American Tower vs Apple: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
American Tower reported $10.6B of revenue in FY2025 and $2.5B of net income. Apple reported $416.2B of revenue in FY2025 and $112B of net income.
Latest financial snapshot
American Tower
- Latest revenue
- $10.6B (FY2025)
- Net income
- $2.5B
- Net margin
- 23.8%
- Revenue growth
- +7.0% a year, FY2016–FY2025
Apple
- Latest revenue
- $416.2B (FY2025)
- Net income
- $112B
- Net margin
- 26.9%
- Revenue growth
- +7.6% a year, FY2016–FY2025
Financial summary
American Tower
American Tower is structured as a REIT, so qualifying US real estate income is distributed to shareholders rather than taxed at the corporate level, while international operations sit in taxable REIT subsidiaries. FY2025 revenue was $10,645 million, up 5.1%, with property revenue of $10,305 million and adjusted EBITDA of $7.1 billion at a 67.0% cash margin. Net income attributable to common stockholders was $2,529.5 million, and attributable AFFO per share, as adjusted, grew about 8% for the year. Net leverage ended 2025 at 4.9 times adjusted EBITDA, and S&P Global raised the company's issuer rating to BBB+ with a stable outlook in July 2025. American Tower also repurchased about $365 million of stock during 2025, its largest annual buyback since 2017.
Apple
Apple's fiscal 2025 results describe a hardware business with software margins. Net sales rose 6 percent to $416.2 billion, net income reached $112.0 billion, and total gross margin was 46.9 percent, split between 36.8 percent on Products and 75.4 percent on Services. Services revenue of $109.2 billion, up 14 percent, is the reason the blended margin keeps rising. Cash generation is the other defining feature: operations produced $111.5 billion in fiscal 2025, and Apple returned $89.3 billion through share repurchases and $15.4 billion in dividends, after announcing a new repurchase authorization of up to $100 billion and raising the quarterly dividend to $0.26 per share in May 2025. Research and development came to $34.6 billion, 8 percent of net sales, and cash plus marketable securities stood at $132.4 billion at year end.
Revenue and profit by year
American Tower
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $10.6B | $2.5B | 23.8% | +5.1% | Source |
| FY2024 | $10.1B | $2.3B | 22.3% | +1.1% | Source |
| FY2023 | $10B | $1.5B | 14.8% | +3.8% | Source |
| FY2022 | $9.6B | $1.8B | 18.3% | +3.1% | Source |
| FY2021 | $9.4B | $2.6B | 27.4% | +16.4% | Source |
| FY2020 | $8B | $1.7B | 21.0% | +6.1% | Source |
| FY2019 | $7.6B | $1.9B | 24.9% | +1.9% | Source |
| FY2018 | $7.4B | $1.2B | 16.5% | +11.6% | Source |
| FY2017 | $6.7B | $1.2B | 17.3% | +15.2% | Source |
| FY2016 | $5.8B | $849.3M | 14.7% | — | Source |
Apple
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $416.2B | $112B | 26.9% | +6.4% | Source |
| FY2024 | $391B | $93.7B | 24.0% | +2.0% | Source |
| FY2023 | $383.3B | $97B | 25.3% | -2.8% | Source |
| FY2022 | $394.3B | $99.8B | 25.3% | +7.8% | Source |
| FY2021 | $365.8B | $94.7B | 25.9% | +33.3% | Source |
| FY2020 | $274.5B | $57.4B | 20.9% | +5.5% | Source |
| FY2019 | $260.2B | $55.3B | 21.2% | -2.0% | Source |
| FY2018 | $265.6B | $59.5B | 22.4% | +15.9% | Source |
| FY2017 | $229.2B | $48.4B | 21.1% | +6.3% | Source |
| FY2016 | $215.6B | $45.7B | 21.2% | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
American Tower
- Site Rental~87%
Leasing space on communications sites under long-term contracts with escalators and renewal options. Property revenue excluding data centers was $9,252 million of the $10,645 million FY2025 total.
- Data Center Services~10%
CoreSite data center, power and interconnection revenue, which was $1,053 million in FY2025, up about 14% year over year.
- Services and Other~3%
Site acquisition, zoning, permitting and construction work performed for carriers, plus other revenue. This line was $340 million in FY2025.
