The tech sector has been helping the market hit record highs seemingly every other day. That's no secret. Less well-known is how the best tech stocks of all time have delivered such a disproportionate amount of the market's lifetime wealth creation.
We know of tech's outsize role because a finance professor made a startling discovery about the stock market: 96% of all stocks collectively performed no better than risk-free one-month Treasury bills.
After analyzing the lifetime returns of 25,967 common stocks, Hendrik Bessembinder determined that just 1,092 of those stocks – or about 4% of the total – generated all of the $34.8 trillion in wealth created for shareholders by the stock market over a 90-year period. Even more striking, a mere 50 stocks accounted for almost 40% of that amount.
You can see where this is heading. Of these elite 50 names, fully one in five was a tech stock. In other words, when it comes to lifetime wealth creation, the best tech stocks have punched well above their weight.
Taking a cue from Bessembinder, we screened the S&P 500 for the best tech stocks of all time by looking at annualized total returns since inception. We limited ourselves to names with at least 20 years of annualized return data, but also expanded our universe to include tech-adjacent names that are not actually assigned to the information technology sector.
Before we get to our profiles of the 10 best-performing tech stocks of all time, a word of caution.
Accurately identifying the precious few "home run" stocks amid the many thousands of underachieving names is extremely difficult. Your portfolio is more likely to suffer because you guessed wrong and failed to invest in the top long-term winners, says Bessembinder of Arizona State University's W. P. Carey School of Business.
A better alternative to trying to find a needle in a haystack? To paraphrase Jack Bogle, the Vanguard founder and pioneer of index investing: Just buy the haystack.
"The results reinforce the importance of diversification," Bessembinder says, "and low-cost index funds are an excellent way to diversify broadly."
Without further ado, here are the 10 best tech stocks of all time.
The 10 stocks are listed in reverse order of their all-time annualized total returns (price change plus dividends). Analysts' ratings provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence.
10. Apple
- All-time annualized total return: 20.7%
- Dividend yield: 0.5%
- Analysts' consensus recommendation: Buy
Apple (AAPL) stock traded sideways for the first few years of the 21st century, but an explosion of innovation soon put an end to that. Under the visionary leadership of the late Steve Jobs, Apple essentially reinvented itself for the mobile age, launching revolutionary gadgets such as the iPod, MacBook and iPad.
But what really set Apple on its course to becoming the world's second-largest publicly traded company – and one of hedge funds' favorite blue chip stocks – was the 2007 debut of the iPhone.
Today, Apple isn't just a purveyor of gadgets; it sells an entire ecosystem of personal consumer electronics and related services. And it's a sticky ecosystem at that.
The last couple of decades have been extremely good to Apple investors. Indeed, anyone who put $1,000 into Apple stock 20 years ago would be thrilled with the results today.
Sponsored Content
9. Amphenol
- All-time annualized total return: 21.6%
- Dividend yield: 0.6%
- Analysts' consensus recommendation: Buy
Amphenol (APH) isn't a particularly sexy tech company, but it holds a critical place in the industry. The company is a key supplier of high‑tech interconnect, cable, sensor and antenna systems for a variety of industries, including autos, aerospace and defense.
But the big tailwind that put APH on this list of the best tech stocks of all time is demand in artificial intelligence (AI) data communications. Indeed, thanks to explosive demand in all things AI, the company's connectivity sales for processors and AI data centers are forecast to triple this year alone.
With operations in more than 40 countries, APH has long been a steady, diversified bet on industrial IT growth. That's helped shares beat the market over pretty much any standardized time frame you care to chart. APH stock's emergence as an AI play suggests even more outperformance ahead.
Sponsored Content
8. Salesforce
- All-time annualized total return: 21.7%
- Dividend yield: 0.6%
- Analysts' consensus recommendation: Buy
Salesforce (CRM), the software-as-a-service juggernaut, routinely ranks among the hedge fund industry's favorite stocks, and it's beloved by billionaire investors too.
