Try your own numbers
it would be worth today
$69,217
+$68,217 profit69.2x108.0% a year
The same $1,000 in an S&P 500 index fund: $2,233
Aftertax on the gain, you’d keep$58,985
US federal long-term rates: 15% for most people, 0% on lower incomes, 20% + 3.8% on high incomes. No state tax included; none inside a Roth IRA.
Growth Over Time
Performance Metrics
Total Invested
$1,000.00
Current Value
$69,217.11
Total Profit
$68,217.11
Multiplier
69.2x
CAGR
108.0%
Max Drawdown
-95.2%
Inflation-Adjusted
$57,518.14
Benchmark Comparison
How does $1,000.00 invested in 2021 compare across different asset classes?
| Asset | Value Today | Return |
|---|---|---|
| Solana | $69,217.11 | 69.2x |
| S&P 500 | $2,233.10 | 2.23x |
| Gold | $2,161.80 | 2.16x |
| Savings (2% APY) | $1,121.36 | 1.12x |
Back in 2021
- In September 2021, the Solana network went offline for 17 hours after a flood of bot transactions overwhelmed it; no funds were lost. solana.com
- In 2021, a gallon of gas averaged $3.01 and the new iPhone 13 Pro started at $999. eia.govapple.com
- During 2021 itself, Solana rose 11,084%, the best of the 111 investments we track. The worst was Zoom (−49%). Full 2021 results →
$1,000 in Solana, year by year
Of the 111 investments we track that were available at the start of 2021, Solana ranks #1 by growth to today, the best of them — ahead of BNB. See the full 2021 ranking →
It has been worth more than the $1,000 put in at every January since, and still is today. Its best January was 2025, at $124,342. Today it's 44% below that, so selling then would have beaten holding. It rose in 3 of the 5 full years since. It has been ahead of the same $1,000 in the S&P 500 at every January since, and still is. Month by month, the deepest fall ran from Nov 2021 ($138,481) to Dec 2022 ($6,610), a drop of 95%.
| When | Worth | Change | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start of 2021 | $1,000 | — | $1,000 |
| Start of 2022 | $111,842 | +11,084% | $1,287 |
| Start of 2023 | $6,559 | −94% | $1,054 |
| Start of 2024 | $66,447 | +913% | $1,331 |
| Start of 2025 | $124,342 | +87% | $1,664 |
| Start of 2026 | $81,895 | −34% | $1,962 |
| Today | $69,217 | −15% | $2,233 |
Values at the start of each year (first trading day for stocks). The S&P 500 column includes reinvested dividends, like the stock values.
Historical Context
In January 2021, Solana was a relatively unknown Layer 1 blockchain trading at approximately $1.52. While Ethereum dominated the smart contract narrative, Solana promised dramatically faster transactions at a fraction of the cost. Most crypto investors had never heard of it.
A $1,000 investment at $1.52 would have purchased approximately 658 SOL. The position exploded during 2021 as Solana became the go-to chain for NFTs and DeFi, with SOL reaching an all-time high above $260 in November 2021 — a 170x gain in under a year.
But the story took a dramatic turn. The FTX collapse in November 2022 devastated Solana more than any other major crypto, as Sam Bankman-Fried's empire was deeply intertwined with the Solana ecosystem. SOL crashed below $10, and many declared the project dead. The remarkable recovery to $189+ by early 2025 stands as one of crypto's greatest comeback stories.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much would $1,000 in Solana in 2021 be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in Solana at the start of 2021 would be worth approximately $69,217.11 today — a 69.2x return ($68,217.11 profit) over 5.8 years.
What was Solana's compound annual growth rate (CAGR) since 2021?
Solana's CAGR from 2021 to October 2026 was 108.0% per year. For comparison, the S&P 500 has historically averaged around 10% annually. Solana significantly outperformed traditional equity markets on an annualized basis.
How does Solana compare to the S&P 500 since 2021?
The same $1,000 invested in an S&P 500 index fund in 2021 would be worth approximately $2,233.10 today. Solana outperformed the index by $66,984.01 — 31.0x the return of the S&P 500.
How much of the Solana gain would you keep after taxes?
Sold today, the $68,217.11 gain would be a long-term capital gain for US federal tax. At the 15% rate most people pay, you'd keep about $58,984.54. At the top rate of 23.8% (20% plus the 3.8% net investment income tax) you'd keep about $52,981.43, and lower incomes pay 0%. State tax is extra, and gains inside a Roth IRA aren't taxed.
What is the inflation-adjusted return on $1,000 in Solana since 2021?
Adjusted for cumulative US inflation since 2021, the real purchasing-power value of the Solana position is approximately $57,518.14 in 2021 dollars. Even after inflation, this is an extraordinary real return — inflation only marginally reduces gains of this magnitude.
How much did Solana crash after FTX collapsed?
Solana crashed approximately 96% from its November 2021 all-time high of ~$260 to under $10 following the FTX collapse in November 2022. At its lowest point, a $1,000 investment from January 2021 would have been worth roughly $6,500 — still a 6.5x gain from the entry price, but a devastating decline from the peak.
How did Solana recover after the FTX crash?
Solana's recovery was driven by genuine ecosystem growth: increased developer activity, the rise of meme coins on Solana, improvements in network reliability, and recognition that the technology was fundamentally sound regardless of FTX's fraud. By late 2024, SOL had reclaimed much of its previous high.
Is Solana a good investment today?
Solana has proven its resilience but faces ongoing competition from Ethereum's Layer 2 solutions. The risk/reward at $189 is fundamentally different from $1.52. As always, past performance doesn't predict future results, and crypto remains highly volatile.
Methodology & Sources
Price data: Historical prices are the January 1 opening price (midnight UTC) on major US exchanges (Coinbase, Kraken, Bitstamp), or CoinGecko and CoinMarketCap where a coin wasn’t yet trading on US exchanges. Current prices come from Yahoo Finance (CoinGecko as a backup) and refresh hourly; if that source is unavailable, the last saved price is used.
Calculation: Assumes a single purchase at the start of 2021 (or the first trading day, for companies that listed that year), held until today. No transaction fees, taxes, or slippage are included.
Benchmarks: The S&P 500 comparison uses the S&P 500 Total Return index (dividends reinvested, like an index fund) at the start of2021 and today. Gold uses the price per troy ounce. Savings account assumes a 2% APY compounded annually.
Inflation adjustment: Uses U.S. CPI-U annual averages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 2026 CPI value is estimated.
Educational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Not financial advice.
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$1,000 in Solana, by year
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