Head-to-head · free
Alibaba Group Holding Limited vs MercadoLibre
BABA vs MELI — return on capital, cash generation, margins and balance sheet side by side.
BABA
3 / 8
measures where BABA leads
MELI
5 / 8
measures where MELI leads
A simple count of which company scores better on each measure — not a recommendation to buy or sell.
| Measure | BABA · FY2026 | MELI · FY2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $1.02T | $28.9B |
| Net income | $103.6B | $2.0B |
| Revenue growth (yearly, multi-year) | 4.7% | 114.0% |
| Free cash flow | (50.7B) | — |
| Free cash flow margin | -5.0% | — |
| Net cash / (debt) | (86.1B) | — |
| ROIC | 2.8% | 14.5% |
| Return on equity | 10.0% | 36.0% |
| Gross margin | 39.8% | 44.5% |
| Operating margin | 5.8% | 11.1% |
| Net debt / EBITDA | 1.32x | 1.34x |
Figures are as reported by each company; latest fiscal year shown.
Where Alibaba Group Holding Limited's cash went (FY2026)
- Capital spending
- $126.9B
- Buybacks
- $7.6B
- Dividends
- $33.7B
- Acquisitions
- $12.1B
- Net debt issued / (repaid)
- $39.0B
Where MercadoLibre's cash went (FY2025)
- Capital spending
- —
- Buybacks
- —
- Dividends
- —
- Acquisitions
- —
- Net debt issued / (repaid)
- —
Ask which business is stronger
"Which one reinvests at higher returns?" "Who carries more risk in its filings?" Get answers drawn straight from both companies' filings.
Compare them free