# How Meta Platforms (META) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/meta
> Data as of October 20, 2026. Total returns include reinvested dividends. Past performance does not predict future results; nothing here is investment advice.

Built by QuantCommons' quantitative engine, this page is about relative opportunity, not data on META alone. It places META (Meta Platforms, Inc.) against 20+ popular alternatives, its neighboring categories and the entire market of over 10,000 U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs, and surfaces what has done better on consistent outperformance, return for the risk taken, behavior in real market crashes and diversification. The result is a clearer view of where META stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: META's full trading record, from May 2012 through September 2026. The crash tests reach back to 2000 using older funds and the S&P 500. All returns include reinvested dividends. Data as of October 20, 2026.

## Key findings

- **Right now:** Its internet services peers split over the past 6 months: MSFT (Microsoft) rose 27.7%, while NFLX (Netflix) fell 27.6%. After a 34.2% loss from February 2025 to April 2025, META has bounced 34.0% off the low.
- **Stock or market?:** META held up far better than its industry: it rose 7.6% over the past 3 months while the internet services ETF XLC (State Street Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETF) fell 0.2%. The S&P 500 rose 3.9%. Its internet services peers did not move as one over the past 3 months: SNAP rose 39.9%, while GOOG (Alphabet) fell 4.2%.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** META has gone against the market, falling 4.9% over the past year while the S&P 500 rose 15.8%. META led its internet services peers in 2023, then fell behind GOOG (Alphabet) and MSFT (Microsoft) in 2025.
- **Long term:** Over the past decade, META returned 18.4% a year against 15.5% a year for the S&P 500 (439% in total against 321%). META's 10-year return of 439% puts it ahead of 83% of the stocks worth at least $300 million with that much history. The S&P 500 returned 321%.
- **In a crash:** The 2022 bear market took 62.1% off META, against 24.5% for the S&P 500. That was more than GOOG (Alphabet, 35.0%) but less than NFLX (Netflix, 71.9%). Across four sell-offs, META has typically fallen 1.5 times as far as the S&P 500.
- **Diversification:** META is some diversification, but not a hedge: a correlation of 0.43 with the S&P 500 over 5 years and 0.42 with the total US market, more closely than 59% of stocks worth at least $300 million. Over 10 years, META's beta versus the S&P 500 was 1.25: in the S&P 500's rising months it gained 1.3 times as much as the index, and in falling months it lost 1.4 times as much.
- **Better options**
  - **Popular alternatives:** AAPL (Apple) and GOOG (Alphabet) earned more than META with less volatility over the past 5 years. AAPL returned 18.5% a year at 28.0% volatility, against 15.5% a year at 45.4%.
  - **Nearby categories and themes:** FFIV (F5, cybersecurity) and MSGS (Madison Square Garden Sports, entertainment) earned more than META with less volatility over the past 5 years. FFIV returned 17.1% a year at 30.8% volatility, against 15.5% a year at 45.4%.
  - **Whole market:** 379 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than META with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them AAPL (Apple), GOOG (Alphabet) and TSM (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing).

## How much would $10,000 in META have grown?

This chart tracks a hypothetical $10,000 investment in META over the past 14 years, with dividends reinvested, alongside the same amount in the S&P 500, investments that ended ahead of META over the same span and META's popular alternatives, among those that traded for the entire period.

- $10,000 invested in META at the end of September 2012 would have grown to $338,073 by September 2026, more than the $67,346 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- Five of the eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of META, and NVDA finished highest, at $7,517,992.

## META at a glance

This section summarizes the key facts about the stock, its returns over periods from one to ten years and the risk it has carried, with dividends reinvested throughout.

- META's deepest decline since it began trading in 2012 was 76.7%, from September 2021 to November 2022. It took 14 months from the low to climb back to its old high.
- Over 13 full calendar years, META's best was 2023, when it returned 194%, and its worst was 2022, when it lost 64.2%. It lost money in two of those years.
- META is 11.8% below its all-time high.

- Type: Stock, Communication (Internet Content & Information)
- Trading since: May 18, 2012
- Market value: $1.8T
- Volatility (5 years): 45.4%; Sharpe ratio: 0.55
- Worst decline ever: −76.7%, from September 7, 2021 to November 3, 2022; back at its high by January 19, 2024

| Period | META total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | −6.3% |
| 3 months | +7.6% |
| 6 months | +3.7% |
| year to date | +7.0% |
| 1 year | −4.9% |
| 3 years | +127% |
| 5 years | +106% |
| 10 years | +439% |

## META against the whole market

Where META ranks among every stock and fund, and what across the market has done better.

