Which is cheaper, BALQ or QLDY?

BALQ charges 0.35% a year and QLDY charges 1.04%, so BALQ is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Income ETFs

BALQ vs QLDY: Dividend Yield & Total Return

BALQ and QLDY both write options for income.

askIQ about this page

Net assets on Nov 3, 2026: $43m for iShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETF and $53m for Defiance Nasdaq 100 LightningSpread Income ETF.

BALQ on its own →QLDY on its own →

At a glance

10.0%

BALQ cash paid, since launch, Dec 3, 2025

35.3%

QLDY cash paid, 1 year

+15.6%

BALQ total return, since launch, Dec 3, 2025

+9.1%

QLDY total return, 1 year

BALQ · since launch to Nov 4, 2026 4.1 pts ahead of QQQ

BALQ

+15.6%

QQQ

+11.5%

4.1 pts ahead of QQQ

BALQ since launch: paid 10.0%, price +5.1%, total +15.6%, QQQ +11.5%, +4.1 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+11.5%

BALQ

+15.6%

10.0% of it arrived as cash

4.1 pts ahead of QQQ

Total return, distributions reinvested

4.1 pts ahead of QQQ

BALQ since launch: paid 10.0%, price +5.1%, total +15.6%, QQQ +11.5%, +4.1 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+11.5%

BALQ

+15.6%

10.0% cash

4.1 pts ahead of QQQ

10.0% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. BALQ since launch: paid 10.0%, price +5.1%, total +15.6%, QQQ +11.5%, +4.1 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

BALQ costs 0.69 points a year less; QLDY is 1.2 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

BALQ vs QLDY: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	BALQ	QLDY
Paid and earned
Measure	BALQ	QLDY
Total return, 1 year	not published	+9.1%
Price change	rose 5.1% (since Dec 3, 2025)	fell 27.2% (1 year)
Return of capital, issuer estimate	97% of the Nov 5, 2026 payment	0% of the Nov 2, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	BALQ	QLDY
Benchmark	Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ	Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ
Cost and size
Measure	BALQ	QLDY
Expense ratio	0.35%	1.04%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026	$43m	$53m
Holdings
Measure	BALQ	QLDY
Holdings in common	0%

Method

What they share

By the books each fund has filed, BALQ and QLDY hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Nov 3, 2026 and Nov 4, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first BALQ QLDY

Only in one fund ↓

Only in BALQ

NVIDIA 8.33%

APPLE 7.82%

MICROSOFT 7.46%

AMAZON.COM INC 5.04%

MICRON TECHNOLOGY 4.74%

ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES 4.10%

COSTCO WHOLESALE CORP 3.46%

META PLATFORMS CLASS A 3.09%

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

BALQ iShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETF · Covered call on QQQ, paying monthly QLDY Defiance Nasdaq 100 LightningSpread Income ETF · Option income on QQQ, paying weekly

Issuer iShares Defiance

Strategy covered call option income

Benchmark Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) Nasdaq-100 (QQQ)

Pays monthly weekly

Payout rate, annualized 8.5% 19.7%

Expense ratio 0.35% 1.04%

Cash paid, 1 year 10.0% (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) 35.3%

Price change, 1 year +5.1% (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) −27.2%

Total return, 1 year +15.6% (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) +9.1%

Benchmark return, 1 year +11.5% (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) +12.3%

Ahead or behind +4.1 pts (since launch, Dec 3, 2025) −3.2 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate 97% 0%

Age 336 days 1.1 years

Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026 $43m $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: BALQ vs QLDY: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	BALQ	QLDY	BALQ	QLDY	BALQ	QLDY
3 months	−3.8%	−4.5%	2.1%	9.5%	−0.3 pts	−1.1 pts
6 months	+1.3%	−3.1%	5.2%	18.5%	+1.7 pts	−2.8 pts
1 year	–	+9.1%	–	35.3%	–	−3.2 pts
Since launchNot the same days: BALQ Dec 2025 · QLDY Sep 2025	+15.6%	+13.2%	10.0%	39.1%	+4.1 pts	−3.7 pts

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

Alert

About each fund

BALQ

Over the period from its first trade on Dec 3, 2025 to Nov 4, 2026, BALQ paid 10.0% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 5.1%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +15.6%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +11.5% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 4.1 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 8.5%, paid monthly. iShares estimates that 97% of the distribution paid Nov 5, 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 is cheaper, BALQ or QLDY?: BALQ charges 0.35% a year and QLDY charges 1.04%, so BALQ is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

BALQ vs QDTY BALQ vs IQQQ BALQ vs XQQI BALQ vs ROCQ QLDY vs QQQY QLDY vs XQQI QLDY vs ROCQ QLDY vs FTQI

Where to next

Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) →All income ETFs ranked by the Distribution Coverage Score →How the scores are computed →BALQ on its own →QLDY on its own →BALQ dividend history →BALQ holdings →QLDY dividend history →QLDY holdings →Method →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

BALQ filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

BALQ prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

BALQ 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

iShares page for BALQ ↗

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

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

Open data →

Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.