Apple vs. Microsoft: Which Stock Will Make You Richer by 2030?

Apple and Microsoft have a lot in common beyond being two of the most valuable and recognizable brands in the world.

Both companies were launched in the mid-1970s and helped kick-start the personal computer revolution. Both were co-founded by visionaries who would themselves become legendary business and technology figures — Steve Jobs for Apple, and Bill Gates and Paul Allen for Microsoft. Both also changed the world in ways that still resonate 50 years later, and continue to be powerhouses on Wall Street.

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But which one is the better investment in the coming years? Here’s a look at whether Apple or Microsoft will make you richer by 2030.

Current Performance

In terms of what both stocks are doing in 2025, Microsoft clearly has the edge. Its shares closed at $508.45 on Sept. 18 and are up nearly 21% year-to-date. Apple’s stock is much cheaper at about $238 a share, but it’s down roughly 5% so far in 2025.

As previously reported by GOBankingRates, part of Microsoft’s advantage is tied to the fact that it has much less direct exposure to President Donald Trump’s tariffs because it doesn’t deal in a lot of physical or computer products.

In contrast, Apple sells more than 220 million iPhones a year and about nine in 10 are made in China [- a major target of the tariffs. Apple’s heavy reliance on the iPhone could continue to weigh on its stock price in the years ahead, according to Edward Corona, a Florida-based trader and publisher of The Options Oracle Newsletter.

“Apple is an incredible company, but so much of its story is still tied to the iPhone,” Corona told GBR. “That’s great for steady cash flow, but it makes it harder for Apple to find the next big growth engine.”

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Looking Ahead

Finding the next big growth engine is less of a challenge for Microsoft.

“Microsoft [is] right at the center of cloud and AI, and those aren’t just trends — they’re shaping how businesses and people operate every day,” Corona added. “That gives Microsoft more ways to grow — not just one product to rely on.”

A recent analysis by Motley Fool offered a similar take, noting that Microsoft has “integrated AI more heavily” into legacy products like Windows OS and Microsoft Office.

“Microsoft is growing revenue and profits at a much faster rate [than Apple], leading to higher market returns,” Motley Fool added. “Such an improved performance likely serves as the tiebreaker needed to give Microsoft the edge.”

Which Stock Will Make You Richer?

Although it’s impossible to see into the future all the way to 2030, most experts favor Microsoft as the better long-term investment because it has more avenues for growth.

That doesn’t mean Apple is not a strong company, however. As of Sept. 17, its stock had a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” among 32 Wall Street analysts cited by TipRanks. But there’s more enthusiasm for Microsoft, which had a consensus rating of “Strong Buy” among 30 analysts.

“Apple will keep rewarding shareholders, no doubt,” Corona said. “But if I’m asking which one has the bigger upside over the next five years, I’d put my bet on Microsoft.”

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Apple vs. Microsoft: Which Stock Will Make You Richer by 2030?

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