Amazon vs. Apple: Which Is the Better Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stock to Buy Today?

By Jennifer Saibil – Apr 2, 2026 at 10:15AM ESTKey PointsAmazon is planning to spend $200 billion on AI this year.Apple is cutting a deal with Alphabet to power a revamped Siri.Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to be a driving force in the markets as the use cases for AI accelerate. Some of the newest ways people are using AI today are the agentic type, like having a large-language model (LLM) find the best flights or make a grocery order. As the opportunity evolves, it's expanding. According to Grand View Research, the AI market opportunity was $391 billion last year, and it's expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 30.6%, reaching nearly $3.5 trillion by 2033. Large hyperscalers have been investing billions in their platforms to grab market share, and they all offer their own take on AI development. Amazon (AMZN 0.48%), in its inimitable way, has been the flashiest hypserscaler, and it's planning to spend $200 billion in 2026. Apple (AAPL 0.48%), on the other hand, has been fairly quiet about its AI plans. And while the market was negative about Apple seemingly falling behind last year, it's starting to change its tune, prizing Apple's prudent plans while becoming more concerned about Amazon's high spending. Which one of these AI stocks is the better buy today? Image source: The Motley Fool. Amazon: Preparing for a windfall Amazon has the largest cloud business in the world in Amazon Web Services (AWS), and it's taking the lead in developing the AI business to maintain its position. To that end, the company is pouring money into the platform, so much so that the market is starting to raise an eyebrow. CEO Andy Jassy asserts that these are necessary investments and that they'll pay off in spades as AI heats up and Amazon is prepared. "We have a chance to build an even more meaningful business in Amazon in the coming years with strong return on invested capital," he said, "and we're investing to do so." He said Amazon will spend a whopping $200 billion in capital expenditures in 2026, mostly on AWS. AWS offers a large assortment of AI services at various price points to meet demand across the enterprise. The platform features a wide array of LLMs and signature products like SageMaker, which unifies a company's data and offers analytics. The company, whose main business is still e-commerce, has been reporting strong growth all around. Sales were up 14% year over year in the 2025 fourth quarter, a fantastic showing, considering Amazon is the largest company in the world by sales. AWS sales increased 24%, also on a tremendous base. ExpandNASDAQ: AMZNAmazonToday's Change(-0.48%) $-1.02Current Price$209.55Key Data PointsMarket Cap$2.3TDay's Range$204.93 - $212.2252wk Range$161.38 - $258.60Volume675KAvg Vol51MGross Margin50.29% Apple: The unmatched ecosystem Apple, unlike its large tech peers, has opted to not create its own LLM. It recently partnered with Alphabet to use its Gemini LLM to power a revamped Siri that's set to launch in the coming months. What makes Apple a serious AI business is that the company offers a broad set of AI services through its various devices. Apple has a base of 2.5 billion active devices with users who are highly engaged and using AI through Apple's hardware. Watchers have been waiting for Apple to announce some kind of AI development to compete with the other hyperscalers, but now that the race to the top of the AI mountain is looking evermore expensive, the market is starting to see the wisdom of Apple's approach. It's focus is always on the user experience, and it can get what it needs to provide that through Gemini without spending hundreds of billions of dollars. Apple's unmatched ecosystem leads to loyalty, higher sales, and strong engagement, and AI is another way for it to advance its lead and reinforce its position. ExpandNASDAQ: AAPLAppleToday's Change(-0.48%) $-1.23Current Price$254.40Key Data PointsMarket Cap$3.8TDay's Range$250.65 - $255.7352wk Range$169.21 - $288.62Volume585KAvg Vol48MGross Margin47.33%Dividend Yield0.41% Which is the better AI stock? I have to admit that this is a tough call for me. These are both giants, and each of these companies offers so much for investors. Either one could be a great candidate for a well-rounded portfolio. I see Apple as being the more conservative approach. If you're looking for exposure to AI but prefer a long-term value with a stock you can count on, Apple is your pick. If you're looking for a bit more aggressive AI play, Amazon's AI business could take it far and bring the stock along for the ride.Read NextApr 2, 2026 •By Justin PopeThis Growth Stock Is Down 20% -- and That's Exactly Why You Should Buy ItApr 1, 2026 •By Lyle DalyThe Largest Companies by Market Cap in April 2026Apr 1, 2026 •By Matt DiLallo7 Best ETFs to Buy in April 2026Apr 1, 2026 •By Geoffrey Seiler$1,000 and 1 Stock: This Is the Growth Play for the Long TermMar 31, 2026 •By Adria CiminoWant AI Growth With Limited Risk? 3 Smart Stocks for Cautious Investors.Mar 31, 2026 •By Trevor JennewineAmazon Stock Investors Just Got Great News Concerning OpenAI and RobotaxisAbout the AuthorJennifer Saibil has been a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst covering the consumer goods and financial sectors since 2019. She previously worked in the financial sector and has written for other finance publications. She holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Yeshiva University and a master’s degree in public administration from New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service.TMFanibirdStocks MentionedAmazonNASDAQ: AMZN$209.85(-0.34%)-$0.72AppleNASDAQ: AAPL$254.67(-0.38%)-$0.96AlphabetNASDAQ: GOOG$293.47(-0.48%)-$1.43*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.