PayPal vs Volkswagen: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
PayPal reported $33.2B of revenue in FY2025 and $5.2B of net income. Volkswagen reported ~$363.8B of revenue in FY2025 and ~$7.5B of net income.
Latest financial snapshot
PayPal
- Latest revenue
- $33.2B (FY2025)
- Net income
- $5.2B
- Net margin
- 15.8%
- Revenue growth
- +13.2% a year, FY2016–FY2025
Volkswagen
- Latest revenue
- ~$363.8B (FY2025)
- Net income
- ~$7.5B
- Net margin
- 2.1%
- Revenue growth
- +6.5% a year, FY2021–FY2025
Financial summary
PayPal
PayPal is large and profitable, but growth has slowed. Revenue climbed from $21.45 billion in 2020 to $33.17 billion in 2025, yet annual growth fell from about 21% to about 4%. Net income reached $5.23 billion in 2025, up from $4.15 billion in 2024. In Q2 2026 revenue rose 5% to $8.68 billion (3% currency-neutral), total payment volume rose 10% to $486.4 billion, transaction margin dollars rose 1% to about $3.9 billion, and non-GAAP EPS was $1.38. Management then raised full-year 2026 non-GAAP EPS guidance to about $5.38 and guided to at least $6 billion of adjusted free cash flow, most of which goes to buybacks. The stock still trades at roughly 10 times earnings, which shows how skeptical investors are about long-term branded checkout growth.
Volkswagen
Volkswagen Group reported ~$364 billion (EUR 321.9 billion) in 2025 sales revenue, slightly below ~$367 billion (EUR 324.7 billion) in 2024, and an operating result of ~$10.1 billion (EUR 8.9 billion), a 2.8% margin. Earnings were held down by U.S. tariffs, restructuring provisions, the cost of Porsche's product strategy change, and weaker results from the Chinese joint ventures. Deliveries were broadly stable at 8.984 million vehicles. The December 2024 agreement with IG Metall for the Volkswagen brand in Germany avoids compulsory redundancies but plans to cut more than 35,000 jobs by 2030 through attrition and early retirement, and to reduce German plant capacity. In the first half of 2026 sales revenue was about $179 billion (EUR 158.1 billion), roughly flat, while the operating result fell 11.6% to about $6.67 billion (EUR 5.9 billion) (3.8% margin). In September 2026 Volkswagen cut its full-year forecast to about $356 billion (EUR 315 billion) in sales revenue and an operating margin of up to 1%, citing China, a faster shift to EVs, a roughly $6.78 billion (EUR 6 billion) goodwill impairment on the Porsche segment, and extra restructuring and China impairments.
Revenue and profit by year
PayPal
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $33.2B | $5.2B | 15.8% | +4.3% | Source |
| FY2024 | $31.8B | $4.1B | 13.0% | +6.8% | Source |
| FY2023 | $29.8B | $4.2B | 14.3% | +8.2% | Source |
| FY2022 | $27.5B | $2.4B | 8.8% | +8.5% | Source |
| FY2021 | $25.4B | $4.2B | 16.4% | +18.3% | Source |
| FY2020 | $21.5B | $4.2B | 19.6% | +20.7% | Source |
| FY2019 | $17.8B | $2.5B | 13.8% | +15.0% | Source |
| FY2018 | $15.5B | $2.1B | 13.3% | +18.0% | Source |
| FY2017 | $13.1B | $1.8B | 13.7% | +20.8% | Source |
| FY2016 | $10.8B | $1.4B | 12.9% | — | Source |
Volkswagen
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | ~$363.8B | ~$7.5B | 2.1% | -0.8% | Source |
| FY2024 | ~$366.9B | ~$12.1B | 3.3% | +0.7% | Source |
| FY2023 | ~$364.2B | ~$18B | 4.9% | +15.5% | Source |
| FY2022 | ~$315.3B | ~$16.8B | 5.3% | +11.5% | Source |
| FY2021 | ~$282.7B | ~$16.8B | 5.9% | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
PayPal
- Transaction RevenueDominant
Merchant fees and payment-related revenue from branded and unbranded volume.
- Value-Added ServicesMaterial
Interest, credit products, fraud tools, merchant services, and other payments-adjacent products.
- Venmo and Consumer Financial ServicesGrowing
Consumer payment and commerce monetization around Venmo and wallet products.
