Which paid more, FGSI or ISPY?

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, FGSI paid 8.3% of its starting price in cash and ISPY paid 6.2%, so FGSI 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 ISPY?

With every distribution reinvested, FGSI returned +9.0% and ISPY +11.3% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.

Which is cheaper, FGSI or ISPY?

FGSI charges 0.85% a year and ISPY charges 0.55%, so ISPY is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Income ETFs

FGSI vs ISPY: Dividend Yield & Total Return

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Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, FGSI paid 8.3% of its price in cash against ISPY’s 6.2%, though ISPY returned more with it reinvested.

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Net assets: $2.0m on Nov 3, 2026 for FT Vest Growth Strength & Target Income ETF, and $1.2bn on Nov 4, 2026 for ProShares S&P 500 High Income ETF.

FGSI on its own →ISPY on its own →

At a glance

8.3%

FGSI cash paid, 1 year

6.2%

ISPY cash paid, 1 year

+9.0%

FGSI total return, 1 year

+11.3%

ISPY 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.

ISPY · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 3.5 pts behind SPY

ISPY

+11.3%

SPY

+14.8%

3.5 pts behind SPY

ISPY over 1 year: paid 6.2%, price +4.8%, total +11.3%, SPY +14.8%, −3.5 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

ISPY

+11.3%

6.2% of it arrived as cash

3.5 pts behind SPY

Total return, distributions reinvested

3.5 pts behind SPY

ISPY over 1 year: paid 6.2%, price +4.8%, total +11.3%, SPY +14.8%, −3.5 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

ISPY

+11.3%

3.5 pts behind SPY

6.2% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, 0 to +14.8%. ISPY over 1 year: paid 6.2%, price +4.8%, total +11.3%, SPY +14.8%, −3.5 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Both charts share one scale, 0 to +14.8%. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

ISPY costs 0.30 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.3 points; ISPY is far larger, $1.1bn against $2.0m.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

FGSI vs ISPY: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	FGSI	ISPY
Paid and earned
Measure	FGSI	ISPY
Total return, 1 year	+9.0%	+11.3%
Price change, 1 year	rose 0.2%	rose 4.8%
Return of capital, issuer estimate	53% of the Oct 30, 2026 payment	87% of the Nov 6, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	FGSI	ISPY
Benchmark	First Trust Growth Strength ETF, measured through FTGS	S&P 500, measured through SPY
Cost and size
Measure	FGSI	ISPY
Expense ratio	0.85%	0.55%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026	$2.0m	$1.1bn
Holdings
Measure	FGSI	ISPY
Holdings in common	13%

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

IQ Income Score63.2FGSI83.5ISPY

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

ISPY 83.5

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

13%

By the books each fund has filed, FGSI and ISPY hold 13% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Aug 31, 2026 and Nov 3, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

13% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first FGSI ISPY

Broadcom Inc. 2.02% 2.23%

NVIDIA Corporation 1.93% 6.80%

Meta Platforms, Inc. (Class A) 1.73% 1.60%

Eli Lilly and Company 2.25% 1.16%

Mastercard Incorporated 2.10% 0.60%

Palantir Technologies Inc. (Class A) 1.88% 0.54%

Netflix, Inc. 1.79% 0.43%

Salesforce, Inc. 1.84% 0.27%

Arista Networks, Inc. 1.91% 0.26%

Amphenol Corporation 2.11% 0.25%

Seagate Technology Holdings Plc 1.90% 0.24%

Marvell Technology, Inc. 1.51% 0.24%

Only in one fund ↓

Only in FGSI

United Therapeutics Corporation 2.25%

Five Below, Inc. 2.12%

2026-11-06 S&P 500® Mini Index C 758 -0.12%

Only in ISPY

Apple, Inc. 5.92%

Microsoft Corp. 4.80%

Amazon.com, Inc. 3.24%

Alphabet, Inc. 2.53%

Alphabet, Inc. 2.02%

Micron Technology, Inc. 1.38%

Tesla, Inc. 1.32%

JPMorgan Chase & Co. 1.22%

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 ISPY ProShares S&P 500 High Income ETF · Option income on SPY, paying monthly

Issuer First Trust ProShares

Strategy option income option income

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

Pays monthly monthly

Payout rate, annualized 8.3% 6.0%

Expense ratio 0.85% 0.55%

Cash paid, 1 year 8.3% 6.2%

Price change, 1 year +0.2% +4.8%

Total return, 1 year +9.0% +11.3%

Benchmark return, 1 year +8.8% +14.8%

Ahead or behind +0.2 pts −3.5 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate 53% 87%

Age 1.4 years 2.9 years

Net assets, FGSI as of Nov 3, 2026 and ISPY as of Nov 4, 2026 $2.0m $1.2bn

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 ISPY: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	FGSI	ISPY	FGSI	ISPY	FGSI	ISPY
3 months	−2.2%	−0.5%	2.0%	1.5%	+0.6 pts	−0.3 pts
6 months	+6.3%	+3.8%	4.3%	3.1%	+0.2 pts	−1.2 pts
1 year	+9.0%	+11.3%	8.3%	6.2%	+0.2 pts	−3.5 pts
Since launchNot the same days: FGSI Jun 2025 · ISPY Dec 2023	+13.6%	+54.0%	11.3%	27.1%	−0.7 pts	−15.1 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.

ISPY

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, ISPY paid 6.2% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 4.8%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +11.3%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 3.5 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 6.0%, paid monthly. ProShares estimates that 87% of the distribution paid Nov 6, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice).

Questions people ask

Which paid more, FGSI or ISPY?: Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, FGSI paid 8.3% of its starting price in cash and ISPY paid 6.2%, so FGSI 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 ISPY?: With every distribution reinvested, FGSI returned +9.0% and ISPY +11.3% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.
Which is cheaper, FGSI or ISPY?: FGSI charges 0.85% a year and ISPY charges 0.55%, so ISPY is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

FGSI vs NLSI FGSI vs TPRY FGSI vs OMAH FGSI vs ROCY ISPY vs XISE ISPY vs OARK ISPY vs SDTY ISPY vs YSPC

Where to next

First Trust Growth Strength ETF (FTGS) →S&P 500 (SPY) →FGSI on its own →ISPY on its own →FGSI dividend history →FGSI holdings →ISPY dividend history →ISPY 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 ↗

ISPY filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

ISPY prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

ISPY 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

ProShares page for ISPY ↗

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 ISPY, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/fgsi-vs-ispy

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