After all, Salesforce, which provides customer relationship management software to enterprise clients, was essentially providing cloud-based services before they were cool. That early mover advantage continues to benefit CRM today.
And this Buy-rated Dow Jones stock shows no signs of letting up. CRM made headlines in May 2025 when it announced an $8 billion deal to acquire Informatica (INFA), a leader in cloud-based data management. The move isn't just about bulking up Salesforce's enterprise software portfolio – it's also a strategic play on AI.
Sponsored Content
7. Fair Isaac
- All-time annualized total return: 21.9%
- Dividend yield: N/A
- Analysts' consensus recommendation: Buy
Fair Isaac (FICO), the company behind FICO credit scores, is an unsung hero of the tech sector. The company long ago built a wide moat in financial infrastructure and credit scoring – and it's an AI play too.
To get a sense of FICO's centrality to its industry, 90% of all U.S. lenders use the company's services to make more than 10 billion credit decisions a year. AI and machine learning have long been central to the company's core operations. In early 2025, FICO was awarded 12 new patents related to AI, machine learning, decision management and cybersecurity.
Although shares lagged the broader market through much of 2025, analysts mostly see this long-term market beater as a bargain, giving it a consensus recommendation of Buy.
Sponsored Content
6. Microsoft
- All-time annualized total return: 22.3%
- Dividend yield: 0.7%
- Analysts' consensus recommendation: Strong Buy
Microsoft (MSFT) has been an astounding buy-and-hold bet for truly long-term investors. The Dow component's pivot more than a decade ago toward enterprise customers and – most importantly – Microsoft's shift to selling cloud-based services such as Azure and Office 365 have been an astounding success.
Today, Microsoft is a dominant player in cloud computing and a leader in generative AI – and MSFT's returns prove it. That's a far cry from the aftermath of the tech bust that led Microsoft stock to trade mostly sideways for more than a decade.
Indeed, $1,000 invested in MSFT 20 years ago is worth a remarkable sum today. Happily for Microsoft bulls, analysts very much expect shares to continue their market-smashing ways.
Sponsored Content
5. Alphabet
- All-time annualized total return: 23.1%
- Dividend yield: 0.4%
- Analysts' consensus recommendation: Buy
Google parent Alphabet (GOOGL) has been a buy-and-hold bonanza since it first went public more than two decades ago. The company commands roughly 90% of the market for global search, and its Android operating system is found on approximately 70% of all smartphones.
Future success, however, is predicated on competing with fellow Magnificent 7 stocks Amazon.com (AMZN) and Microsoft (MSFT) in artificial intelligence and cloud-based enterprise services.
That's partly why the company increased its capital expenditures guidance for 2025 to about $85 billion, up from $75 billion previously. Alphabet is racing to employ additional servers, data centers and networking gear to further scale up its efforts in AI and Google Cloud.
Sponsored Content
4. Monolithic Power Systems
- All-time annualized total return: 24.1%
- Dividend yield: 0.9%
- Analysts' consensus recommendation: Buy
Monolithic Power Systems (MPWR) is another one of the best tech stocks of all time that's getting a huge boost from all things AI.
Its rack power modules supply juice to AI data centers, and it counts Nvidia (NVDA), Alphabet (GOOGL) and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) among its customers. The explosive growth in compute for AI is driving outsized topline growth.
Indeed, analysts say the company's wins across diverse markets have MPWR poised to maintain annual organic sales growth of anywhere from 10% to 15% above its peers.
While not exactly a household name, MPWR has delivered market-beating returns over the past three-, five-, 10-, 15- and 20-year periods, and by wide margins to boot.
With a consensus recommendation of Buy, the Street likes its chances for continued outperformance.
Sponsored Content
3. Amazon.com
- All-time annualized total return: 31.7%
- Dividend yield: N/A
- Analysts' consensus recommendation: Strong Buy
Amazon.com (AMZN), which began life as a modest website for book buyers, went public in 1997, and has since generated truly outsized wealth for shareholders.
