Data as of . Every figure is the income desk's own, on published data.
APLY vs MSFO
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, APLY and MSFO hold 76% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | APLY | MSFO |
|---|---|---|
| TREASURY BILL | 19.97% | 31.42% |
| TREASURY BILL | 19.47% | 32.44% |
| TREASURY BILL | 19.80% | 14.95% |
| TREASURY BILL | 27.23% | 12.47% |
| TREASURY BILL | 13.52% | 8.72% |
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings as filed for Apr 30, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APLY | MSFO | APLY | MSFO | APLY | MSFO | |
| 3 months | +0.6% | +16.0% | 8.1% | 11.2% | −3.6 pts | −4.2 pts |
| 6 months | +15.5% | +18.9% | 17.8% | 20.6% | −9.0 pts | −3.8 pts |
| 1 year | +18.6% | +0.3% | 30.9% | 27.9% | −15.3 pts | +1.1 pts |
| 3 years | +39.1% | +51.3% | 65.7% | 78.8% | −31.8 pts | −2.1 pts |
| Since launch | +51.5% | +55.5% | 74.1% | 81.0% | −43.8 pts | −2.8 pts |
| APLY YieldMax(R) AAPL Option Income Strategy ETF | MSFO YieldMax(R) MSFT Option Income Strategy ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | YieldMax | YieldMax |
| Strategy | synthetic covered call | synthetic covered call |
| Benchmark | Apple (AAPL) | Microsoft (MSFT) |
| Pays | weekly | weekly |
| Payout rate, annualised | 26.2% | 41.2% |
| Expense ratio | 1.04% | 1.03% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 30.9% | 27.9% |
| Price change, 1 year | −14.8% | −30.3% |
| Total return, 1 year | +18.6% | +0.3% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +33.9% | −0.8% |
| Ahead or behind | −15.3 pts | +1.1 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | 92% | 95% |
| Age | 1235 days | 1106 days |
APLY in plain words
Over the year to Sep 4, 2026, APLY paid 30.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 14.8%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +18.6%. Apple (AAPL) returned +33.9% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 15.3 pts. At its price on Sep 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualises to 26.2%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 92% of the distribution paid Sep 4, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterisation rather than a measure of erosion).
MSFO in plain words
Over the year to Sep 4, 2026, MSFO paid 27.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 30.3%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +0.3%. Microsoft (MSFT) returned −0.8% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 1.1 pts. At its price on Sep 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualises to 41.2%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 95% of the distribution paid Sep 4, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterisation rather than a measure of erosion).
Questions people ask
- Which paid more, APLY or MSFO?
- Over the year to Sep 4, 2026, APLY paid 30.9% of its starting price in cash and MSFO paid 27.9%, so APLY paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
- Which returned more once distributions are counted, APLY or MSFO?
- With every distribution reinvested, APLY returned +18.6% and MSFO returned +0.3% over the year to Sep 4, 2026, so APLY returned more.
- Which is cheaper, APLY or MSFO?
- APLY charges 1.04% a year and MSFO charges 1.03%, so MSFO is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
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, APLY against MSFO, data as of Sep 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/APLY-MSFO.html Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.