Which paid more, APLY or QYLD?

Over the year to Oct 30, 2026, APLY paid 28.2% of its starting price in cash and QYLD paid 12.3%, 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 QYLD?

With every distribution reinvested, APLY returned +17.4% and QYLD +15.8% over the year to Oct 30, 2026.

Which is cheaper, APLY or QYLD?

APLY charges 1.04% a year and QYLD charges 0.60%, so QYLD is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Oct 30, 2026.

Income ETFs

APLY vs QYLD: Dividend Yield & Total Return

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Over the year to Oct 30, 2026, APLY paid 28.2% of its price in cash against QYLD’s 12.3%, and returned more with it reinvested.

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Net assets: $112m on Oct 29, 2026 for YieldMax AAPL Option Income Strategy ETF, and $8.5bn on Oct 12, 2026 for Global X NASDAQ 100 Covered Call ETF.

APLY on its own →QYLD on its own →

At a glance

28.2%

APLY cash paid, 1 year

12.3%

QYLD cash paid, 1 year

+17.4%

APLY total return, 1 year

+15.8%

QYLD total return, 1 year

APLY · 1 year to Oct 30, 2026 10.1 pts behind AAPL

APLY

+17.4%

AAPL

+27.5%

10.1 pts behind AAPL

APLY over 1 year: paid 28.2%, price −14.3%, total +17.4%, AAPL +27.5%, −10.1 pts. Data to Oct 30, 2026.

AAPL

+27.5%

APLY

+17.4%

28.2% of it arrived as cash

10.1 pts behind AAPL

Total return, distributions reinvested

10.1 pts behind AAPL

APLY over 1 year: paid 28.2%, price −14.3%, total +17.4%, AAPL +27.5%, −10.1 pts. Data to Oct 30, 2026.

AAPL

+27.5%

APLY

+17.4%

28.2% cash

10.1 pts behind AAPL

28.2% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. APLY over 1 year: paid 28.2%, price −14.3%, total +17.4%, AAPL +27.5%, −10.1 pts. Data to Oct 30, 2026.

Data to Oct 30, 2026.

QYLD · 1 year to Oct 30, 2026 5 pts ahead of QQQ

QYLD

+15.8%

QQQ

+10.8%

5 pts ahead of QQQ

QYLD over 1 year: paid 12.3%, price +2.7%, total +15.8%, QQQ +10.8%, +5.0 pts. Data to Oct 30, 2026.

QQQ

+10.8%

QYLD

+15.8%

12.3% of it arrived as cash

5 pts ahead of QQQ

Total return, distributions reinvested

5 pts ahead of QQQ

QYLD over 1 year: paid 12.3%, price +2.7%, total +15.8%, QQQ +10.8%, +5.0 pts. Data to Oct 30, 2026.

QQQ

+10.8%

QYLD

+15.8%

5 pts ahead of QQQ

12.3% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. QYLD over 1 year: paid 12.3%, price +2.7%, total +15.8%, QQQ +10.8%, +5.0 pts. Data to Oct 30, 2026.

Data to Oct 30, 2026.

Pair scorecard

QYLD costs 0.44 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.6 points; QYLD is far larger, $8.5bn against $120m.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

APLY vs QYLD: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	APLY	QYLD
Paid and earned
Measure	APLY	QYLD
Total return, 1 year	+17.4%	+15.8%
Price change, 1 year	fell 14.3%	rose 2.7%
Return of capital, issuer estimate		99% of the Sep 24, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	APLY	QYLD
Benchmark	Apple (AAPL)	Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ
Against its benchmark, same days	behind by 10.1 pts	ahead by 5.0 pts
Cost and size
Measure	APLY	QYLD
Expense ratio	1.04%	0.60%
Net assets, as of Oct 12, 2026	$120m	$8.5bn
Holdings
Measure	APLY	QYLD
Holdings in common	0%

ETFIQ Distribution Coverage Score · APLY scores higher How much of what it paid out did its total return cover?

APLY among the 74 income ETFs writing on a single company

IQ Income Score87.2APLY76.2QYLD

How much of its payouts the fund's total return covered, ranked against 74 income ETFs writing on a single company and 166 income ETFs not writing on a single company. 100 is best. How it is computed

APLY 87.2

0.7, the lowest in this set 99.3, the highest

QYLD among the 166 income ETFs not writing on a single company

QYLD 76.2

0.3, the lowest in this set 99.7, the highest

A percentile among the 74 income ETFs writing on a single company. QYLD is a percentile among the 166 income ETFs not writing on a single company, a different set, so the two marks are not on one scale. One year only, and a ratio of two published numbers: it says nothing about where a distribution came from. All income ETFs ranked by it →

Method

Risk and return

Apr 28, 2023 to Oct 30, 2026 · 183 weekly returns

APLY QYLD

Return

Total return edge APLY (slight) +60.1% +58.2%

Annualized edge APLY (slight) +14.3% +13.9%

Price return edge QYLD −41.9% +3.5%

Risk

Volatility edge QYLD 21.0% 11.3%

Max drawdown edge QYLD −24.1% −17.5%

Downside capture 91.7% 64.8%

Beta 0.78 0.55

Risk-adjusted

Sharpe edge QYLD 0.53 0.80

Sortino edge QYLD 0.71 1.15

Treynor 0.141 0.127

Calmar edge QYLD 0.59 0.80

Against the benchmark

Alpha −4.1% a year −2.3% a year

Alpha t-stat −1.46 −1.37

Information ratio −1.08 −0.93

Tracking error 7.8% 10.6%

Each against its own benchmark: APLY against AAPL, Apr 28, 2023 to Oct 30, 2026; QYLD against QQQ, Dec 20, 2013 to Oct 30, 2026.

