What are the big three cloud providers?

The big three cloud providers are Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform.

Is it better to invest in individual cloud stocks or cloud ETFs?

For investors who want more concentrated exposure to a single business and are comfortable with greater risk, investing in an individual cloud stock is a smart idea. For investors looking to mitigate risk, a cloud computing ETF may be a better option.

What are the key financial metrics to evaluate a cloud stock?

There are a variety of financial metrics that cloud stock investors should use, but dollar-based net retention, gross margin, and customer acquisition costs are at the top of the list.

Can small-cap cloud companies offer high growth?

Small-cap cloud companies absolutely have the potential to offer significant growth. But investors considering these stocks should also recognize that, in addition to offering high growth, they're also likely to experience greater volatility.

How can investors stay updated on cloud computing trends?

In addition to monitoring the quarterly financial reports of cloud computing stocks, investors can keep tabs on the progress of the cloud computing industry by following The Motley Fool's coverage of these companies.

Which cloud technology is best in the future?

Opinions will vary regarding which cloud technology will reign supreme in the future. Still, it's safe to say that Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure will be major players.

Best Cloud Computing Stocks for 2026 and How to Invest

By Scott Levine – Updated Apr 14, 2026 at 2:53 AM EST | Fact-checked by Frank Bass

Key Points

Cloud computing stocks offer long-term investment opportunities in digital transformation.
Top companies like Amazon's AWS and Microsoft's Azure lead, with smaller firms like Salesforce growing.
Investors can buy these stocks via brokerage accounts, considering both benefits and market risks.

Cloud computing stocks give investors exposure to the companies that power how data, software, and digital services run today. These businesses provide the infrastructure and platforms that let organizations store information, run applications, and scale operations over the internet -- a foundation that’s becoming more critical every year.

After gaining traction in the 2010s, cloud adoption accelerated during the shift to remote work and is now entering a new growth phase driven by generative AI, 5G, and connected devices.

For investors, cloud computing stocks offer exposure to long-term digital transformation, access to leading tech innovators, and participation in some of the fastest-growing areas of the technology sector, making cloud a compelling investment theme for 2026 and beyond.

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Ticker Information Table
Name and ticker	Market cap	Current price	Industry
Salesforce (NYSE:CRM)	$163.9 billion	$181.25	Software
Adobe (NASDAQ:ADBE)	$98.9 billion	$248.05	Software
Snowflake (NYSE:SNOW)	$49.9 billion	$143.60	IT Services
Zoom Communications (NASDAQ:ZM)	$26.2 billion	$86.73	Software
ServiceNow (NYSE:NOW)	$98.5 billion	$96.26	Software
The Trade Desk (NASDAQ:TTD)	$10.7 billion	$22.88	Media
DigitalOcean (NYSE:DOCN)	$8.0 billion	$88.34	IT Services

Data as of Apr 16, 2026. Showing 7 of 7 tickers.

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NYSE: CRM

Salesforce

Today's Change

(2.06%) $3.65

Current Price

$181.25

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$164B

Day's Range

$178.60 - $184.53

52wk Range

$163.52 - $296.05

Volume

801K

Avg Vol

14M

Gross Margin

75.28%

Dividend Yield

0.95%

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Offering a complete suite of software to help business teams manage data and get work done efficiently, Salesforce has become a full-blown tech platform for businesses of all types and sizes. Plus, it's a top way to play smaller cloud upstarts, as it often invests in or acquires stakes in its peers.

Salesforce fell on hard times in 2022 and faced activist investor pressure to boost profit margins. Founder and CEO Marc Benioff and the top team have made progress, though, and hope to become the world's largest and most profitable enterprise software company within the next few years.

It seems to be on the right track. Salesforce grew diluted earnings per share (EPS) in fiscal 2026 to $7.80 from $6.36 in fiscal 2025, and management projects diluted EPS of $7.85 to $7.93.

