Which Is a Better Investment, Airbnb Inc or Spotify Technology SA Stock?

By AAII Staff
September 05, 2026
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Sifting through countless of stocks in the Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Airbnb, Inc. or Spotify Technology S.A. because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Airbnb, Inc. and Spotify Technology S.A. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Airbnb, Inc. and Spotify Technology S.A.

Airbnb, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates a platform for stays, experiences, and services worldwide. The company’s marketplace connects hosts and guests online or through mobile devices to book spaces, experiences, and services. It also offers gift cards. The company was formerly known as AirBed & Breakfast, Inc. and changed its name to Airbnb, Inc. in November 2010. Airbnb, Inc. was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

Spotify Technology S.A., together with its subsidiaries, provides audio streaming subscription services worldwide. It operates in two segments, Premium and Ad-Supported. The Premium segment offers online and offline streaming access to its catalog of music and podcasts, including video, lossless music, and audiobooks in select markets through subscription offerings primarily sold directly to end users and partners. The Ad-Supported segment provides limited on-demand online access to its catalog of music and online and offline access to its catalog of podcasts on computers, tablets, mobile devices, and other smart devices. The company also offers sales, distribution and marketing, contract research and development, and customer and other support services. Spotify Technology S.A. was incorporated in 2006 and is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden.

Latest Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure and Airbnb, Inc., Spotify Technology S.A. Stock News

As of September 4, 2026, Airbnb, Inc. had a $107.3 billion market capitalization, compared to the Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure median of $2.2 million. Airbnb, Inc.’s stock is up 34.1% in 2026, down 4% in the previous five trading days and up 45.12% in the past year.

Currently, Airbnb, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 41.2. Airbnb, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $13.2 billion with a 20.4% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 16.5%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $5.281 per share for the current fiscal year. Airbnb, Inc. does not currently pay a dividend.

As of September 4, 2026, Spotify Technology S.A. had a $111.5 billion market cap, putting it in the 97th percentile of all stocks. Spotify Technology S.A.’s stock is down 6.6% in 2026, down 0.9% in the previous five trading days and down 22.93% in the past year.

Currently, Spotify Technology S.A.’s price-earnings ratio is 29.8. Spotify Technology S.A.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $20.7 billion with a 18.4% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 10.8%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $14.289 per share for the current fiscal year. Spotify Technology S.A. does not currently pay a dividend.

How We Compare Airbnb, Inc. and Spotify Technology S.A. Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Airbnb, Inc. and Spotify Technology S.A.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Airbnb, Inc. and Spotify Technology S.A. Growth Grades

Company Ticker Growth
Airbnb, Inc. ABNB B
Spotify Technology S.A. SPOT A

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

Airbnb, Inc. has a Growth Score of 69, which is Strong. Spotify Technology S.A. has a Growth Score of 89, which is Very Strong.

The Growth Grade Winner: Spotify Technology S.A.

As you can clearly see from the Growth Grade breakdown above, Spotify Technology S.A. has a more attractive growth grade than Airbnb, Inc.. For investors who focus solely on how a company is growing relative to other companies in the same industry, Spotify Technology S.A. could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Airbnb, Inc. and Spotify Technology S.A.’s Quality Grades

Company Ticker Quality
Airbnb, Inc. ABNB A
Spotify Technology S.A. SPOT A

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

Airbnb, Inc. has a Quality Score of 86, which is Very Strong. Spotify Technology S.A. has a Quality Score of 98, which is Very Strong.

The Quality Grade Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Quality Grade breakdown above, both Airbnb, Inc. and Spotify Technology S.A. have a grade of A. For investors who focus solely on a company’s overall quality, you will need to conduct further research into both companies to see if they are a good fit for your portfolio. As a good rule of thumb, you should always analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before choosing a company to invest in.

Airbnb, Inc. and Spotify Technology S.A.’s Momentum Grades

Company Ticker Momentum
Airbnb, Inc. ABNB A
Spotify Technology S.A. SPOT D

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

Airbnb, Inc. has a Momentum Score of 84, which is Very Strong. Spotify Technology S.A. has a Momentum Score of 29, which is Weak.

The Momentum Grade Winner: Airbnb, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Momentum Grade breakdown above, Airbnb, Inc. is considered to have stronger momentum compared to Spotify Technology S.A.. For those specifically looking for companies that have stronger momentum compared to other companies in the same industry, Airbnb, Inc. could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Don’t Forget Your Free Special Report on How A+ Grades Can Help You Make Investment Decisions

Other Airbnb, Inc. and Spotify Technology S.A. Grades

In addition to Momentum, Quality and Growth, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Estimate Revisions.

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Earnings estimate revisions scores take into account the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, surprises beget further surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Airbnb, Inc. and Spotify Technology S.A. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Airbnb, Inc. or Spotify Technology S.A. Stock?

Overall, Airbnb, Inc. stock has a Growth Score of 69, Momentum Score of 84 and Quality Score of 86.

Spotify Technology S.A. stock has a Growth Score of 89, Momentum Score of 29 and Quality Score of 98.

Comparing Airbnb, Inc. and Spotify Technology S.A.’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

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AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.



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