Alibaba vs Meta: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
Alibaba reported ~$142.3B of revenue in FY2026 and ~$14.4B of net income. Meta reported $201B of revenue in FY2025 and $60.5B of net income.
Latest financial snapshot
Financial summary
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.
Meta
Meta's revenue grew from $116.609B in 2022 to $200.966B in 2025, and net income rose from $23.2B to $60.458B. FY2025 income from operations was $83.276B. In 2026 the story is spending: Q2 2026 costs rose 55% to $42.03B, the operating margin fell to 31% from 43%, and quarterly capex of $31.08B left free cash flow at $784M. Meta had $90.26B of cash and marketable securities and $83.66B of long-term debt at June 30, 2026. It expects 2026 total expenses of $165-169B and still expects 2026 operating income to exceed 2025.
Revenue and profit by year
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 |
Meta
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $201B | $60.5B | 30.1% | +22.2% | Source |
| FY2024 | $164.5B | $62.4B | 37.9% | +21.9% | Source |
| FY2023 | $134.9B | $39.1B | 29.0% | +15.7% | Source |
| FY2022 | $116.6B | $23.2B | 19.9% | -1.1% | Source |
| FY2021 | $117.9B | $39.4B | 33.4% | +37.2% | Source |
| FY2020 | $86B | $29.1B | 33.9% | +21.6% | Source |
| FY2019 | $70.7B | $18.5B | 26.1% | +26.6% | Source |
| FY2018 | $55.8B | $22.1B | 39.6% | +37.4% | Source |
| FY2017 | $40.7B | $15.9B | 39.2% | +47.1% | Source |
| FY2016 | $27.6B | $10.2B | 37.0% | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
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.
Meta
- Advertising
~97.6% (FY2025)
Ads across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Threads and WhatsApp; $196.175B in FY2025.
- Other revenue and Reality Labs
~2.4% (FY2025)
WhatsApp Business messaging, Meta Verified subscriptions, Quest headsets and Ray-Ban Meta glasses.
Business model and strategy
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.
Meta
How it makes money
Meta makes money by selling ads. Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp and Threads are free to use, and advertisers pay to reach people in feeds, Stories, Reels and click-to-message formats. Advertising produced $196.175B of Meta's $200.966B FY2025 revenue, about 97.6%. Q2 2026 growth came from 14% more ad impressions and a 12% higher average price per ad.
Growth strategy
Meta's growth plan runs through AI. Better ranking and ad-delivery models raise engagement on Reels and feeds and lift ad prices, which drove the 28% revenue growth in Q2 2026. Meta Superintelligence Labs, led by former Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang, released the first Muse Spark model in April 2026, followed by a paid API and the Muse consumer AI agent in September 2026.
Competitive advantage
Meta's moat is distribution plus data. Its apps reach 3.60 billion people every day, so new products such as Threads, Meta AI and Muse can launch to a huge audience at once. Advertisers stay because Meta's AI ad tools such as Advantage+ convert across that audience at a scale only Google matches. Meta also owns its compute, custom MTIA chips and frontier models, which reduces its dependence on outside AI suppliers.
Questions about Alibaba vs Meta
Which company has higher revenue — Alibaba Group Holding Limited or Meta Platforms, Inc.?
Alibaba Group Holding Limited reported ~$142.3B (FY2026), while Meta Platforms, Inc. reported $201.0B (FY2025). By last reported revenue, Meta Platforms, Inc. is the larger business, with Alibaba Group Holding Limited 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 Alibaba Group Holding Limited vs Meta Platforms, Inc.?
Alibaba Group Holding Limited's market capitalisation stands at $266.6B, while Meta Platforms, Inc.'s is $1.90T. Meta Platforms, Inc. carries the higher market valuation, reflecting investors' expectations of its future earnings power relative to Alibaba Group Holding Limited.
Which is more financially efficient — Alibaba Group Holding Limited or Meta Platforms, Inc.?
Alibaba Group Holding Limited generates $1.08M / employee in revenue per employee, while Meta Platforms, Inc. generates $2.66M / employee. Meta Platforms, Inc. 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 Alibaba Group Holding Limited and Meta Platforms, Inc. make money?
Alibaba Group Holding Limited and Meta Platforms, Inc. generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. 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. Meta Platforms, Inc.: Meta makes money by selling ads.
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — Alibaba Group Holding Limited or Meta Platforms, Inc.?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, Alibaba Group Holding Limited trades at 1.9x P/S and Meta Platforms, Inc. at 9.5x P/S. Meta Platforms, Inc. commands a higher revenue multiple, typically indicating that investors expect faster growth or higher future margins compared to Alibaba Group Holding Limited. A higher multiple is not inherently better — it may also signal that the stock is priced for perfection.
Is Alibaba Group Holding Limited bigger than Meta Platforms, Inc.?
By last reported revenue, Meta Platforms, Inc. ($201.0B (FY2025)) is the larger company compared to Alibaba Group Holding Limited (~$142.3B (FY2026)). 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 Alibaba vs Meta overview