Back to top

Image: Bigstock

QUBT or RGTI: Which Quantum Stock Offers the Better Upside Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Key Takeaways

  • QUBT has raised over $350M in 2025 to fund go-to-market efforts for its Dirac-3 Entropy Quantum Computer.
  • QUBT launched a chip foundry fulfilling commercial orders and secured deployments with NASA and others.
  • RGTI has $237.7M in cash, strong government funding and a clear roadmap to its 336-qubit Lyra systems.

Quantum Computing Inc. (QUBT - Free Report) and Rigetti Computing (RGTI - Free Report) are two early-stage players in the evolving quantum computing landscape. QUBT is positioning itself around enterprise software and AI integration, buoyed by the commercial launch of its Dirac-3 Entropy Quantum Computer and recent capital raises. While revenues remain negligible, the company is aggressively marketing its quantum solutions across aerospace, defense and AI, banking on hardware-software co-development for early adoption.

Rigetti, on the other hand, reported more substantial revenues in the last-reported quarter, 50 times higher than QUBT's top line. With the 84-qubit Ankaa-2 system now in commercial operation and a clear technical roadmap leading to 336-qubit Lyra systems, Rigetti is focusing on cloud partnerships and hybrid quantum-classical architectures. However, widening losses and an ongoing restructuring effort may continue to result in operational challenges in the coming days.

As both companies race to gain a commercial footing in the quantum computing sector, it’s time for investors to examine their financial performance, product milestones and commercialization strategies to determine which stock is making tangible progress toward sustainable profit. Let’s find out.

Key Reasons to be Bullish on QUBT

Capital Raise Secures Multi-Year Runway: In the first quarter of 2025, Quantum Computing raised net proceeds of $93.6 million, which boosted cash and cash equivalents to $166.4 million as of March 2025. In June again, QUBT closed a much larger $200 million private placement (14,035,089 shares at $14.25 per share), which lifted its total cash position to over $350 million. This substantial fund accumulation is intended to fuel go-to-market efforts for its Dirac-3 Entropy Quantum Computer, AI-integrated software and sector-specific solutions targeting aerospace, defense and advanced analytics.

From Lab to Market: Quantum Computing is making a significant leap from research to commercialization with the launch of its fully operational quantum photonic chip foundry in Tempe, AZ. The facility is now producing thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) chips, a foundational component of QUBT’s proprietary Entropy Quantum Computing (EQC) architecture. As per the last update, the foundry is already fulfilling commercial orders, with chips being delivered to both corporate clients and academic institutions. This positions QUBT as one of the few quantum companies globally with in-house photonic chip manufacturing capabilities.

Complementing its manufacturing progress, QUBT is also gaining traction through early-stage commercial deployments. The company has delivered a quantum vibrometer to Delft University of Technology and an EmuCore quantum computing system to a leading global automotive manufacturer. Additionally, QUBT is executing a $406,000 subcontract with NASA focused on improving LiDAR system accuracy through quantum noise reduction. These are not speculative pilot programs but funded, real-world deployments.

Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Key Reasons to Be Bullish on RGTI

Strategic Capital Boost: At the end of April 2025, Rigetti held $237.7 million in cash, cash equivalents, and available-for-sale investments, up from $209 million at first-quarter-end, following a $35 million strategic equity investment from Quanta Computer, a major Taiwanese OEM, which purchased shares at a premium price of $11.59 per share. This strong cash position provides Rigetti with a multi-year financial runway, enabling it to pursue core goals such as R&D advancement, scaling chip fabrication and expanding collaborative partnerships without near-term dilution.

Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Government-Funded Momentum and Scalable Technical Progress: Rigetti is strengthening its quantum computing position through strategic government collaborations and technical advancements. The company secured non-dilutive funding from major programs, including DARPA’s Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, a $5.48 million U.S. Air Force grant for ABAA chip fabrication and leadership of a £3.5 million Innovate U.K. project focused on quantum error correction.

On the technical side, Rigetti demonstrated optical control of superconducting qubits using a hybrid transducer and applied a quantum preconditioning algorithm on its 84-qubit Ankaa-3 system, outperforming classical methods in power grid optimization. It is also upgrading its Novera QPU platform from 24 to 36 qubits to support multi-chip scaling.

QUBT Outperforms RGTI and Benchmark in a Year

Over the past year, shares of Quantum Computing have surged 2336%, handily outperforming the S&P 500’s 19.4% rise. Rigetti shares jumped 1116% during the said period. These explosive gains reflect investor enthusiasm around both companies’ tangible progress toward scalable quantum technologies.

One-Year Price Comparison

Zacks Investment Research
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Which Stock to Bet on Now?

While both QUBT and RGTI carry a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and have seen explosive stock gains, Rigetti emerges as the stronger near-term bet. QUBT’s photonic chip advances and early deployments are promising, but its revenues remain minimal and its outlook is not fully clear. Rigetti, by contrast, delivers higher revenues, a clearer technical roadmap with its Ankaa-3 and Lyra systems and strong backing from government programs. All these make it a more credible long-term play in quantum computing. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


Quantum Computing Inc. (QUBT) - free report >>

Rigetti Computing, Inc. (RGTI) - free report >>

Published in