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2. Adobe

Software company Adobe (ADBE +1.72%) got its start in an IT era that predates both the cloud and the internet. But it has transformed itself into a leader in cloud services by adapting its large and expanding platform to the cloud era. Adobe's core competencies in providing creativity software and document editing have made it a staple of digital transformation.

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NASDAQ: ADBE

Adobe

Today's Change

(1.39%) $3.39

Current Price

$248.05

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$99B

Day's Range

$245.78 - $254.51

52wk Range

$224.13 - $422.95

Volume

3.9M

Avg Vol

Gross Margin

88.77%

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NYSE: SNOW

Snowflake

Today's Change

(-0.61%) $-0.88

Current Price

$143.60

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$50B

Day's Range

$143.43 - $151.46

52wk Range

$118.30 - $280.67

Volume

362K

Avg Vol

6.8M

Gross Margin

66.12%

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Snowflake is an important business that has pioneered new ways for businesses to store, migrate, and process massive amounts of digital information.

Consistently generating strong cash flow, Snowflake reported free cash flow of $884.1 million in fiscal year 2025 and $1.1 billion in 2026.

Snowflake is a young company, though, and the stock will likely be highly volatile for some time. It's all about growth for this business right now, and even small changes in management's expectations can cause some wild fluctuations in share price. Snowflake could nevertheless be a very promising long-term investment.

4. Zoom Video Communications

Few companies have skyrocketed out of obscurity and into household-name status as quickly as Zoom (ZM -2.57%), which became a household name when the videoconferencing service helped family members and business teams stay in touch from afar during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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NASDAQ: ZM

Zoom Communications

Today's Change

(-2.58%) $-2.30

Current Price

$86.73

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$26B

Day's Range

$86.08 - $90.50

52wk Range

$69.15 - $97.58

Volume

3.5M

Avg Vol

4.4M

Gross Margin

77.02%

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NYSE: NOW

ServiceNow

Today's Change

(2.19%) $2.06

Current Price

$96.25

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$99B

Day's Range

$95.38 - $99.38

52wk Range

$81.24 - $211.48

Volume

859K

Avg Vol

21M

Gross Margin

77.53%

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ServiceNow helps about 8,800 companies worldwide identify chokepoints in their digital customer experiences, employee workflow management, or software development operations. Once these pain points are found, ServiceNow can help suggest and automate fixes.

In a new era of artificial intelligence (AI), ServiceNow could be a big winner, building on its recent success. After growing subscription revenue 21% year over year to $12.9 billion in fiscal 2025, management projects subscription revenue will grow another 21% this year and total about $15.6 billion in fiscal 2026.

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In addition to steady growth, ServiceNow recently turned profitable across all metrics. This could be a great stock holding for the next decade and beyond as the cloud continues to infiltrate more of the world's corporate operations.

6. The Trade Desk

After Netflix (NFLX -0.22%) made streaming TV from the cloud an everyday staple, many new internet-based services have come to market. This has been a boon for digital advertising technologists. Among the successes has been The Trade Desk (TTD +2.23%), a cloud-based offering that helps marketers automate the purchase of digital advertising (known as programmatic advertising). In fact, the company now ranks as the largest independent digital ad management software company.

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NASDAQ: TTD

The Trade Desk

Today's Change

(2.23%) $0.50

Current Price

$22.88

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$11B

Day's Range

$22.62 - $23.38

52wk Range

$19.74 - $91.45

Volume

687K

Avg Vol

19M

Gross Margin

78.63%

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And its rapidly escalating top-line growth further reflects the massive success it has achieved. From 2015 through 2025, when it reported sales of $2.9 billion, the company has increased revenue at a massive 38% compound annual growth rate.

Despite massive internet growth over the past decade, just over half of marketing spending is in digital formats. Digital ads will remain a fast-growing industry over the next decade as streaming services add millions of new household subscribers and deliver billions of additional viewing hours. That creates a significant opportunity for The Trade Desk as it manages connected TV advertising.

7. DigitalOcean

A public cloud infrastructure and software provider similar to AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud, DigitalOcean (DOCN +13.68%) targets the massive yet underserved community of small businesses and start-ups, while the big three focus on large enterprises.

