Applied Digital Corporation vs Upwork Inc — how do they compare? Applied Digital Corporation trades at $31.05 (market cap $8.55B), while Upwork Inc trades at $8.37 (market cap $1.04B). The key difference: Applied Digital Corporation is far larger — about 8.2× Upwork Inc's market cap, and Applied Digital Corporation is trading nearer its 52-week high, Upwork Inc nearer its low. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| APLD | UPWK | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $8.55B | $1.04B |
Sector | Technology | Industrials |
52-Week High | $49.65 | $22.11 |
52-Week Low | $13.89 | $7.84 |
Enterprise Value | $12.06B | $806.15M |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
APLD trades at $31.15, up 7.19% today, with a neutral technical signal and bearish moving averages. The company reported a net loss of $231.07M in 2025 despite revenue growth, but has a $36B contracted AI infrastructure pipeline. Analyst consensus is unanimously bullish with a $72.36 price target, though recent insider selling and negative cash flow from operations highlight near-term risks.
The outlook hinges on execution of its AI data center build-out, with projected revenue surging to $611M in 2026. Investment opportunity lies in the massive contracted backlog, but risks include high debt, negative margins, and reliance on capital markets for funding expansion.
Upwork (UPWK) stock is trading at $8.385, down 14.7% on the day following Q2 2026 results. While the company beat earnings expectations with EPS of $0.41 versus $0.3424, weak forward guidance triggered the sell-off. The stock exhibits a bearish technical signal, trading near key support levels. Fundamentally, the company maintains solid profitability metrics, including a 77.21% gross margin and a P/E ratio of 10.71, but faces headwinds from declining active client counts and AI-related market shifts.
The outlook is cautious. Analyst consensus remains a 'Buy' with a $9.25 price target, suggesting potential upside from current levels. However, near-term risks are elevated due to the guidance miss, ongoing client attrition, and potential legal investigations. The stock's valuation appears reasonable, but investor confidence hinges on the company's ability to stabilize client growth and navigate the AI disruption in the freelance market.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
Applied Digital provides high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure and cloud services. It designs and operates data centers tailored for AI, machine learning, and other intensive digital workloads across North America.
Read more on APLD →Upwork Inc is a United States-based company that operates an online marketplace that enables businesses to find and work with highly-skilled independent professionals. The develops platform for hiring and freelancing purposes. Its products offering include Upwork Basic, Upwork Plus, Upwork Business, Upwork Enterprise, and Upwork Payroll. The business generates revenue from Talent and Clients across the USA, India, the Philippines and the rest of the world. Substantial income is derived from providing services to Clients.
Read more on UPWK →