Which is cheaper, NLSI or XISE?

NLSI charges 2.89% a year and XISE charges 0.85%, so XISE is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Income ETFs

NLSI vs XISE: Dividend Yield & Total Return

NLSI and XISE both write options for income.

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Net assets: $5.3m on Oct 28, 2026 for NEOS Long/Short Equity Income ETF, and $33m on Nov 3, 2026 for FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer & Premium Income ETF - September.

NLSI on its own →XISE on its own →

At a glance

5.0%

NLSI cash paid, since launch, Dec 10, 2025

6.1%

XISE cash paid, 1 year

+17.7%

NLSI total return, since launch, Dec 10, 2025

+7.0%

XISE total return, 1 year

NLSI · since launch to Nov 4, 2026 5 pts ahead of SPY

NLSI

+17.7%

SPY

+12.7%

5 pts ahead of SPY

NLSI since launch: paid 5.0%, price +12.0%, total +17.7%, SPY +12.7%, +5.0 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+12.7%

NLSI

+17.7%

5.0% as cash

5 pts ahead of SPY

Total return, distributions reinvested

5 pts ahead of SPY

NLSI since launch: paid 5.0%, price +12.0%, total +17.7%, SPY +12.7%, +5.0 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+12.7%

NLSI

+17.7%

5 pts ahead of SPY

5.0% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. NLSI since launch: paid 5.0%, price +12.0%, total +17.7%, SPY +12.7%, +5.0 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 +17.7%. 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 +17.7%. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

XISE costs 2.04 points a year less; XISE is 6.2 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

NLSI vs XISE: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	NLSI	XISE
Paid and earned
Measure	NLSI	XISE
Total return, 1 year	not published	+7.0%
Price change	rose 12.0% (since Dec 10, 2025)	rose 0.7% (1 year)
Return of capital, issuer estimate	100% of the Oct 30, 2026 payment	0% of the Nov 3, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	NLSI	XISE
Benchmark	S&P 500, measured through SPY	Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, measured through VOO
Against its benchmark, same days	ahead by 5.0 pts	behind by 7.8 pts
Cost and size
Measure	NLSI	XISE
Expense ratio	2.89%	0.85%
Net assets, as of Oct 28, 2026	$5.3m	$33m
Holdings
Measure	NLSI	XISE
Holdings in common	0%

Method

What they share

By the books each fund has filed, NLSI 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 NLSI XISE

Only in one fund ↓

Only in NLSI

Micron Technology Inc 12.00%

Marathon Petroleum Corp 5.94%

Valero Energy Corp 5.14%

Chevron Corp 4.51%

Intuit Inc 4.45%

Walt Disney Co 4.42%

Phillips 66 4.39%

Comfort Systems USA Inc 4.30%

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

NLSI NEOS Long/Short Equity Income ETF · Option income on SPY, paying monthly XISE FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer & Premium Income ETF - September · Buffer with income on VOO, paying monthly

Issuer NEOS First Trust

Strategy option income buffer with income

Benchmark S&P 500 (SPY) Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO)

Pays monthly monthly

Payout rate, annualized 5.6% 6.8%

Expense ratio 2.89% 0.85%

Cash paid, 1 year 5.0% (since launch, Dec 10, 2025) 6.1%

Price change, 1 year +12.0% (since launch, Dec 10, 2025) +0.7%

Total return, 1 year +17.7% (since launch, Dec 10, 2025) +7.0%

Benchmark return, 1 year +12.7% (since launch, Dec 10, 2025) +14.8%

Ahead or behind +5.0 pts (since launch, Dec 10, 2025) −7.8 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate 100% 0%

Age 329 days 3.1 years

Net assets, NLSI as of Oct 28, 2026 and XISE as of Nov 3, 2026 $5.3m $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: NLSI vs XISE: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	NLSI	XISE	NLSI	XISE	NLSI	XISE
3 months	+6.7%	+1.4%	1.4%	1.6%	+6.9 pts	+1.6 pts
6 months	+21.4%	+2.9%	3.0%	3.1%	+16.4 pts	−2.1 pts
1 year	–	+7.0%	–	6.1%	–	−7.8 pts
3 years	–	+21.3%	–	19.1%	–	−62.0 pts
Since launchNot the same days: NLSI Dec 2025 · XISE Sep 2023	+17.7%	+22.3%	5.0%	19.7%	+4.9 pts	−57.3 pts

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Alert

About each fund

NLSI

Over the period from its first trade on Dec 10, 2025 to Nov 4, 2026, NLSI paid 5.0% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 12.0%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +17.7%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +12.7% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 5.0 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 5.6%, paid monthly. NEOS estimates that 100% 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 is cheaper, NLSI or XISE?: NLSI charges 2.89% a year and XISE charges 0.85%, so XISE is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

NLSI vs TSPY NLSI vs OVL NLSI vs SDTY NLSI vs XIMR XISE vs ACKY XISE vs TPRY XISE vs SPIN XISE vs OEI

Where to next

S&P 500 (SPY) →Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) →All income ETFs ranked by the Distribution Coverage Score →How the scores are computed →NLSI on its own →XISE on its own →NLSI dividend history →NLSI holdings →XISE dividend history →XISE holdings →Method →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

NLSI filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

NLSI prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

NLSI 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

NEOS page for NLSI ↗

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

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

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