Are IDEF and QQQ in the same category?

IDEF 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, IDEF or QQQ?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IDEF returned −5.7% and QQQ +15.2%.

Which is cheaper, IDEF or QQQ?

QQQ is cheaper, by 0.37 percentage points a year. That is about $37 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

How much do IDEF and QQQ overlap with the S&P 500?

By their latest filed holdings, 42% of IDEF and 96% of QQQ by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

IDEF vs QQQ: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IDEF returned −5.7% to QQQ's +15.2%, and QQQ charges 0.18% to IDEF's 0.55%.

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Net assets: $3.7bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares Defense Industrials and Tech Active ETF, and $483.0bn on Oct 27, 2026 for Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1.

IDEF on its own →QQQ on its own →

At a glance

−5.7%

IDEF total return, 1 year

+15.2%

QQQ total return, 1 year

0.55%

IDEF expense ratio

0.18%

QQQ expense ratio

Pair scorecard

QQQ costs 0.37 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 20.9 points; QQQ is far larger, $483.0bn against $3.7bn.

IDEF vs QQQ: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	IDEF	QQQ
Return
Measure	IDEF	QQQ
Total return, 1 year	−5.7%	+15.2%
Drawdown
Measure	IDEF	QQQ
Below its all-time high	17.0%, high on Mar 2, 2026
Below its high		4.5%, high on Oct 6, 2026
Benchmark
Measure	IDEF	QQQ
What it tracks	Defense	Nasdaq-100 Index
Cost and size
Measure	IDEF	QQQ
Expense ratio	0.55%	0.18%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026	$3.7bn	$483.0bn
Active share vs the S&P 500	92%
Holdings
Measure	IDEF	QQQ
Holdings in common	12%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund	37%	46.7%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method

What they share

12%

By the books each fund has filed, IDEF and QQQ hold 12% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

12% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first IDEF QQQ

SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES COR 2.93% 2.74%

PALANTIR TECHNOLOGIES CLASS A 3.02% 1.96%

PALO ALTO NETWORKS 1.46% 1.41%

MICROSOFT 1.34% 6.14%

CROWDSTRIKE HOLDINGS CLASS A 1.30% 1.18%

AMAZON.COM INC 0.94% 4.25%

FORTINET 0.85% 0.58%

BROADCOM INC 0.55% 2.53%

ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES 0.34% 3.93%

HONEYWELL AEROSPACE INC 0.63% 0.23%

INTEL CORPORATION 0.19% 2.12%

ROCKET LAB CORP 0.61% 0.15%

Only in one fund ↓

Only in IDEF

RTX 7.05%

LOCKHEED MARTIN 5.27%

GENERAL DYNAMICS CORP 4.15%

NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORP 3.92%

BOEING 3.44%

ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC 3.06%

AIRBUS GROUP 2.34%

THALES SA 2.15%

Only in QQQ

NVIDIA Corp 8.17%

Apple Inc 7.88%

Micron Technology Inc 4.50%

Tesla Inc 3.33%

Alphabet Inc 2.92%

Meta Platforms Inc 2.87%

Alphabet Inc 2.72%

Walmart Inc 2.49%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

IDEF iShares Defense Industrials and Tech Active ETF QQQ Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1

Where it sits Thematic ETF Stock ETF

Issuer iShares Invesco

What it is Defense Tracks the Nasdaq-100

Total return, 1 year −5.7% +15.2%

Its benchmark over the same days not measured +15.2% (QQQM)

Gap to its benchmark not measured 0.0 pts vs QQQM

Expense ratio 0.55% 0.18%

Already in the S&P 500 42.5% 95.7%

Holdings 155 103

Net assets, IDEF as of Oct 28, 2026 and QQQ as of Oct 27, 2026 $3.7bn $483.0bn

IDEF and QQQ on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

Alert

About each fund

IDEF

By weight, 42% of IDEF's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 92%. The top ten holdings are 37% of the fund across 155 positions, as published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 the fund returned −5.7% with distributions reinvested. It sits 17.0% below its all-time high of Mar 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 IDEF and QQQ in the same category?: IDEF 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, IDEF or QQQ?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IDEF returned −5.7% and QQQ +15.2%.
Which is cheaper, IDEF or QQQ?: QQQ is cheaper, by 0.37 percentage points a year. That is about $37 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
How much do IDEF and QQQ overlap with the S&P 500?: By their latest filed holdings, 42% of IDEF and 96% of QQQ by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.

Other comparisons

IDEF vs QQQM IDEF vs SCHG IDEF vs VUG IDEF vs IVV QQQ vs XAR QQQ vs SHLD PPA vs QQQ ITA vs QQQ

Where to next

IDEF on its own →QQQ on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →IDEF dividend history →IDEF holdings →QQQ dividend history →QQQ holdings →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

IDEF filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

IDEF prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for IDEF ↗

QQQ filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

QQQ prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Invesco page for QQQ ↗

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.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, IDEF against QQQ, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/idef-vs-qqq

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Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.