Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
QQQ vs SCHD: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, QQQ returned +15.2% to SCHD's +34.5%; 5% of their weight is in the same names.
askIQ about this page
askIQ about QQQ and SCHD
Net assets: $483.0bn on Oct 27, 2026 for Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1, and $112.3bn on Aug 31, 2026 for Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF.
Pair scorecard
SCHD costs 0.12 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 19.3 points.
| Measure | QQQ | SCHD |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +15.2% | +34.5% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.5%, high on Oct 6, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Nasdaq-100 Index | Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.18% | 0.06% |
| Net assets, QQQ as of Oct 27, 2026 and SCHD as of Aug 31, 2026 | $483.0bn | $112.3bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 5% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 46.7% | 41.7% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Aug 31, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Oct 28, 2011 to Oct 23, 2026 · 782 weekly returnsQQQ returned more: +1,260.5% to +554.4%. SCHD swung less: 14.8% to 18.9%. SCHD fell less at its worst: −31.5% to −35.1%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | QQQ | SCHD | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +1,260.5% | +554.4% | QQQ | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +19.0% | +13.3% | QQQ | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +1,095.1% | +306.8% | QQQ | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 18.9% | 14.8% | SCHD | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 12.5% | 10.4% | SCHD | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −35.1% | −31.5% | SCHD | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.93 | 0.80 | QQQ | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 1.40 | 1.15 | QQQ | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.54 | 0.42 | QQQ | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 782 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, QQQ and SCHD hold 5% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Aug 31, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
5% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
QQQ and SCHD on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
QQQ and SCHD do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. QQQ follows Nasdaq-100 Index and SCHD follows Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index.
- Holdings in common. 5% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 QQQ returned +15.2% and SCHD +34.5% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 19.3 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
Free. It needs an email sign-in, once.
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.
SCHD
SCHD tracks an index of US dividend. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +34.5% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% a year. By its holdings filed for Aug 31, 2026, 95% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 99 positions, with the top ten at 41.7%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, QQQ or SCHD?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, QQQ returned +15.2% and SCHD +34.5%.
- Which is cheaper, QQQ or SCHD?
- SCHD is cheaper, by 0.12 percentage points a year. That is about $12 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.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, QQQ against SCHD, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qqq-vs-schd
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). QQQ against SCHD. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qqq-vs-schd
[QQQ against SCHD (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qqq-vs-schd)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.