Accenture vs Alibaba: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
Accenture reported $69.7B of revenue in FY2025 and $7.7B of net income. Alibaba reported ~$142.3B of revenue in FY2026 and ~$14.4B of net income.
Latest financial snapshot
Financial summary
Accenture
Accenture's fiscal year ends August 31. Revenue rose from $34.80B in FY2016 to $69.67B in FY2025, and net income attributable to Accenture plc rose from $4.11B to $7.68B over the same period. FY2025 brought $80.62B in new bookings, $10.87B of free cash flow, GAAP diluted EPS of $12.15 and $8.3B returned to shareholders through dividends and buybacks. Spending on acquisitions was $6.58B in FY2024 and $1.47B in FY2025. In Q3 FY2026 (to May 31, 2026) revenue was $18.72B, up 6% in U.S. dollars and 3% in local currency, and full-year FY2026 results are due on October 1, 2026.
Alibaba
Revenue rose from ~$22 billion (RMB158.3 billion) in FY2017 to ~$142 billion (RMB1.024 trillion) in FY2026. Net income was ~$14.4 billion (RMB103.6 billion) in FY2026, down from ~$17.5 billion (RMB126.0 billion) in FY2025. Alibaba reports on a March 31 fiscal year and invests heavily in commerce, cloud and AI infrastructure.
Revenue and profit by year
Accenture
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $69.7B | $7.7B | 11.0% | +7.4% | Source |
| FY2024 | $64.9B | $7.3B | 11.2% | +1.2% | Source |
| FY2023 | $64.1B | $6.9B | 10.7% | +4.1% | Source |
| FY2022 | $61.6B | $6.9B | 11.2% | +21.9% | Source |
| FY2021 | $50.5B | $5.9B | 11.7% | +14.0% | Source |
| FY2020 | $44.3B | $5.1B | 11.5% | +2.6% | Source |
| FY2019 | $43.2B | $4.8B | 11.1% | +5.4% | Source |
| FY2018 | $41B | $4.1B | 9.9% | +13.3% | Source |
| FY2017 | $36.2B | $3.4B | 9.5% | +4.0% | Source |
| FY2016 | $34.8B | $4.1B | 11.8% | — | Source |
Alibaba
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | ~$142.3B | ~$14.4B | 10.1% | +2.7% | Source |
| FY2025 | ~$138.5B | ~$17.5B | 12.6% | +5.9% | Source |
| FY2024 | ~$130.8B | ~$9.9B | 7.6% | +8.3% | Source |
| FY2023 | ~$120.7B | ~$9.1B | 7.5% | +1.8% | Source |
| FY2022 | ~$118.6B | ~$6.5B | 5.5% | +18.9% | Source |
| FY2021 | ~$99.7B | ~$19.9B | 20.0% | +40.7% | Source |
| FY2020 | ~$70.8B | ~$19.5B | 27.5% | +35.3% | Source |
| FY2019 | ~$52.4B | ~$11.2B | 21.3% | +50.6% | Source |
| FY2018 | ~$34.8B | ~$8.5B | 24.5% | +58.1% | Source |
| FY2017 | ~$22B | ~$6.1B | 27.6% | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
Accenture
- Consulting
$35.11B in FY2025 revenue
Consulting includes strategy, technology consulting, systems integration, cloud migration, data and AI programs, and large transformation projects.
- Managed Services
$34.57B in FY2025 revenue
Managed Services includes application management, infrastructure operations, business process services, finance operations, customer operations, and other long-term outsourced work.
- AI, Data, and Digital Core
Reported across consulting and managed services
Accenture embeds AI, data, cybersecurity, cloud, enterprise platforms, and digital core modernization into client transformation programs.
- Song, Supply Chain, Engineering, and Talent
Reported across service lines
These capabilities cover customer experience, commerce, design, marketing technology, product engineering, supply chain, workforce transformation, and change management.
Alibaba
- China commerce
Not formally reported
Alibaba earns revenue through China commerce.
- international digital commerce
Not formally reported
Alibaba earns revenue through international digital commerce.
- cloud intelligence
Not formally reported
Alibaba earns revenue through cloud intelligence.
