VOL. XCIV, NO. 247

★ WIDE MOAT STOCKS COMPARISON ★

NO ADVICE

Wednesday, December 31, 2025

Stock Comparison

Apple Inc. vs VeriSign, Inc.

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

Apple Inc.

AAPL · NASDAQ

Market cap (USD)$3T
SectorTechnology
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

VeriSign, Inc.

VRSN · Nasdaq Global Select Market

Market cap (USD)
SectorTechnology
CountryUS
Data as of2025-12-31
Moat score
100/ 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 VeriSign, Inc.'s moat claims, evidence, and risks.

View VRSN analysis

Comparison highlights

  • Moat score gap: VeriSign, Inc. leads (100 / 100 vs 87 / 100 for Apple Inc.).
  • Segment focus: Apple Inc. has 5 segments (50.4% in iPhone); VeriSign, Inc. has 1 segment (100% in Naming Services (.com and .net registry)).
  • Primary market structure: Oligopoly vs Monopoly. Pricing power: Strong vs Strong.
  • Moat breadth: Apple Inc. has 7 moat types across 3 domains; VeriSign, Inc. has 4 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%

VeriSign, Inc.

Naming Services (.com and .net registry)

Market

Registry operator services for .com and .net top-level domains (domain registrations + authoritative DNS resolution)

Geography

Global

Customer

ICANN-accredited domain registrars (wholesale) and, indirectly, registrants

Role

Registry operator / DNS infrastructure provider

Revenue share

100%

Side-by-side metrics

Apple Inc.
VeriSign, Inc.
Ticker / Exchange
AAPL - NASDAQ
VRSN - Nasdaq Global Select Market
Market cap (USD)
$3T
n/a
Sector
Technology
Technology
HQ country
US
US
Primary segment
iPhone
Naming Services (.com and .net registry)
Market structure
Oligopoly
Monopoly
Market share
14%-17% (reported)
100% (reported)
HHI estimate
n/a
10,000
Pricing power
Strong
Strong
Moat score
87 / 100
100 / 100
Moat domains
Demand, Network, Supply
Legal, Network, Supply, Financial
Last update
2025-12-20
2025-12-31

Moat coverage

Shared moat types

No overlap yet.

Apple Inc. strengths

Brand TrustEcosystem ComplementsScale Economies Unit CostSwitching Costs GeneralDefault OS GatewayTwo Sided NetworkInstalled Base Consumables

VeriSign, Inc. strengths

Concession LicenseDe Facto StandardOperational ExcellenceFloat Prepayment

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%

VeriSign, Inc. segments

Full profile >

Naming Services (.com and .net registry)

Monopoly

100%

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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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.