Which paid more, APRJ or QLDY?

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, APRJ paid 6.2% of its starting price in cash and QLDY paid 35.3%, so QLDY paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.

Which returned more once distributions are counted, APRJ or QLDY?

With every distribution reinvested, APRJ returned +6.2% and QLDY +9.1% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.

Which is cheaper, APRJ or QLDY?

APRJ charges 0.79% a year and QLDY charges 1.04%, so APRJ is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Income ETFs

APRJ vs QLDY: Dividend Yield & Total Return

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Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, QLDY paid 35.3% of its price in cash against APRJ’s 6.2%, and returned more with it reinvested.

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Net assets on Nov 3, 2026: $27m for Innovator Premium Income 30 Barrier ETF - April and $53m for Defiance Nasdaq 100 LightningSpread Income ETF.

APRJ on its own →QLDY on its own →

At a glance

6.2%

APRJ cash paid, 1 year

35.3%

QLDY cash paid, 1 year

+6.2%

APRJ total return, 1 year

+9.1%

QLDY total return, 1 year

APRJ · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 8.6 pts behind SPY

APRJ

+6.2%

SPY

+14.8%

8.6 pts behind SPY

APRJ over 1 year: paid 6.2%, price −0.1%, total +6.2%, SPY +14.8%, −8.6 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

APRJ

+6.2%

6.2% of it arrived as cash

8.6 pts behind SPY

Total return, distributions reinvested

8.6 pts behind SPY

APRJ over 1 year: paid 6.2%, price −0.1%, total +6.2%, SPY +14.8%, −8.6 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

APRJ

+6.2%

8.6 pts behind SPY

6.2% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. APRJ over 1 year: paid 6.2%, price −0.1%, total +6.2%, SPY +14.8%, −8.6 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QLDY · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 3.2 pts behind QQQ

QLDY

+9.1%

QQQ

+12.3%

3.2 pts behind QQQ

QLDY over 1 year: paid 35.3%, price −27.2%, total +9.1%, QQQ +12.3%, −3.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+12.3%

QLDY

+9.1%

35.3% of it arrived as cash

3.2 pts behind QQQ

Total return, distributions reinvested

3.2 pts behind QQQ

QLDY over 1 year: paid 35.3%, price −27.2%, total +9.1%, QQQ +12.3%, −3.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+12.3%

QLDY

+9.1%

35.3% cash

3.2 pts behind QQQ

35.3% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. QLDY over 1 year: paid 35.3%, price −27.2%, total +9.1%, QQQ +12.3%, −3.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

APRJ costs 0.25 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.9 points; QLDY is 2.0 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

APRJ vs QLDY: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	APRJ	QLDY
Paid and earned
Measure	APRJ	QLDY
Total return, 1 year	+6.2%	+9.1%
Price change, 1 year	fell 0.1%	fell 27.2%
Return of capital, issuer estimate	53% of the Oct 2, 2026 payment	0% of the Nov 2, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	APRJ	QLDY
Benchmark	S&P 500, measured through SPY	Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ
Cost and size
Measure	APRJ	QLDY
Expense ratio	0.79%	1.04%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026	$27m	$53m
Holdings
Measure	APRJ	QLDY
Holdings in common	0%

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

IQ Income Score56.6APRJ24.9QLDY

How much of its payouts the fund's total return covered, ranked against 167 income ETFs not writing on a single company. 100 is best. How it is computed

APRJ 56.6

QLDY 24.9

0.3, the lowest in this set 99.7, the highest

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

What they share

By the books each fund has filed, APRJ and QLDY hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Nov 4, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first APRJ QLDY

Only in one fund ↓

Only in APRJ

Only in QLDY

Ndx 12/18/2026 2001.44 C 92.84%

United States Treasury Note/bond 2.375% 05/15/2027 0.49%

Exchange Put Opt 11/26 28320 0.15%

Xnd 12/18/2026 10.44 C 0.05%

Nasdaq-1 Put Opt 11/26 28470 -0.24%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

APRJ Innovator Premium Income 30 Barrier ETF - April · Defined income on SPY, paying quarterly QLDY Defiance Nasdaq 100 LightningSpread Income ETF · Option income on QQQ, paying weekly

Issuer Innovator Defiance

Strategy defined income option income

Benchmark S&P 500 (SPY) Nasdaq-100 (QQQ)

Pays quarterly weekly

Payout rate, annualized 6.9% 19.7%

Expense ratio 0.79% 1.04%

Cash paid, 1 year 6.2% 35.3%

Price change, 1 year −0.1% −27.2%

Total return, 1 year +6.2% +9.1%

Benchmark return, 1 year +14.8% +12.3%

Ahead or behind −8.6 pts −3.2 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate 53% 0%

Age 3.6 years 1.1 years

Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026 $27m $53m

As of Nov 4, 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: APRJ vs QLDY: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	APRJ	QLDY	APRJ	QLDY	APRJ	QLDY
3 months	+1.0%	−4.5%	1.7%	9.5%	+1.2 pts	−1.1 pts
6 months	+2.5%	−3.1%	3.4%	18.5%	−2.5 pts	−2.8 pts
1 year	+6.2%	+9.1%	6.2%	35.3%	−8.6 pts	−3.2 pts
3 years	+19.2%	–	17.7%	–	−63.7 pts	–
Since launchNot the same days: APRJ Apr 2023 · QLDY Sep 2025	+24.5%	+13.2%	21.1%	39.1%	−70.4 pts	−3.7 pts

– means no data for this window. Open this comparison in the app →

Alert

About each fund

APRJ

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, APRJ paid 6.2% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 0.1%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +6.2%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 8.6 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 6.9%, paid quarterly. Innovator estimates that 53% of the distribution paid Oct 2, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice). That is a tax label, not a measure of erosion.

QLDY

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, QLDY paid 35.3% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 27.2%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +9.1%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +12.3% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 3.2 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 19.7%, paid weekly. Defiance estimates that 0% of the distribution paid Nov 2, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice).

Questions people ask

Which paid more, APRJ or QLDY?: Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, APRJ paid 6.2% of its starting price in cash and QLDY paid 35.3%, so QLDY paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
Which returned more once distributions are counted, APRJ or QLDY?: With every distribution reinvested, APRJ returned +6.2% and QLDY +9.1% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.
Which is cheaper, APRJ or QLDY?: APRJ charges 0.79% a year and QLDY charges 1.04%, so APRJ is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

APRJ vs QDTY APRJ vs IQQQ APRJ vs XQQI APRJ vs ROCQ QLDY vs TPRY QLDY vs XDTE QLDY vs IVVW QLDY vs PBP

Where to next

S&P 500 (SPY) →Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) →APRJ on its own →QLDY on its own →APRJ dividend history →QLDY dividend history →QLDY holdings →Method →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

APRJ filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

APRJ prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

APRJ 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

Innovator page for APRJ ↗

QLDY filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

QLDY prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

QLDY 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

Defiance page for QLDY ↗

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.

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ETFIQ, APRJ against QLDY, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/aprj-vs-qldy

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