Data as of .
APLY vs YMAX: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year YMAX paid 39.0% of its price in cash against APLY’s 32.0%, though APLY returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: APLY scores higher
Was the payout funded by returns, or by your own capital?
A percentile among the 61 income ETFs writing on a single company. It is a position in a set, not a rating, and neither end of it is a recommendation. All income ETFs ranked by it · How it is computed
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, APLY and YMAX hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in APLY | Only in YMAX |
|---|---|
| TREASURY BILL 27.23% | YieldMax AMD Option Income Strategy ETF 6.95% |
| TREASURY BILL 19.97% | Yieldmax Amzn Option Income ETF 5.36% |
| TREASURY BILL 19.80% | Yieldmax Tsm Option Income Strategy ETF 5.01% |
| TREASURY BILL 19.47% | YieldMax Crypto Industry & Tec 4.99% |
| TREASURY BILL 13.52% | YieldMax GOOGL Option Income S 4.88% |
| YieldMax MARA Option Income Strategy ETF 4.80% | |
| YieldMax AI & Tech Portfolio Option Inco 4.72% | |
| YieldMax Semiconductor Portfolio Option 4.66% |
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 dated Apr 30, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APLY | YMAX | APLY | YMAX | APLY | YMAX | |
| 3 months | +7.7% | +1.9% | 8.2% | 10.4% | −4.8 pts | +0.8 pts |
| 6 months | +21.1% | +13.2% | 18.0% | 23.8% | −10.9 pts | −1.2 pts |
| 1 year | +25.7% | −0.7% | 32.0% | 39.0% | −17.2 pts | −17.7 pts |
| 3 years | +53.9% | not published | 70.2% | not published | −39.0 pts | not published |
| Since launch | +56.7% | +41.0% | 74.3% | 91.3% | −46.6 pts | −25.0 pts |
| APLY YieldMax(R) AAPL Option Income Strategy ETF Synthetic covered call on AAPL, paying weekly | YMAX YieldMax(R) Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs Synthetic covered call on SPY, paying weekly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | YieldMax | YieldMax |
| Strategy | synthetic covered call | synthetic covered call |
| Benchmark | Apple (AAPL) | S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy |
| Pays | weekly | weekly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 19.7% | 41.6% |
| Expense ratio | 1.04% | 1.33% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 32.0% | 39.0% |
| Price change, 1 year | −10.1% | −41.0% |
| Total return, 1 year | +25.7% | −0.7% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +42.8% | +17.0% |
| Ahead or behind | −17.2 pts | −17.7 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | 84% | 68% |
| Age | 1245 days | 971 days |
APLY in plain words
Over the year to Sep 14, 2026, APLY paid 32.0% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 10.1%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +25.7%. Apple (AAPL) returned +42.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 17.2 pts. At its price on Sep 14, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 19.7%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 84% of the distribution paid Sep 11, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterization rather than a measure of erosion).
YMAX in plain words
Over the year to Sep 14, 2026, YMAX paid 39.0% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 41.0%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −0.7%. S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy returned +17.0% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 17.7 pts. At its price on Sep 14, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 41.6%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 68% of the distribution paid Sep 10, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterization rather than a measure of erosion).
Questions people ask
- Which paid more, APLY or YMAX?
- Over the year to Sep 14, 2026, APLY paid 32.0% of its starting price in cash and YMAX paid 39.0%, so YMAX 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 YMAX?
- With every distribution reinvested, APLY returned +25.7% and YMAX returned −0.7% over the year to Sep 14, 2026, so APLY returned more.
- Which is cheaper, APLY or YMAX?
- APLY charges 1.04% a year and YMAX charges 1.33%, so APLY 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 YMAX, data as of Sep 14, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/aply-vs-ymax Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.