Tesla is an automotive and energy company valued at $1.3 trillion primarily through electric vehicle production, while Apple is a consumer technology company valued at $3.4 trillion through smartphones, computers, and services. Apple generates 52% of revenue from iPhone sales, whereas Tesla depends on vehicle sales for 81% of revenue.
Tesla vs Apple — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Electric vehicle manufacturer and renewable energy company founded in 2003.
Consumer technology company creating iPhones, Macs, wearables, and digital services since 1976.
Market Capitalization. Primary Revenue Source. Gross Profit Margin. Annual Revenue (FY2024). Operating Margin. Global Employees. Business Model Focus
Apple is the more profitable and financially dominant company with 3.8x higher revenue, superior margins, and a more resilient services-based ecosystem generating recurring income. Tesla is a high-growth automotive and energy innovator with significant future potential but faces higher operational volatility and dependence on vehicle production cycles. Choose Apple if seeking a mature tech investment with strong cash flows and ecosystem lock-in; choose Tesla if betting on EV market dominance and energy storage disruption.
Tesla Inc.: FSD +38% (1.1M subscribers) | Apple Inc.: N/A
Tesla Inc.: $3.837B (+25% YoY) | Apple Inc.: N/A
Tesla Inc.: 350k+ (facing 63% miss probability Q1) | Apple Inc.: N/A
Tesla Inc.: Model Y from ~$45k | Apple Inc.: N/A
Tesla Inc.: Model Y: 300+ miles | Apple Inc.: N/A
Tesla Inc.: Model Y: 5 seats | Apple Inc.: N/A
Tesla Inc.: Model Y Performance: 3.5s | Apple Inc.: N/A
Tesla Inc.: $81.5B | Apple Inc.: $391.4B
Tesla Inc.: 1.81M vehicles | Apple Inc.: 231M devices
Tesla Inc.: 1.81M units | Apple Inc.: N/A
Tesla Inc.: 28th place | Apple Inc.: N/A
Tesla Inc.: 60,000 Superchargers | Apple Inc.: N/A
Tesla Inc.: 1.99 seconds | Apple Inc.: N/A
Tesla Inc.: 358 miles (Model 3) | Apple Inc.: N/A
Tesla Inc.: 2.3 seconds | Apple Inc.: N/A
Tesla Inc.: Synthetic, minimalist | Apple Inc.: N/A
Tesla Inc.: Level 2-3 (FSD Beta) | Apple Inc.: N/A
Tesla Inc.: Electric only | Apple Inc.: N/A
Tesla Inc.: 5.8 seconds (Model 3 RWD) | Apple Inc.: N/A
Tesla Inc.: 272 miles (Model 3 RWD) | Apple Inc.: N/A
Tesla Inc.: 250 kW (V3 Supercharger) | Apple Inc.: N/A
Tesla Inc.: 16 years (founded 2010) | Apple Inc.: N/A
Tesla Inc.: 4.1 mi/kWh | Apple Inc.: N/A
Tesla Inc.: 1.81 million (2023) | Apple Inc.: N/A
Tesla Inc.: $43,990 (Model 3) | Apple Inc.: N/A
0-60 MPH Acceleration (Performance Model)
Tesla Inc.: 1.99 seconds (Model S Plaid) | Apple Inc.: N/A
Tesla Inc.: 150,000+ miles | Apple Inc.: N/A
Tesla Inc.: 5 gigafactories | Apple Inc.: N/A
Tesla Inc.: 3.1 sec (Model 3 RWD) | Apple Inc.: N/A
Tesla Inc.: 19.6% (2025) | Apple Inc.: N/A
Tesla Inc.: 4 (S, 3, X, Y) | Apple Inc.: N/A
Tesla Inc.: 272 (Model 3 RWD) | Apple Inc.: N/A
Tesla Inc.: 1.81 million | Apple Inc.: N/A
Tesla Inc.: $3.2 billion | Apple Inc.: N/A
Tesla Inc.: 70+ countries | Apple Inc.: N/A
Tesla Inc.: Level 2 (FSD Beta) | Apple Inc.: N/A
Supercharger/Adventure Network Locations
Tesla Inc.: $2,780 million | Apple Inc.: N/A
Tesla Inc.: 8 years / 120,000 miles | Apple Inc.: N/A
Tesla Inc.: 5.1 sec (Model 3 RWD) | Apple Inc.: N/A
Tesla Inc.: $780 billion | Apple Inc.: $3.5T
Tesla Inc.: $81.5B | Apple Inc.: $391.0B
EV Market Share / Product Category Dominance
Tesla Inc.: 20.1% (global EV) | Apple Inc.: 56% (smartphone OS)
Tesla Inc.: N/A | Apple Inc.: $42 billion
Enterprise Product Innovation Review Count
Tesla Inc.: N/A | Apple Inc.: 20,232 reviews
Tesla Inc.: N/A | Apple Inc.: 186 reviews
Tesla Inc.: N/A | Apple Inc.: Not specified
Enterprise Integration Capabilities Rating
Tesla Inc.: N/A | Apple Inc.: Below 5.0★
Tesla Inc.: N/A | Apple Inc.: 15+ devices
Tesla Inc.: N/A | Apple Inc.: 275 reviews
Tesla Inc.: N/A | Apple Inc.: Emerging competitor with new features (multi-stop, cycling nav)
Tesla Inc.: N/A | Apple Inc.: Limited to Apple ecosystem
