IBM Quantum pricing in 2026: the per-minute model and its four tiers
$96 per minute of QPU runtime on Pay-As-You-Go, with a 1-second minimum purchase, after a free Open Plan allowance of up to 10 minutes of runtime per month. The two committed tiers trade a minimum for a lower rate: Flex starts at $72 per minute against a 400-minute annual minimum, which is $28,800 a year committed, and Premium starts at $48 per minute against a 5,200-minute annual minimum, which is $249,600 a year committed. On-Prem is quoted, not listed. Taken from IBM's own pricing page at ibm.com/quantum/pricing, verified 7 September 2026.
IBM Quantum bills QPU runtime by the minute, not by the shot, which makes it the odd one out among cloud quantum providers. There are four published tiers plus an On-Prem quote: the free Open Plan (up to 10 minutes of runtime per month), Pay-As-You-Go at $96/minute with a 1-second minimum purchase, Flex from $72/minute against a 400-minute annual minimum, and Premium from $48/minute against a 5,200-minute annual minimum. This page lays out the tiers, the annual commitment each minimum implies, and what drives the per-minute bill. Rates on this page are now taken from IBM's own pricing page rather than secondary coverage.
1.How IBM Quantum bills
IBM cost = per-minute rate x QPU runtime in minutes. Because billing is by time, the cost of a job depends on circuit depth and how long it occupies the QPU, not directly on shot count. The Open Plan is genuinely free for small workloads: IBM publishes it as access to quantum computers for up to 10 minutes of runtime per month. Above that, the tier you pick sets the rate, and the two cheaper rates are only available against a volume commitment. Pay-As-You-Go is $96/minute with a 1-second minimum purchase and no annual commitment. Flex starts at $72/minute with a 400-minute annual minimum, so the floor is $28,800 a year whether or not you use it. Premium starts at $48/minute with a 5,200-minute annual minimum, a floor of $249,600 a year. Do the crossover arithmetic before you move down a tier: Flex only beats Pay-As-You-Go once you actually run more than 300 minutes a year, because 400 minutes at $72 costs the same as 300 minutes at $96.
2.IBM Quantum devices and verified rates
Table 1 — IBM Quantum offerings, 2026
| Offering | Tech | Qubits | Price | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBM Quantum — Open Plan | superconducting | 156 | $0 free | verified primary |
| IBM Quantum — Pay-As-You-Go | superconducting | 156 | $96 per QPU minute | verified primary |
| IBM Quantum — Flex Plan | superconducting | 156 | $72 per QPU minute | verified primary |
| IBM Quantum — Premium | superconducting | 156 | $48 per QPU minute | verified primary |
Each offering links to its full per-device analysis. Rates last re-verified live 7 September 2026 against the source on each provider page. Estimate a specific job with the cost calculator.
3.What a real IBM Quantum job costs
Unit rates are hard to feel. These are the costs of representative jobs, each either a published rate or our arithmetic over the published rate (the basis column shows the sum, so you can redo it).
Table 2 — worked IBM Quantum job costs, 2026
| Job | Cost | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| 10 minutes on the Open Plan | free | IBM publishes up to 10 min of runtime per month at no charge |
| 1 minute Pay-As-You-Go | $96.00 | $96/min, 1-second minimum purchase |
| 10 minutes Pay-As-You-Go | $960.00 | 10 x $96/min |
| Flex Plan annual floor | $28,800 | 400-minute annual minimum x $72/min |
| Premium Plan annual floor | $249,600 | 5,200-minute annual minimum x $48/min |
| Flex vs Pay-As-You-Go crossover | 300 min/yr | 400 x $72 = $28,800; $28,800 / $96 = 300 min |
Figures derived from the verified rates in Table 1. Costs exclude any cloud infrastructure (storage, egress) surcharges. Price your own circuit with the cost calculator.
4.Frequently asked questions
How much does IBM Quantum cost?
IBM Quantum bills QPU runtime by the minute. The Open Plan is free for up to 10 minutes of runtime per month. Pay-As-You-Go is $96 per minute with a 1-second minimum purchase and no commitment. Flex starts at $72 per minute with a 400-minute annual minimum, a floor of $28,800 a year. Premium starts at $48 per minute with a 5,200-minute annual minimum, a floor of $249,600 a year. On-Prem is quoted rather than listed. One minute of QPU time on Pay-As-You-Go therefore costs $96. Verified at ibm.com/quantum/pricing on 7 September 2026.
Is the IBM Flex Plan actually cheaper than Pay-As-You-Go?
Only above 300 minutes of QPU runtime a year. Flex starts at $72 per minute but carries a 400-minute annual minimum, so you commit $28,800 whether you use it or not. The same $28,800 buys 300 minutes at the $96 Pay-As-You-Go rate. Below 300 minutes a year, Pay-As-You-Go is cheaper despite the higher unit rate. The same arithmetic applies to Premium: its 5,200-minute minimum at $48 is a $249,600 annual floor, which is 2,600 minutes of Pay-As-You-Go.
How many free minutes does the IBM Quantum Open Plan give?
IBM's pricing page states the Open Plan gives access to quantum computers for up to 10 minutes of runtime per month at no charge. That is real time on IBM hardware, not simulator time. Above the free allowance you move to Pay-As-You-Go at $96 per QPU-minute. Verified at ibm.com/quantum/pricing on 7 September 2026.
Is IBM Quantum free?
Yes, for small workloads. The IBM Quantum Open Plan gives up to 10 minutes of QPU runtime per month at no charge. Beyond that allowance you move to a paid per-minute tier, starting with Pay-As-You-Go at $96 per minute. Verified 7 September 2026.
Why does IBM bill per minute instead of per shot?
IBM meters the time your circuits occupy the QPU rather than the number of shots, so a deep circuit that runs longer costs more even at the same shot count. This makes IBM hard to compare directly with shot-metered providers like AWS Braket, where a Rigetti Cepheus task is $0.30 plus $0.000425 per shot. To convert, you need your circuit's wall-clock runtime on IBM hardware, not its shot count.
See also: cost calculator · IonQ pricing · Rigetti pricing · all-provider price reference · providers index · methodology. Independent reference, no affiliate revenue. Corrections: oliver@digitalsignet.com.