Apple
- iPhone~50%
iPhone net sales were $209.6B in FY2025, up 4%, and the phone is the entry point into Services, accessories, AppleCare, iCloud and App Store spending.
- Services~26%
Services covers the App Store, advertising, cloud, AppleCare, payments, media subscriptions and licensing. FY2025 net sales were $109.2B, up 14%, at a 75.4% gross margin against 36.8% for Products.
- Mac and iPad~15%
Mac net sales were $33.7B and iPad $28.0B in FY2025, driven by Apple silicon refreshes, education, creative work and enterprise adoption.
- Wearables, Home and Accessories~9%
Apple Watch, AirPods, Vision Pro, home devices and accessories were $35.7B in FY2025, down 4%, and they deepen iPhone attachment.
Business model and strategy
American Tower
How it makes money
American Tower owns the tower structure and controls the land beneath it, then leases vertical space to mobile operators such as T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon so they can mount antennas. The economics turn on colocation: once a tower stands, adding a second or third tenant costs comparatively little, so incremental rent converts largely into operating profit.
Growth strategy
After selling its India business in 2024, American Tower concentrates capital on developed markets and on data centers. About 85% of planned 2026 discretionary capital spending goes to developed markets, including more than $700 million for CoreSite data center development, where revenue grew about 14% in 2025.
Competitive advantage
The advantage is the site itself. Zoning approval, environmental review and land control make a new macro tower slow and costly to add in a populated area, so a carrier that needs coverage in a specific location usually has to lease space on a structure that already stands there.
Apple
How it makes money
Apple sells hardware at premium prices and keeps the software, distribution and payment layers on top of it. The iPhone is the entry point, at $209.6 billion of fiscal 2025 net sales, and it pulls customers into iOS, iCloud storage plans, App Store purchases, AppleCare and accessories.
Growth strategy
Growth now comes from monetizing an installed base of more than 2.5 billion devices rather than from unit growth alone. Services rose 14 percent to $109.2 billion in fiscal 2025 on the App Store, advertising, iCloud, AppleCare, payments and subscription media, and Apple packages them through the Apple One bundle.
Competitive advantage
Apple's advantage comes from owning the parts other phone makers buy. It designs its own silicon, the A20 Pro in iPhone 18 Pro and the M5 in Mac and iPad Pro, plus the operating systems, the app store, the payment layer and the retail channel, so hardware, software and services are tuned to each other.
Questions about American Tower vs Apple
Which company has higher revenue — American Tower Corporation or Apple Inc.?
American Tower Corporation reported $10.6B (FY2025), while Apple Inc. reported $416.2B (FY2025). By last reported revenue, Apple Inc. is the larger business, with American Tower Corporation reporting a smaller revenue base.
What is the market cap of American Tower Corporation vs Apple Inc.?
American Tower Corporation's market capitalisation stands at $76.6B, while Apple Inc.'s is $4.98T. Apple Inc. carries the higher market valuation, reflecting investors' expectations of its future earnings power relative to American Tower Corporation.
Which is more financially efficient — American Tower Corporation or Apple Inc.?
American Tower Corporation generates $2.19M / employee in revenue per employee, while Apple Inc. generates $2.51M / employee. Apple 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 American Tower Corporation and Apple Inc. make money?
American Tower Corporation and Apple Inc. generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. American Tower Corporation: American Tower owns the tower structure and controls the land beneath it, then leases vertical space to mobile operators such as T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon so they can mount antennas. Apple Inc.: Apple sells hardware at premium prices and keeps the software, distribution and payment layers on top of it.
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — American Tower Corporation or Apple Inc.?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, American Tower Corporation trades at 7.2x P/S and Apple Inc. at 12.0x P/S. Apple Inc. commands a higher revenue multiple, typically indicating that investors expect faster growth or higher future margins compared to American Tower Corporation. A higher multiple is not inherently better — it may also signal that the stock is priced for perfection.
Is American Tower Corporation bigger than Apple Inc.?
By last reported revenue, Apple Inc. ($416.2B (FY2025)) is the larger company compared to American Tower Corporation ($10.6B (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 American Tower vs Apple overview