Which paid more, FTQI or WDTE?

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, FTQI paid 12.1% of its starting price in cash and WDTE paid 27.9%, so WDTE 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 WDTE?

With every distribution reinvested, FTQI returned +16.5% and WDTE +14.1% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.

Which is cheaper, FTQI or WDTE?

FTQI charges 0.75% a year and WDTE charges 1.03%, so FTQI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Income ETFs

FTQI vs WDTE: Dividend Yield & Total Return

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Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, WDTE paid 27.9% of its price in cash against FTQI’s 12.1%, though FTQI returned more with it reinvested.

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Net assets on Nov 3, 2026: $997m for First Trust Nasdaq BuyWrite Income ETF and $69m for Defiance S&P 500 Weekly Distribution ETF.

FTQI on its own →WDTE on its own →

At a glance

12.1%

FTQI cash paid, 1 year

27.9%

WDTE cash paid, 1 year

+16.5%

FTQI total return, 1 year

+14.1%

WDTE 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.

WDTE · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 0.7 pts behind SPY

WDTE

+14.1%

SPY

+14.8%

0.7 pts behind SPY

WDTE over 1 year: paid 27.9%, price −15.9%, total +14.1%, SPY +14.8%, −0.7 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

WDTE

+14.1%

27.9% of it arrived as cash

0.7 pts behind SPY

Total return, distributions reinvested

0.7 pts behind SPY

WDTE over 1 year: paid 27.9%, price −15.9%, total +14.1%, SPY +14.8%, −0.7 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

WDTE

+14.1%

27.9% as cash

0.7 pts behind SPY

27.9% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. WDTE over 1 year: paid 27.9%, price −15.9%, total +14.1%, SPY +14.8%, −0.7 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

FTQI costs 0.28 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.4 points; FTQI is 14.4 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

FTQI vs WDTE: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	FTQI	WDTE
Paid and earned
Measure	FTQI	WDTE
Total return, 1 year	+16.5%	+14.1%
Price change, 1 year	rose 3.5%	fell 15.9%
Return of capital, issuer estimate	99% of the Oct 30, 2026 payment	100% of the Oct 30, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	FTQI	WDTE
Benchmark	Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ	S&P 500, measured through SPY
Cost and size
Measure	FTQI	WDTE
Expense ratio	0.75%	1.03%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026	$997m	$69m
Holdings
Measure	FTQI	WDTE
Holdings in common	0%

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

IQ Income Score74FTQI35.6WDTE

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

WDTE 35.6

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, FTQI and WDTE 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 FTQI WDTE

Only in one fund ↓

Only in FTQI

Apple Inc. 8.98%

NVIDIA Corporation 6.22%

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. 4.73%

Amazon.com, Inc. 4.23%

Cisco Systems, Inc. 3.10%

Tesla, Inc. 3.05%

Meta Platforms, Inc. (Class A) 2.67%

Palantir Technologies Inc. (Class A) 2.60%

Only in WDTE

Spx Us 12/18/26 C600 95.18%

Spx 11/05/2026 7710.15 C 0.14%

Spx 11/05/2026 7688.62 C -0.28%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

FTQI First Trust Nasdaq BuyWrite Income ETF · Covered call on QQQ, paying monthly WDTE Defiance S&P 500 Weekly Distribution ETF · Option income on SPY, paying weekly

Issuer First Trust Defiance

Strategy covered call option income

Benchmark Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) S&P 500 (SPY)

Pays monthly weekly

Payout rate, annualized 12.3% 30.3%

Expense ratio 0.75% 1.03%

Cash paid, 1 year 12.1% 27.9%

Price change, 1 year +3.5% −15.9%

Total return, 1 year +16.5% +14.1%

Benchmark return, 1 year +12.3% +14.8%

Ahead or behind +4.2 pts −0.7 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate 99% 100%

Age 12.8 years 3.1 years

Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026 $997m $69m

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 WDTE: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	FTQI	WDTE	FTQI	WDTE	FTQI	WDTE
3 months	+0.4%	−0.4%	3.0%	7.3%	+3.8 pts	−0.2 pts
6 months	+6.6%	+4.6%	6.0%	14.4%	+6.9 pts	−0.4 pts
1 year	+16.5%	+14.1%	12.1%	27.9%	+4.3 pts	−0.7 pts
3 years	+60.8%	+50.8%	38.1%	78.5%	−30.5 pts	−32.1 pts
Since launchNot the same days: FTQI Jan 2014 · WDTE Sep 2023	+138.8%	+49.2%	81.1%	79.5%	−641.3 pts	−30.4 pts

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Alert

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.

WDTE

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, WDTE paid 27.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 15.9%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +14.1%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 0.7 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 30.3%, paid weekly. Defiance estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Oct 30, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice).

Questions people ask

Which paid more, FTQI or WDTE?: Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, FTQI paid 12.1% of its starting price in cash and WDTE paid 27.9%, so WDTE 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 WDTE?: With every distribution reinvested, FTQI returned +16.5% and WDTE +14.1% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.
Which is cheaper, FTQI or WDTE?: FTQI charges 0.75% a year and WDTE charges 1.03%, so FTQI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

FTQI vs XYLG FTQI vs XRMI FTQI vs ACSP FTQI vs OEI WDTE vs GPIQ WDTE vs QYLD WDTE vs QQQI WDTE vs QLDY

Where to next

Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) →S&P 500 (SPY) →FTQI on its own →WDTE on its own →FTQI dividend history →FTQI holdings →WDTE dividend history →WDTE 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 ↗

WDTE filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

WDTE prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

WDTE 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

Defiance page for WDTE ↗

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.

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

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