Tesla Inc.: N/A | Apple Inc.: End-to-end encryption enabled (iOS 26.5+)
Tesla Inc.: N/A | Apple Inc.: Minimal collection; on-device processing prioritized
Tesla Inc.: N/A | Apple Inc.: Privacy-preserving on-device AI processing
Tesla Inc.: N/A | Apple Inc.: $143.76 billion
Tesla Inc.: N/A | Apple Inc.: $2.37 billion
Tesla Inc.: N/A | Apple Inc.: Services-focused (not specified)
Commercial Remaining Performance Obligations
Tesla Inc.: N/A | Apple Inc.: Not disclosed as separate metric
Tesla Inc.: N/A | Apple Inc.: $85.27 billion (+23.3% YoY)
Trailing 12-Month Revenue Growth (3-Year Period)
Ecosystem App Availability (Android/iOS equivalent)
Tesla Inc.: N/A | Apple Inc.: 1.96M apps (App Store)
Tesla Inc.: N/A | Apple Inc.: 27% (Apple Arcade subscribers: 25M)
Tesla Inc.: N/A | Apple Inc.: $84.3B (22% of total)
Tesla Inc.: N/A | Apple Inc.: 9.5/10 (fully vertical)
Tesla Inc.: N/A | Apple Inc.: 8% (emerging with Vision Pro)
iPhone 16 Pro / Galaxy S25 Ultra Display
Tesla Inc.: N/A | Apple Inc.: 120Hz Super Retina XDR
Tesla Inc.: N/A | Apple Inc.: 7 major categories
How to choose between Tesla Inc. and Apple Inc.
Tesla vs Apple — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Tesla vs Apple. Contains 116 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Tesla vs Apple — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Tesla vs Apple.
Apple is significantly more profitable. Apple's operating margin is 30.7% compared to Tesla's 10.8%, and Apple's gross profit margin is 46.2% versus Tesla's 29.5%. Apple generated $114.3 billion in operating income in FY2024 versus Tesla's $8.8 billion, demonstrating Apple's superior profitability despite lower revenue scale.
Which company has better growth prospects?
Tesla has higher growth potential in emerging markets given EV adoption rates of 12% globally (vs 88% smartphone penetration). However, Apple's services segment grew 12% YoY with 75% margins, offering more predictable recurring revenue. Tesla's growth is cyclical and dependent on EV market expansion, while Apple's is constrained by market saturation but supported by services monetization.
Apple offers lower risk with stable cash flows, ecosystem dominance (2.2B installed base), and diversified services revenue. Tesla offers higher upside potential but carries execution risk around new models, manufacturing scaling, and competition from legacy automakers. Apple suits conservative portfolios; Tesla suits growth-oriented investors with higher risk tolerance.
How dependent are these companies on single products?
Tesla is heavily product-dependent: vehicles account for 81% of revenue, with automotive gross margin of 18.5%. Apple is more diversified: iPhone is 52% of revenue but gross margin reaches 43%, while Services (22% of revenue) and Wearables (9%) provide diversification. Apple's ecosystem creates stickiness; Tesla's depends on vehicle refresh cycles.
What are the biggest risks facing each company?
Tesla risks include intensifying EV competition from legacy OEMs (VW, GM), Chinese EV makers (BYD), supply chain disruptions, and Elon Musk execution risk. Apple risks include iPhone market saturation in developed markets (only 2-3% annual growth expected), China geopolitical exposure (20% of revenue), and App Store regulatory pressures. Tesla has higher operational volatility; Apple has regulatory and concentration risks.
How to Choose Between Tesla Inc. and Apple Inc.
Market Capitalization: Tesla Inc. has $1.3 trillion, while Apple Inc. has $3.4 trillion.
Primary Revenue Source: Tesla Inc. has Electric vehicles (81%), while Apple Inc. has iPhone sales (52%).
Gross Profit Margin: Tesla Inc. has 29.5%, while Apple Inc. has 46.2%.
Annual Revenue (FY2024): Tesla Inc. has $81.5 billion, while Apple Inc. has $391.0 billion.
Operating Margin: Tesla Inc. has 10.8%, while Apple Inc. has 30.7%.
Global Employees: Tesla Inc. has 128,000, while Apple Inc. has 161,000.
Business Model Focus: Tesla Inc. has Hardware manufacturing + Energy storage, while Apple Inc. has Hardware + Services ecosystem.