Which paid more, ISPY or QLDY?

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, ISPY paid 6.2% of its starting price in cash and QLDY paid 35.3%, so QLDY paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.

Which returned more once distributions are counted, ISPY or QLDY?

With every distribution reinvested, ISPY returned +11.3% and QLDY +9.1% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.

Which is cheaper, ISPY or QLDY?

ISPY charges 0.55% a year and QLDY charges 1.04%, so ISPY is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Income ETFs

ISPY vs QLDY: Dividend Yield & Total Return

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Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, QLDY paid 35.3% of its price in cash against ISPY’s 6.2%, though ISPY returned more with it reinvested.

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Net assets: $1.2bn on Nov 4, 2026 for ProShares S&P 500 High Income ETF, and $53m on Nov 3, 2026 for Defiance Nasdaq 100 LightningSpread Income ETF.

ISPY on its own →QLDY on its own →

At a glance

6.2%

ISPY cash paid, 1 year

35.3%

QLDY cash paid, 1 year

+11.3%

ISPY total return, 1 year

+9.1%

QLDY total return, 1 year

ISPY · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 3.5 pts behind SPY

ISPY

+11.3%

SPY

+14.8%

3.5 pts behind SPY

ISPY over 1 year: paid 6.2%, price +4.8%, total +11.3%, SPY +14.8%, −3.5 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

ISPY

+11.3%

6.2% of it arrived as cash

3.5 pts behind SPY

Total return, distributions reinvested

3.5 pts behind SPY

ISPY over 1 year: paid 6.2%, price +4.8%, total +11.3%, SPY +14.8%, −3.5 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

ISPY

+11.3%

3.5 pts behind SPY

6.2% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. ISPY over 1 year: paid 6.2%, price +4.8%, total +11.3%, SPY +14.8%, −3.5 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QLDY · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 3.2 pts behind QQQ

QLDY

+9.1%

QQQ

+12.3%

3.2 pts behind QQQ

QLDY over 1 year: paid 35.3%, price −27.2%, total +9.1%, QQQ +12.3%, −3.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+12.3%

QLDY

+9.1%

35.3% of it arrived as cash

3.2 pts behind QQQ

Total return, distributions reinvested

3.2 pts behind QQQ

QLDY over 1 year: paid 35.3%, price −27.2%, total +9.1%, QQQ +12.3%, −3.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+12.3%

QLDY

+9.1%

35.3% cash

3.2 pts behind QQQ

35.3% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. QLDY over 1 year: paid 35.3%, price −27.2%, total +9.1%, QQQ +12.3%, −3.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

ISPY costs 0.49 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.2 points; ISPY is far larger, $1.1bn against $53m.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

ISPY vs QLDY: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	ISPY	QLDY
Paid and earned
Measure	ISPY	QLDY
Total return, 1 year	+11.3%	+9.1%
Price change, 1 year	rose 4.8%	fell 27.2%
Return of capital, issuer estimate	87% of the Nov 6, 2026 payment	0% of the Nov 2, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	ISPY	QLDY
Benchmark	S&P 500, measured through SPY	Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ
Cost and size
Measure	ISPY	QLDY
Expense ratio	0.55%	1.04%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026	$1.1bn	$53m
Holdings
Measure	ISPY	QLDY
Holdings in common	0%

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

IQ Income Score83.5ISPY24.9QLDY

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

ISPY 83.5

QLDY 24.9

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, ISPY and QLDY hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Aug 31, 2026 and Nov 4, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first ISPY QLDY

Only in one fund ↓

Only in ISPY

NVIDIA Corp. 6.80%

Apple, Inc. 5.92%

Microsoft Corp. 4.80%

Amazon.com, Inc. 3.24%

Alphabet, Inc. 2.53%

Broadcom, Inc. 2.23%

Alphabet, Inc. 2.02%

Meta Platforms, Inc. 1.60%

Only in QLDY

Ndx 12/18/2026 2001.44 C 92.84%

United States Treasury Note/bond 2.375% 05/15/2027 0.49%

Exchange Put Opt 11/26 28320 0.15%

Xnd 12/18/2026 10.44 C 0.05%

Nasdaq-1 Put Opt 11/26 28470 -0.24%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

ISPY ProShares S&P 500 High Income ETF · Option income on SPY, paying monthly QLDY Defiance Nasdaq 100 LightningSpread Income ETF · Option income on QQQ, paying weekly

Issuer ProShares Defiance

Strategy option income option income

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

Pays monthly weekly

Payout rate, annualized 6.0% 19.7%

Expense ratio 0.55% 1.04%

Cash paid, 1 year 6.2% 35.3%

Price change, 1 year +4.8% −27.2%

Total return, 1 year +11.3% +9.1%

Benchmark return, 1 year +14.8% +12.3%

Ahead or behind −3.5 pts −3.2 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate 87% 0%

Age 2.9 years 1.1 years

Net assets, ISPY as of Nov 4, 2026 and QLDY as of Nov 3, 2026 $1.2bn $53m

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: ISPY vs QLDY: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	ISPY	QLDY	ISPY	QLDY	ISPY	QLDY
3 months	−0.5%	−4.5%	1.5%	9.5%	−0.3 pts	−1.1 pts
6 months	+3.8%	−3.1%	3.1%	18.5%	−1.2 pts	−2.8 pts
1 year	+11.3%	+9.1%	6.2%	35.3%	−3.5 pts	−3.2 pts
Since launchNot the same days: ISPY Dec 2023 · QLDY Sep 2025	+54.0%	+13.2%	27.1%	39.1%	−15.1 pts	−3.7 pts

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Alert

About each fund

ISPY

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, ISPY paid 6.2% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 4.8%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +11.3%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 3.5 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 6.0%, paid monthly. ProShares estimates that 87% of the distribution paid Nov 6, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice). That is a tax label, not a measure of erosion.

QLDY

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, QLDY paid 35.3% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 27.2%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +9.1%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +12.3% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 3.2 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 19.7%, paid weekly. Defiance estimates that 0% of the distribution paid Nov 2, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice).

Questions people ask

Which paid more, ISPY or QLDY?: Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, ISPY paid 6.2% of its starting price in cash and QLDY paid 35.3%, so QLDY paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
Which returned more once distributions are counted, ISPY or QLDY?: With every distribution reinvested, ISPY returned +11.3% and QLDY +9.1% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.
Which is cheaper, ISPY or QLDY?: ISPY charges 0.55% a year and QLDY charges 1.04%, so ISPY is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

ISPY vs QDTY ISPY vs QQQY ISPY vs QYLG ISPY vs QRMI QLDY vs OMAH QLDY vs ROCY QLDY vs KHPI QLDY vs PBP

Where to next

S&P 500 (SPY) →Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) →ISPY on its own →QLDY on its own →ISPY dividend history →ISPY holdings →QLDY dividend history →QLDY holdings →Method →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

ISPY filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

ISPY prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

ISPY 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

ProShares page for ISPY ↗

QLDY filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

QLDY prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

QLDY 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

Defiance page for QLDY ↗

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, ISPY against QLDY, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/ispy-vs-qldy

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