Some technologies reshape the world. We've seen several of them rise to prominence in the last few decades, including the personal computer, the internet, and artificial intelligence (AI).
Quantum computing could soon join the list. This technology holds the potential to transform climate modeling, cybersecurity, drug discovery, finance, logistics, and materials science. It could also turbocharge AI advances.
It's not surprising, therefore, that many investors are excited about the opportunities to make money in quantum computing over the next few years. But what's the best quantum computing stock to buy hand over fist in 2026?
Image source: Getty Images.
Two intriguing contenders
The good news (and bad news, depending on how you look at it) is that there are several quantum computing stocks that are great candidates to consider buying this year. I'll highlight two that are particularly intriguing contenders.
If you asked Wall Street analysts which quantum computing stock they like the most right now, it would probably be Microsoft (MSFT 0.20%). Of the 57 analysts surveyed by S&P Global (SPGI 1.60%) in January, 55 rated the stock as a "buy" or "strong buy." The consensus 12-month price target for Microsoft reflects a potential upside of 30%.
NASDAQ: MSFT
Key Data Points
Microsoft's credentials in quantum computing are impressive. The company developed a new type of material called a topoconductor (short for topological superconductor) that's neither a solid, liquid, nor a gas. The important thing to understand about them is that they can be used to create stable qubits that could pave the way for building scalable, powerful quantum supercomputers.
Investors seeking a pure-play quantum computing opportunity might prefer IonQ (IONQ 2.04%). This company has the largest market cap among several rising stars in the quantum computing space. IonQ uses a promising trapped-ion architecture to build quantum computers. It's also developing other quantum technologies, such as quantum networking and sensing.
NYSE: IONQ
Key Data Points
My pick for the best quantum computing stock to buy
I appreciate the arguments for both Microsoft and IonQ (as well as several other quantum computing stocks). However, my pick for the best quantum computing stock to buy hand over fist is Alphabet (GOOG 1.54%) (GOOGL 1.70%).
The company's Google Quantum AI is, like Microsoft and IonQ, a pioneer in quantum computing. In 2019, Google Quantum AI researchers achieved a major breakthrough by developing a quantum system that performed a calculation in 200 seconds that they estimated would have taken the most powerful supercomputers using "the best-known algorithms" around 10,000 years to handle.
NASDAQ: GOOGL
Key Data Points
Google Quantum AI's team didn't stop there. In 2023, they unveiled the first-ever logical qubit prototype. The significance of this achievement lies in the fact that it demonstrated that quantum computing errors can be reduced by increasing the number of qubits.
There is still more work to be done. Google Quantum AI is now focused on creating long-lived logical qubits that can perform 1 million or more computations with minimal errors. It also has three other milestones to achieve before a large-scale quantum computer can be deployed.
More than quantum computing
While I view Alphabet as the best quantum computing stock to buy this year, the company's quantum computing efforts aren't my main reason for liking the stock. I think Alphabet's leadership in AI is the most important reason to buy the stock.
Google Cloud is the fastest-growing among the top three cloud service providers. I expect its growth to accelerate as agentic AI adoption increases. The accolades for the new Google Gemini 3.0 AI model could also drive more customers to Google Cloud.
The unit's Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) are gaining commercial momentum as well. Google's TPUs don't have to be more powerful than Nvidia's (NVDA 1.21%) GPUs to win additional market share because of their cost-effectiveness.
Quantum computing is icing on the cake for Alphabet. But cakes taste better with icing, in my opinion.
