<div id="readability-page-1"><div><div><h2>Key Points</h2><ul><li>Rigetti Computing's partnerships with the U.S. Air Force and other tech defense players could help its stock score big wins.</li><li>D-Wave Quantum's quantum-annealing tech may offer less explosive upside, but it's already posting stronger commercialization momentum.</li><li>D-Wave's more reliable tech could make its stock the better buy.</li><li>10 stocks we like better than D-Wave Quantum ›</li></ul>Rigetti Computing (NASDAQ: RGTI) has emerged as a hot pure play in the quantum computing space, and buy-and-hold investors have scored incredible wins with the stock. Over the last year alone, the company's share price is up roughly 300%. Over the last three years, the stock is up approximately 2,540%.Rigetti Computing has been reporting some significant technological progress for its quantum computing stack, and the company has also inked big partnerships with the U.S. Air Force and other important tech and defense players. While Rigetti could wind up delivering strong results for investors with high risk tolerance, I think there's a better quantum computing pure-play to invest in right now.<figure><div><div><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/2JYgLQKVzS3kHuXIGIN11Q--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/motleyfool.com/932232c41f00ec0029608b6401f59239?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="960" height="640" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/2JYgLQKVzS3kHuXIGIN11Q--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/motleyfool.com/932232c41f00ec0029608b6401f59239"/></div></div><figcaption>Image source: Getty Images.</figcaption></figure><h2>D-Wave Quantum stock looks like a better buy than Rigetti right now</h2>D-Wave Quantum (NYSE: QBTS) and Rigetti Computing are taking two different approaches to quantum computing. While D-Wave's quantum-annealing approach seemingly has better near-term commercialization opportunities, Rigetti's quantum tech could have better long-term payoffs but is even more speculative. The differences in approach are reflected in the two companies' recent business performance.In the third quarter, Rigetti's revenue declined 18% year over year to come in at approximately $1.95 million. Meanwhile, sales across the first nine months of this year came in at $5.22 -- down from $8.52 million across last year's stretch. For comparison, D-Wave posted sales of $3.7 million in the third quarter and revenue of $15.3 million across this year's first nine months -- representing growth of 100% and 235%, respectively.Despite some significant performance breakthroughs, quantum-computing tech still exists in a relatively nascent state. Along those lines, it's reasonable to expect that sales growth for players in the space will be somewhat uneven.Given that Rigetti's growth trajectory hinges on delivering wins in less developed and proven quantum tech, it's not surprising to see its growth lagging behind D-Wave's. Rigetti has continued to forge promising partnerships, and its recent sales declines provide little insight into what its growth will look like over the next five or 10 years.On the other hand, I think that D-Wave's recent sales gains actually do provide some meaningful indicators for what its growth trajectory might look like. The company's focus on quantum-annealing tech is powering a much more rapid commercialization ramp, and that will likely continue to be the case for the foreseeable future.Rigetti could wind up delivering tech breakthroughs that power incredible sales and earnings expansions, but the outlook here is highly speculative. For investors who are willing to take on the outsized risks that come with investing in pure-play companies in the early stages of potentially explosive tech trends, I think that D-Wave Quantum looks like a better buy.<h2>Should you invest $1,000 in D-Wave Quantum right now?</h2>Before you buy stock in D-Wave Quantum, consider this:The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and D-Wave Quantum wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $507,421!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,109,138!*Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 972% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 195% for the S&amp;P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.See the 10 stocks »*Stock Advisor returns as of December 8, 2025Keith Noonan has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.Forget Rigetti Computing: This Quantum Computing Stock Is a Much Better Buy Right Now was originally published by The Motley Fool</div></div></div>

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Rigetti Computing has seen significant stock growth due to partnerships and technological progress, but D-Wave Quantum's quantum-annealing tech offers stronger commercialization momentum. Despite Rigetti's speculative long-term potential, D-Wave's recent sales gains suggest a more reliable growth trajectory, making it a better buy for investors seeking less risk. The Motley Fool Stock Advisor team, however, did not include D-Wave in their top 10 stock picks, highlighting other stocks with potentially higher returns.