Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
APLY vs VYM: how they differ
Over the year APLY returned more, +26.4% against +17.6%, and VYM charges 0.04% against 1.04%.
YieldMax(R) AAPL Option Income Strategy ETF and Vanguard High Dividend Yield Index Fund.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, APLY and VYM hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in APLY | Only in VYM |
|---|---|
| TREASURY BILL 27.23% | Broadcom Inc 8.07% |
| TREASURY BILL 19.97% | JPMorgan Chase & Co 3.36% |
| TREASURY BILL 19.80% | Exxon Mobil Corp 2.73% |
| TREASURY BILL 19.47% | Johnson & Johnson 2.31% |
| TREASURY BILL 13.52% | Caterpillar Inc 1.73% |
| AbbVie Inc 1.57% | |
| Cisco Systems Inc 1.52% | |
| Chevron Corp 1.51% |
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Apr 30, 2026.
| APLY YieldMax(R) AAPL Option Income Strategy ETF | VYM Vanguard High Dividend Yield Index Fund | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Income ETF | Core index fund |
| Issuer | YieldMax | Vanguard |
| What it is | synthetic covered call, vs AAPL | US high dividend |
| Total return, 1 year | +26.4% | +17.6% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +45.0% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −18.6 pts | +0.1 pts |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 32.4% | not an income fund |
| Expense ratio | 1.04% | 0.04% |
| Holdings | not filed | 608 |
APLY in plain words
Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, APLY paid 32.4% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 9.6%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +26.4%. Apple (AAPL) returned +45.0% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 18.6 pts. At its price on Sep 11, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 19.8%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 84% of the distribution paid Sep 11, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterization rather than a measure of erosion).
VYM in plain words
VYM is an index equity fund tracking the US high dividend. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +17.6% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.04% a year. By its holdings filed for Apr 30, 2026, 92% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 608 positions, with the top ten at 25.7%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, APLY or VYM?
- In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, APLY returned +26.4% and VYM returned +17.6%, so APLY returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, APLY or VYM?
- APLY charges 1.04% a year and VYM charges 0.04%, so VYM is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- Are APLY and VYM the same kind of fund?
- No. APLY is an option-income ETF and VYM is an index ETF, so they are built for different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and what each actually holds.
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Where these figures came from
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, APLY against VYM, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/aply-vs-vym Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources