Free cash flow
Alphabet Inc. Free cash flow increased by 0.4% to $24.55B in Q4 2025 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric declined by 1.2%, from $24.84B to $24.55B. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows relatively stable performance with a 2.3% CAGR. This is a positive signal — higher values indicate stronger performance for this metric.
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $16.39B | $18.72B | $18.55B | $15.32B | $12.59B | $16.08B | $16.02B | $17.22B | $21.78B | $22.60B | $7.90B | $16.84B | $13.45B | $17.64B | $24.84B | $18.95B | $5.30B | $24.46B | $24.55B |
| QoQ Change | — | +14.2% | -0.9% | -17.4% | -17.8% | +27.7% | -0.4% | +7.5% | +26.5% | +3.8% | -65.1% | +113.2% | -20.1% | +31.1% | +40.8% | -23.7% | -72.0% | +361.4% | +0.4% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | -23.2% | -14.1% | -13.6% | +12.4% | +72.9% | +40.6% | -50.7% | -2.2% | -38.2% | -22.0% | +214.6% | +12.6% | -60.6% | +38.7% | -1.2% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Alphabet Inc.'s free cash flow?
- Alphabet Inc. (GOOG) reported free cash flow of $24.55B in Q4 2025.
- How has Alphabet Inc.'s free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Alphabet Inc.'s free cash flow decreased by 1.2% year-over-year, from $24.84B to $24.55B.
- What is the long-term trend for Alphabet Inc.'s free cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Alphabet Inc.'s free cash flow has grown at a 2.3% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $67.01B to $73.27B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.