### How does META rank among all stocks?

This section ranks META on return, volatility, risk-adjusted return and worst decline against every stock worth at least $300 million with enough history.

- META's 10-year return ranks in the top 17% of the 2,202 stocks worth at least $300 million with 10 years of history.

| Measure | META | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | −4.9% | 2,178 of 3,287 (top 67%) |
| 3-year return | +127% | 725 of 3,017 (top 25%) |
| 5-year return | +106% | 651 of 2,893 (top 23%) |
| 10-year return | +439% | 365 of 2,202 (top 17%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 45.4% | 1,714 of 2,893 (top 60%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.55 | 820 of 2,893 (top 29%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −76.7% | 1,517 of 2,187 (top 70%) |

### What has beaten META on both return and risk?

Each dot is an investment, placed by how much it earned a year over the past 5 years (higher is better) and how much its price swung, its volatility (further left is calmer).

- 311 stocks and 68 ETFs worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than META over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is 10% of the 3,633 screened.
- Among those with at least half META's swings, CAH has the best return for its risk: 42.1% a year at 24.7% volatility, 45% less than META's 45.4%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.55 against 0.55 for META. ATI earned the most, 61.8% a year, while still swinging less than META (42.9% against 45.4%).
- Among META's popular alternatives, AAPL and GOOG are in the region. AAPL earned 18.5% a year against 15.5% a year for META, at 28.0% volatility, 38% less than META's 45.4%.

### Is there a better investment than META?

The table below lists investments that beat META over the past 5 years on at least one of these measures: a higher annual return with lower volatility, a higher annual return at similar volatility, a similar return with lower volatility, a higher Sharpe ratio with a smaller worst decline, a higher total return in most periods from 3 months to 10 years, or smaller losses in recent market crashes.

- Among META's popular alternatives, AAPL and GOOG earned more than META with less volatility over the past 5 years. AAPL returned 18.5% a year at 28.0% volatility, against 15.5% a year at 45.4%.
- Looking beyond its popular alternatives, FFIV (cybersecurity) and MSGS (entertainment) earned more than META with less volatility over the past 5 years. FFIV returned 17.1% a year at 30.8% volatility, against 15.5% a year at 45.4%.
- Across the whole market, 379 of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than META with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them AAPL, GOOG and TSM.

The 15 strongest of 379 investments that beat META over the past 5 years, out of 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million.

| Investment | Group | Annual return (5 years) | Volatility | Sharpe | Worst decline (10 years) | 10Y return | Correlation with META | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| META: Meta Platforms, Inc. (this page) |  | +15.5% | 45.4% | 0.55 | −76.7% | +439% |  |  |
| [PGR](https://easycompare.io/research/pgr): The Progressive Corporation | Property & Casualty Insurance | +21.3% | 25.6% | 0.89 | −30.3% | +816% | 0.02 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [XLK](https://easycompare.io/research/xlk): State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF | Technology Equity | +19.4% | 26.0% | 0.82 | −33.6% | +767% | 0.45 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods; Smaller losses in recent crashes |
| [RY](https://easycompare.io/research/ry): Royal Bank of Canada | Banks | +17.3% | 18.2% | 0.97 | −40.0% | +352% | 0.19 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [PBR-A](https://easycompare.io/research/pbr-a): Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. - Petrobras | Integrated Oil & Gas | +51.8% | 37.5% | 1.31 | −71.7% | +768% | 0.14 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [CAH](https://easycompare.io/research/cah): Cardinal Health, Inc. | Health Care Distribution | +42.1% | 24.7% | 1.55 | −46.1% | +349% | -0.04 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [TSM](https://easycompare.io/research/tsm): Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited | Semiconductors | +31.5% | 38.5% | 0.91 | −56.6% | +1,505% | 0.59 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [LLY](https://easycompare.io/research/lly): Eli Lilly and Company | Pharmaceuticals | +40.7% | 32.8% | 1.21 | −34.5% | +1,807% | -0.01 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [JPM](https://easycompare.io/research/jpm): JPMorgan Chase & Co. | Banks | +17.3% | 24.3% | 0.78 | −43.6% | +537% | 0.20 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [ABBV](https://easycompare.io/research/abbv): AbbVie Inc. | Pharmaceuticals | +26.1% | 23.4% | 1.11 | −45.1% | +603% | -0.03 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [MUFG](https://easycompare.io/research/mufg): Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. | Banks | +33.2% | 29.4% | 1.13 | −54.9% | +483% | 0.25 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [PM](https://easycompare.io/research/pm): Philip Morris International Inc. | Tobacco | +21.0% | 23.4% | 0.94 | −42.9% | +242% | 0.07 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [MCK](https://easycompare.io/research/mck): McKesson Corporation | Health Care Distribution | +38.7% | 25.0% | 1.44 | −38.1% | +586% | -0.21 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| INSW: International Seaways, Inc. | Oil & Gas | +56.5% | 40.5% | 1.31 | −57.4% | — | -0.13 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [WELL](https://easycompare.io/research/well): Welltower Inc. | Healthcare REITs | +26.0% | 23.8% | 1.09 | −63.3% | +379% | 0.34 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |
| [BBVA](https://easycompare.io/research/bbva): Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. | Banks | +38.7% | 33.3% | 1.16 | −69.6% | +542% | 0.20 | Higher return, lower volatility; Higher Sharpe, smaller worst decline; Higher return in most periods |

