AppLovin vs Microsoft (APP vs MSFT)
Side by side from their SEC filings: revenue, margins, growth, returns and valuation, plus short interest, insider activity and institutional ownership.
Microsoft is the larger company by revenue ($281.7B vs $5.5B) and market value ($2.9T vs $148.8B). AppLovin has grown revenue faster over the last 4 fiscal years (+96.2% cumulative vs +67.6%). AppLovin runs the higher operating margin (75.8% vs 45.6%). Microsoft trades at the lower trailing P/E (23.4x vs 38.5x).
About AppLovin
AppLovin Corp provides artificial intelligence-powered advertising solutions that help businesses reach, monetize, and grow their global audiences. Its main products include Axon Ads Manager for user acquisition, MAX for in-app bidding and monetization, Adjust for marketing measurement and analytics, and Wurl for connected TV advertising and content distribution. The company serves advertisers and publishers, particularly in the mobile app and streaming video industries.
About Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation develops, licenses, and supports a wide range of software products, services, and devices. Its main offerings include operating systems like Windows, cloud-based services, artificial intelligence solutions, and platform-based ecosystems for developers and users. Microsoft serves both business and consumer markets globally, competing in areas such as personal computing, cloud infrastructure, and AI technologies.
Head to head (APP FY2025 vs MSFT FY2025)
| Metric | APPFY2025 | MSFTFY2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $5.48B | $281.72B |
| Revenue growth (YoY) | 70.0% | 14.9% |
| Gross margin | 87.9% | 68.8% |
| Operating margin | 75.8% | 45.6% |
| Net margin | 60.8% | 36.1% |
| Net income | $3.33B | $101.83B |
| Diluted EPS | $9.75 | $13.64 |
| FCF margin | — | 25.4% |
| ROE | 156.2% | 29.6% |
| Debt / equity | 1.6× | 0.1× |
| Market cap | $148.77B | $2.93T |
| P/E (TTM) | 38.5× | 23.4× |
Fundamentals are from each company’s SEC filings (APP FY2025, MSFT FY2025). P/E and market cap are derived from recent market prices and update daily.
Five-year trend (as reported)
| Revenue | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 | FY2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APP | $2.79B | $2.82B | $1.84B | $3.22B | $5.48B |
| MSFT | $168.09B | $198.27B | $211.91B | $245.12B | $281.72B |
Peer standing
Where each company ranks among the 330 software companies, on the same scale. Each figure is ranked only against peers that report it. Percentiles describe position in the distribution, not a rating.
| Metric | APP | MSFT |
|---|---|---|
| Gross margin | 87.9%97th percentile of 261 | 68.8%52nd percentile of 261 |
| Operating margin | 75.8%Highest of 302 | 45.6%99th percentile of 302 |
| Net margin | 60.8%98th percentile of 306 | 36.1%94th percentile of 306 |
| Revenue growth (YoY) | +70.0%95th percentile of 323 | +14.9%62nd percentile of 323 |
| ROE | 156.2%98th percentile of 283 | 29.6%87th percentile of 283 |
| P/E (TTM) | 38.5×65th percentile of 171 | 23.4×47th percentile of 171 |
| Debt / equity | 1.65×84th percentile of 125 | 0.12×23rd percentile of 125 |
| Short interest (days to cover) | 2.07d29th percentile of 329 | 1.47d20th percentile of 329 |
Short interest
| FINRA settlement data | APP | MSFT |
|---|---|---|
| Shares sold short | 12.1M | 89.1M |
| Change vs prior settlement | -5.7% | -6.4% |
| Days to cover | 2.07 | 1.47 |
| As of settlement | 2026-06-30 | 2026-06-30 |
Source: FINRA Consolidated Short Interest. FINRA is the owner and source of the FINRA-supplied data; republishing or redistributing it is not permitted. Not presented as a percentage of float. No FINRA endorsement of this product is implied.
Insider activity (last 90 days)
| Form 4 open-market activity | APP | MSFT |
|---|---|---|
| Buys | 0 | 0 |
| Sells | 211 ($197.3M) | 4 ($10.5M) |
Open-market purchases and sales reported on SEC Form 4 (grants, exercises and tax withholding excluded). For context, about 16% of covered companies saw any open-market insider buy in a 90-day window.
Held by the same investors
10 tracked 13F managers hold both AppLovin and Microsoft as of their latest quarterly filings: AQR Capital Management, Citadel Advisors, Coatue Management, D. E. Shaw, Gotham Asset Management, Millennium Management, Renaissance Technologies, Sands Capital Management, Tiger Global Management, Whale Rock Capital Management. See which superinvestors hold your own portfolio with the smart money checker.
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Data sourced from SEC EDGAR (public domain). Figures are as-reported and may be unaudited or restated; verify against the source filings before relying on them. Comparisons are descriptive (higher or lower on a reported figure), not a rating or a recommendation. Informational only. Not investment advice.