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

In the year to Sep 4, 2026, with distributions reinvested, ULTY returned −2.9% and VTI returned +20.0%, so VTI returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Which is cheaper, ULTY or VTI?

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

Are ULTY and VTI the same kind of fund?

No. ULTY is an option-income ETF and VTI 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 VTI

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

YieldMax(R) Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF and Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund.

ULTY and VTI on the fields both publish, as of Sep 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	ULTY YieldMax(R) Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF	VTI Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund
Where it sits	Income desk	Core fund
Issuer	YieldMax	Vanguard
What it is	synthetic covered call, vs SPY	US total market
Total return, 1 year	−2.9%	+20.0%
S&P 500 over the same days	+20.0%	+20.0%
Gap to the S&P 500	−22.8 pts	+0.0 pts
Cash paid, 1 year	48.3%	not an income fund
Expense ratio	1.30%	0.03%
Holdings	n/a	3531

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).

VTI in plain words

VTI is a index equity fund tracking US total market. Over the year to Sep 4, 2026 it returned +20.0% 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, 88% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 3531 positions, with the top ten at 32.1%.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, ULTY or VTI?: In the year to Sep 4, 2026, with distributions reinvested, ULTY returned −2.9% and VTI returned +20.0%, so VTI returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, ULTY or VTI?: ULTY charges 1.30% a year and VTI charges 0.03%, so VTI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Are ULTY and VTI the same kind of fund?: No. ULTY is an option-income ETF and VTI 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 VTI, data as of Sep 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ULTY-VTI.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