## META against its popular alternatives

The investments people most often weigh against META, compared period by period and year by year.

### How do META's risk and return compare with its alternatives?

This map plots each investment's annual return over the past 5 years against its volatility, the size of its typical price swings.

- Only GOOG and AAPL were both more rewarding and calmer than META over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- Over the past 5 years, META returned 15.5% a year, more than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (45.4% against 17.1%).

### Has META consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

This section compares META with the investments people most often weigh against it, checking each one over eight periods from one month to ten years.

- Three of the 20 popular alternatives, NVDA, ANET and AAPL, outperformed META in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.
- NVDA outperformed META in every long-term period and in all but one short-term period, the most consistent record in the group.
- NVDA, ANET and AAPL earned more for the risk they took than META (a higher Sharpe ratio) and fell less in their worst decline of the past 10 years.

| Investment | 1Y return | 3Y return | 5Y return | 10Y return | Periods ahead of META | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| META: Meta Platforms, Inc. (this page) | −4.9% | +127% | +106% | +439% |  |  | 0.55 |
| [NVDA](https://easycompare.io/research/nvda): NVIDIA Corporation | +18.8% | +425% | +884% | +13,019% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 1.14 |
| [ANET](https://easycompare.io/research/anet): Arista Networks, Inc. | +23.7% | +289% | +634% | +3,439% | 3/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | consistent | 1.06 |
| [AAPL](https://easycompare.io/research/aapl): Apple Inc. | +29.9% | +99.0% | +133% | +1,168% | 4/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 0.75 |
| [GOOG](https://easycompare.io/research/goog): Alphabet Inc. | +31.2% | +148% | +138% | +752% | 2/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term |  | 0.71 |
| [SPOT](https://easycompare.io/research/spot): Spotify Technology S.A. | −22.1% | +251% | +109% | — | 1/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 0.55 |
| [MSFT](https://easycompare.io/research/msft): Microsoft Corporation | +3.8% | +66.6% | +80.3% | +946% | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.56 |
| [AMZN](https://easycompare.io/research/amzn): Amazon.com, Inc. | +21.3% | +110% | +53.8% | +548% | 4/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.42 |
| [NFLX](https://easycompare.io/research/nflx): Netflix, Inc. | −44.5% | +71.3% | +9.9% | +457% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.27 |
| MTCH: Match Group, Inc. | +44.3% | +37.1% | −69.4% | +166% | 5/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.32 |
| SNAP: Snap Inc. | −17.5% | −32.4% | −91.6% | — | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.26 |
| U: Unity Software Inc. | +13.9% | +47.8% | −71.8% | — | 3/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.06 |
| PINS: Pinterest, Inc. | −30.2% | −11.5% | −63.3% | — | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.08 |
| YELP: Yelp Inc. | −38.3% | −51.9% | −48.5% | −41.0% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.17 |
| WB: Weibo Corporation | −38.4% | −25.4% | −82.0% | −82.5% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.44 |
| [RBLX](https://easycompare.io/research/rblx): Roblox Corporation | −61.2% | +64.8% | −33.4% | — | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.24 |
| RDDT: Reddit, Inc. | −23.1% | — | — | — | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | — |
| TME: Tencent Music Entertainment Group | −61.3% | +35.2% | +4.9% | — | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.30 |
| TTD: The Trade Desk, Inc. | −75.9% | −82.9% | −84.1% | +377% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.20 |
| BIDU: Baidu, Inc. | −34.1% | −24.4% | −55.5% | −54.0% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.06 |
| BILI: Bilibili Inc. | −49.5% | +11.3% | −83.1% | — | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.09 |

### How did META do year by year?

This table shows each investment's total return in every full calendar year since 2013, along with where META ranked among its popular alternatives each year.

- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, META finished in the top quarter in four of 13 years and in the bottom quarter in one. In 2025, it ranked 13 of 21.
- META finished ahead of the S&P 500 in eight of its 13 full calendar years.
- Among its popular alternatives, NVDA came out ahead of META most often, in ten of the 13 years both traded.

| Year | META | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | +13.1% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | +66.0% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | +194% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | −64.2% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | +23.1% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | +33.1% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +56.6% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | −25.7% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +53.4% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | +9.9% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How META has fallen, how it held up in crashes beside the S&P 500 and its popular alternatives, and what moves independently of it.

### What were META's worst declines?

A drawdown is the decline from a peak to the lowest point before a new high.

- In all five of META's worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- Not every decline was the market's doing: META fell 53.6% from May to September 2012, while the S&P 500 rose 9.3%.
- The longest climb back to a previous high took 14 months, after META fell 76.7% from September 2021 to November 2022.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −76.7% | September 7, 2021 | November 3, 2022 | January 19, 2024 | −16.3% | 2022 bear market |
| −53.6% | May 18, 2012 | September 4, 2012 | August 5, 2013 | +9.3% |  |
| −43.0% | July 25, 2018 | December 24, 2018 | January 9, 2020 | −16.6% | late-2018 sell-off |
| −34.6% | January 29, 2020 | March 16, 2020 | May 20, 2020 | −26.6% | Covid crash |
| −34.2% | February 14, 2025 | April 21, 2025 | June 30, 2025 | −15.5% |  |

### How did META do in stock market crashes?

This section measures how far META, the S&P 500 and each alternative fell from peak to trough during every major market crash since 2000.

- META fell further than the S&P 500 in four of the six crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the 2022 bear market, when META fell 62.1% and the S&P 500 fell 24.5%.
- Among its popular alternatives, TME held up best, falling less than META in all three crashes they both traded through.
- META began trading after the 2008 financial crisis, but eight of its popular alternatives lived through it. The mildest fall among them was MTCH's 51.6%, against 55.2% for the S&P 500.

| Crash | Dates | META fall | SPY fall |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dot-com bust | March 10, 2000 to October 9, 2002 | not trading | −47.5% |
| Global financial crisis | October 9, 2007 to March 9, 2009 | not trading | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | not trading | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | not trading | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −13.9% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −9.8% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −26.5% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −32.9% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −62.1% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −2.9% | −3.4% |

### How closely does META move with the S&P 500?

Upside capture measures how much of the S&P 500's gains an investment kept in the months the market rose, and downside capture how much of its losses it took in the months the market fell.

- Seven of the 12 popular alternatives had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than META's 0.94, led by ANET, NVDA and AAPL.
- ANET took just 91% of the S&P 500's losses, against 143% for META, while still keeping 174% of its gains.
- Over the past 10 years, META captured 134% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 143% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 1.25. It amplified the market's moves in both directions.

Measured over the past 10 years of monthly returns against SPY.

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| META: Meta Platforms, Inc. (this page) | 134% | 143% | 1.25 |
| [NVDA](https://easycompare.io/research/nvda): NVIDIA Corporation | 248% | 140% | 1.83 |
| [ANET](https://easycompare.io/research/anet): Arista Networks, Inc. | 174% | 91.0% | 1.40 |
| [AAPL](https://easycompare.io/research/aapl): Apple Inc. | 137% | 94.0% | 1.15 |
| [GOOG](https://easycompare.io/research/goog): Alphabet Inc. | 132% | 110% | 1.12 |
| [MSFT](https://easycompare.io/research/msft): Microsoft Corporation | 127% | 91.0% | 0.96 |
| [AMZN](https://easycompare.io/research/amzn): Amazon.com, Inc. | 134% | 139% | 1.31 |
| [NFLX](https://easycompare.io/research/nflx): Netflix, Inc. | 122% | 105% | 1.18 |
| MTCH: Match Group, Inc. | 98.0% | 131% | 0.98 |
| YELP: Yelp Inc. | 52.0% | 156% | 1.14 |
| WB: Weibo Corporation | 15.0% | 144% | 0.63 |
| TTD: The Trade Desk, Inc. | 140% | 173% | 1.75 |
| BIDU: Baidu, Inc. | 56.0% | 159% | 0.79 |

### What diversifies META?

Correlation measures how closely two investments move together, on a scale from 1 (in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to -1 (in opposite directions).

