Which paid more, LJAN or QLDY?

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, LJAN paid 4.9% 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, LJAN or QLDY?

With every distribution reinvested, LJAN returned +5.1% and QLDY +9.1% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.

Which is cheaper, LJAN or QLDY?

LJAN charges 0.79% a year and QLDY charges 1.04%, so LJAN is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Income ETFs

LJAN 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 LJAN’s 4.9%, and returned more with it reinvested.

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Net assets: $12m on Nov 4, 2026 for Innovator Premium Income 15 Buffer ETF - January, and $53m on Nov 3, 2026 for Defiance Nasdaq 100 LightningSpread Income ETF.

LJAN on its own →QLDY on its own →

At a glance

4.9%

LJAN cash paid, 1 year

35.3%

QLDY cash paid, 1 year

+5.1%

LJAN total return, 1 year

+9.1%

QLDY total return, 1 year

LJAN · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 9.7 pts behind VOO

LJAN

+5.1%

VOO

+14.8%

9.7 pts behind VOO

LJAN over 1 year: paid 4.9%, price +0.1%, total +5.1%, VOO +14.8%, −9.7 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

VOO

+14.8%

LJAN

+5.1%

4.9% of it arrived as cash

9.7 pts behind VOO

Total return, distributions reinvested

9.7 pts behind VOO

LJAN over 1 year: paid 4.9%, price +0.1%, total +5.1%, VOO +14.8%, −9.7 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

VOO

+14.8%

LJAN

+5.1%

9.7 pts behind VOO

4.9% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. LJAN over 1 year: paid 4.9%, price +0.1%, total +5.1%, VOO +14.8%, −9.7 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

LJAN costs 0.25 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 4.0 points; QLDY is 4.4 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

LJAN vs QLDY: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	LJAN	QLDY
Paid and earned
Measure	LJAN	QLDY
Total return, 1 year	+5.1%	+9.1%
Price change, 1 year	rose 0.1%	fell 27.2%
Return of capital, issuer estimate	47% of the Nov 2, 2026 payment	0% of the Nov 2, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	LJAN	QLDY
Benchmark	Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, measured through VOO	Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ
Cost and size
Measure	LJAN	QLDY
Expense ratio	0.79%	1.04%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026	$12m	$53m
Holdings
Measure	LJAN	QLDY
Holdings in common	0%

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

IQ Income Score60.2LJAN24.9QLDY

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

LJAN 60.2

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

50%

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first LJAN QLDY

Only in one fund ↓

Only in LJAN

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

LJAN Innovator Premium Income 15 Buffer ETF - January · Buffer with income on VOO, paying monthly QLDY Defiance Nasdaq 100 LightningSpread Income ETF · Option income on QQQ, paying weekly

Issuer Innovator Defiance

Strategy buffer with income option income

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

Pays monthly weekly

Payout rate, annualized 4.9% 19.7%

Expense ratio 0.79% 1.04%

Cash paid, 1 year 4.9% 35.3%

Price change, 1 year +0.1% −27.2%

Total return, 1 year +5.1% +9.1%

Benchmark return, 1 year +14.8% +12.3%

Ahead or behind −9.7 pts −3.2 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate 47% 0%

Age 2.8 years 1.1 years

Net assets, LJAN as of Nov 4, 2026 and QLDY as of Nov 3, 2026 $12m $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: LJAN vs QLDY: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	LJAN	QLDY	LJAN	QLDY	LJAN	QLDY
3 months	+1.1%	−4.5%	1.2%	9.5%	+1.2 pts	−1.1 pts
6 months	+2.6%	−3.1%	2.4%	18.5%	−2.4 pts	−2.8 pts
1 year	+5.1%	+9.1%	4.9%	35.3%	−9.7 pts	−3.2 pts
Since launchNot the same days: LJAN Jan 2024 · QLDY Sep 2025	+16.7%	+13.2%	14.8%	39.1%	−51.3 pts	−3.7 pts

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Alert

About each fund

LJAN

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, LJAN paid 4.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 0.1%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +5.1%. Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) returned +14.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 9.7 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 4.9%, paid monthly. Innovator estimates that 47% of the distribution paid Nov 2, 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, LJAN or QLDY?: Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, LJAN paid 4.9% 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, LJAN or QLDY?: With every distribution reinvested, LJAN returned +5.1% and QLDY +9.1% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.
Which is cheaper, LJAN or QLDY?: LJAN charges 0.79% a year and QLDY charges 1.04%, so LJAN is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

LJAN vs QDTY LJAN vs QDTE LJAN vs QYLD LJAN vs QQQI QLDY vs LJUL QLDY vs XIDE QLDY vs XIMR QLDY vs XISE

Where to next

Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) →Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) →LJAN on its own →QLDY on its own →LJAN dividend history →QLDY dividend history →QLDY holdings →Method →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

LJAN filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

LJAN prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

LJAN 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

Innovator page for LJAN ↗

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.

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

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