Which paid more, FTQI or XISE?

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, FTQI paid 12.1% of its starting price in cash and XISE paid 6.1%, so FTQI 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 XISE?

With every distribution reinvested, FTQI returned +16.5% and XISE +7.0% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.

Which is cheaper, FTQI or XISE?

FTQI charges 0.75% a year and XISE charges 0.85%, so FTQI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Income ETFs

FTQI vs XISE: Dividend Yield & Total Return

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Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, FTQI paid 12.1% of its price in cash against XISE’s 6.1%, and returned more with it reinvested.

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Net assets on Nov 3, 2026: $997m for First Trust Nasdaq BuyWrite Income ETF and $33m for FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer & Premium Income ETF - September.

FTQI on its own →XISE on its own →

At a glance

12.1%

FTQI cash paid, 1 year

6.1%

XISE cash paid, 1 year

+16.5%

FTQI total return, 1 year

+7.0%

XISE 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.

XISE · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 7.8 pts behind VOO

XISE

+7.0%

VOO

+14.8%

7.8 pts behind VOO

XISE over 1 year: paid 6.1%, price +0.7%, total +7.0%, VOO +14.8%, −7.8 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

VOO

+14.8%

XISE

+7.0%

6.1% of it arrived as cash

7.8 pts behind VOO

Total return, distributions reinvested

7.8 pts behind VOO

XISE over 1 year: paid 6.1%, price +0.7%, total +7.0%, VOO +14.8%, −7.8 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

VOO

+14.8%

XISE

+7.0%

7.8 pts behind VOO

6.1% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, 0 to +16.5%. XISE over 1 year: paid 6.1%, price +0.7%, total +7.0%, VOO +14.8%, −7.8 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

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

Pair scorecard

FTQI costs 0.10 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 9.5 points; FTQI is far larger, $997m against $33m.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

FTQI vs XISE: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	FTQI	XISE
Paid and earned
Measure	FTQI	XISE
Total return, 1 year	+16.5%	+7.0%
Price change, 1 year	rose 3.5%	rose 0.7%
Return of capital, issuer estimate	99% of the Oct 30, 2026 payment	0% of the Nov 3, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	FTQI	XISE
Benchmark	Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ	Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, measured through VOO
Cost and size
Measure	FTQI	XISE
Expense ratio	0.75%	0.85%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026	$997m	$33m
Holdings
Measure	FTQI	XISE
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 Score74FTQI67.4XISE

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

XISE 67.4

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 XISE hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Nov 3, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first FTQI XISE

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 XISE

2027-09-17 State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust C 0.08 98.27%

2027-09-17 State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust P 761.61 5.23%

2027-09-17 State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust P 685.44 -2.83%

2027-09-17 State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust C 761.61 -7.76%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

FTQI First Trust Nasdaq BuyWrite Income ETF · Covered call on QQQ, paying monthly XISE FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer & Premium Income ETF - September · Buffer with income on VOO, paying monthly

Issuer First Trust First Trust

Strategy covered call buffer with income

Benchmark Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO)

Pays monthly monthly

Payout rate, annualized 12.3% 6.8%

Expense ratio 0.75% 0.85%

Cash paid, 1 year 12.1% 6.1%

Price change, 1 year +3.5% +0.7%

Total return, 1 year +16.5% +7.0%

Benchmark return, 1 year +12.3% +14.8%

Ahead or behind +4.2 pts −7.8 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate 99% 0%

Age 12.8 years 3.1 years

Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026 $997m $33m

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 XISE: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	FTQI	XISE	FTQI	XISE	FTQI	XISE
3 months	+0.4%	+1.4%	3.0%	1.6%	+3.8 pts	+1.6 pts
6 months	+6.6%	+2.9%	6.0%	3.1%	+6.9 pts	−2.1 pts
1 year	+16.5%	+7.0%	12.1%	6.1%	+4.3 pts	−7.8 pts
3 years	+60.8%	+21.3%	38.1%	19.1%	−30.5 pts	−62.0 pts
Since launchNot the same days: FTQI Jan 2014 · XISE Sep 2023	+138.8%	+22.3%	81.1%	19.7%	−641.3 pts	−57.3 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.

XISE

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, XISE paid 6.1% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 0.7%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +7.0%. Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) returned +14.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 7.8 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 6.8%, paid monthly. First Trust estimates that 0% of the distribution paid Nov 3, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice).

Questions people ask

Which paid more, FTQI or XISE?: Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, FTQI paid 12.1% of its starting price in cash and XISE paid 6.1%, so FTQI 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 XISE?: With every distribution reinvested, FTQI returned +16.5% and XISE +7.0% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.
Which is cheaper, FTQI or XISE?: FTQI charges 0.75% a year and XISE charges 0.85%, so FTQI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

FTQI vs XIMR FTQI vs OVLH FTQI vs XPAY FTQI vs TSPY XISE vs GPIQ XISE vs QYLD XISE vs QQQI XISE vs JEPQ

Where to next

Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) →Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) →FTQI on its own →XISE on its own →FTQI dividend history →FTQI holdings →XISE dividend history →XISE 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 ↗

XISE filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

XISE prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

XISE 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

First Trust page for XISE ↗

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 XISE, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/ftqi-vs-xise

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