SPOT vs APP vs CAST Stock Comparison

Spotify Technology, AppLovin and FreeCast Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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APP AppLovin Corp
$259.97 -15.7% 1M -58.5% 1Y
Market cap
$87.17B
P/E
19.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.83B
Div. yield
–
Digital Advertising Technology
7 wins
CAST FreeCast, Inc.
$1.24 +5.1% 1M
Market cap
$58.17M
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$729.33K
Div. yield
–
Streaming Technology

Head to Head

10 decided of 12

AppLovin leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (AppLovin 7, Spotify Technology 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionSPOTAPPCASTLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $110.81B $87.17B $58.17M SPOT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 32.1x 19.8x -3.7x APP
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 42.8x 15.4x — APP
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +17.0% +60.6% — APP
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 15.7% 64.6% -1,832.2% APP
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — 71.3% — –
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA — 0.1x 0.4x APP
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield — — — –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -17.6% -58.5% — SPOT
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +13.2%/yr +21.5%/yr — APP
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 46.5% 73.7% 280.8% SPOT
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 63/100 72/100 10/100 APP

Percentile Scorecard

SPOTAPPCAST

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisSPOTAPPCAST
Valuation 35 #109 of 166 41 #98 of 166 1 #164 of 166
Growth 96 #7 of 152 99 #2 of 152 –
Profitability 84 #25 of 152 99 #2 of 152 5 #144 of 152
Financial Health 84 #30 of 179 69 #57 of 179 26 #132 of 179
Shareholder Returns 16 #79 of 94 50 #48 of 94 5 #89 of 94
Overall 63 72 10
  • SPOT ranked among 185 companies in Internet Platforms
  • APP ranked among 185 companies in Internet Platforms
  • CAST ranked among 185 companies in Internet Platforms

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodSPOTAPPCASTSPY
1 month +8.3%-15.7%+5.1% +0.9%
3 months +2.8%-34.9%+3.3% +5.9%
6 months +21.4%-41.4%-43.6% +8.5%
Year to date -7.3%-61.4%— +13.3%
1 year -17.6%-58.5%— +12.4%
3 years +237.8%+617.8%— +88.1%
3 years, per year +50.1%+93.0%— +23.5%
5 years +86.0%+164.6%— +68.2%
5 years, per year +13.2%+21.5%— +11.0%

Risk

MeasureSPOTAPPCASTSPY
Volatility, 1Y 46.5%73.7%280.8% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 44.7%81.6%206.7% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.292.253.32 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.38-0.79— 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -76.4%-91.9%-93.5% -25.4%
From 52-week high -19.1%-64.6%-87.4% -0.9%
52-week high $665.67$733.60$9.84 $779.14
52-week low $412.75$259.97$0.59 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleSPOTAPPCAST
P/E now vs peer median 32.1xmedian 16.8x 19.8xmedian 16.8x -3.7xmedian 16.8x
P/S now vs peer median 5.1xmedian 1.4x 12.8xmedian 1.4x 79.8xmedian 1.4x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 30.0xmedian 13.9x 16.2xmedian 13.9x -4.1xmedian 13.9x
P/FCF now vs peer median 30.0xmedian 11.4x 19.3xmedian 11.4x -5.5xmedian 11.4x
P/B now vs peer median 11.2xmedian 1.8x 27.6xmedian 1.8x 25.8xmedian 1.8x
PEG now vs peer median 0.39median 0.36 0.04median 0.36 —median 0.36

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsSPOTAPPCAST
Revenue $21.85B $6.83B $729.33K
Gross profit $7.24B $6.04B $577.20K
Operating income $3.19B $5.29B -$12.92M
Net income $3.44B $4.41B -$13.36M
Free cash flow $3.69B $4.53B -$10.49M
R&D $1.67B $320.08M –
EPS (diluted) $16.34 $13.08 $-0.34
Cash & equivalents $6.84B $3.05B $8.92M
Total debt – $14.05B $10.11M
Shares (diluted) 210.51M 337.03M 39.52M
Enterprise value $67.72B $77.20B $48.15M

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricSPOTAPPCAST
P/E 32.1x 19.8x -3.7x
P/FCF 30.0x 19.3x -5.5x
P/Operating cash flow 29.4x 19.3x -5.6x
P/S 5.1x 12.8x 79.8x
P/B 11.2x 27.6x 25.8x
P/Tangible book 11.2x 31.0x 25.8x
EV/EBITDA 30.0x 16.2x -4.1x
EV/EBIT 31.2x 16.6x -4.1x
EV/Revenue 4.6x 12.8x 72.6x
EV/FCF 27.0x 19.4x -5.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 26.4x 19.4x -5.1x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.39 0.04 –