Volkswagen
- Passenger vehicle sales
- Premium and luxury vehicle sales
- Commercial vehicles
- Parts and aftersales
- Financial services
- Leasing and fleet services
- Software and mobility services
Business model and strategy
PayPal
How it makes money
PayPal makes most of its money from transaction revenue: fees merchants pay when customers check out with the PayPal or Venmo button (branded checkout), fees on unbranded card processing through Braintree, and consumer fees such as instant transfers, cross-border and currency conversion charges. Branded checkout carries the highest margin because PayPal controls the customer relationship;
Growth strategy
Under Enrique Lores, PayPal's 2026 plan has three parts. First, restore growth in branded checkout, which rose only about 2% in Q2 2026, by improving conversion, Fastlane guest checkout and agentic or AI-assisted commerce. Second, make Venmo and Braintree pull more weight: Venmo is being pushed into merchant payments and debit cards, while Braintree is priced for profit rather than volume.
Competitive advantage
PayPal's edge is a two-sided network: about 439 million active accounts at the end of 2025 on one side and millions of merchants on the other. Shoppers who already store cards and bank accounts in PayPal can pay without typing details, and merchants add the button because it can lift conversion with those shoppers. Processors such as Stripe and Adyen serve merchants but do not own a consumer wallet of that size.
Volkswagen
How it makes money
Volkswagen earns most of its revenue by selling new cars, vans, trucks and buses through brand groups: Core (Volkswagen, Skoda, SEAT/CUPRA, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles), Progressive (Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, Ducati), Sport Luxury (Porsche) and TRATON (Scania, MAN, International, Volkswagen Truck & Bus).
Growth strategy
Volkswagen's growth strategy centers on cost reduction, platform simplification, brand accountability, premium profitability, China-specific EV development, battery and software investment, hybrid and combustion optimization where demand remains strong, and selective partnerships such as Rivian and XPeng.
Competitive advantage
Volkswagen's advantage is industrial scale plus brand breadth. Few competitors can cover entry-level European cars, global volume SUVs, Audi premium vehicles, Porsche sports cars, Lamborghini supercars, Bentley luxury cars, Ducati motorcycles, Scania and MAN trucks, and a major financial services arm. The purchasing leverage and installed dealer base are hard to replicate.
Questions about PayPal vs Volkswagen
Which company has higher revenue — PayPal Holdings, Inc. or Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft?
PayPal Holdings, Inc. reported $33.2B (FY2025), while Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft reported ~$363.8B (FY2025). By last reported revenue, Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft is the larger business, with PayPal Holdings, Inc. reporting a smaller revenue base.
What is the market cap of PayPal Holdings, Inc. vs Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft?
PayPal Holdings, Inc.'s market capitalisation stands at $47.0B, while Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft's is $35.5B. PayPal Holdings, Inc. carries the higher market valuation, reflecting investors' expectations of its future earnings power relative to Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft.
Which is more financially efficient — PayPal Holdings, Inc. or Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft?
PayPal Holdings, Inc. generates $1.39M / employee in revenue per employee, while Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft generates $549k / employee. PayPal Holdings, 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 PayPal Holdings, Inc. and Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft make money?
PayPal Holdings, Inc. and Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. PayPal Holdings, Inc.: PayPal makes most of its money from transaction revenue: fees merchants pay when customers check out with the PayPal or Venmo button (branded checkout), fees on unbranded card processing through Braintree, and consumer fees such as instant transfers, cross-border and currency conversion charges. Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft: Volkswagen earns most of its revenue by selling new cars, vans, trucks and buses through brand groups: Core (Volkswagen, Skoda, SEAT/CUPRA, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles), Progressive (Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, Ducati), Sport Luxury (Porsche) and TRATON (Scania, MAN, International, Volkswagen Truck & Bus).
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — PayPal Holdings, Inc. or Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, PayPal Holdings, Inc. trades at 1.4x P/S and Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft at 0.1x P/S. PayPal Holdings, Inc. commands a higher revenue multiple, typically indicating that investors expect faster growth or higher future margins compared to Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft. A higher multiple is not inherently better — it may also signal that the stock is priced for perfection.
Is PayPal Holdings, Inc. bigger than Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft?
By last reported revenue, Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft (~$363.8B (FY2025)) is the larger company compared to PayPal Holdings, Inc. ($33.2B (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 PayPal vs Volkswagen overview