Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
QYLD vs VYM: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, QYLD returned +19.3% to VYM's +18.0%, and VYM charges 0.04% to QYLD's 0.60%.
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Net assets: $8.5bn on Oct 12, 2026 for Global X NASDAQ 100 Covered Call ETF, and $78.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF.
Pair scorecard
VYM costs 0.56 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.3 points.
| Measure | QYLD | VYM |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +19.3% | +18.0% |
| Price change, 1 year | rose 5.8% | rose 15.2% |
| Latest payout, annualized | 11.9% | |
| Return of capital, issuer estimate | 99% of the Sep 24, 2026 payment | |
| Against its benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Benchmark: Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ | FTSE High Dividend Yield Index |
| Against its benchmark, same days | ahead by 4.1 pts | |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.60% | 0.04% |
| Net assets, QYLD as of Oct 12, 2026 and VYM as of Sep 30, 2026 | $8.5bn | $78.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 16% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 90% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 26.2% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Dec 20, 2013 to Oct 23, 2026 · 670 weekly returnsVYM returned more: +286.9% to +192.9%. QYLD swung less: 12.3% to 15.0%. QYLD fell less at its worst: −24.5% to −32.4%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | QYLD | VYM | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +192.9% | +286.9% | VYM | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +8.7% | +11.1% | VYM | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | −28.7% | +163.0% | VYM | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 12.3% | 15.0% | QYLD | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 9.2% | 10.7% | QYLD | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −24.5% | −32.4% | QYLD | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.58 | 0.64 | VYM | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.77 | 0.90 | VYM | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.35 | 0.34 | QYLD (slight) | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 670 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, QYLD and VYM hold 16% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026.
half
16% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
QYLD and VYM on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ. Cash paid: distributions over the window, as a share of the starting price.
QYLD and VYM do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. QYLD is measured against Nasdaq-100 through QQQ and VYM follows FTSE High Dividend Yield Index.
- Holdings in common. 16% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- Cost. QYLD charges 0.60% of assets a year and VYM 0.04%, a gap of 0.56 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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QYLD
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, QYLD paid 12.3% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 5.8%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +19.3%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +15.2% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 4.1 pts. At its price on Oct 28, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 11.9%, paid monthly. Global X estimates that 99% of the distribution paid Sep 24, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice). That is a tax label, not a measure of erosion.
VYM
VYM tracks an index of US high dividend. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +18.0% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.04% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 90% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 595 positions, with the top ten at 26.2%.
Questions people ask
- Are QYLD and VYM in the same category?
- QYLD is an option-income ETF and VYM 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, QYLD or VYM?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, QYLD returned +19.3% and VYM +18.0%.
- Which is cheaper, QYLD or VYM?
- VYM is cheaper, by 0.56 percentage points a year. That is about $56 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, QYLD against VYM, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qyld-vs-vym
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[QYLD against VYM (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qyld-vs-vym)
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