It hasn't always been pretty, however. AMZN, which joined the Dow Jones Industrial Average in early 2024, suffered some profound sell-offs over the years.
At one point during its history, from peak to trough, Amazon stock lost over half its value, wiping out more than a trillion dollars in market value.
Amazon's emergence as the nation's largest e-commerce company is only part of the story behind its extraordinary wealth creation. The firm is a giant in cloud-based services and AI, and a leader in streaming media and digital advertising.
Analysts remain about as bullish as can be, giving AMZN stock a rare consensus recommendation of Strong Buy.
Sponsored Content
2. Netflix
- All-time annualized total return: 34.6%
- Dividend yield: N/A
- Analysts' consensus recommendation: Buy
Netflix (NFLX) stock is notoriously volatile. But anyone who managed to hold on through its many vertiginous ups and downs over the years has enjoyed truly outstanding returns.
Netflix is the king of on-demand streaming entertainment, serving TV series, films and games via 300 million paid memberships in more than 30 languages and 190 countries. It furthermore lays claim to arguably the best brand in the industry.
Anyone who put $1,000 into NFLX stock 20 years ago more than tripled the annualized return of the broader market. Wall Street likes the company's prospects going forward, too, assigning it a consensus recommendation of Buy.
Sponsored Content
1. Nvidia
- All-time annualized total return: 37.5%
- Dividend yield: 0.02%
- Analysts' consensus recommendation: Strong Buy
It probably shouldn't come as a surprise to find out that Nvidia (NVDA) is the top tech stock of all time. The world's largest publicly traded company – and first to top $4 trillion in market cap – has generated incomparable returns since it listed in 1999.
Importantly, most of the shareholder wealth generated by Nvidia came over just the past few years. That's because back in the day, the primary market for Nvidia's GPUs consisted of PC and console video game enthusiasts. Cut to today, and the company faces seemingly insatiable demand for its processors in the AI servers and data centers.
Long-time shareholders have reaped outsized rewards, and the Street sees plenty more upside ahead. NVDA stock scores a rare consensus Strong Buy recommendation, per S&P Global Market Intelligence.
Related content
Sponsored Content
-
Best Banks for Retirees 2025National banks offer a wide variety of accounts and services, including wealth and investment management. Here's Kiplinger's pick of the best.
-
Best Banks for High-Net-Worth Clients 2025National banks offer a wide variety of accounts and services, including wealth and investment management. Here's Kiplinger's pick of the best.
-
Dow Dives 542 Points on Soft Jobs Data: Stock Market TodayThe last day of a busy week ends with the first greater-than-1% move in either direction in more than a month.
-
Stocks Can't Hold Meta, Microsoft Gains: Stock Market TodayThe main indexes all opened higher Thursday on impressive Big Tech earnings, but momentum faded into the close.
-
Stocks Are Up and Down on Fed Day: Stock Market TodayIn another sign of changing times, JPMorgan has partnered with Coinbase to enable cryptocurrency purchases with credit cards.
-
Stocks Close Mixed to Start Fed Week: Stock Market TodayNews of an EU-U.S. trade deal was met with muted reaction from market participants who are looking ahead to a jam-packed week.
-
Stocks Rise After Trump-Powell Fed Tour: Stock Market TodayNvidia hit a new all-time high intraday, but another renowned semiconductor name and some less iconic stocks were bigger movers Friday.
-
Dow Bleeds Red Due to Big Blue: Stock Market TodaySix of the official GICS sectors were in the green, led by communications services, technology and energy stocks.
-
The Best Stocks of the CenturyAs we near the 25-year mark, we looked at which stocks have returned the most. Here are the 10 best stocks of the century so far.
-
How the Stock Market Performed in the First 6 Months of Trump's Second TermSix months after President Donald Trump's inauguration, take a look at how the stock market has performed.
