Free cash flow
Meta Platforms, Inc. Free cash flow increased by 32.8% to $14.83B in Q4 2025 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 9.3%, from $13.56B to $14.83B. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Free cash flow shows an upward trend with a 4.2% 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 | $8.64B | $9.78B | $12.74B | $8.64B | $4.62B | $317.00M | $5.47B | $7.16B | $11.09B | $13.86B | $11.74B | $12.85B | $11.20B | $16.47B | $13.56B | $11.09B | $9.02B | $11.17B | $14.83B |
| QoQ Change | — | +13.2% | +30.3% | -32.2% | -46.5% | -93.1% | >999% | +30.9% | +55.0% | +24.9% | -15.3% | +9.4% | -12.8% | +47.1% | -17.6% | -18.3% | -18.6% | +23.8% | +32.8% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | -46.5% | -96.8% | -57.1% | -17.1% | +139.9% | >999% | +114.7% | +79.5% | +0.9% | +18.8% | +15.5% | -13.7% | -19.4% | -32.2% | +9.3% |
Free cash flow at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Meta Platforms, Inc.'s free cash flow?
- Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) reported free cash flow of $14.83B in Q4 2025.
- How has Meta Platforms, Inc.'s free cash flow changed year-over-year?
- Meta Platforms, Inc.'s free cash flow increased by 9.3% year-over-year, from $13.56B to $14.83B.
- What is the long-term trend for Meta Platforms, Inc.'s free cash flow?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Meta Platforms, Inc.'s free cash flow has grown at a 4.2% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $39.12B to $46.11B.
- What does free cash flow mean?
- The cash a company has left over after paying for its operating expenses and capital investments.