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 48.65 % | 43.10 % (avg) | +5.5 pp |
| Operating Margin | 33.17 % | industry median | +26.1 pp |
| EBITDA Margin | 38.36 % | 10.35 % (avg) | +28.0 pp |
| Capital Intensity (Capex / Revenue) | - | 2.38 % (avg) | - |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. SG&A and R&D as a share of revenue have limited coverage as this data is backfilled and appear only where reported. Higher capital intensity is not inherently negative; it reflects the industry's asset requirements.
Apple Inc's Valuation vs Competitive Position
Valuation multiples vs the Computer Hardware industry average (21 companies, excluding loss-making/negative-equity outliers), alongside returns on capital for context on whether a premium or discount lines up with measurably stronger or weaker returns.| Metric | Company | Industry Average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| P/E | 32.9x | 33.7x | -0.8x |
| EV / EBITDA | 23.8x | 20.6x | +3.2x |
| P/B | 46.6x | 9.0x | +37.5x |
| Return on Equity | 142.67 % | industry aggregate | 38.76 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 50.81 % | 10.31 % (avg) | 40.50 % |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. A valuation premium or discount is not, by itself, a judgment of over- or under-valuation. Compare it against the return and growth context shown elsewhere on this page.
Apple Inc's Multi-Year Financial Trajectory
Fiscal-year revenue growth, operating margin, return on invested capital and P/E, as reported in SEC filings.| Metric | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth | 9.38 % | 2.32 % | 9.88 % | 28.62 % | 2.44 % | -0.47 % | 2.61 % | 10.07 % |
| Operating Margin | 25.98 % | 24.71 % | 25.24 % | 30.90 % | 29.41 % | 30.76 % | 31.76 % | 32.38 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 17.89 % | 19.83 % | 25.42 % | 39.61 % | 42.57 % | 43.81 % | 48.08 % | 54.03 % |
| P/E | 14.0x | 22.4x | 34.0x | 27.5x | 23.8x | 28.8x | 37.5x | 34.0x |
Source: CSIMarket API, fiscal-year figures. P/E is this company's own historical ratio at each fiscal year end and can swing sharply around an earnings trough: that is real, not a data error.
Apple Inc's Strategic Group Map
Every company in Apple Inc's industry and named-competitor list, plotted by trailing 12-month revenue growth and operating margin. Apple Inc is shown in red; its closest peers by combined growth, margin and ROIC (the Similar Growth & Profitability group above) are labeled.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Extreme outlier values (from near-zero-revenue companies) are excluded from the plotted cloud but never from the highlighted company or its labeled peers.
Apple Inc's BCG Growth-Share Matrix
Relative market share (vs Apple Inc's largest competitor by market cap) against industry revenue growth, using the standard textbook thresholds (1.0x share, 10% growth) a common framework, not a precision instrument.
Apple Inc falls in the Cash Cow quadrant: relative market share of 14.09x vs its largest competitor, in an industry growing revenue 9.0% (median, trailing 12 months).
Source: CSIMarket API (market-cap share and industry revenue growth). The 10% growth and 1.0x share lines are standard textbook thresholds, not derived from this industry's own distribution.
Apple Inc's Competitive Forces (Porter's Five Forces)
Only the forces this data can support honestly are shown; the other three are marked as such rather than guessed.| Force | Assessment | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Competitive Rivalry | Low | Industry HHI of 6,194 (see Industry Market Structure & Concentration above) |
| Supplier Power | Not covered on this page | See Apple Inc's dedicated suppliers page for concentration and dependency data |
| Buyer Power | Not covered on this page | See Apple Inc's dedicated customers page for concentration and dependency data |
| Threat of Substitutes | - | No systematic data source for cross-product substitution exists in this system; not estimated |
Note: this is a partial, data-grounded application of the framework, not a complete strategic assessment. Rivalry and barriers-to-entry readings are mechanical translations of the HHI and capital-intensity figures shown elsewhere on this page, not independent judgments.
Apple Inc's Industry Attractiveness & Competitive Strength
A CSIMarket composite, not a standard field: each axis is an equal-weighted average of three factors already shown elsewhere on this page (industry growth, industry profitability and rivalry for attractiveness; relative market share, profitability and growth vs industry for strength). Disclosed as a designed methodology, not a precision measurement.
Apple Inc falls in the Medium attractiveness / High strength cell: Invest / Grow.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Each axis score is a simple 1(low)/2(medium)/3(high) average across its three inputs -- a transparent, disclosed simplification, not a validated academic scoring model.
