S&P 500 vs Apple: which won?
Apple crushed S&P 500 since 1993 — more than 70× as much.
Apple
Winner$1,119,731
1,120× · +24.2%/yr
S&P 500
Runner-up$15,921
15.9× · +8.9%/yr
$1,000 lump sum · end of 1993 → 2026
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Open this in the calculator →Head to head
| Apple | S&P 500 | |
|---|---|---|
| $1,000 would be | $1,119,731 | $15,921 |
| Total return | 1,120× | 15.9× |
| Annual return | +24.2% | +8.9% |
| Best single year | +44% (2001) | +13% (2020) |
| Worst single year | −58% (2000) | −17% (2008) |
| Deepest drop | −79.3% | −52.2% |
| The ride | Remarkably smooth ride | Remarkably smooth ride |
The story
Put $1,000 into each at the end of 1993 and leave it alone. By the latest data, the Apple stake is worth about $1,119,731 — a 1,120× return, or roughly +24.2% a year. The same money in S&P 500 grew to about $15,921 (15.9×). Apple wins this window decisively: more than 70× as much, or about $1,103,810 more on the same $1,000.
The lead didn't come on the same road. Apple's path was a remarkably smooth ride, while S&P 500 was a remarkably smooth ride. So Apple's win came with the bigger stomach test: more upside, but you had to sit through sharper swings to collect it.
Neither was a straight line. Apple's ugliest calendar year was −58% (2000) and its worst peak-to-trough fall reached −79.3%, recovered by 2004. S&P 500 bottomed at −17% (2008) with a deepest drop of −52.2%. If you'd sold in the worst of it, none of the headline numbers above would have been yours.
Those are nominal dollars. Prices rose about 0.0% over the same stretch, so the real, spending-power gain is smaller than the multiple suggests for both. And this is one start year out of many — pick a different year and the result can flip. Past performance never predicts the future; this is a history lesson, not advice. Run your own year and amount below.
Common questions
- Was S&P 500 or Apple a better investment since 1993?
- Over 1993–2026, Apple was the better investment: $1,000 grew to about $1,119,731 (1,120×), versus about $15,921 (15.9×) for S&P 500 — more than 70× as much.
- How much would $1,000 in Apple be worth versus S&P 500?
- Starting at the end of 1993, $1,000 in Apple would be worth about $1,119,731 today, and in S&P 500 about $15,921 — a difference of roughly $1,103,810 on the same stake.
- Which was more volatile, S&P 500 or Apple?
- Apple was the wilder ride — remarkably smooth ride — with a deepest fall of −79.3%, while S&P 500 was remarkably smooth ride (deepest fall −52.2%).
- Did Apple always beat S&P 500?
- No. This compares a single start year (1993, the first both have data for). Different entry years — especially buying after a crash versus near a peak — can change or even reverse the winner. Use the calculator to test any year.