IonQ pricing in 2026: the same hardware, two billing models
IonQ is the only quantum hardware vendor sold through both AWS Braket and Azure Quantum, and the two clouds bill it on structurally different models. AWS Braket charges IonQ a flat per-shot rate ($0.08/shot on Forte) plus a $0.30 task fee, so the bill scales with shots alone. Azure Quantum charges IonQ by the gate-shot through its AQT token formula, floored at a per-program minimum ($97.50 Aria, $168.20 Forte with error mitigation on), and additionally offers a $25,000/month subscription. This page states IonQ's verified rates on each platform, explains why the same circuit can cost very differently on each, and works an example so the comparison is concrete. Rates verified against the AWS Braket and Azure Quantum pricing pages on 2026-07-20.
1.The hardware: Aria and Forte
IonQ builds trapped-ion quantum computers (ytterbium-171 ions in a linear trap). Two production machines are on the clouds in 2026: Aria, a 25-qubit device at about 99.5% two-qubit gate fidelity, and Forte, the 36-qubit successor at about 99.6%. Trapped-ion fidelity is the selling point: it runs higher than the superconducting alternatives (Rigetti at ~99.1%, IBM Heron r2 at ~99.7%), so deep circuits can need fewer shots to return usable results, partly offsetting IonQ's higher per-shot price.
Table 1 — IonQ two-qubit gate fidelity (reported)
| Hardware | 2Q fidelity | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Oxford Ionics (now IonQ) electronic-control gate | 99.97% | 2024 |
| IonQ R&D prototype (electronic qubit control) | 99.99% | 2025 |
| IonQ Forte (36Q production) | 99.60% | 2022 |
| IonQ Aria (25Q production) | 99.50% | 2022 |
2.IonQ on AWS Braket: flat per-shot
On AWS Braket, IonQ bills the same way every Braket device does: a flat $0.30 per-task fee plus a per-shot rate that does not depend on gate count. The bill is therefore driven by shots alone. Braket enforces a minimum of 2,500 shots per task when IonQ error mitigation is on, so even a tiny Forte job costs at least about $200 in shots plus the task fee. Dedicated (reserved) capacity is billed hourly instead.
Table 2 — IonQ on AWS Braket, 2026
| Offering | Qubits | Price | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS Braket — IonQ Forte | 36 | $0.08 per shot | verified primary |
| AWS Braket — IonQ Aria | 25 | $0.03 per shot | industry reported |
Both rows carry the $0.30/task fee on top of the per-shot rate. IonQ Forte reserved (dedicated) capacity is $7,000/hour. IonQ Aria is being phased off the live Braket device list (flagged transitioning); Braket access in 2026 centres on Forte. Verified against aws.amazon.com/braket/pricing, 2026-07-20.
3.IonQ on Azure Quantum: per-gate-shot, with a floor
Azure Quantum bills IonQ through the Azure Quantum Token (AQT) formula, which charges by the gate-shot rather than the shot: AQT = m + $0.000220 · (N₁q · C) + $0.000975 · (N₂q · C) on Aria, where N₁q and N₂q are one- and two-qubit gate counts, C is shots, and m is the per-program minimum. Forte uses higher coefficients ($0.0001645 per one-qubit-gate-shot, $0.001121 per two-qubit-gate-shot) and a higher floor. The minimum is load-bearing: small circuits pay the floor, not the formula.
Table 3 — IonQ on Azure Quantum, 2026 (pay-as-you-go)
| Device | Qubits | Per-program minimum | Gate-shot rates |
|---|---|---|---|
| IonQ Aria 1 | 25 | $97.50 (mitigation on) $12.42 (off) | $0.000220 / 1Q-gate-shot $0.000975 / 2Q-gate-shot |
| IonQ Forte 1 / Forte Enterprise 1 | 36 | $168.20 (mitigation on) $25.79 (off) | $0.0001645 / 1Q-gate-shot $0.001121 / 2Q-gate-shot |
Plus Azure infrastructure (storage) costs. Azure also sells an Aria-Forte monthly subscription at $25,000/month covering Aria 1, Forte 1 and Forte Enterprise 1; usage above the subscription value reverts to pay-as-you-go. Verified against learn.microsoft.com/azure/quantum/pricing (doc updated 2026-04-23), checked 2026-07-20.
4.Which platform is cheaper for IonQ?
There is no universal answer, because the two clouds meter different things. Braket bills IonQ per shot; Azure bills per gate-shot with a minimum. That means:
- Shot-heavy, shallow circuits (few gates, many shots) favour Azure, whose per-gate-shot meter stays low while Braket's flat $0.08/shot climbs quickly.
- Gate-heavy circuits (deep circuits, many two-qubit gates) push the Azure AQT bill up fast, and Braket's gate-independent per-shot fee can win.
- Tiny one-off jobs pay a floor either way: about $200 in shots on Braket Forte (2,500-shot minimum with mitigation), or the $168.20 per-program minimum on Azure Forte.
Table 4 — Worked example: one IonQ Forte circuit, 10,000 shots
| Platform | Assumed circuit | Cost (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| AWS Braket (Forte) | Any gate count · 10,000 shots · $0.30 + 10,000 × $0.08 | $800.30 |
| Azure Quantum (Forte) | 30 one-qubit + 15 two-qubit gates · 10,000 shots · $0.0001645 × 300,000 + $0.001121 × 150,000 | $217.50 |
| Azure Quantum (Forte) | 200 one-qubit + 120 two-qubit gates · 10,000 shots · $0.0001645 × 2,000,000 + $0.001121 × 1,200,000 | $1,674.20 |
Illustrative models, not published totals: each Azure figure is the AQT formula applied to the stated gate counts (above the $168.20 floor); the Braket figure is the flat per-shot fee. Your own gate counts change the Azure column and leave the Braket column unchanged. The same 10,000-shot circuit can cost roughly $218 or $1,674 on Azure depending only on gate depth, versus a fixed $800 on Braket.
5.Frequently asked questions
How much does IonQ cost in 2026?
It depends on which cloud you run it through, because the two platforms bill IonQ on different models. On AWS Braket, IonQ Forte is a flat $0.30 task fee plus $0.08 per shot, so a 10,000-shot circuit costs about $800.30 regardless of how many gates it contains. On Azure Quantum, IonQ is billed by the gate-shot via the AQT formula and floored at a per-program minimum of $97.50 for Aria or $168.20 for Forte (error mitigation on). Azure also offers a $25,000/month IonQ subscription. There is no single IonQ list price: the platform and the circuit both drive the bill.
Is IonQ cheaper on AWS Braket or Azure Quantum?
It depends on the circuit shape. AWS Braket charges IonQ Forte a flat $0.08/shot no matter how many gates the circuit has, so shot-heavy circuits get expensive fast (a 10,000-shot job is about $800). Azure charges by the gate-shot and floors small jobs at a per-program minimum ($97.50 Aria, $168.20 Forte), so a shallow circuit with modest gate counts can come in below the Braket per-shot bill, while a deep, gate-heavy circuit can cost more on Azure. Braket bills per shot; Azure bills per gate times shots. Match the model to your circuit rather than assuming one platform is always cheaper.
What is the IonQ per-program minimum on Azure?
Every IonQ program on Azure Quantum is floored at a per-program minimum even if the AQT formula computes less. With error mitigation on (the default) that floor is $97.50 on IonQ Aria and $168.20 on IonQ Forte. Turning mitigation off lowers the floor to $12.42 (Aria) and $25.79 (Forte) but removes the error-mitigation post-processing. Small circuits pay the floor, not the formula.
Does IonQ have a subscription plan?
Yes, on Azure Quantum. Alongside pay-as-you-go, IonQ sells an Aria-Forte monthly subscription at $25,000/month (plus Azure infrastructure costs) that gives access to the Aria 1, Forte 1 and Forte Enterprise 1 machines and the IonQ simulator; usage above the subscription value is billed at the pay-as-you-go rate. AWS Braket does not sell an IonQ subscription; there, dedicated access is instead a reserved hourly rate of $7,000/hour on IonQ Forte.
What is the difference between IonQ Aria and IonQ Forte?
Aria is IonQ's 25-qubit trapped-ion machine at about 99.5% two-qubit gate fidelity; Forte is the 36-qubit successor at about 99.6%. Forte is the current headline device and is priced higher (on Braket, $0.08/shot Forte; on Azure, a $168.20 per-program minimum for Forte versus $97.50 for Aria). IonQ Aria is being phased off the live AWS Braket device list, so Braket access in 2026 centres on Forte, while Azure still lists both Aria 1 and Forte.
See also: Rigetti pricing · AWS Braket pricing · Azure Quantum pricing · cost calculator · quantum computer price list · providers index. Independent reference, no affiliate revenue. Corrections: oliver@digitalsignet.com.