VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Stock Comparison

Apple Inc. vs Microsoft Corporation

Compare moat strength, market structure, and segment coverage to understand how each company defends its edge.

Apple Inc.

AAPL · NASDAQ

Market cap (USD)$4.1T
Gross margin (TTM)47.3%
Operating margin (TTM)32.4%
Net margin (TTM)27%
SectorTechnology
IndustryConsumer Electronics
CountryUS
Data as of2025-12-20
Moat score
87/ 100

Weighted average of segment moat scores, combining moat strength, durability, confidence, market structure, pricing power, and market share.

Full stock profile

Dive deeper into Apple Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View AAPL analysis

Microsoft Corporation

MSFT · Nasdaq Global Select Market

Market cap (USD)$3T
Gross margin (TTM)68.6%
Operating margin (TTM)46.7%
Net margin (TTM)39%
SectorTechnology
IndustrySoftware - Infrastructure
CountryUS
Data as of2025-12-21
Moat score
84/ 100

Weighted average of segment moat scores, combining moat strength, durability, confidence, market structure, pricing power, and market share.

Full stock profile

Dive deeper into Microsoft Corporation's moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View MSFT analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: Apple Inc. leads (87 / 100 vs 84 / 100 for Microsoft Corporation).
  • Segment focus: Apple Inc. has 5 segments (50.4% in iPhone); Microsoft Corporation has 3 segments (42.9% in Productivity and Business Processes).
  • Moat breadth: Apple Inc. has 7 moat types across 3 domains; Microsoft Corporation has 9 across 4.

Primary market context

Apple Inc.

iPhone

Market

Smartphones (with focus on premium smartphones and iOS ecosystem devices)

Geography

Global

Customer

Consumers and enterprises (end-users), plus carrier/retail channels

Role

OEM / platform owner

Revenue share

50.4%

Microsoft Corporation

Productivity and Business Processes

Market

Enterprise productivity & collaboration suites, business applications, and professional network platforms

Geography

Global

Customer

Enterprises, SMBs, consumers, recruiters/advertisers

Role

SaaS platform + professional network

Revenue share

42.9%

Side-by-side metrics

Apple Inc.
Microsoft Corporation
Ticker / Exchange
AAPL - NASDAQ
MSFT - Nasdaq Global Select Market
Market cap (USD)
$4.1T
$3T
Gross margin (TTM)
47.3%
68.6%
Operating margin (TTM)
32.4%
46.7%
Net margin (TTM)
27%
39%
Sector
Technology
Technology
Industry
Consumer Electronics
Software - Infrastructure
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
iPhone
Productivity and Business Processes
Market structure
Oligopoly
Oligopoly
Market share
14%-17% (reported)
n/a
HHI estimate
n/a
n/a
Pricing power
Strong
Strong
Moat score
87 / 100
84 / 100
Moat domains
Demand, Network, Supply
Demand, Network, Supply, Legal
Last update
2025-12-20
2025-12-21

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

Ecosystem ComplementsDefault OS GatewayTwo Sided Network

Apple Inc. strengths

Brand TrustScale Economies Unit CostSwitching Costs GeneralInstalled Base Consumables

Microsoft Corporation strengths

Suite BundlingData Workflow LockinLong Term ContractsCapex Knowhow ScaleOperational ExcellenceContent Rights Currency

Segment mix

Apple Inc. segments

Full profile >

iPhone

Oligopoly

50.4%

Mac

Oligopoly

8.1%

iPad

Oligopoly

6.7%

Wearables, Home and Accessories

Competitive

8.6%

Services

Quasi-Monopoly

26.2%

Microsoft Corporation segments

Full profile >

Productivity and Business Processes

Oligopoly

42.9%

Intelligent Cloud

Oligopoly

37.7%

More Personal Computing

Quasi-Monopoly

19.4%

Want the full wide moat stocks list?

Browse the full ranking of wide moat stocks, updated with moat scores and segment context.

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Looking for expansion-stage stocks?

Proven models entering the expansion stage with unit economics that work.

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Curation & Accuracy

This directory blends AI‑assisted discovery with human curation. Entries are reviewed, edited, and organized with the goal of expanding coverage and sharpening quality over time. Your feedback helps steer improvements (because no single human can capture everything all at once).

Details change. Pricing, features, and availability may be incomplete or out of date. Treat listings as a starting point and verify on the provider’s site before making decisions. If you spot an error or a gap, send a quick note and I’ll adjust.