Data as of Sep 19, 2026.
QIS vs TLT: how they differ
Over the year TLT returned more, −4.7% to QIS's −37.0%, and TLT charges 0.15% to QIS's 1.21%.
Simplify Multi-QIS Alternative ETF and iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF.
| QIS Simplify Multi-QIS Alternative ETF | TLT iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Alternatives ETF | Core fund |
| Issuer | Simplify | iShares |
| What it is | Multi-strategy | Tracks an index of 20+ year Treasuries |
| Total return, 1 year | −37.0% | −4.7% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +16.6% | +16.6% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −53.5 pts | −21.3 pts |
| Expense ratio | 1.21% | 0.15% |
| Holdings | not filed | 49 |
| Net assets | $46m | $46.7bn |
QIS in plain words
QIS is a multi-strategy fund. ETFIQ measures what every alternatives fund is sold on: whether it moves differently from the stock market. Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, its weekly returns had a correlation of −0.15 with the S&P 500’s and a beta of −0.49, so for each 1% the index moved it moved about 0.49% the other way. The S&P 500 fell in 22 of those 52 weeks, by 1.24% on average. In the same weeks QIS fell 0.74% on average, a down-week capture of 59.6%. Over the same 52 weeks QIS returned −37.8% and a Treasury bill fund +3.6%, so it finished 41.5 percentage points behind cash.
TLT in plain words
TLT tracks an index of 20+ year Treasuries. Over the year to Sep 18, 2026 it returned −4.7% with distributions reinvested, against +16.6% for the S&P 500 and +21.8% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. It sat 42.6% below its high of Aug 4, 2020 on Sep 18, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, QIS or TLT?
- In the year to Sep 19, 2026, with distributions reinvested, QIS returned −37.0% and TLT returned −4.7%, so TLT returned more.
- Which is cheaper, QIS or TLT?
- QIS charges 1.21% a year and TLT charges 0.15%, so TLT is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- Are QIS and TLT the same kind of fund?
- No. QIS is an alternatives ETF and TLT 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
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, QIS against TLT, data as of Sep 19, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qis-vs-tlt Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources