Which is cheaper, FTHI or NLSI?

FTHI charges 0.75% a year and NLSI charges 2.89%, so FTHI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Income ETFs

FTHI vs NLSI: Dividend Yield & Total Return

FTHI and NLSI both write options for income.

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Net assets: $2.5bn on Nov 3, 2026 for First Trust BuyWrite Income ETF, and $5.3m on Oct 28, 2026 for NEOS Long/Short Equity Income ETF.

FTHI on its own →NLSI on its own →

At a glance

8.9%

FTHI cash paid, 1 year

5.0%

NLSI cash paid, since launch, Dec 10, 2025

+8.1%

FTHI total return, 1 year

+17.7%

NLSI total return, since launch, Dec 10, 2025

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%

6.7 pts behind SPY

8.9% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. 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.

NLSI · since launch to Nov 4, 2026 5 pts ahead of SPY

NLSI

+17.7%

SPY

+12.7%

5 pts ahead of SPY

NLSI since launch: paid 5.0%, price +12.0%, total +17.7%, SPY +12.7%, +5.0 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+12.7%

NLSI

+17.7%

5.0% as cash

5 pts ahead of SPY

Total return, distributions reinvested

5 pts ahead of SPY

NLSI since launch: paid 5.0%, price +12.0%, total +17.7%, SPY +12.7%, +5.0 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+12.7%

NLSI

+17.7%

5 pts ahead of SPY

5.0% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. NLSI since launch: paid 5.0%, price +12.0%, total +17.7%, SPY +12.7%, +5.0 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

FTHI costs 2.14 points a year less; FTHI is far larger, $2.6bn against $5.3m.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

FTHI vs NLSI: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	FTHI	NLSI
Paid and earned
Measure	FTHI	NLSI
Total return, 1 year	+8.1%	not published
Price change	fell 1.2% (1 year)	rose 12.0% (since Dec 10, 2025)
Return of capital, issuer estimate	92% of the Oct 30, 2026 payment	100% of the Oct 30, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	FTHI	NLSI
Benchmark	S&P 500, measured through SPY	S&P 500, measured through SPY
Against its benchmark, same days	behind by 6.7 pts	ahead by 5.0 pts
Cost and size
Measure	FTHI	NLSI
Expense ratio	0.75%	2.89%
Net assets, as of Oct 28, 2026	$2.6bn	$5.3m
Holdings
Measure	FTHI	NLSI
Holdings in common	2%

Method

What they share

By the books each fund has filed, FTHI and NLSI hold 2% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Nov 3, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

2% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first FTHI NLSI

Micron Technology, Inc. 0.95% 12.00%

Chevron Corporation 0.61% 4.51%

Comfort Systems USA, Inc. 0.42% 4.30%

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. 0.35% 3.27%

Applovin Corp. (Class A) 0.04% 2.75%

Applied Materials, Inc. 0.19% -1.44%

Caterpillar Inc. 0.31% -1.44%

Alphabet Inc. (Class A) 1.99% -1.47%

Walmart Inc. 0.78% -1.47%

The Charles Schwab Corporation 0.17% -1.49%

Equinix, Inc. 0.52% -1.60%

Cisco Systems, Inc. 1.22% -1.68%

Only in one fund ↓

Only in FTHI

Apple Inc. 7.86%

NVIDIA Corporation 6.59%

Microsoft Corporation 3.18%

JPMorgan Chase & Co. 2.65%

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

Costco Wholesale Corporation 2.04%

Bank of America Corporation 1.97%

Broadcom Inc. 1.92%

Only in NLSI

Marathon Petroleum Corp 5.94%

Valero Energy Corp 5.14%

Intuit Inc 4.45%

Walt Disney Co 4.42%

Phillips 66 4.39%

PayPal Holdings Inc 4.29%

American International Group Inc 4.28%

KKR & Co Inc 4.25%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

FTHI First Trust BuyWrite Income ETF · Covered call on SPY, paying monthly NLSI NEOS Long/Short Equity Income ETF · Option income on SPY, paying monthly

Issuer First Trust NEOS

Strategy covered call option income

Benchmark S&P 500 (SPY) S&P 500 (SPY)

Pays monthly monthly

Payout rate, annualized 9.0% 5.6%

Expense ratio 0.75% 2.89%

Cash paid, 1 year 8.9% 5.0% (since launch, Dec 10, 2025)

Price change, 1 year −1.2% +12.0% (since launch, Dec 10, 2025)

Total return, 1 year +8.1% +17.7% (since launch, Dec 10, 2025)

Benchmark return, 1 year +14.8% +12.7% (since launch, Dec 10, 2025)

Ahead or behind −6.7 pts +5.0 pts (since launch, Dec 10, 2025)

Return of capital, latest estimate 92% 100%

Age 12.8 years 329 days

Net assets, FTHI as of Nov 3, 2026 and NLSI as of Oct 28, 2026 $2.5bn $5.3m

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: FTHI vs NLSI: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	FTHI	NLSI	FTHI	NLSI	FTHI	NLSI
3 months	−0.5%	+6.7%	2.2%	1.4%	−0.3 pts	+6.9 pts
6 months	+2.5%	+21.4%	4.4%	3.0%	−2.5 pts	+16.4 pts
1 year	+8.1%	–	8.9%	–	−6.7 pts	–
3 years	+48.1%	–	29.7%	–	−34.8 pts	–
Since launchNot the same days: FTHI Jan 2014 · NLSI Dec 2025	+155.0%	+17.7%	84.3%	5.0%	−262.6 pts	+4.9 pts

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Alert

About each fund

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). That is a tax label, not a measure of erosion.

NLSI

Over the period from its first trade on Dec 10, 2025 to Nov 4, 2026, NLSI paid 5.0% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 12.0%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +17.7%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +12.7% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 5.0 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 5.6%, paid monthly. NEOS estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Oct 30, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice).

Questions people ask

Which is cheaper, FTHI or NLSI?: FTHI charges 0.75% a year and NLSI charges 2.89%, so FTHI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

FTHI vs TPRY FTHI vs JULJ FTHI vs SPUT FTHI vs JULH NLSI vs SPYI NLSI vs OCTH NLSI vs OCTJ NLSI vs TPRY

Where to next

S&P 500 (SPY) →All income ETFs ranked by the Distribution Coverage Score →How the scores are computed →FTHI on its own →NLSI on its own →FTHI dividend history →FTHI holdings →NLSI dividend history →NLSI holdings →Method →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

FTHI filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

FTHI prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

FTHI 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

First Trust page for FTHI ↗

NLSI filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

NLSI prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

NLSI 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

NEOS page for NLSI ↗

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

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