Microsoft (MSFT 1.19%) and Amazon (AMZN +1.29%) generate revenue from different businesses, but they clash head-to-head in the cloud computing market.
While Amazon benefits from a larger scale, including the cloud market, Microsoft is consistently growing its revenue faster. The software giant also generates significantly higher margins and smoother quarter-to-quarter revenue.
Microsoft: A Steady Revenue Trajectory
Microsoft primarily generates revenue by developing, licensing, and supporting software, devices, and cloud computing solutions for consumers and enterprises worldwide.
It has posted strong growth in cloud services, with Microsoft Cloud revenue up 26% year over year in the fiscal second quarter. It also recently ended its exclusive rights to host OpenAI models in April 2026, while reporting a net income margin of about 47% for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2025.
NASDAQ: MSFT
Key Data Points
Amazon: Higher Total Revenue With Seasonal Shifts
Amazon earns revenue from the retail sale of consumer products in online and physical stores, as well as from subscription programs and extensive cloud computing services.
It announced a definitive merger agreement to acquire Globalstar. This will enable Amazon’s satellite internet service to launch direct-to-device services. It also recently outlined plans to expand same-day prescription delivery in early 2026. The company’s net income margin was just under 10% for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2025.
NASDAQ: AMZN
Key Data Points
Why Revenue Matters for Retail Investors
Revenue is the most fundamental metric to evaluate a company’s performance. Changes over time indicate how easy it is to expand operations and reach new customers. This alone can reveal important insights about a company’s long-term return potential to investors.
Image source: The Motley Fool.
Quarterly Revenue for Microsoft and Amazon.com
| Quarter (Period End) | Microsoft Revenue | Amazon.com Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 2024 (March 2024) | $61.9 billion | $143.3 billion |
| Q2 2024 (June 2024) | $64.7 billion | $148.0 billion |
| Q3 2024 (Sept. 2024) | $65.6 billion | $158.9 billion |
| Q4 2024 (Dec. 2024) | $69.6 billion | $187.8 billion |
| Q1 2025 (March 2025) | $70.1 billion | $155.7 billion |
| Q2 2025 (June 2025) | $76.4 billion | $167.7 billion |
| Q3 2025 (Sept. 2025) | $77.7 billion | $180.2 billion |
| Q4 2025 (Dec. 2025) | $81.3 billion | $213.4 billion |
Data source: Company filings. Data as of April 28, 2026.
Foolish Take
Amazon’s revenue is nearly three times Microsoft’s, but Microsoft has posted higher year-over-year growth over the past three years.
Amazon generates revenue across a range of businesses, including e-commerce, advertising, fulfillment services, and cloud services. In the cloud, Amazon leads, with nearly $129 billion in annual revenue from Amazon Web Services.
Microsoft is primarily selling office software and cloud services to businesses and consumers. It generates much less revenue, but it is growing consistently faster. In the December-ending quarter, Microsoft posted a 17% year-over-year revenue increase, outpacing Amazon’s 14%.
Where these companies compete head-to-head is in the cloud, and Microsoft is steadily eroding Amazon’s lead. Revenue from Microsoft Azure grew 39% year over year last quarter, significantly outpacing Amazon Web Services’ 24%.
Investors should watch how these companies’ growth continues to evolve in the coming quarters. Microsoft’s faster-growing cloud business could help it narrow the gap.
The cloud market is where companies are engaging with artificial intelligence (AI) tools, so the relative market shares and growth rates between these competitors could say a lot about which one is better positioned to capitalize on AI demand.
