Which paid more, FTQI or QYLD?

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, FTQI paid 12.1% of its starting price in cash and QYLD paid 12.3%, so QYLD paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.

Which returned more once distributions are counted, FTQI or QYLD?

With every distribution reinvested, FTQI returned +16.5% and QYLD +16.5% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.

Which is cheaper, FTQI or QYLD?

FTQI charges 0.75% a year and QYLD charges 0.60%, so QYLD is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Income ETFs

FTQI vs QYLD: Dividend Yield & Total Return

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Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, QYLD paid 12.3% of its price in cash against FTQI’s 12.1% and the two finished level on total return.

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Net assets: $997m on Nov 3, 2026 for First Trust Nasdaq BuyWrite Income ETF, and $8.5bn on Oct 12, 2026 for Global X NASDAQ 100 Covered Call ETF.

FTQI on its own →QYLD on its own →

At a glance

12.1%

FTQI cash paid, 1 year

12.3%

QYLD cash paid, 1 year

+16.5%

FTQI total return, 1 year

+16.5%

QYLD total return, 1 year

FTQI · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 4.2 pts ahead of QQQ

FTQI

+16.5%

QQQ

+12.3%

4.2 pts ahead of QQQ

FTQI over 1 year: paid 12.1%, price +3.5%, total +16.5%, QQQ +12.3%, +4.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+12.3%

FTQI

+16.5%

12.1% of it arrived as cash

4.2 pts ahead of QQQ

Total return, distributions reinvested

4.2 pts ahead of QQQ

FTQI over 1 year: paid 12.1%, price +3.5%, total +16.5%, QQQ +12.3%, +4.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+12.3%

FTQI

+16.5%

12.1% as cash

4.2 pts ahead of QQQ

12.1% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. FTQI over 1 year: paid 12.1%, price +3.5%, total +16.5%, QQQ +12.3%, +4.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QYLD · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 4.2 pts ahead of QQQ

QYLD

+16.5%

QQQ

+12.3%

4.2 pts ahead of QQQ

QYLD over 1 year: paid 12.3%, price +3.3%, total +16.5%, QQQ +12.3%, +4.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+12.3%

QYLD

+16.5%

12.3% of it arrived as cash

4.2 pts ahead of QQQ

Total return, distributions reinvested

4.2 pts ahead of QQQ

QYLD over 1 year: paid 12.3%, price +3.3%, total +16.5%, QQQ +12.3%, +4.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+12.3%

QYLD

+16.5%

12.3% as cash

4.2 pts ahead of QQQ

12.3% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, 0 to +16.5%. QYLD over 1 year: paid 12.3%, price +3.3%, total +16.5%, QQQ +12.3%, +4.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Both charts share one scale, 0 to +16.5%. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

QYLD costs 0.15 points a year less; both returned +16.5% over a year; QYLD is 8.5 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

FTQI vs QYLD: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	FTQI	QYLD
Paid and earned
Measure	FTQI	QYLD
Total return, 1 year	+16.5%	+16.5%
Price change, 1 year	rose 3.5%	rose 3.3%
Return of capital, issuer estimate	99% of the Oct 30, 2026 payment	99% of the Sep 24, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	FTQI	QYLD
Benchmark	Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ	Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ
Cost and size
Measure	FTQI	QYLD
Expense ratio	0.75%	0.60%
Net assets, as of Oct 12, 2026	$1.0bn	$8.5bn
Holdings
Measure	FTQI	QYLD
Holdings in common	50%

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

IQ Income Score74FTQI72.8QYLD

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

FTQI 74

QYLD 72.8

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

Risk and return

Jan 17, 2014 to Oct 30, 2026 · 667 weekly returns · each against QQQ

FTQI QYLD

Return

Total return edge QYLD +139.5% +185.7%

Annualized edge QYLD +7.0% +8.5%

Price return edge FTQI +8.0% −30.4%

Risk

Volatility edge FTQI (slight) 11.8% 12.3%

Max drawdown edge FTQI −18.5% −24.5%

Downside capture 58.3% 64.8%

Beta 0.45 0.55

Risk-adjusted

Sharpe edge QYLD 0.47 0.56

Sortino edge QYLD 0.66 0.75

Treynor 0.123 0.126

Calmar edge FTQI (slight) 0.38 0.35

Against the benchmark

Alpha −2.0% a year −2.3% a year

Alpha t-stat −0.90 −1.39

Information ratio −0.84 −0.93

Tracking error 13.4% 10.6%

Reading

From Jan 2014 to Oct 2026, QYLD returned more: +185.7% to +139.5%. FTQI swung slightly less: 11.8% to 12.3%. FTQI fell less at its worst: −18.5% to −24.5%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓

