Sectors & IndustriesTechnologySoftware - Application
Best App Stocks to Buy Now (2026)
Top app stocks in 2026 ranked by overall Zen Rating. "A" Rated stocks have returned an average of +32.52% per year, and are the best app stocks to buy now. Learn More.

Industry: Software - Application
B
App is Zen Rated B and is the 47th ranked industry out of 146 stock market industries
Learn how the Zen Ratings work
Ticker
Company
Zen Rating
Value
Growth
Momentum
Sentiment
Safety
Financials
AI
1w Zen Rating
1m Zen Rating
3m Zen Rating
1y Zen Rating
EGHT
8X8 INC
AABCABCCAAAB
RNG
RINGCENTRAL INC
AAACCBACAAAA
DBD
DIEBOLD NIXDORF INC
ABBCCBCCAAAC
DHX
DHI GROUP INC
ACCCACBCACCC
WK
WORKIVA INC
ACAFBCBBABBC

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Use the proven Zen Ratings quant model to find stocks with high potential to beat the market. Stocks Zen-Rated "A" have beaten the market by +32.52% annually. Learn More

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App Stocks FAQ

What are the best app stocks to buy right now in May 2026?

According to Zen Ratings, our proprietary rating system that evaluates 115 factors proven to drive growth in stocks and assigns each stock in our system an overall letter grade as well as 7 individual Component Grades for Value, Growth, Momentum, Sentiment, Safety, Financials, and proprietary AI algorithms, the 3 best software stocks to buy right now are:

1. 8x8 (NASDAQ:EGHT)


8x8 (NASDAQ:EGHT) is the #1 top app stock out of 229 with a Zen Rating of A. Stocks with a rating of A have had an average return of +32.52% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for 8x8 (NASDAQ:EGHT) is: Value: A, Growth: B, Momentum: C, Sentiment: A, Safety: B, Financials: C, and AI: C.

8x8 (NASDAQ:EGHT) has a Due Diligence Score of 38, which is 7 points higher than the app industry average of 31.

EGHT passed 12 out of 33 due diligence checks and has average fundamentals. 8x8 has seen its stock return 29.81% over the past year, overperforming other app stocks by 67 percentage points.

8x8 has an average 1 year price target of $3.00, an upside of 43.54% from 8x8's current stock price of $2.09.

8x8 stock has a consensus Strong Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 1 analyst covering 8x8, 100% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 0% have issued a Buy, 0% have issued a hold, while 0% have issued a Sell rating, and 0% have issued a Strong Sell.

2. Ringcentral (NYSE:RNG)


Ringcentral (NYSE:RNG) is the #2 top app stock out of 229 with a Zen Rating of A. Stocks with a rating of A have had an average return of +32.52% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for Ringcentral (NYSE:RNG) is: Value: A, Growth: A, Momentum: C, Sentiment: C, Safety: B, Financials: A, and AI: C.

Ringcentral (NYSE:RNG) has a Due Diligence Score of 29, which is -2 points lower than the app industry average of 31. Although this number is below the industry average, our proven quant model rates RNG as a "A".

RNG passed 11 out of 38 due diligence checks and has average fundamentals. Ringcentral has seen its stock return 60.75% over the past year, overperforming other app stocks by 98 percentage points.

Ringcentral has an average 1 year price target of $41.57, a downside of -0.69% from Ringcentral's current stock price of $41.86.

Ringcentral stock has a consensus Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 7 analysts covering Ringcentral, 14.29% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 14.29% have issued a Buy, 71.43% have issued a hold, while 0% have issued a Sell rating, and 0% have issued a Strong Sell.

3. Diebold Nixdorf (NYSE:DBD)


Diebold Nixdorf (NYSE:DBD) is the #3 top app stock out of 229 with a Zen Rating of A. Stocks with a rating of A have had an average return of +32.52% per year. Learn more.

The Component Grade breakdown for Diebold Nixdorf (NYSE:DBD) is: Value: B, Growth: B, Momentum: C, Sentiment: C, Safety: B, Financials: C, and AI: C.

Diebold Nixdorf (NYSE:DBD) has a Due Diligence Score of 39, which is 8 points higher than the app industry average of 31.

DBD passed 12 out of 33 due diligence checks and has average fundamentals. Diebold Nixdorf has seen its stock return 67.44% over the past year, overperforming other app stocks by 105 percentage points.

Diebold Nixdorf has an average 1 year price target of $100.00, an upside of 23.4% from Diebold Nixdorf's current stock price of $81.04.