Reading

From Apr 2023 to Oct 2026, APLY returned slightly more: +60.1% to +58.2%. QYLD swung less: 11.3% to 21.0%. QYLD fell less at its worst: −17.5% to −24.1%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓

Risk and return: APLY vs QYLD: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	APLY	QYLD	Edge	How it is measured
Return
Total return	+60.1%	+58.2%	APLY (slight)	Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized	+14.3%	+13.9%	APLY (slight)	Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return	−41.9%	+3.5%	QYLD	Price change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility	21.0%	11.3%	QYLD	Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation	15.5%	7.9%	QYLD	Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown	−24.1%	−17.5%	QYLD	Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture	66.1%	37.8%		Share of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture	91.7%	64.8%		Share of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta	0.78	0.55	Not an edge	How far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared	0.94	0.77	Not an edge	Share of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe	0.53	0.80	QYLD	Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino	0.71	1.15	QYLD	Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor	0.141	0.127		Return above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar	0.59	0.80	QYLD	Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
Benchmark	AAPL	QQQ		The ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha	−4.1% a year	−2.3% a year	Not significant	Yearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat	−1.46	−1.37	Not an edge	How sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range	−9.7% to +1.4%	−5.5% to +1.0%	Includes zero	The 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio	−1.08	−0.93		Return against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error	7.8%	10.6%	Not an edge	How far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 183 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

By the books each fund has filed, APLY and QYLD hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 30, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first APLY QYLD

Only in one fund ↓

Only in APLY

United States Treasury Note/Bond 3.375% 09/15/2027 25.99%

United States Treasury Note/Bond 2.375% 05/15/2027 13.87%

AAPL 12/18/2026 310.01 C 12.07%

AAPL US 11/06/26 C360 0.46%

AAPL US 11/06/26 C362.5 0.20%

AAPL US 11/06/26 C355 -0.41%

AAPL US 11/06/26 C352.5 -0.93%

AAPL 12/18/2026 310.01 P -1.07%

Only in QYLD

NVIDIA CORPORATION 8.20%

APPLE INC. 7.65%

MICROSOFT CORPORATION 5.82%

AMAZON.COM, INC. 4.93%

MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4.32%

ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES, INC. 3.62%

ALPHABET INC. 3.50%

ALPHABET INC. 3.28%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

APLY YieldMax AAPL Option Income Strategy ETF · Synthetic covered call on AAPL, paying weekly QYLD Global X NASDAQ 100 Covered Call ETF · Covered call on QQQ, paying monthly

Issuer YieldMax Global X

Strategy synthetic covered call covered call

Benchmark Apple (AAPL) Nasdaq-100 (QQQ)

Pays weekly monthly

Payout rate, annualized 25.3% 12.2%

Expense ratio 1.04% 0.60%

Cash paid, 1 year 28.2% 12.3%

Price change, 1 year −14.3% +2.7%

Total return, 1 year +17.4% +15.8%

Benchmark return, 1 year +27.5% +10.8%

Ahead or behind −10.1 pts +5.0 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate not published 99%

Age 3.5 years 12.9 years

Net assets, APLY as of Oct 29, 2026 and QYLD as of Oct 12, 2026 $112m $8.5bn

As of Oct 30, 2026. Source: ETFIQ. Cash paid: distributions over the window, as a share of the starting price. Payout rate: the latest payment, annualized, over today’s price.

Window by window

Window by window: APLY vs QYLD: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	APLY	QYLD	APLY	QYLD	APLY	QYLD
3 months	+9.1%	+3.9%	6.6%	3.1%	−2.6 pts	+3.4 pts
6 months	+15.3%	+5.3%	16.8%	6.0%	−8.0 pts	+2.7 pts
1 year	+17.4%	+15.8%	28.2%	12.3%	−10.0 pts	+5.0 pts
3 years	+60.7%	+55.2%	72.3%	38.7%	−43.8 pts	−44.9 pts
Since launchNot the same days: APLY Apr 2023 · QYLD Dec 2013	+62.2%	+193.3%	76.5%	117.5%	−48.2 pts	−610.1 pts

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About each fund

APLY

Over the year to Oct 30, 2026, APLY paid 28.2% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 14.3%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +17.4%. Apple (AAPL) returned +27.5% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 10.1 pts. At its price on Oct 30, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 25.3%, paid weekly.

QYLD

Over the year to Oct 30, 2026, QYLD paid 12.3% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 2.7%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +15.8%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +10.8% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 5.0 pts. At its price on Oct 30, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 12.2%, 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.

Questions people ask

Which paid more, APLY or QYLD?: Over the year to Oct 30, 2026, APLY paid 28.2% of its starting price in cash and QYLD paid 12.3%, 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 QYLD?: With every distribution reinvested, APLY returned +17.4% and QYLD +15.8% over the year to Oct 30, 2026.
Which is cheaper, APLY or QYLD?: APLY charges 1.04% a year and QYLD charges 0.60%, so QYLD is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

APLY vs QQQI APLY vs GPIQ APLY vs JEPQ APLY vs QDTE QYLD vs OVLH QYLD vs DOGG QYLD vs MAGY QYLD vs VAIE

Where to next

Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) →APLY on its own →QYLD on its own →APLY dividend history →APLY holdings →QYLD dividend history →QYLD holdings →Method →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

APLY filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

APLY prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

APLY 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

YieldMax page for APLY ↗

QYLD filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

QYLD prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

QYLD 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

Global X page for QYLD ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

How this is computed

It is a place in a set, not a rating or a recommendation.

Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.

Every number is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, APLY against QYLD, data as of Oct 30, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/aply-vs-qyld

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