Which paid more, FGSI or QQQY?

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, FGSI paid 8.3% of its starting price in cash and QQQY paid 29.9%, so QQQY 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 QQQY?

With every distribution reinvested, FGSI returned +9.0% and QQQY +13.6% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.

Which is cheaper, FGSI or QQQY?

FGSI charges 0.85% a year and QQQY charges 1.01%, so FGSI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Income ETFs

FGSI vs QQQY: Dividend Yield & Total Return

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Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, QQQY paid 29.9% of its price in cash against FGSI’s 8.3%, and 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 $178m for Defiance Nasdaq 100 Weekly Distribution ETF.

FGSI on its own →QQQY on its own →

At a glance

8.3%

FGSI cash paid, 1 year

29.9%

QQQY cash paid, 1 year

+9.0%

FGSI total return, 1 year

+13.6%

QQQY 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.

QQQY · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 1.3 pts ahead of QQQ

QQQY

+13.6%

QQQ

+12.3%

1.3 pts ahead of QQQ

QQQY over 1 year: paid 29.9%, price −17.8%, total +13.6%, QQQ +12.3%, +1.3 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+12.3%

QQQY

+13.6%

29.9% of it arrived as cash

1.3 pts ahead of QQQ

Total return, distributions reinvested

1.3 pts ahead of QQQ

QQQY over 1 year: paid 29.9%, price −17.8%, total +13.6%, QQQ +12.3%, +1.3 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+12.3%

QQQY

+13.6%

29.9% as cash

1.3 pts ahead of QQQ

29.9% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. QQQY over 1 year: paid 29.9%, price −17.8%, total +13.6%, QQQ +12.3%, +1.3 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

FGSI costs 0.16 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 4.6 points; QQQY is far larger, $178m against $2.0m.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

FGSI vs QQQY: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	FGSI	QQQY
Paid and earned
Measure	FGSI	QQQY
Total return, 1 year	+9.0%	+13.6%
Price change, 1 year	rose 0.2%	fell 17.8%
Return of capital, issuer estimate	53% of the Oct 30, 2026 payment	81% of the Oct 30, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	FGSI	QQQY
Benchmark	First Trust Growth Strength ETF, measured through FTGS	Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ
Cost and size
Measure	FGSI	QQQY
Expense ratio	0.85%	1.01%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026	$2.0m	$178m
Holdings
Measure	FGSI	QQQY
Holdings in common	0%

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

IQ Income Score63.2FGSI33.8QQQY

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

QQQY 33.8

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 QQQY 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 FGSI QQQY

Only in one fund ↓

Only in FGSI

Vertiv Holdings Co (Class A) 2.28%

Eli Lilly and Company 2.25%

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%

Only in QQQY

Ndx 12/18/2026 1000.34 C 98.45%

Ndx 11/05/2026 28516.79 C 0.38%

Ndx 11/05/2026 28437.17 C -0.51%

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 QQQY Defiance Nasdaq 100 Weekly Distribution ETF · Option income on QQQ, paying weekly

Issuer First Trust Defiance

Strategy option income option income

Benchmark First Trust Growth Strength ETF (FTGS) Nasdaq-100 (QQQ)

Pays monthly weekly

Payout rate, annualized 8.3% 31.5%

Expense ratio 0.85% 1.01%

Cash paid, 1 year 8.3% 29.9%

Price change, 1 year +0.2% −17.8%

Total return, 1 year +9.0% +13.6%

Benchmark return, 1 year +8.8% +12.3%

Ahead or behind +0.2 pts +1.3 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate 53% 81%

Age 1.4 years 3.1 years

Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026 $2.0m $178m

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 QQQY: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	FGSI	QQQY	FGSI	QQQY	FGSI	QQQY
3 months	−2.2%	−3.5%	2.0%	7.3%	+0.6 pts	−0.1 pts
6 months	+6.3%	+0.4%	4.3%	15.4%	+0.2 pts	+0.7 pts
1 year	+9.0%	+13.6%	8.3%	29.9%	+0.2 pts	+1.3 pts
3 years	–	+51.9%	–	88.2%	–	−39.4 pts
Since launchNot the same days: FGSI Jun 2025 · QQQY Sep 2023	+13.6%	+49.8%	11.3%	88.1%	−0.7 pts	−37.0 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.

QQQY

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, QQQY paid 29.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 17.8%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +13.6%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +12.3% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 1.3 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 31.5%, paid weekly. Defiance estimates that 81% of the distribution paid Oct 30, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice).

Questions people ask

Which paid more, FGSI or QQQY?: Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, FGSI paid 8.3% of its starting price in cash and QQQY paid 29.9%, so QQQY 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 QQQY?: With every distribution reinvested, FGSI returned +9.0% and QQQY +13.6% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.
Which is cheaper, FGSI or QQQY?: FGSI charges 0.85% a year and QQQY charges 1.01%, so FGSI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

FGSI vs QQQI FGSI vs QYLG FGSI vs TDAQ FGSI vs IQQQ QQQY vs TPAY QQQY vs ODTE QQQY vs KIQQ QQQY vs XVSP

Where to next

First Trust Growth Strength ETF (FTGS) →Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) →FGSI on its own →QQQY on its own →FGSI dividend history →FGSI holdings →QQQY dividend history →QQQY 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 ↗

QQQY filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

QQQY prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

QQQY 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

Defiance page for QQQY ↗

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

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