Diebold Nixdorf stock has a consensus Strong Buy recommendation according to Wall Street analysts. Of the 2 analysts covering Diebold Nixdorf, 50% have issued a Strong Buy rating, 50% have issued a Buy, 0% have issued a hold, while 0% have issued a Sell rating, and 0% have issued a Strong Sell.

What are the app stocks with highest dividends?

Out of 19 app stocks that have issued dividends in the past year, the 3 app stocks with the highest dividend yields are:

1. Marketwise (NASDAQ:MKTW)


Marketwise (NASDAQ:MKTW) has an annual dividend yield of 9.83%, which is 7 percentage points higher than the app industry average of 2.6%.

Marketwise's dividend payout ratio of 90.1% indicates that its high dividend yield might not be sustainable for the long-term.

2. Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD)


Upbound Group (NASDAQ:UPBD) has an annual dividend yield of 8.03%, which is 5 percentage points higher than the app industry average of 2.6%. Upbound Group's dividend payout is stable, having never dropped by more than 10% in the last 10 years. Upbound Group's dividend has shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Upbound Group's dividend payout ratio of 106.1% indicates that its high dividend yield might not be sustainable for the long-term.

3. Open Text (NASDAQ:OTEX)


Open Text (NASDAQ:OTEX) has an annual dividend yield of 4.67%, which is 2 percentage points higher than the app industry average of 2.6%. Open Text's dividend payout is stable, having never dropped by more than 10% in the last 10 years. Open Text's dividend has shown consistent growth over the last 10 years.

Open Text's dividend payout ratio of 52.5% indicates that its high dividend yield is sustainable for the long-term.

Why are app stocks up?

App stocks were up 2.64% in the last day, and up 5.09% over the last week. 3 E Network Technology Group was the among the top gainers in the software - application industry, gaining 199.28% yesterday.

Shares of IT service-related companies are trading higher amid possible sympathy with Snowflake following its Q1 financial results and agentic AI agreement with AWS. Also, strength may be a result of optimism surrounding continued U.S.-Iran negotiations.

What are the most undervalued app stocks?

Based on the Valuation rating, one of the 7 components of a stocks overall Zen Ratings grade, which evaluates factors including estimated earnings yield, earnings before interest and taxes/enterprise value, cash flow yield, free cash flow to price, and price-to-earnings growth (PEG ratio), the 3 most undervalued app stocks right now are:

1. Zoominfo Technologies (NASDAQ:GTM)


Zoominfo Technologies (NASDAQ:GTM) is the most undervalued app stock based on its Valuation Rating of A. Valuation is one of 7 Component Grades used to calculate the overall Zen Rating.

Zoominfo Technologies has a valuation score of 71, which is 47 points higher than the app industry average of 24. It passed 5 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Zoominfo Technologies's stock has dropped -66.28% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the app industry by -29 percentage points.

2. Progress Software (NASDAQ:PRGS)


Progress Software (NASDAQ:PRGS) is the second most undervalued app stock based on its Valuation Rating of A. Valuation is one of 7 Component Grades used to calculate the overall Zen Rating.

Progress Software has a valuation score of 71, which is 47 points higher than the app industry average of 24. It passed 5 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Progress Software's stock has dropped -50.23% in the past year. It has underperformed other stocks in the app industry by -13 percentage points.

3. Open Text (NASDAQ:OTEX)


Open Text (NASDAQ:OTEX) is the third most undervalued app stock based on its Valuation Rating of A. Valuation is one of 7 Component Grades used to calculate the overall Zen Rating.

Open Text has a valuation score of 71, which is 47 points higher than the app industry average of 24. It passed 5 out of 7 valuation due diligence checks.

Open Text's stock has dropped -17.49% in the past year. It has overperformed other stocks in the app industry by 20 percentage points.

Are app stocks a good buy now?

54.36% of app stocks rated by analysts are a strong buy right now. On average, analysts expect app stocks to rise by 38.1% over the next year.

7.02% of app stocks have a Zen Rating of A (Strong Buy), 21.64% of app stocks are rated B (Buy), 56.14% are rated C (Hold), 9.36% are rated D (Sell), and 5.85% are rated F (Strong Sell).

What is the average p/e ratio of the software - application industry?

The average P/E ratio of the software - application industry is 46.23x.
WallStreetZen does not provide financial advice and does not issue recommendations or offers to buy stock or sell any security.

Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes and is not advice. WallStreetZen does not bear any responsibility for any losses or damage that may occur as a result of reliance on this data.