Head to Head

MARA vs RIOT: which is the better buy in 2026?

On Alexandria's Compass, Riot Platforms has the edge with a 82/100 score versus 75/100 for MARA. Here is how they stack up, factor by factor.

MARA Holdings

NASDAQ:MARA

75/100 Compass
FavorableReduce$2.9B

A leveraged bet on Bitcoin dressed up as an AI infrastructure story, burning cash with a beta of 5.4 and 30% short interest.

Full MARA analysis

Riot Platforms

NASDAQ:RIOT

Edge
82/100 Compass
True NorthHold$5.1B

A leveraged Bitcoin bet with real infrastructure but no path to profitability that doesn't depend on BTC staying above $100K.

Full RIOT analysis

Factor by factor

FactorMARARIOT
Revenue Growth9898
Profitability2020
Valuation7774
Momentum1924
Theme Purity9975
Moat1460
Catalysts9969
Market Position1962

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Frequently asked questions

Is MARA or RIOT the better buy in 2026?

By Compass Score, Riot Platforms (NASDAQ:RIOT) edges it at 82/100 versus 75/100 for MARA. Both scores update weekly and reflect a contrarian, forward-looking read, not a recommendation.

How does Alexandria compare MARA and RIOT?

Each company is scored 1-100 on eight factors: revenue growth, profitability, valuation, momentum, theme purity, moat, catalysts, and market position. The Compass Score is the composite, and the comparison below shows where each name wins factor by factor.

Compass Scores are proprietary editorial research from publicly available data, not investment advice or a recommendation regarding any security. Rankings update weekly.