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Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) versus Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT). These archrivals have battled against each other for decades, all the while rewarding their shareholders with the spoils of war.

But which is the better buy today? Let's find out.

Moat

Apple's economic moat is built around the strength of its ecosystem. The iPhone is its Trojan horse into consumer's lives. The high satisfaction rates among iPhone buyers tend to lead to additional Apple purchases, such as iPads and Macs. This "halo effect" is further strengthened by Apple's growing collection of services, with iCloud, iTunes, App Store, Apple Pay, and Apple Music all helping to add additional layers of "stickiness" to Apple's ecosystem. So once a person becomes an Apple customer, he or she tends to remain one.

Microsoft, on the other hand, has recently seen a major portion of its competitive moat crumble. Windows was a major driver of Microsoft's rise to dominance in the '90s, and for many years the PC operating system comprised the core of Microsoft's competitive strategy versus its rivals. Yet, analogous to how the Germans bypassed France's Maginot Line in World War II, Apple circumvented Microsoft's well-defended PC operating-system business with a mobile offensive.

Like France's infamous Maginot Line, Microsoft's Windows moat was outflanked by Apple. Image source: Getty Images.

Apple knew that it could not overtake Microsoft's dominant desktop-computer market share with a direct assault, so it instead attacked its opponent's relatively unprotected mobile OS flank. By the time Microsoft attempted to launch a counterstrike with its Windows Phones, it was too little, too late. Moreover, Apple's victories in mobile have allowed it to expand its beachhead in desktop computers, with Macs steadily taking share from Windows-powered PCs in recent years.

Though these two tech titans compete in several other areas, Apple's success in the mobile wars gives it the edge in terms of competitive moat.

Advantage: Apple.

Financial fortitude

Apple and Microsoft are both powerhouse businesses, but let's look at some key metrics to see how they stack up in regard to financial strength.

DATA SOURCES: MORNINGSTAR, YAHOO! FINANCE.