Which paid more, FGSI or FTHI?

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, FGSI paid 8.3% of its starting price in cash and FTHI paid 8.9%, so FTHI paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.

Which returned more once distributions are counted, FGSI or FTHI?

With every distribution reinvested, FGSI returned +9.0% and FTHI +8.1% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.

Which is cheaper, FGSI or FTHI?

FGSI charges 0.85% a year and FTHI charges 0.75%, so FTHI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Income ETFs

FGSI vs FTHI: Dividend Yield & Total Return

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Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, FTHI paid 8.9% of its price in cash against FGSI’s 8.3%, though FGSI returned more with it reinvested.

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Net assets on Nov 3, 2026: $2.0m for FT Vest Growth Strength & Target Income ETF and $2.5bn for First Trust BuyWrite Income ETF.

FGSI on its own →FTHI on its own →

At a glance

8.3%

FGSI cash paid, 1 year

8.9%

FTHI cash paid, 1 year

+9.0%

FGSI total return, 1 year

+8.1%

FTHI total return, 1 year

FGSI · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 About even with FTGS

FGSI

+9.0%

FTGS

+8.8%

About even with FTGS

FGSI over 1 year: paid 8.3%, price +0.2%, total +9.0%, FTGS +8.8%, +0.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

FTGS

+8.8%

FGSI

+9.0%

8.3% of it arrived as cash

about even with FTGS

Total return, distributions reinvested

About even with FTGS

FGSI over 1 year: paid 8.3%, price +0.2%, total +9.0%, FTGS +8.8%, +0.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

FTGS

+8.8%

FGSI

+9.0%

8.3% cash

about even with FTGS

8.3% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. FGSI over 1 year: paid 8.3%, price +0.2%, total +9.0%, FTGS +8.8%, +0.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

FTHI · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 6.7 pts behind SPY

FTHI

+8.1%

SPY

+14.8%

6.7 pts behind SPY

FTHI over 1 year: paid 8.9%, price −1.2%, total +8.1%, SPY +14.8%, −6.7 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

FTHI

+8.1%

8.9% of it arrived as cash

6.7 pts behind SPY

Total return, distributions reinvested

6.7 pts behind SPY

FTHI over 1 year: paid 8.9%, price −1.2%, total +8.1%, SPY +14.8%, −6.7 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

FTHI

+8.1%

8.9% cash

6.7 pts behind SPY

8.9% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. FTHI over 1 year: paid 8.9%, price −1.2%, total +8.1%, SPY +14.8%, −6.7 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

FTHI costs 0.10 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.9 points; FTHI is far larger, $2.5bn against $2.0m.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

FGSI vs FTHI: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	FGSI	FTHI
Paid and earned
Measure	FGSI	FTHI
Total return, 1 year	+9.0%	+8.1%
Price change, 1 year	rose 0.2%	fell 1.2%
Return of capital, issuer estimate	53% of the Oct 30, 2026 payment	92% of the Oct 30, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	FGSI	FTHI
Benchmark	First Trust Growth Strength ETF, measured through FTGS	S&P 500, measured through SPY
Cost and size
Measure	FGSI	FTHI
Expense ratio	0.85%	0.75%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026	$2.0m	$2.5bn
Holdings
Measure	FGSI	FTHI
Holdings in common	9%

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

IQ Income Score63.2FGSI52.4FTHI

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

FGSI 63.2

FTHI 52.4

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, FGSI and FTHI hold 9% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Nov 3, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

9% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first FGSI FTHI

NVIDIA Corporation 1.93% 6.59%

Broadcom Inc. 2.02% 1.92%

Meta Platforms, Inc. (Class A) 1.73% 1.25%

Eli Lilly and Company 2.25% 1.19%

Fortinet, Inc. 1.51% 0.97%

Palantir Technologies Inc. (Class A) 1.88% 0.75%

Comfort Systems USA, Inc. 1.79% 0.42%

Netflix, Inc. 1.79% 0.35%

Applovin Corp. (Class A) 1.83% 0.04%

Only in one fund ↓

Only in FGSI

Vertiv Holdings Co (Class A) 2.28%

United Therapeutics Corporation 2.25%

Blackstone Inc. 2.21%

Delta Air Lines, Inc. 2.20%

Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. 2.18%

General Dynamics Corporation 2.16%

S&P Global Inc. 2.16%

Cincinnati Financial Corporation 2.15%

Only in FTHI

Apple Inc. 7.86%

Microsoft Corporation 3.18%

JPMorgan Chase & Co. 2.65%

Amazon.com, Inc. 2.57%

ASML Holding N.V. (New York Registry Shares) 2.06%

Costco Wholesale Corporation 2.04%

Alphabet Inc. (Class A) 1.99%

Bank of America Corporation 1.97%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

FGSI FT Vest Growth Strength & Target Income ETF · Writes calls on the S&P 500, measured against The Growth Strength Index, paying monthly FTHI First Trust BuyWrite Income ETF · Covered call on SPY, paying monthly

Issuer First Trust First Trust

Strategy option income covered call

Benchmark First Trust Growth Strength ETF (FTGS) S&P 500 (SPY)

Pays monthly monthly

Payout rate, annualized 8.3% 9.0%

Expense ratio 0.85% 0.75%

Cash paid, 1 year 8.3% 8.9%

Price change, 1 year +0.2% −1.2%

Total return, 1 year +9.0% +8.1%

Benchmark return, 1 year +8.8% +14.8%

Ahead or behind +0.2 pts −6.7 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate 53% 92%

Age 1.4 years 12.8 years

Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026 $2.0m $2.5bn

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: FGSI vs FTHI: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	FGSI	FTHI	FGSI	FTHI	FGSI	FTHI
3 months	−2.2%	−0.5%	2.0%	2.2%	+0.6 pts	−0.3 pts
6 months	+6.3%	+2.5%	4.3%	4.4%	+0.2 pts	−2.5 pts
1 year	+9.0%	+8.1%	8.3%	8.9%	+0.2 pts	−6.7 pts
3 years	–	+48.1%	–	29.7%	–	−34.8 pts
Since launchNot the same days: FGSI Jun 2025 · FTHI Jan 2014	+13.6%	+155.0%	11.3%	84.3%	−0.7 pts	−262.6 pts

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Alert

About each fund

FGSI

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, FGSI paid 8.3% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 0.2%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +9.0%. First Trust Growth Strength ETF (FTGS) returned +8.8% over the same days, so a holder was about even. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 8.3%, paid monthly. First Trust estimates that 53% of the distribution paid Oct 30, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice). That is a tax label, not a measure of erosion.

FTHI

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, FTHI paid 8.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 1.2%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +8.1%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 6.7 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 9.0%, paid monthly. First Trust estimates that 92% of the distribution paid Oct 30, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice).

Questions people ask

Which paid more, FGSI or FTHI?: Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, FGSI paid 8.3% of its starting price in cash and FTHI paid 8.9%, so FTHI paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
Which returned more once distributions are counted, FGSI or FTHI?: With every distribution reinvested, FGSI returned +9.0% and FTHI +8.1% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.
Which is cheaper, FGSI or FTHI?: FGSI charges 0.85% a year and FTHI charges 0.75%, so FTHI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

FGSI vs XYLD FGSI vs ISPY FGSI vs OMAH FGSI vs GPIX FTHI vs TPAY FTHI vs ODTE FTHI vs KIQQ FTHI vs XVSP

Where to next

First Trust Growth Strength ETF (FTGS) →S&P 500 (SPY) →FGSI on its own →FTHI on its own →FGSI dividend history →FGSI holdings →FTHI dividend history →FTHI holdings →Method →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

FGSI filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

FGSI prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

FGSI 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

First Trust page for FGSI ↗

FTHI filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

FTHI prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

FTHI 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

First Trust page for FTHI ↗

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, FGSI against FTHI, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/fgsi-vs-fthi

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