Which returned more over the last year, ULTY or VOO?

In the year to Sep 4, 2026, with distributions reinvested, ULTY returned −2.9% and VOO returned +20.1%, so VOO returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Which is cheaper, ULTY or VOO?

ULTY charges 1.30% a year and VOO charges 0.03%, so VOO is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Are ULTY and VOO the same kind of fund?

No. ULTY is an option-income ETF and VOO is an index ETF, so they are built for different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and what each actually holds.

Data as of Sep 4, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.

ULTY vs VOO

Name: ETFIQ comparison of ULTY and VOO
Creator: ETFIQ
License: https://etfiq.com/standards/

YieldMax(R) Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF and Vanguard 500 Index Fund.

ULTY and VOO on the fields both publish, as of Sep 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	ULTY YieldMax(R) Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF	VOO Vanguard 500 Index Fund
Where it sits	Income desk	Core fund
Issuer	YieldMax	Vanguard
What it is	synthetic covered call, vs SPY	S&P 500
Total return, 1 year	−2.9%	+20.1%
S&P 500 over the same days	+20.0%	+20.0%
Gap to the S&P 500	−22.8 pts	+0.1 pts
Cash paid, 1 year	48.3%	not an income fund
Expense ratio	1.30%	0.03%
Holdings	n/a	506

ULTY in plain words

Over the year to Sep 4, 2026, ULTY paid 48.3% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 52.1%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −2.9%. S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy returned +20.0% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 22.8 pts. At its price on Sep 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualises to 60.4%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Sep 3, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterisation rather than a measure of erosion).

VOO in plain words

VOO is a index equity fund tracking S&P 500. Over the year to Sep 4, 2026 it returned +20.1% with distributions reinvested, against +20.0% for the S&P 500 and +25.6% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 506 positions, with the top ten at 36.5%.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, ULTY or VOO?: In the year to Sep 4, 2026, with distributions reinvested, ULTY returned −2.9% and VOO returned +20.1%, so VOO returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, ULTY or VOO?: ULTY charges 1.30% a year and VOO charges 0.03%, so VOO is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Are ULTY and VOO the same kind of fund?: No. ULTY is an option-income ETF and VOO is an index ETF, so they are built for different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and what each actually holds.

Other comparisons

Where to next

Cite this page. ETFIQ, ULTY against VOO, data as of Sep 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ULTY-VOO.html Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. ETFIQ publishes the same fields for every fund and suggests no allocation. Standards and sources