Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
AIQ vs QQQ: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, AIQ returned +21.3% to QQQ's +15.2%, and QQQ charges 0.18% to AIQ's 0.68%.
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Net assets: $10.6bn on Oct 12, 2026 for Global X Artificial Intelligence & Technology ETF, and $483.0bn on Oct 27, 2026 for Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1.
Pair scorecard
QQQ costs 0.50 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 6.1 points; QQQ is far larger, $501.3bn against $10.6bn.
| Measure | AIQ | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +21.3% | +15.2% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its all-time high | 8.2%, high on Jun 2, 2026 | |
| Below its high | 4.5%, high on Oct 6, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Artificial intelligence | Nasdaq-100 Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.68% | 0.18% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 12, 2026 | $10.6bn | $501.3bn |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 70% | |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 42% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 43% | 46.7% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
May 25, 2018 to Oct 23, 2026 · 439 weekly returnsQQQ returned slightly more: +338.7% to +326.5%. QQQ swung less: 21.5% to 24.3%. QQQ fell less at its worst: −35.1% to −44.1%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | AIQ | QQQ | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +326.5% | +338.7% | QQQ (slight) | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +18.7% | +19.1% | QQQ (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +314.4% | +315.0% | Tie | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 24.3% | 21.5% | QQQ | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 16.0% | 14.2% | QQQ | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −44.1% | −35.1% | QQQ | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.72 | 0.79 | QQQ | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 1.09 | 1.20 | QQQ (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.42 | 0.55 | QQQ | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 439 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, AIQ and QQQ hold 42% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
42% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
AIQ and QQQ on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
No client brief for this pair: the two funds' holdings are dated 149 days apart.
AIQ
By weight, 65% of AIQ's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 70%. The top ten holdings are 43% of the fund across 84 positions, as filed for May 31, 2026. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 the fund returned +21.3% with distributions reinvested. It sits 8.2% below its all-time high of Jun 2, 2026.
QQQ
QQQ tracks the Nasdaq-100. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +15.2% with distributions reinvested, against +15.2% for its benchmark, the Nasdaq-100 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.18% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 96% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 103 positions, with the top ten at 46.7%. It sat 4.5% below its high of Oct 6, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Are AIQ and QQQ in the same category?
- AIQ is a thematic ETF and QQQ is a stock ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
- Which returned more over the last year, AIQ or QQQ?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, AIQ returned +21.3% and QQQ +15.2%.
- Which is cheaper, AIQ or QQQ?
- QQQ is cheaper, by 0.50 percentage points a year. That is about $50 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
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ETFIQ, AIQ against QQQ, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/aiq-vs-qqq
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). AIQ against QQQ. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/aiq-vs-qqq
[AIQ against QQQ (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/aiq-vs-qqq)
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