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Is Rigetti Computing the Best Quantum Computing Stock to Buy Right Now?

The Motley Fool
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⚡ Quantum Brief
Rigetti Computing achieved 99.9% two-qubit gate fidelity, a key milestone in quantum accuracy, but still falls short of commercial viability due to persistent error rates. Competitors like IonQ surpass Rigetti with 99.99% fidelity and larger 256-qubit systems, making Rigetti’s progress seem incremental rather than groundbreaking in the 2026 quantum race. Rigetti’s accuracy drops as qubit count increases, with its 108-qubit system hitting only 99% fidelity, highlighting scalability challenges that threaten its long-term competitiveness. The company’s financials remain weak, with a negative 8,613% gross margin and volatile stock performance, raising doubts about its ability to sustain innovation amid fierce competition. Analysts favor IonQ over Rigetti for investment, citing superior technology and faster scaling, suggesting Rigetti may struggle to recover without a major breakthrough.
Is Rigetti Computing the Best Quantum Computing Stock to Buy Right Now?

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By Keithen Drury – Apr 4, 2026 at 12:00PM ESTKey PointsThe good news is that Rigetti's computing systems are becoming more accurate.Yet, other quantum computing companies have already achieved these milestones. While artificial intelligence (AI) investing may be at the front of the market's mind, there is another emerging tech trend that could see huge growth in the coming years: quantum computing. Quantum computing has the potential to revolutionize every computing industry, including AI. One of the more popular investments in this realm is Rigetti Computing (RGTI +5.18%). But is it the best quantum computing stock to buy now? Let's take a look at what Rigetti Computing is doing and see if it's worth your investment dollars. Image source: Getty Images. Rigetti Computing recently made a huge breakthrough There is really one primary concern with the quantum computing industry right now: accuracy. The technology isn't accurate enough to be commercially viable, and that's the main roadblock every company in this sector is trying to solve. Rigetti recently made a huge breakthrough and announced that it achieved up to a 99.9% two-qubit gate fidelity. This means that when a calculation passes through two processing gates, there is a one in 1,000 chance that it produces an error. While that sounds good, think of the thousands of processes your computer or phone is going through each second to read this article. There are over 1,000 characters in this article alone, and if one or two of those are incorrect or in the wrong spot, it could mess up the entire context of the article. That is the battle quantum computing firms are facing, and it's going to take a much more accurate device to become commercially viable. ExpandNASDAQ: RGTIRigetti ComputingToday's Change(5.18%) $0.70Current Price$14.20Key Data PointsMarket Cap$4.7BDay's Range$12.81 - $14.2452wk Range$6.86 - $58.15Volume905KAvg Vol30MGross Margin-8613.15% One huge issue Rigetti is facing right now is that as the number of qubits in the system increases, its accuracy quickly declines. Its largest 108-qubit system only has a 99% two-qubit gate accuracy. Seeing accuracy decline as computing power increases isn't a good sign, and Rigetti has a lot of work to do, especially against its competition. Another popular quantum computing stock is IonQ (IONQ +5.52%). It holds the world record with a two-qubit gate fidelity of 99.99%. The performance was achieved in its R&D lab, but will make its way into its 256-qubit system in 2026. So, IonQ will have a computer that has over double the computing capacity at 100 times the accuracy sometime this year. This makes me question Rigetti's viability, and it may have dug itself too deep a hole to get out of. While Rigetti's accuracy breakthroughs are important, it's still well behind its peers in the quantum computing race. It will take a huge miracle to emerge from behind, and I doubt it can do it. I don't think Rigetti Computing is worth an investment, as there are far better quantum computing options out there, like IonQ.Read NextMar 26, 2026 •By Anthony Di PizioIs This Popular Quantum Computing Stock Heading for an 80% Crash?Mar 24, 2026 •By David Jagielski, CPAShould You Buy Rigetti Computing Stock While It's Below $20?Mar 22, 2026 •By Bram Berkowitz2 Quantum Computing Stocks With as Much as 162% and 197% Upside, According to Certain Wall Street AnalystsMar 13, 2026 •By Anthony Di PizioPrediction: Rigetti Computing Stock Is Going to Plummet in 2026Mar 10, 2026 •By Geoffrey SeilerShould Investors Avoid Rigetti Computing as It Struggles to Generate Revenue?Apr 4, 2026 •By David DierkingThe Vanguard ETF Portfolio That Could Replace a Financial AdvisorAbout the AuthorKeithen Drury is a contributing Motley Fool technology analyst covering AI, semiconductors, cybersecurity, and SaaS stocks. In addition to The Motley Fool, Keithen is a mechanical engineer and has held roles at Honeywell and smaller industrial companies like Brand Hydraulics and Lincoln Industries. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Dordt University.TMFTripleOptionStocks MentionedRigetti ComputingNASDAQ: RGTI$14.20(+5.18%)+$0.70IonQNYSE: IONQ$29.33(+5.52%)+$1.54*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.

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