Alphabet vs Meta Platforms (GOOG vs META)
Side by side from their SEC filings: revenue, margins, growth, returns and valuation, plus short interest, insider activity and institutional ownership.
Alphabet is the larger company by revenue ($402.8B vs $201.0B) and market value ($4.1T vs $1.8T). Meta Platforms has grown revenue faster over the last 4 fiscal years (+70.4% cumulative vs +56.4%). Meta Platforms runs the higher operating margin (41.4% vs 32.0%). Alphabet trades at the lower trailing P/E (16.9x vs 26.7x).
About Alphabet
Alphabet Inc. operates as a collection of businesses, with its largest segment being Google. Google provides services including Search, YouTube, advertising platforms, Android, Chrome, and devices like the Pixel series, serving users worldwide. Alphabet also offers Google Cloud services to businesses, delivering cloud computing solutions and productivity tools.
About Meta Platforms
Meta Platforms, Inc. develops technology products that enable people to connect, share, and build communities through mobile devices, personal computers, virtual reality headsets, and AI glasses. Its main offerings include social media apps like Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Threads, and WhatsApp, as well as virtual reality devices such as Meta Quest and AI-powered wearables like Meta AI glasses. Meta serves individual users, creators, businesses, and advertisers worldwide by providing platforms for communication, content sharing, and digital advertising.
Head to head (GOOG FY2025 vs META FY2025)
| Metric | GOOGFY2025 | METAFY2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $402.84B | $200.97B |
| Revenue growth (YoY) | 15.1% | 22.2% |
| Gross margin | 59.7% | 82.0% |
| Operating margin | 32.0% | 41.4% |
| Net margin | 32.8% | 30.1% |
| Net income | $132.17B | $60.46B |
| Diluted EPS | $10.81 | $23.49 |
| FCF margin | 18.2% | 22.9% |
| ROE | 31.8% | 27.8% |
| Long-term debt / equity | 0.11× | 0.27× |
| Market cap | $4.12T | $1.81T |
| P/E | 16.9× | 26.7× |
Fundamentals are from each company’s SEC filings (GOOG FY2025, META FY2025). ROE is net income over fiscal-year-end equity; long-term debt / equity counts non-current term debt only. P/E and market cap are derived from stored market prices, last retrieved on a rolling basis and typically within the past week.
Five-year trend (as reported)
| Revenue | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 | FY2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GOOG | $257.64B | $282.84B | $307.39B | $350.02B | $402.84B |
| META | $117.93B | $116.61B | $134.90B | $164.50B | $200.97B |
Peer standing
Where each company ranks among the 332 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 | GOOG | META |
|---|---|---|
| Gross margin | 59.7%39th percentile of 265 | 82.0%88th percentile of 265 |
| Operating margin | 32.0%95th percentile of 303 | 41.4%97th percentile of 303 |
| Net margin | 32.8%93rd percentile of 307 | 30.1%92nd percentile of 307 |
| FCF margin | 18.2%57th percentile of 285 | 22.9%71st percentile of 285 |
| Revenue growth (YoY) | +15.1%62nd percentile of 325 | +22.2%77th percentile of 325 |
| ROE | 31.8%88th percentile of 286 | 27.8%86th percentile of 286 |
| P/E | 16.9×31st percentile of 163 | 26.7×52nd percentile of 163 |
| Long-term debt / equity | 0.11×22nd percentile of 126 | 0.27×38th percentile of 126 |
| Short interest (days to cover) | 2.81d40th percentile of 330 | 1.25d16th percentile of 330 |
Short interest
| FINRA settlement data | GOOG | META |
|---|---|---|
| Shares sold short | 51.9M | 33.6M |
| Change vs prior settlement | +0.2% | +8.3% |
| Days to cover | 2.81 | 1.25 |
| As of settlement | 2026-09-30 | 2026-09-30 |
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 activity (codes P/S) | GOOG | META |
|---|---|---|
| Buys | — | 0 |
| Sells | — | 103 ($102.7M) |
Non-derivative purchases (code P) and sales (code S) reported on SEC Form 4, which may be open-market or private (grants, exercises and tax withholding excluded). For context, about 15% of covered companies saw any reported insider purchase (code P) in a 90-day window.
Held by the same investors
18 tracked 13F managers hold both Alphabet and Meta Platforms as of their latest quarterly filings: AQR Capital Management, ARK Investment Management, Appaloosa, Bridgewater Associates, Citadel Advisors, Coatue Management, D. E. Shaw, Dodge & Cox, First Eagle Investment Management, Giverny Capital, Gotham Asset Management, Harris Associates (Oakmark) and 6 more. See which superinvestors hold your own portfolio with the smart money checker.
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Data sourced from SEC EDGAR. 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.