- Moving a fifth of the money in META into MCK would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 22% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (+16.6% for META alone, +22.9% for the mix).
- FIX made money in two of the two calendar years in which META lost money.
- Among large ETFs, LVHI, DXJ and EMLP have moved largely independently of META over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.30 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.

| Investment | Correlation with META | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in META's 2 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | 0.24 | +119% | 11.1% | 1.48 | 1 of 2 |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.30 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 1 of 2 |
| EMLP: First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund | 0.06 | +101% | 14.5% | 1.04 | 1 of 2 |
| HDV: iShares Core High Dividend ETF | 0.02 | +83.3% | 13.0% | 1.00 | 1 of 2 |
| DBEF: Xtrackers MSCI EAFE Hedged Equity ETF | 0.39 | +85.0% | 13.8% | 0.96 | 0 of 2 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.08 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 0 of 2 |
| SPMO: Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF | 0.31 | +136% | 20.8% | 0.93 | 0 of 2 |
| [XLE](https://easycompare.io/research/xle): State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF | -0.17 | +177% | 25.5% | 0.93 | 1 of 2 |

## Common questions

### What was META's worst drawdown?

META's deepest decline since it began trading in 2012 was 76.7%, from September 2021 to November 2022. It took 14 months from the low to climb back to its old high. Because META launched in May 2012, that record does not include the dot-com bust, the 2008 financial crisis or two other sell-offs.

### What were META's best and worst years?

Over 13 full calendar years, META's best year was 2023, when it returned 194%. Its worst was 2022, with a return of -64.2%.

### Is there a better investment than META?

Among META's popular alternatives, AAPL and GOOG earned more than META with less volatility over the past 5 years. AAPL returned 18.5% a year at 28.0% volatility, against 15.5% a year at 45.4%. Looking beyond its popular alternatives, FFIV (cybersecurity) and MSGS (entertainment) earned more than META with less volatility over the past 5 years. FFIV returned 17.1% a year at 30.8% volatility, against 15.5% a year at 45.4%.

### Is META more volatile than the S&P 500?

Yes. META's volatility over the past 5 years was 45.4%, 2.6 times the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, META's return lands within 45.4% of its average, either way. The higher it is, the rougher the ride and the harder it is to hold through a slump.

### What is META's Sharpe ratio?

META's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.55, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so META earned less for each unit of risk than an index fund did. The Sharpe ratio is the return earned above cash for each unit of volatility: two investments with the same return are not equal if one got there with far bigger swings.

### How correlated is META with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, META's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.43 with the S&P 500. Correlation runs from 1 (moving in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to −1 (moving in opposite directions). They often move together: some diversification next to an index fund, but not a cushion. In the table, the correlation column measures each option against META instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a META holding.

### What are the best alternatives to META?

Of the 20 popular alternatives we compared, three outperformed META in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: NVDA, ANET and AAPL.

### Did META outperform the S&P 500?

META finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in eight of 13 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned +13.1%, against +17.7% for the index.

### How did META do in stock market crashes?

META fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in one of the six major crashes it has traded through, and further in four. The clearest case was the 2022 bear market, when META fell 62.1% and the S&P 500 fell 24.5%.

### What diversifies META?

These had a low correlation with META over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, LVHI (correlation 0.24), DXJ (correlation 0.30) and EMLP (correlation 0.06); among large stocks, CAH (correlation -0.04), CLS (correlation 0.30) and FIX (correlation 0.17). A correlation near zero means the two have moved largely independently.

## More research

- [NVIDIA (NVDA) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/nvda)
- [Arista Networks (ANET) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/anet)
- [Apple (AAPL) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/aapl)
- [Alphabet (GOOG) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/goog)
- [Spotify Technology (SPOT) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/spot)
- [Microsoft (MSFT) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/msft)
- [Amazon.com (AMZN) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/amzn)
- [Netflix (NFLX) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/nflx)
- [Roblox (RBLX) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/rblx)
- [Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/schd)
- [Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/vti)
- [Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/tsm)

## Explore further

- Full page with charts: https://easycompare.io/research/meta
- All research pages: https://easycompare.io/llms.txt
- Compare the entire market against META live: https://betterthanspy.com/?b=META&utm_source=easycompare&utm_medium=research