Ionq Vs Rgti Vs Qbts Which Quantum Stock Is Best Positioned For 2026

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Dec 25, 2025, 5:30 PM

ionq vs rgti vs qbts which quantum stock is best positioned for 2026

The quantum computing space has been heating up rapidly, but we’re still in the early stages. This means IonQ (NYSE:IONQ), Rigetti Computing (NASDAQ:RGTI), and D-Wave Quantum (NYSE:QBTS) have all been lifted by the rising tide. But if that tide continues rising, or once commercially viable quantum computing (or QC) becomes a reality, not every QC startup has the buoyancy to rise all the way to the top. Almost every quantum computing startup has its own way of trying to make QC commercially viable. There will only be a handful of direct QC winners. And it is debatable whether or not the biggest winner will be from the current batch of QC companies that are publicly tradable.

OpenAI was the first AI company to achieve a breakthrough, despite public companies having their own AI teams with deeper pockets. With that in mind, it requires careful consideration before you pick between the popular quantum computing stocks in the market right now. If you’re in it for the long run, it’s even more important to research them individually and determine which one will ultimately prevail. Let’s take a look. IonQ has historically led the quantum computing startup space, and it does have very impressive tech. It has the lowest error rates in the QC business, with 99.99% fidelity on two-qubit gates.

As of today, it has Forte, with 36 physical qubits. It already has customers. Namely, Airbus (OTCMKTS:EADSY), Hyundai, and the U.S. Air Force. IonQ Tempo has 64 algorithmic qubits. In 2025, IonQ IONQ and Rigetti Computing RGTI gained the attention of investors tracking the rapid evolution of the quantum computing sector.

Throughout the year, IonQ demonstrated accelerating business expansion, reporting a sharp increase in quarterly revenues on a year-over-year basis, record technical benchmarks in system performance and a significantly strengthened balance sheet following capital raises... Rigetti, by contrast, remained focused on execution within superconducting quantum hardware. Throughout 2025, the company highlighted delivery of modular quantum systems, expanded government and research partnerships and continued development of its scalable chip-based architecture, even as near-term financials reflected heavy investment in infrastructure and R&D. As 2026 approaches, investors must balance IonQ’s growing commercial momentum and strong cash position against Rigetti’s specialized hardware focus and increasing real-world deployments, as both companies play key roles in quantum computing’s rapid rise. Year to date, shares of IONQ have risen 8.3% while RGTI stock has soared 45.9%. A major growth driver has been IonQ’s sustained technology leadership.

During the quarter, the company achieved a world-record 99.99% two-qubit gate fidelity and an algorithmic qubit score of 64, reinforcing claims of consistent quantum advantage. Its fifth-generation Tempo system demonstrated a computational space 36 quadrillion times larger than leading commercial superconducting systems and remains on track for shipment in 2026. Quantum computing continues to draw investor interest because it combines long-term technological ambition with the potential for real commercial disruption. While the industry is still in its early stages, progress is steady, and use cases in areas such as optimization, simulation, and advanced analytics are becoming more defined. For investors willing to tolerate uncertainty, quantum computing represents an opportunity to gain exposure to a technology that could meaningfully reshape multiple industries over the coming decades. Against that backdrop, Rigetti Computing RGTI and IonQ IONQ represent two distinct bets on how this future unfolds.

Rigetti is building its story around superconducting, gate-based quantum processors that aim to scale toward fault-tolerant systems over time. IonQ, by contrast, is leaning into trapped-ion technology, emphasizing higher fidelity, growing customer traction and a clearer commercialization narrative today. In this face-off, we look at how each company is progressing, where their strategies diverge, and what those differences mean for investors deciding which quantum path looks more compelling right now. Shares of Rigetti have skyrocketed 118.3%, while IONQ stock has gained 25.7% in the six-month period. At a high level, Rigetti Computing and IonQ are both pursuing gate-based quantum computing, but they are doing so through fundamentally different engineering philosophies. Rigetti is betting on superconducting qubits and tight vertical integration.

Its recent shift toward a modular “chiplet” approach reflects an effort to improve yields, reduce error rates, and scale more predictably. By breaking processors into smaller, repeatable units rather than relying on a single large chip, Rigetti is trying to turn quantum hardware development into something closer to an industrial process. For investors, this strategy emphasizes long-term scalability and control over the entire hardware stack, from fabrication through cloud delivery. IonQ’s approach is less about manufacturing efficiency and more about qubit quality. The company uses trapped-ion technology, which generally offers longer coherence times and higher gate fidelities, albeit with slower gate speeds. Rather than racing to higher raw qubit counts, IonQ has focused on improving algorithmic performance, system reliability, and customer accessibility through major cloud platforms.

This has allowed IonQ to position its machines as usable today for select workloads, even if physical scaling remains more gradual. From an investor’s perspective, IonQ’s strategy prioritizes near-term commercial credibility and performance metrics that resonate with enterprise and government buyers, while accepting a slower, more measured path to large-scale systems. IONQ Quick QuoteIONQ RGTI Quick QuoteRGTI QBTS Quick QuoteQBTS Quantum computing has quickly emerged as one of the most exciting new narratives in the market, producing some of the best-performing stocks over the past year. Shares of D-WAVE QUANTUM ((QBTS Quick QuoteQBTS - Free Report) ), IonQ ((IONQ Quick QuoteIONQ - Free Report) ), and Rigetti Computing ((RGTI Quick QuoteRGTI - Free Report) ), three of the industry’s leading... More recently, however, momentum has cooled.

Throughout much of 2025, the sector has traded sideways, with QBTS still showing gains while others have flattened or pulled back. The developments in quantum remain thrilling, but these stocks are still highly speculative, and success for investors depends as much on timing and risk management as on the technology itself. In this article, I’ll break down the technical picture for each of these quantum leaders and outline how investors may want to approach trading strategies and risk management in this rapidly evolving sector. D-Wave Quantum is one of the pioneers of quantum computing, known for its annealing-based quantum systems designed to solve optimization problems. While its approach differs from the gate-based systems pursued by rivals, D-Wave has built a strong base of commercial partnerships and continues to expand its cloud-accessible quantum services. In 2025, IonQ IONQ and Rigetti Computing RGTI gained the attention of investors tracking the rapid evolution of the quantum computing sector.

Ionq Vs Rgti Vs Qbts Which Quantum Stock Is Best Positioned For 2026

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