Alphabet or Meta: which stock is cheaper in 2026?
As of October 5, 2026, Alphabet (GOOGL) trades at 17.3× earnings (P/E) and Meta (META) at 27.4×, according to Kaplio. The median across the 65 communication companies above $2bn in Kaplio's universe is 18.5×. A caveat on Alphabet: its earnings over the last twelve months are far from what the consensus expects, so its current P/E is not representative.
According to the Kaplio Summary
The same verdict as each company's page: price range by multiples, the four lights, the expected return if consensus is right and what Buffett and Lynch would say today.
| Alphabet (GOOGL) | Meta (META) | |
|---|---|---|
| Summary valuation | fairly priced ($281–$470) | fairly priced ($473–$819) |
| The four lights | Valuation: P/E 17.3× (fairly priced) Business: EBITDA margin 44.9 % (excellent) Balance sheet: Net debt/EBITDA 0.2× (solid) Results: 8 of 8 (on track) | Valuation: P/E 27.4× (fairly priced) Business: EBITDA margin 52.0 % (excellent) Balance sheet: Net debt/EBITDA 0.5× (solid) Results: 6 of 8 (on track) |
| Expected return (per year) | +9.3 % a year (to 2028) | +22.0 % a year (to 2028) |
| Buffett method | quality 91 · would wait | quality 88 · would wait |
| Lynch method | fast grower · approves | fast grower · would wait |
Metrics side by side
| Metric | Alphabet (GOOGL) | Meta (META) |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Market Cap | $4.2T | $1.9T |
| Price | $343.50 | $728.08 |
| Valuation | ||
| P/E | 17.3× | 27.4× |
| P/B | 6.5× | 7.3× |
| P/S | 9.3× | 8.3× |
| EV/EBITDA | 12.9× | 18.2× |
| FCF Yield | 1.3 % | 2.2 % |
| Dividend Yield | 0.2 % | 0.3 % |
| Profitability | ||
| ROIC | 15.2 % | 17.1 % |
| ROE | 50.8 % | 29.7 % |
| Gross Margin | 60.9 % | 81.7 % |
| Operating Margin | 33.1 % | 38.1 % |
| Net Margin | 54.8 % | 29.8 % |
| Growth | ||
| Revenue 5Y CAGR | 17.2 % | 18.5 % |
| EPS 5Y CAGR | 29.8 % | 18.6 % |
| FCF 5Y CAGR | 11.3 % | 14.3 % |
| Balance Sheet | ||
| Net Debt / EBITDA | 0.2× | 0.5× |
| Debt / Equity | 0.2× | 0.4× |
Trailing twelve months where available; otherwise the latest fiscal year. Growth: five-year compound annual rate.