Growth

14 metrics
MetricSPOTAPPCAST
Revenue growth (1Y) 17.0% 60.6% –
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 17.1% 33.3% –
Gross profit growth (1Y) 22.0% 64.6% –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 28.2% 52.9% –
Operating income growth (1Y) 45.9% 78.6% –
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 91.3% 188.9% –
Net income growth (1Y) 117.4% 81.5% –
Net income CAGR (3Y) 86.0% 503.2% –
EPS growth (1Y) 113.8% 84.4% –
EPS CAGR (3Y) 82.8% 524.6% –
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 15.0% 58.5% –
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 152.0% 74.2% –
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 12.1% 58.5% –
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 166.5% 74.5% –

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricSPOTAPPCAST
Gross margin 33.1% 88.5% 79.1%
EBITDA margin 15.2% 79.4% -1,769%
Operating margin 14.6% 77.4% -1,772%
Pretax margin 18.0% 76.3% -1,834%
Net margin 15.7% 64.6% -1,832%
FCF margin 16.9% 66.3% -1,438%
Operating cash flow margin 17.3% 66.3% -1,435%
Return on equity 35.3% 159.6% –
Return on assets 21.5% 55.2% -243.0%
Return on invested capital – 71.3% –
Return on capital employed 20.0% 78.5% –
Asset turnover 1.4x 0.9x 0.1x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.1x 1.0x 0.8x
Stock comp / revenue 1.5% 4.1% 157.9%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricSPOTAPPCAST
Debt / assets – 42.5% 37.2%
Debt / equity – 1.1x 1.6x
Net debt / EBITDA – 0.1x 0.4x
Debt / FCF – 0.8x -0.4x
Liabilities / assets 38.9% 61.7% 77.2%
Equity / assets 61.1% 38.3% 22.8%
Interest coverage 3.0x 25.8x –
Current ratio – 4.3x 1.3x
Quick ratio 223.0x 4.2x 1.2x
Cash ratio 206.0x 2.4x 1.2x
Altman Z-score – 14.23 -30.57

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricSPOTAPPCAST
Dividend yield – – –
Net buyback yield -0.6% 2.8% -16.7%
Shareholder yield -0.6% 2.8% -16.7%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – –
Payout ratio (FCF) – – –
Dividend growth (1Y) – – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusSPOTAPPCAST
Forward P/E 42.8xFY2026 15.4xFY2026 –
EPS, next fiscal year $12.58FY2026 $16.83FY2026 $-0.22FY2027
EPS growth, next FY +1.9%FY2026 +72.6%FY2026 –
EPS growth, the year after +39.4% +25.8% –
Revenue, next fiscal year $20.91BFY2026 $8.60BFY2026 $2.82MFY2027
Revenue growth, next FY +3.6%FY2026 +56.9%FY2026 +296.6%FY2027
Revenue growth, the year after +27.7% +13.9% +1,697.5%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersSPOTAPPCAST
Held by institutions 65.9% 74.3% –
Institutions holding 1,236 1,457 –
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.1% +6.5% –
Institutions buying 615 835 –
Institutions selling 481 478 –
Buyers to sellers 1.28 1.75 –

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

SPOTAPPCAST
SPOT 1.00 0.32 -0.04
APP 0.32 1.00 0.05
CAST -0.04 0.05 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, SPOT, APP and CAST?

Spotify Technology (SPOT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Spotify Technology (SPOT) $110.81B, AppLovin (APP) $87.17B, FreeCast (CAST) $58.17M.

Which stock is cheaper, SPOT, APP and CAST?

AppLovin (APP) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Spotify Technology (SPOT) 32.1x, AppLovin (APP) 19.8x, FreeCast (CAST) -3.7x). On next year's consensus earnings, AppLovin (APP) is cheapest (Spotify Technology (SPOT) 42.8x, AppLovin (APP) 15.4x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

AppLovin (APP) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Spotify Technology (SPOT) +17.0%, AppLovin (APP) +60.6%.

Which company is more profitable?

AppLovin (APP) has the highest net margin (Spotify Technology (SPOT) 15.7%, AppLovin (APP) 64.6%, FreeCast (CAST) -1,832.2%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Spotify Technology (SPOT) returned the most: Spotify Technology (SPOT) -17.6%, AppLovin (APP) -58.5%. Over five years, AppLovin (APP) compounded fastest (Spotify Technology (SPOT) +13.2%/yr, AppLovin (APP) +21.5%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Spotify Technology (SPOT) has been the steadiest (Spotify Technology (SPOT) 46.5%, AppLovin (APP) 73.7%, FreeCast (CAST) 280.8%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, SPOT, APP and CAST?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, AppLovin (APP) leads on 7. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.