Risk and return: FTQI vs QYLD: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	FTQI	QYLD	QQQ	Edge	How it is measured
Return
Total return	+139.5%	+185.7%		QYLD	Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized	+7.0%	+8.5%		QYLD	Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return	+8.0%	−30.4%		FTQI	Price change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility	11.8%	12.3%		FTQI (slight)	Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation	8.4%	9.2%		FTQI (slight)	Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown	−18.5%	−24.5%		FTQI	Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture	31.2%	37.8%	100.0%	QYLD	Share of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture	58.3%	64.8%	100.0%	FTQI	Share of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta	0.45	0.55	1.00	FTQI lower	How far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared	0.55	0.77	1.00	Not an edge	Share of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe	0.47	0.56		QYLD	Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino	0.66	0.75		QYLD	Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor	0.123	0.126	0.168	QYLD (slight)	Return above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar	0.38	0.35		FTQI (slight)	Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
Benchmark	QQQ	QQQ	QQQ		The ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha	−2.0% a year	−2.3% a year	0.0%	Not significant	Yearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat	−0.90	−1.39		Not an edge	How sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range	−6.4% to +2.4%	−5.6% to +1.0%		Both include zero	The 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio	−0.84	−0.93		FTQI (slight)	Return against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error	13.4%	10.6%	0.0%	Not an edge	How far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 667 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

50%

By the books each fund has filed, FTQI and QYLD hold 50% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Nov 3, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

50% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first FTQI QYLD

Apple Inc. 8.98% 7.65%

NVIDIA Corporation 6.22% 8.20%

Amazon.com, Inc. 4.23% 4.93%

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. 4.73% 3.62%

Meta Platforms, Inc. (Class A) 2.67% 2.78%

Tesla, Inc. 3.05% 2.62%

Cisco Systems, Inc. 3.10% 2.13%

Micron Technology, Inc. 2.01% 4.32%

Alphabet Inc. (Class A) 1.72% 3.50%

Alphabet Inc. (Class C) 1.72% 3.28%

Broadcom Inc. 1.64% 3.11%

Microsoft Corporation 1.55% 5.82%

Only in one fund ↓

Only in FTQI

AbbVie Inc. 1.48%

CME Group Inc. 1.10%

eBay Inc. 0.94%

Medpace Holdings, Inc. 0.86%

Expedia Group, Inc. 0.84%

Woodward, Inc. 0.81%

Illumina, Inc. 0.79%

DocuSign, Inc. 0.70%

Only in QYLD

WALMART INC. 2.53%

TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED 1.17%

LINDE PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY 1.03%

SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP. 0.97%

CROWDSTRIKE HOLDINGS, INC. 0.91%

Pepsico, Inc. 0.89%

WESTERN DIGITAL CORPORATION 0.88%

T-MOBILE US, INC. 0.87%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

FTQI First Trust Nasdaq BuyWrite Income ETF · Covered call on QQQ, paying monthly QYLD Global X NASDAQ 100 Covered Call ETF · Covered call on QQQ, paying monthly

Issuer First Trust Global X

Strategy covered call covered call

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

Pays monthly monthly

Payout rate, annualized 12.3% 12.2%

Expense ratio 0.75% 0.60%

Cash paid, 1 year 12.1% 12.3%

Price change, 1 year +3.5% +3.3%

Total return, 1 year +16.5% +16.5%

Benchmark return, 1 year +12.3% +12.3%

Ahead or behind +4.2 pts +4.2 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate 99% 99%

Age 12.8 years 12.9 years

Net assets, FTQI as of Nov 3, 2026 and QYLD as of Oct 12, 2026 $997m $8.5bn

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: FTQI vs QYLD: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	FTQI	QYLD	FTQI	QYLD	FTQI	QYLD
3 months	+0.4%	+2.4%	3.0%	3.0%	+3.8 pts	+5.9 pts
6 months	+6.6%	+5.4%	6.0%	6.0%	+6.9 pts	+5.8 pts
1 year	+16.5%	+16.5%	12.1%	12.3%	+4.3 pts	+4.2 pts
3 years	+60.8%	+52.7%	38.1%	37.9%	−30.5 pts	−38.6 pts
Since launchNot the same days: FTQI Jan 2014 · QYLD Dec 2013	+138.8%	+194.8%	81.1%	117.5%	−641.3 pts	−610.5 pts

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About each fund

FTQI

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, FTQI paid 12.1% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 3.5%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +16.5%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +12.3% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 4.2 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 12.3%, paid monthly. First Trust estimates that 99% 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.

QYLD

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, QYLD paid 12.3% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 3.3%. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 12.2%, paid monthly. Global X estimates that 99% of the distribution paid Sep 24, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice).

Questions people ask

Which paid more, FTQI or QYLD?: Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, FTQI paid 12.1% of its starting price in cash and QYLD paid 12.3%, so QYLD paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
Which returned more once distributions are counted, FTQI or QYLD?: With every distribution reinvested, FTQI returned +16.5% and QYLD +16.5% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.
Which is cheaper, FTQI or QYLD?: FTQI charges 0.75% a year and QYLD charges 0.60%, so QYLD is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

FTQI vs GPIQ FTQI vs QQQI FTQI vs JEPQ FTQI vs QDTE QYLD vs ROCQ QYLD vs XQQI QYLD vs TDAQ QYLD vs QYLG

Where to next

Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) →FTQI on its own →QYLD on its own →FTQI dividend history →FTQI holdings →QYLD dividend history →QYLD holdings →Method →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

FTQI filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

FTQI prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

FTQI 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

First Trust page for FTQI ↗

QYLD filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

QYLD prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

QYLD 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

Global X page for QYLD ↗

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, FTQI against QYLD, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/ftqi-vs-qyld

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