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NYSE: DOCN

DigitalOcean

Today's Change

(13.68%) $10.63

Current Price

$88.34

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$8.0B

Day's Range

$77.60 - $88.43

52wk Range

$25.56 - $94.66

Volume

232K

Avg Vol

4.4M

Gross Margin

59.86%

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Besides offering cloud infrastructure for small businesses to test and host web-based services and apps, it also offers services for the non-tech-savvy outfit. It acquired Cloudways, a company that offers website building and hosting.

Despite its tiny size, DigitalOcean operates efficiently. It generates healthy, growing free cash flow, and net income. The company reported 2025 diluted earnings per share of $2.52.

Projecting year-over-year sales growth of approximately 21% in fiscal year 2026 and 30% in 2027, DigitalOcean could be a quality small- to mid-cap stock worth investing in for the long haul.

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Investing in Cloud Computing Stocks FAQ

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About the Author

Scott Levine is a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst covering energy, industrials, technology, and materials. He is also a high school English teacher and a small business owner. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English and creative writing from Binghamton University, a master’s degree in secondary education from Adelphi University, and an advanced certificate in school building leadership from CUNY Queens College. A crossword puzzle enthusiast, he has solved more than 3,100 New York Times puzzles with a 97% solve rate.

TMFProudMonkey

@TMFProudMonkey

Scott Levine has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Adobe, Alphabet, Amazon, DigitalOcean, International Business Machines, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Monday.com, Netflix, Nvidia, Oracle, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Snowflake, The Trade Desk, and Zoom Communications. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2028 $330 calls on Adobe and short January 2028 $340 calls on Adobe. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Best Cloud Computing Stocks for 2026 and How to Invest

Key Points

Key Data Points

2. Adobe

Key Data Points

Key Data Points

4. Zoom Video Communications

Key Data Points

Key Data Points

6. The Trade Desk

Key Data Points

7. DigitalOcean

Key Data Points

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Investing in Cloud Computing Stocks FAQ

What are the big three cloud providers?

What are the big three cloud providers?

Is it better to invest in individual cloud stocks or cloud ETFs?

Is it better to invest in individual cloud stocks or cloud ETFs?

What are the key financial metrics to evaluate a cloud stock?

What are the key financial metrics to evaluate a cloud stock?

Can small-cap cloud companies offer high growth?

Can small-cap cloud companies offer high growth?

How can investors stay updated on cloud computing trends?

How can investors stay updated on cloud computing trends?

Which cloud technology is best in the future?

Which cloud technology is best in the future?

About the Author

Read Next

Stocks Mentioned

Premium Investing Services

Investing in Cloud Computing Stocks FAQ

What are the big three cloud providers?

What are the big three cloud providers?

Is it better to invest in individual cloud stocks or cloud ETFs?

Is it better to invest in individual cloud stocks or cloud ETFs?

What are the key financial metrics to evaluate a cloud stock?

What are the key financial metrics to evaluate a cloud stock?

Can small-cap cloud companies offer high growth?

Can small-cap cloud companies offer high growth?

How can investors stay updated on cloud computing trends?

How can investors stay updated on cloud computing trends?

Which cloud technology is best in the future?

Which cloud technology is best in the future?

Best Augmented Reality Stocks for 2026 and How to Invest

Best Cybersecurity Stocks for 2026 and How to Invest

Best Virtual Reality Stocks for 2026 and How to Invest

Best Internet of Things Stocks for 2026 and How to Invest

How to buy cloud computing stocks

Benefits and risks of investing in cloud computing stocks

Benefits

Risks

Should you invest in cloud computing stocks?

Related investing topics

FAQ

Key Data Points

Key Data Points

Key Data Points

Key Data Points

Key Data Points

Key Data Points

Key Data Points

Top cloud computing stocks

1. Salesforce

2. Adobe

3. Snowflake

4. Zoom Video Communications

5. ServiceNow

6. The Trade Desk

7. DigitalOcean