- logistics services
Not formally reported
Alibaba earns revenue through logistics services.
- local services and digital media
Not formally reported
Alibaba earns revenue through local services and digital media.
Business model and strategy
Accenture
How it makes money
Accenture sells professional services to large companies and governments. Consulting revenue ($35.11B in FY2025) comes from strategy, technology implementation, cloud migration and data and AI projects. Managed services revenue ($34.57B) comes from multi-year contracts to run applications, infrastructure and business processes such as finance or customer operations.
Growth strategy
Accenture grows through a mix of organic services and frequent acquisitions. It spent $6.58B on businesses and investments in FY2024 and $1.47B in FY2025, and in 2026 announced its largest recent deals: Faculty in the UK and the $1.2B Ookla agreement.
Competitive advantage
Accenture can take a client from strategy work through systems implementation and then run the resulting systems or processes under multi-year managed services contracts; in FY2025 managed services was $34.57B of its $69.67B revenue.
Alibaba
How it makes money
Alibaba earns revenue from customer-management services and commissions on its China commerce marketplaces, direct sales and logistics services in international commerce, cloud products and services, Cainiao logistics, local services, and digital media. Taobao and Tmall primarily connect merchants with consumers rather than operating only as first-party retailers.
Growth strategy
Facing intense regulatory scrutiny and fierce domestic competition, Alibaba's growth strategy recently underwent a large structural overhaul. They announced a plan to split the empire into six separate, independent business groups (like Cloud, E-commerce, and Logistics), allowing each to operate faster and potentially seek their own IPOs.
Competitive advantage
Alibaba's primary moat was its large network effect within China; virtually every merchant had to be on Taobao because that's where all the consumers were, and vice versa. their proprietary logistics network (Cainiao) and deep integration with Alipay created a frictionless ecosystem for Chinese consumers.
Questions about Accenture vs Alibaba
Which company has higher revenue — Accenture PLC or Alibaba Group Holding Limited?
Accenture PLC reported $69.7B (FY2025), while Alibaba Group Holding Limited reported ~$142.3B (FY2026). By last reported revenue, Alibaba Group Holding Limited is the larger business, with Accenture PLC reporting a smaller revenue base. Note: these are from different fiscal years and are not a direct like-for-like comparison.
What is the market cap of Accenture PLC vs Alibaba Group Holding Limited?
Accenture PLC's market capitalisation stands at $110.7B, while Alibaba Group Holding Limited's is $266.6B. Alibaba Group Holding Limited carries the higher market valuation, reflecting investors' expectations of its future earnings power relative to Accenture PLC.
Which is more financially efficient — Accenture PLC or Alibaba Group Holding Limited?
Accenture PLC generates $87k / employee in revenue per employee, while Alibaba Group Holding Limited generates $1.08M / employee. Alibaba Group Holding Limited shows higher revenue efficiency per headcount, though this reflects business model differences — capital-light software companies routinely outperform labour-intensive manufacturers on this metric.
How do Accenture PLC and Alibaba Group Holding Limited make money?
Accenture PLC and Alibaba Group Holding Limited generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. Accenture PLC: Accenture sells professional services to large companies and governments. Alibaba Group Holding Limited: Alibaba earns revenue from customer-management services and commissions on its China commerce marketplaces, direct sales and logistics services in international commerce, cloud products and services, Cainiao logistics, local services, and digital media.
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — Accenture PLC or Alibaba Group Holding Limited?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, Accenture PLC trades at 1.6x P/S and Alibaba Group Holding Limited at 1.9x P/S. Alibaba Group Holding Limited commands a higher revenue multiple, typically indicating that investors expect faster growth or higher future margins compared to Accenture PLC. A higher multiple is not inherently better — it may also signal that the stock is priced for perfection.
Is Accenture PLC bigger than Alibaba Group Holding Limited?
By last reported revenue, Alibaba Group Holding Limited (~$142.3B (FY2026)) is the larger company compared to Accenture PLC ($69.7B (FY2025)). Revenue scale is one dimension of size — market capitalisation, employee count, and geographic reach are also relevant depending on the context.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Accenture vs Alibaba overview