Accenture vs Microsoft: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
Accenture reported $69.7B of revenue in FY2025 and $7.7B of net income. Microsoft reported $331.8B of revenue in FY2026 and $133.7B 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.
Microsoft
Microsoft's FY2026 revenue rose 17.8% to $331.8 billion, operating income rose 21% to $155.2 billion, and GAAP net income rose 31% to $133.7 billion. Fourth-quarter revenue was $90.0 billion (up 18%) with net income of $35.8 billion, helped by a $3.2 billion gain on its Anthropic investment. Microsoft Cloud revenue reached $59.3 billion in Q4, up 27%. The main pressure point is capital intensity: AI data center spending has pushed free cash flow growth well below earnings growth.
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 |
Microsoft
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | $331.8B | $133.7B | 40.3% | +17.8% | Source |
| FY2025 | $281.7B | $101.8B | 36.1% | +14.9% | Source |
| FY2024 | $245.1B | $88.1B | 36.0% | +15.7% | Source |
| FY2023 | $211.9B | $72.4B | 34.1% | +6.9% | Source |
| FY2022 | $198.3B | $72.7B | 36.7% | +18.0% | Source |
| FY2021 | $168.1B | $61.3B | 36.5% | +17.5% | Source |
| FY2020 | $143B | $44.3B | 31.0% | +13.6% | Source |
| FY2019 | $125.8B | $39.2B | 31.2% | +14.0% | Source |
| FY2018 | $110.4B | $16.6B | 15.0% | +14.3% | Source |
| FY2017 | $96.6B | $25.5B | 26.4% | — | 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.
Microsoft
- Productivity And Business ProcessesMajor
Office, Microsoft 365, LinkedIn, Dynamics, and related cloud services.
- Intelligent CloudMajor
Azure, server products, enterprise services, and cloud infrastructure.
- More Personal ComputingMajor
Windows, devices, gaming, search, and advertising.
- AI Services And CopilotsGrowth
AI features and model-powered services embedded across Azure, Microsoft 365, GitHub, security, and developer tools.
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.
Microsoft
How it makes money
Microsoft reports three segments. Intelligent Cloud covers Azure, SQL Server, Windows Server, GitHub, Nuance, and enterprise services; server products and cloud services alone brought in $129.4 billion in FY2026, and Azure passed $100 billion in annual revenue for the first time.
Growth strategy
Microsoft's growth plan centers on AI capacity and AI subscriptions. It is spending heavily on data centers and chips to meet Azure demand that management says remains capacity constrained, and it is selling Microsoft 365 Copilot as a paid add-on, which passed 30 million paid seats by the end of FY2026.
Competitive advantage
Microsoft's main advantage is distribution inside enterprises. Identity (Entra), email and documents (Microsoft 365), collaboration (Teams), developer tools (GitHub, Visual Studio), and cloud infrastructure (Azure) are often bought together, which raises switching costs and lets Microsoft attach new products such as Copilot to existing contracts.
Questions about Accenture vs Microsoft
Which company has higher revenue — Accenture PLC or Microsoft Corporation?
Accenture PLC reported $69.7B (FY2025), while Microsoft Corporation reported $331.8B (FY2026). By last reported revenue, Microsoft Corporation 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 Microsoft Corporation?
Accenture PLC's market capitalisation stands at $110.7B, while Microsoft Corporation's is $3.83T. Microsoft Corporation 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 Microsoft Corporation?
Accenture PLC generates $87k / employee in revenue per employee, while Microsoft Corporation generates $1.49M / employee. Microsoft Corporation 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 Microsoft Corporation make money?
Accenture PLC and Microsoft Corporation generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. Accenture PLC: Accenture sells professional services to large companies and governments. Microsoft Corporation: Microsoft reports three segments.
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — Accenture PLC or Microsoft Corporation?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, Accenture PLC trades at 1.6x P/S and Microsoft Corporation at 11.5x P/S. Microsoft Corporation 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 Microsoft Corporation?
By last reported revenue, Microsoft Corporation ($331.8B (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 Microsoft overview