Free cash flow
Apple Free cash flow decreased by 48.1% to $26.73B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 28.0%, from $20.88B to $26.73B. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows relatively stable performance with a 1.5% CAGR. This decline may warrant attention — for this metric, higher values are generally preferred.
Analysis
How to read this metric
An increase suggests strong operational efficiency and the ability to self-fund future innovation or return capital to shareholders, while a decrease may indicate heavy capital expenditure cycles or declining operational profitability.
Detailed definition
Free cash flow represents the cash generated by a company after accounting for cash outflows to support operations and m...
Peer comparison
High-growth semiconductor and AI infrastructure peers typically prioritize reinvestment, so free cash flow margins are often compared against R&D intensity and capital expenditure requirements of industry rivals.
cf_free_cash_flowHistorical Data
| Q2 '21 | Q3 '21 | Q4 '21 | Q1 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q3 '22 | Q4 '22 | Q1 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q4 '23 | Q1 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q4 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q4 '25 | Q1 '26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $19.00B | $16.98B | $44.16B | $25.65B | $20.79B | $20.84B | $30.22B | $25.64B | $24.29B | $19.44B | $37.50B | $20.69B | $26.71B | $23.90B | $27.00B | $20.88B | $24.41B | $26.49B | $51.55B | $26.73B |
| QoQ Change | — | -10.7% | +160.1% | -41.9% | -19.0% | +0.2% | +45.0% | -15.1% | -5.3% | -20.0% | +93.0% | -44.8% | +29.1% | -10.5% | +12.9% | -22.6% | +16.9% | +8.5% | +94.6% | -48.1% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +9.4% | +22.7% | -31.6% | -0.0% | +16.8% | -6.7% | +24.1% | -19.3% | +10.0% | +23.0% | -28.0% | +0.9% | -8.6% | +10.8% | +91.0% | +28.0% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Apple's free cash flow?
- Apple (AAPL) reported free cash flow of $26.73B in Q1 2026.
- How has Apple's free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Apple's free cash flow increased by 28.0% year-over-year, from $20.88B to $26.73B.
- What is the long-term trend for Apple's free cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Apple's free cash flow has grown at a 1.5% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $92.95B to $98.77B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.