S&P 500 vs Microsoft: which won?
Microsoft crushed S&P 500 since 1993 — about 9.7× as much.
Microsoft
Winner$155,056
155× · +16.8%/yr
S&P 500
Runner-up$15,921
15.9× · +8.9%/yr
$1,000 lump sum · end of 1993 → 2026
Want a different year, amount, or a third asset in the mix?
Open this in the calculator →Head to head
| Microsoft | S&P 500 | |
|---|---|---|
| $1,000 would be | $155,056 | $15,921 |
| Total return | 155× | 15.9× |
| Annual return | +16.8% | +8.9% |
| Best single year | +41% (2001) | +13% (2020) |
| Worst single year | −34% (2000) | −17% (2008) |
| Deepest drop | −72.3% | −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 Microsoft stake is worth about $155,056 — a 155× return, or roughly +16.8% a year. The same money in S&P 500 grew to about $15,921 (15.9×). Microsoft wins this window decisively: about 9.7× as much, or about $139,135 more on the same $1,000.
The lead didn't come on the same road. Microsoft's path was a remarkably smooth ride, while S&P 500 was a remarkably smooth ride. So Microsoft'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. Microsoft's ugliest calendar year was −34% (2000) and its worst peak-to-trough fall reached −72.3%, recovered by 2014. 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 Microsoft a better investment since 1993?
- Over 1993–2026, Microsoft was the better investment: $1,000 grew to about $155,056 (155×), versus about $15,921 (15.9×) for S&P 500 — about 9.7× as much.
- How much would $1,000 in Microsoft be worth versus S&P 500?
- Starting at the end of 1993, $1,000 in Microsoft would be worth about $155,056 today, and in S&P 500 about $15,921 — a difference of roughly $139,135 on the same stake.
- Which was more volatile, S&P 500 or Microsoft?
- Microsoft was the wilder ride — remarkably smooth ride — with a deepest fall of −72.3%, while S&P 500 was remarkably smooth ride (deepest fall −52.2%).
- Did Microsoft 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.