APLD vs SOUN Stock Comparison
SOUN currently leads APLD in this stock comparison, with AIQ scores of 37 vs 26. The clearest difference is quality, while APLD has the stronger momentum profile.
What is the main difference between APLD and SOUN?
SOUN leads the current stock comparison as SoundHound AI, Inc., with the clearest separation coming from quality and the broader AIQ evidence mix.
AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison
Applied Digital Corp. vs SoundHound AI, Inc.
SOUN leads
SOUN leads by 11 AIQ points, primarily on Quality and Risk Resilience. Wall Street currently favors APLD on target upside.
Fragile: 2 of 6 evidence groups support SOUN, and its current signal state is conflicted.
Applied Digital Corp.
SoundHound AI, Inc.
The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors SOUN over APLD, 37 versus 26 as of Oct 31, 2026. SOUN's advantage is driven primarily by stronger quality and risk resilience, while APLD holds the stronger momentum profile. SOUN also shows the weaker technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average, though analyst target upside currently favors APLD. 2 of 6 covered evidence groups favor SOUN today, and the comparison is rated Fragile on stability: only 2 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. SOUN lead: Stable — the AIQ differential has held near 11 points over 30 sessions.
Compare Applied Digital Corp. and SoundHound AI, Inc. across the Algovestiq AIQ Score, valuation, quality, momentum, risk, technicals and analyst expectations.
Performance over time
Price return from daily closes; distributions are not included.
Price return comparison
Growth of $10,000, price only
Split-adjusted closes only. Distributions are excluded, which understates the return of any fund or stock that pays them.
Compare APLD and SOUN against another ticker
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AIQ Factor Divergence
Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.
- Quality10 vs 47SOUN +37
- Risk Resilience30 vs 40SOUN +10
- Momentum32 vs 25APLD +7
- Value36 vs 35Even
2 of 6 evidence groups favor SOUN. SOUN’s edge is concentrated in quality and risk resilience; APLD keeps a meaningful momentum edge.
What changed since the last close
Latest scored session 2026-10-28, compared against the prior scored session 2026-10-27.
Largest factor move: Momentum +4
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 5 active signals are unchanged.
No factor moved materially.
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 8 active signals are unchanged.
SOUN's lead narrowed by 1 AIQ point in the latest session.
Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — APLD and SOUN both carry a full feed there.
The central trade-off
SOUN (SoundHound AI, Inc.): the stronger current systematic profile, led by quality and risk resilience.
APLD (Applied Digital Corp.): the counter-case, on momentum, fundamentals, technicals — but at materially higher volatility, 91.8% against 54.7%.
The AIQ Score and Wall Street therefore point in different directions on this pair.
Which one fits your objective
The same two names rank differently depending on what you are optimizing for. All six reads are shown at once — none of them is hidden behind a toggle.
Balanced
SOUNSOUN on the overall AIQ Score, which weights Quality and Value most heavily.
Growth
APLDAPLD on combined revenue and EPS growth.
Value
EvenThe two are level on Value.
Momentum
APLDAPLD on the Momentum factor, by 7 points.
Lower downside
SOUNSOUN on Risk Resilience, by 10 points.
Analyst upside
APLDAPLD on implied upside to the consensus price target.
AIQ vs Wall Street
The model and the Street disagree here: AIQ favors SOUN, analyst targets favor APLD. That disagreement is the most useful thing on this page.
| Measure | APLD | SOUN | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Implied upside to target | +222.3% | +137% | APLD has more room |
| Target dispersion | +118.4% | +60% | Lower is tighter analyst agreement |
| Consensus | Buy | Buy | Context, not a primary driver |
| Analysts covering | 10 | 3 | Higher coverage generally improves confidence |
The two are measuring different things. The AIQ Score reads current fundamentals, valuation, trend and risk; analyst targets price forward expectations. A divergence of this kind is either a contrarian opportunity or a sign the model is missing something already priced in — it is worth resolving before acting on either.
Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions. Dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.