Apple Inc's SWOT
Every point below is a fixed rule applied to a metric already shown elsewhere on this page (Market Structure, Profitability, Valuation, Run-Rate, Stock Performance, Quality Breadth) not an independent strategic assessment. A blank quadrant means no rule was met, not that none apply.Strengths
- Market leader by capitalization in its industry (#1 of 15, 78.20 % share).
- Operating margin 26.1 points above the industry median.
- Return on equity 38.8 points above the industry aggregate.
- Outperforming the U.S.A. 500 over the trailing 12 months.
Weaknesses
- Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is decelerating (-6.2% annualized vs trailing 12 months).
Opportunities
- Trades at a lower P/E than the industry average (32.9x vs 33.7x) despite a higher return on invested capital -- a possible re-rating opportunity.
Threats
- Losing revenue share to the broader industry (-5.2 points over the past year).
Methodology: mechanical, rule-based SWOT. Each bullet reuses a figure already sourced and cited elsewhere on this page; nothing here is generated narrative or independent analyst judgment.
Apple Inc's Financial Strength vs Peers Comparison
Quick ratio, working capital, debt to equity and asset turnover, trailing 12 months| Company | Quick Ratio | Working Capital | Debt / Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Inc | 0.26 | 0.96 | 0.99 |
| Alphabet Inc | 0.55 | 2.13 | 0.13 |
| Microsoft Corporation | 0.13 | 1.31 | 0.11 |
| Amazon com Inc | 0.38 | 1.07 | 0.21 |
| Meta Platforms Inc | 0.47 | 2.29 | 0.25 |
| Dell Technologies Inc | 0.16 | 0.93 | - |
Quick ratio = cash / current liabilities; working capital ratio = current assets / current liabilities; asset turnover = revenue / total assets. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Apple Inc's Revenue and Income Growth vs Peers
Quarterly revenue and net income growth, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Revenue Y/Y | Income Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Inc | Q2 2026 | +16.4 % | +27.1 % |
| Alphabet Inc | Q2 2026 | +24.2 % | +297.9 % |
| Microsoft Corporation | Q2 2026 | +17.7 % | +31.3 % |
| Amazon com Inc | Q2 2026 | +19.9 % | +244.9 % |
| Meta Platforms Inc | Q2 2026 | +28.0 % | -13.6 % |
| Dell Technologies Inc | Q2 2026 | +57.7 % | +255.1 % |
| PEERS TOTAL | +18.1 % | +108.8 % |
Growth is shown only where both periods are positive. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Apple Inc's Peers' Costs of Sales and Capital Expenditures
Context for revenue growth: peer costs and capex, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Costs Y/Y | Capex Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Inc | Q2 2026 | +8.6 % | -29.1 % |
| Alphabet Inc | Q2 2026 | +17.7 % | +100.1 % |
| Microsoft Corporation | Q2 2026 | +22.9 % | +109.6 % |
| Amazon com Inc | Q2 2026 | +18.5 % | +300.3 % |
| Meta Platforms Inc | Q2 2026 | +33.4 % | +82.1 % |
| Dell Technologies Inc | Q2 2026 | +52.7 % | +83.6 % |
Apple Inc's Returns and Turnover vs Peers
ROA, ROI and ROE (trailing 12 months), receivables and inventory turnover| Company | ROA | ROI | ROE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Inc | 35.02% | 60.14% | 142.67% |
| Alphabet Inc | 35.42% | 42.01% | 50.84% |
| Microsoft Corporation | 19.76% | 22.48% | 34.22% |
| Amazon com Inc | 15.21% | 23.40% | 30.50% |
| Meta Platforms Inc | 17.98% | 20.69% | 29.73% |
| Dell Technologies Inc | 10.56% | 18.14% | - |
ROA = net income / total assets; ROI = net income / investments; ROE = net income / equity; turnover ratios use trailing 12 month revenue (receivables) and cost of sales (inventory).
Apple Inc's Valuation vs Peers
P/E, price to sales, PEG, price to cash flow and price to book| Company | P/E | Price / Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Inc | 38.90 | 10.67 |
| Alphabet Inc | 17.03 | 9.36 |
| Microsoft Corporation | 28.37 | 11.44 |
| Amazon com Inc | 19.79 | 3.46 |
| Meta Platforms Inc | 26.98 | 8.05 |
| Dell Technologies Inc | 31.67 | 2.34 |
| PEERS AVERAGE | 24.27 | 6.04 |
P/E = price / diluted EPS (trailing 12 months); PEG = P/E divided by EPS growth; the average row divides the peers' combined market cap by their combined income, sales, cash flow and equity.