TTD vs GOOGL: The Trade Desk vs Google Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
The Trade Desk is the leading independent buy-side programmatic ad platform benefiting from CTV growth and the open internet, while Google controls both the buy-side and sell-side of digital advertising and faces antitrust pressure to separate those businesses. The Trade Desk wins if open internet and CTV advertising grow; Google wins if search advertising remains dominant.
TTD vs GOOGL is independent programmatic open internet advertising versus vertical ad tech integration — Trade Desk wins if CTV growth and antitrust pressure on Google restructure the programmatic ecosystem; Google wins if search and YouTube advertising maintain dominance across AI disruption and antitrust outcomes.
GOOGL holds the edge across 4 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. GOOGL has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+63.76% vs -75.49%), though TTD has the better forward P/E setup (13.63x vs 23.28x for GOOGL). GOOGL leads on both revenue growth (24.20%) and operating margin (34.03%), suggesting a stronger fundamental setup on both dimensions. Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for GOOGL (+24.14%) than for TTD (-1.35%).
- want the independent buy-side DSP exposed to CTV advertising growth and open internet programmatic
- believe Trade Desk's independence from media inventory is a structural advantage with brand advertisers
- value UID2 as a potential identity standard that benefits Trade Desk if Google's third-party cookies are deprecated
- think DOJ antitrust action against Google's ad tech stack is a significant catalyst for Trade Desk
- prefer diversified exposure to Search, YouTube, Cloud, and AI alongside dominant ad tech infrastructure
- value Google's integrated advertising advantage as a massive revenue generator across buy and sell side
- want YouTube CTV exposure as the largest video advertising platform alongside Google Search
- believe antitrust risk is manageable and Google's AI capabilities defend its advertising moat
| Metric | TTD | GOOGL |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | 37.6 | 64.7 |
| AI rank | #1349 | #86 |
| Latest close | $13.57 | $346.59 |
| 1M return | -28.92% | +2.93% |
| 6M return | -43.34% | +11.17% |
| 1Y return | -75.49% | +63.76% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | TTD | GOOGL |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $2.45K (-75.5%) started 2025-08-28 | $16.28K (+62.8%) started 2025-08-29 |
| 5Y ago | $1.68K (-83.2%) started 2021-08-30 | $24.2K (+142.0%) started 2021-08-30 |
| 10Y ago | $45.08K (+350.8%) started 2016-09-21 | $87.94K (+779.4%) started 2016-08-29 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | TTD | GOOGL |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $6.38B | $4.22T |
| Trailing P/E | 16.15 | 17.30 |
| Forward P/E | 13.63 | 23.28 |
| Price/Sales | 2.13 | 5.88 |
| EV/Revenue | 1.76 | 9.23 |
| Analyst target | $13.39 | $428.07 |
| Target upside | -1.35% | +24.14% |
| Metric | TTD | GOOGL |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | 3.00% | 24.20% |
| Earnings growth | -23.60% | 294.00% |
| EPS growth | -23.60% | +294.00% |
| FCF margin | +19.50% | +5.08% |
| Operating margin | 14.21% | 34.03% |
| Profit margin | 13.61% | 54.77% |
| ROIC proxy | 15.44% | 48.68% |
| Return on equity | 15.44% | 48.68% |
| Dividend yield | 0.00% | 0.26% |
| Beta | 1.04 | 1.24 |
| Debt/equity | 16.86 | 18.86 |
| Current ratio | 1.72 | 2.72 |
| Quick ratio | 1.68 | 2.47 |
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | TTD | GOOGL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | -75.49% | +62.79% |
| CAGR | -75.51% | +63.05% | |
| Sharpe ratio | -2.28 | 1.53 | |
| Max drawdown | 76.46% | 21.09% | |
| Max daily drop | 21.90% | 7.13% | |
| Max wkly drop | 29.89% | 10.37% | |
| 5Y | Growth | -83.19% | +140.85% |
| CAGR | -30.03% | +19.24% | |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.25 | 0.57 | |
| Max drawdown | 90.66% | 44.32% | |
| Max daily drop | 38.61% | 9.51% | |
| Max wkly drop | 42.53% | 13.41% | |
| 10Y | Growth | +350.83% | +775.19% |
| CAGR | +16.37% | +24.23% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.49 | 0.73 | |
| Max drawdown | 90.66% | 44.32% | |
| Max daily drop | 38.61% | 11.63% | |
| Max wkly drop | 42.53% | 15.46% |
| Category | TTD | GOOGL |
|---|---|---|
| Company | The Trade Desk, Inc. | Alphabet Inc. |
| Sector | Technology | Communication Services |
| Industry | N/A | Internet Content & Information |
| Core business | Independent demand-side platform (DSP) enabling ad buyers (agencies, brands) to purchase digital advertising across the open internet — connected TV, audio, display, and mobile — using data-driven targeting. The Trade Desk does not own any media inventory. | Google Search, YouTube, Google Display Network, Google Ad Manager (the dominant supply-side platform), and Google Ads (the largest DSP). Google controls both sides of the digital advertising ecosystem — the buy side and the sell side — creating a structural advantage. |
| Investor focus | Revenue growth driven by CTV advertising spend, retail media network adoption, UID2 identity solution adoption, and international expansion. | Search advertising revenue stability vs AI disruption, YouTube advertising growth, Google Cloud AI adoption, and antitrust DOJ ruling implications for ad tech stack. |
- The Trade Desk is the only scaled independent DSP — not owning media inventory means it has no conflict of interest in serving buyers
- CTV advertising is the fastest-growing digital ad segment — streaming TV share is taking from linear TV, and Trade Desk is the leading programmatic buyer
- UID2 open identity solution is an important industry alternative to Google's cookie deprecation — brands and publishers are adopting UID2 as a privacy-safe targeting standard
- Google owns the largest global search advertising platform — reaching consumers at the highest-intent moment in the purchase funnel
- Google's vertical integration of buy-side (Google Ads DV360) and sell-side (Ad Manager/AdX) creates efficiency advantages but also antitrust scrutiny
- YouTube advertising is the largest video advertising platform globally, with growing CTV and YouTube TV audiences
- Google's dominance of the programmatic supply chain (DFP, GAM, AdX) creates structural disadvantages for Trade Desk in accessing premium inventory efficiently
- CTV advertising spending shifts can be volatile — a macro slowdown reduces brand advertising budgets quickly
- Retail media networks (Amazon, Walmart, Target) are walled gardens that partially bypass Trade Desk's open internet positioning
- DOJ antitrust ruling found Google illegally monopolized the ad tech market — forced divestiture of Google Ad Manager could restructure the entire programmatic ecosystem
- AI search alternatives reduce Google's per-query advertising revenue over time
- Trade Desk and other independent ad tech companies benefit if Google is forced to separate buy-side and sell-side operations
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