AIQ Agreement Matrix
2 of 6 covered evidence groups favor SOUN. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.
| Evidence group | Favors | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ Score | SOUN | 26 vs 37 |
| Fundamentals | APLDon balance | revenue growth 104.3% vs 40.1%; EPS growth -8.3% vs -66.7%; TTM ROE -16.7% vs -30.2%; gross margin 22.4% vs 37.4%; operating margin -33.7% vs -89.7% — APLD takes 4 of 5 decided legs, not all of them |
| Valuation | Even | Value 36 vs 35 |
| Technicals | APLD | Price vs 50-day -27.1% vs -28.5%; vs 200-day -35.3% vs -38.8% |
| Risk Resilience | SOUN | Risk Resilience 30 vs 40 |
| Analyst expectations | APLD | Target upside 222.3% vs 137% |
✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of APLD and SOUN and are excluded from the count.
AIQ Decision Stability
The conclusion is sensitive to small changes. Treat the lead as provisional and watch the flip conditions below.
- The AIQ gap is moderate at 11 points.
- Only 2 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- The lead has been steady session to session. (supports the conclusion holding)
- The leader is throwing conflicting signals. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- Analyst targets on the leader are widely dispersed. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on SOUN.
How the comparison changed
120 daily snapshots · Jun 29 – Oct 28SOUN lead: Stable — the AIQ differential has held near 11 points over 30 sessions.
- Today
- SOUN +11
- 26 vs 37
- 7 sessions ago
- SOUN +13
- 24 vs 37
- 30 sessions ago
- SOUN +12
- 27 vs 39
- 90 sessions ago
- SOUN +17
- 27 vs 44
The lead has not changed hands in this window.
AIQ Signal Divergence
Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.
0 bullish / 4 bearish / 1 neutral
Only APLD
- Beta Spike Warning — bearish, risk, long horizon
1 bullish / 5 bearish / 2 neutral, conflicted
Only SOUN
- Bollinger Band Squeeze — neutral, volatility, short horizon
- Keltner Channel Breakdown — bearish, volatility, short horizon
- RSI Oversold - Potential Bounce — bullish, momentum, short horizon
- 52-Week Low Proximity — bearish, risk, long horizon (1.4%)
Both carry 4 more signals that do not separate them: Death Cross Active, ATR Expansion - Breakout Mode, Downtrend Structure Active, MACD Bearish Crossover.
SOUN leads the comparison while carrying a conflicted signal state, which is one reason the stability rating is not higher.
Price vs model alignment
Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.
Price is down while the AIQ Score moved up 1 points over the same session — price and model disagree (price -8.22%, AIQ +1 points).
Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price -3.21%, AIQ 0 points).
What would flip this result
A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.
- 1APLD closes the Quality gap — currently 37 points behind, the largest single contributor to SOUN's edge.
- 2APLD's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it.
- 3SOUN's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 1 bullish and 5 bearish rules at once.
- 4A regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.
The full evidence
Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.
Fundamentals
APLD leads on balance| Metric | APLD | SOUN |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth (YoY) | 104.3% | 40.1% |
| EPS growth (YoY) | -8.3% | -66.7% |
| Gross margin | 22.4% | 37.4% |
| Operating margin | -33.7% | -89.7% |
| Return on equity (TTM) | -16.7% | -30.2% |
| Debt to equity | 2.86 | 0.01 |
Performance
APLD leads 6 of 6 windows| Metric | APLD | SOUN |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week (5 sessions) | -2.8% | -3.7% |
| 1 month (20 sessions) | -16.3% | -26.2% |
| 3 months (63 sessions) | -27.1% | -27.7% |
| 6 months (126 sessions) | -37.6% | -42.4% |
| Year to date | -16.8% | -55.4% |
| 1 year (252 sessions) | -39% | -75.3% |
Technicals
APLD has the stronger structure| Metric | APLD | SOUN |
|---|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 38.1 | 26.5 |
| ADX (14) | 29.4 | 47 |
| Price vs 50-day | -27.1% | -28.5% |
| Price vs 200-day | -35.3% | -38.8% |
| Volatility (1M, annualized) | 91.8% | 54.7% |
Risk
SOUN is the more resilient| Metric | APLD | SOUN |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | 4.5 | 3.03 |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.05 | -1.72 |
| Sortino ratio | -0.09 | -3.1 |
| Max drawdown | -64.1% | -76.6% |
| Current drawdown | -58.9% | -75.5% |
| Annualized volatility | 102.6% | 69.2% |
| Value at risk (95%) | -9.3% | -7% |
Straight answers
Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.
