Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
QQQ vs VUG: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, QQQ returned +15.2% to VUG's +6.6%; 61% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $483.0bn on Oct 27, 2026 for Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1, and $232.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF.
Pair scorecard
VUG costs 0.15 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 8.6 points.
| Measure | QQQ | VUG |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +15.2% | +6.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.5%, high on Oct 6, 2026 | 4.1%, high on Oct 6, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Nasdaq-100 Index | Morningstar US Large Cap Growth Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.18% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, QQQ as of Oct 27, 2026 and VUG as of Sep 30, 2026 | $483.0bn | $232.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 61% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 46.7% | 63.1% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Feb 6, 2004 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,185 weekly returnsQQQ returned more: +2,150.0% to +1,211.3%. VUG swung slightly less: 18.6% to 19.8%. VUG fell slightly less at its worst: −49.9% to −51.4%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | QQQ | VUG | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +2,150.0% | +1,211.3% | QQQ | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +14.6% | +12.0% | QQQ | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +1,797.1% | +938.6% | QQQ | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 19.8% | 18.6% | VUG (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 13.5% | 12.8% | VUG (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −51.4% | −49.9% | VUG (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.70 | 0.60 | QQQ | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 1.02 | 0.87 | QQQ | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.28 | 0.24 | QQQ | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,185 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, QQQ and VUG hold 61% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
61% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
QQQ and VUG on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
QQQ and VUG are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. QQQ follows Nasdaq-100 Index and VUG follows Morningstar US Large Cap Growth Index.
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 QQQ returned +15.2% and VUG +6.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 8.6 points.
- Cost. QQQ charges 0.18% of assets a year and VUG 0.03%, a gap of 0.15 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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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.
VUG
VUG tracks an index of US growth. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +6.6% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 97% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 137 positions, with the top ten at 63.1%. It sat 4.1% below its high of Oct 6, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, QQQ or VUG?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, QQQ returned +15.2% and VUG +6.6%.
- Which is cheaper, QQQ or VUG?
- VUG is cheaper, by 0.15 percentage points a year. That is about $15 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, QQQ against VUG, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qqq-vs-vug
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). QQQ against VUG. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qqq-vs-vug
[QQQ against VUG (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qqq-vs-vug)
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