Which is better, APLD or SOUN?
On the Algovestiq AIQ Score, SOUN is the stronger of the two as of Oct 31, 2026, scoring 37 against APLD's 26. The edge comes from quality and risk resilience. APLD is not without a case — it holds the better momentum profile, which matters more if that is the objective you are optimizing for. This is a systematic score, not a recommendation: it ranks the two on the same evidence, it does not know your holding period or tax position.
Is APLD or SOUN the better buy right now?
SOUN carries the stronger systematic profile as of Oct 31, 2026, and the comparison is rated Fragile — 2 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. A Fragile rating means the conclusion is sensitive: only 2 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. Treat the lead as provisional.
Why does the AIQ Score favor SOUN over APLD?
The composite weights Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk Resilience. SOUN leads Quality by 37 points; SOUN leads Risk Resilience by 10 points; APLD leads Momentum by 7 points. Where the two split, the factor with the larger weight carries the result.
Which has more analyst upside, APLD or SOUN?
Analyst price targets imply +222.3% upside for APLD and +137% for SOUN, so the Street currently favors APLD. That points the opposite way to the AIQ Score, which favors SOUN. The two are measuring different things: the model reads current fundamentals, valuation, trend and risk; the Street is pricing forward expectations. A divergence of this kind is either a contrarian opportunity or a sign the model is missing something the analysts have already priced — it is the single most useful row on this page to investigate. Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions, and dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.
Which is better value, APLD or SOUN?
Neither name separates on the peer-relative Value factor. The two are level on Value. The Value factor reads valuation relative to sector peers and to the company's own fundamental quality, so it is not the same as simply having the lower multiple.
Which has stronger growth, APLD or SOUN?
APLD on combined revenue and EPS growth. Growth here is measured on reported revenue and earnings, not on forward estimates — it describes what the businesses have delivered, not what the Street expects next.
Which has stronger momentum, APLD or SOUN?
APLD on the Momentum factor, by 7 points. Momentum is one of the four weighted factors in the AIQ composite. It has documented persistence over three- to twelve-month horizons, which makes it a timing input rather than a reason to hold something indefinitely.
Which is riskier, APLD or SOUN?
SOUN is the more resilient of the two, so the other name carries the higher downside risk. SOUN on Risk Resilience, by 10 points. Risk Resilience is a weighted factor in the composite; position sizing usually responds to it more usefully than the buy/avoid decision does.
Is APLD more profitable than SOUN?
The profitability evidence is mixed: gross margin 22.4% vs 37.4%; operating margin -33.7% vs -89.7%; ttm roe -16.7% vs -30.2%. APLD leads on two measures and SOUN on one measure, and there is no single profitability composite that resolves the split — which of the two reads as "more profitable" depends on whether you weight pricing power or operating leverage.
Is SOUN's lead over APLD getting stronger or weaker?
SOUN lead: Stable — the AIQ differential has held near 11 points over 30 sessions. This is measured from 120 daily comparison snapshots between 2026-06-29 and 2026-10-28. The lead has not changed hands in that window.
What would change the APLD vs SOUN verdict?
The result is a state, not a forecast, so it changes when the underlying evidence changes. Concretely: APLD closes the Quality gap — currently 37 points behind, the largest single contributor to SOUN's edge; APLD's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it; SOUN's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 1 bullish and 5 bearish rules at once; a regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.
What do the current signals say about APLD and SOUN?
APLD: 0 bullish / 4 bearish / 1 neutral. SOUN: 1 bullish / 5 bearish / 2 neutral, conflicted. A conflicted state means bullish and bearish rules are active on the same name at once — the technical evidence is not pointing one way, and a decision taken on it carries more timing risk. The most decision-relevant rule on APLD is Death Cross Active (bearish, long horizon). On SOUN it is Death Cross Active (bearish, long horizon).
Compare APLD and SOUN with others
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How this comparison is scored
The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.
The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.
How to use side-by-side comparison →This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.