Which paid more, OARK or QLDY?

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, OARK paid 33.3% 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, OARK or QLDY?

With every distribution reinvested, OARK returned −2.6% and QLDY +9.1% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.

Which is cheaper, OARK or QLDY?

OARK charges 1.00% a year and QLDY charges 1.04%, so OARK is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Income ETFs

OARK 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 OARK’s 33.3%, and returned more with it reinvested.

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Net assets on Nov 3, 2026: $38m for YieldMax Innovation Option Income Strategy ETF and $53m for Defiance Nasdaq 100 LightningSpread Income ETF.

OARK on its own →QLDY on its own →

At a glance

33.3%

OARK cash paid, 1 year

35.3%

QLDY cash paid, 1 year

−2.6%

OARK total return, 1 year

+9.1%

QLDY total return, 1 year

OARK · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 1.1 pts ahead of ARKK

OARK

−2.6%

ARKK

−3.7%

1.1 pts ahead of ARKK

OARK over 1 year: paid 33.3%, price −36.6%, total −2.6%, ARKK −3.7%, +1.1 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

ARKK

−3.7%

OARK

−2.6%

1.1 pts ahead of ARKK

Total return, distributions reinvested

1.1 pts ahead of ARKK

OARK over 1 year: paid 33.3%, price −36.6%, total −2.6%, ARKK −3.7%, +1.1 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

ARKK

−3.7%

OARK

−2.6%

1.1 pts ahead of ARKK

33.3% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. OARK over 1 year: paid 33.3%, price −36.6%, total −2.6%, ARKK −3.7%, +1.1 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

OARK costs 0.04 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 11.7 points; QLDY is 1.4 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

OARK vs QLDY: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	OARK	QLDY
Paid and earned
Measure	OARK	QLDY
Total return, 1 year	−2.6%	+9.1%
Price change, 1 year	fell 36.6%	fell 27.2%
Return of capital, issuer estimate		0% of the Nov 2, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	OARK	QLDY
Benchmark	ARK Innovation ETF, measured through ARKK	Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ
Cost and size
Measure	OARK	QLDY
Expense ratio	1.00%	1.04%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026	$38m	$53m
Holdings
Measure	OARK	QLDY
Holdings in common	0%

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

IQ Income Score15.3OARK24.9QLDY

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

OARK 15.3

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

50%

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first OARK QLDY

United States Treasury Note/Bond 2.375% 05/15/2027 25.99% 0.49%

Only in one fund ↓

Only in OARK

United States Treasury Note/Bond 3.375% 09/15/2027 31.70%

2ARKK US 11/20/26 C85.01 FLX 1.48%

ARKK US 11/06/26 C83 0.25%

ARKK US 11/06/26 C84 0.07%

ARKK US 11/06/26 C82 -0.16%

ARKK US 11/06/26 C81 -0.68%

2ARKK US 11/20/26 P85.01 FLX -7.39%

Only in QLDY

Ndx 12/18/2026 2001.44 C 92.84%

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

OARK YieldMax Innovation Option Income Strategy ETF · Synthetic covered call on ARKK, paying weekly QLDY Defiance Nasdaq 100 LightningSpread Income ETF · Option income on QQQ, paying weekly

Issuer YieldMax Defiance

Strategy synthetic covered call option income

Benchmark ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) Nasdaq-100 (QQQ)

Pays weekly weekly

Payout rate, annualized 31.8% 19.7%

Expense ratio 1.00% 1.04%

Cash paid, 1 year 33.3% 35.3%

Price change, 1 year −36.6% −27.2%

Total return, 1 year −2.6% +9.1%

Benchmark return, 1 year −3.7% +12.3%

Ahead or behind +1.1 pts −3.2 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate not published 0%

Age 3.9 years 1.1 years

Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026 $38m $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: OARK vs QLDY: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	OARK	QLDY	OARK	QLDY	OARK	QLDY
3 months	+1.6%	−4.5%	8.3%	9.5%	−3.9 pts	−1.1 pts
6 months	−2.3%	−3.1%	17.8%	18.5%	−3.3 pts	−2.8 pts
1 year	−2.6%	+9.1%	33.3%	35.3%	+1.1 pts	−3.2 pts
3 years	+62.6%	–	95.8%	–	−36.1 pts	–
Since launchNot the same days: OARK Nov 2022 · QLDY Sep 2025	+47.8%	+13.2%	90.4%	39.1%	−75.3 pts	−3.7 pts

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Alert

About each fund

OARK

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, OARK paid 33.3% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 36.6%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −2.6%. ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) returned −3.7% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 1.1 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 31.8%, paid weekly.

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). That is a tax label, not a measure of erosion.

Questions people ask

Which paid more, OARK or QLDY?: Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, OARK paid 33.3% 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, OARK or QLDY?: With every distribution reinvested, OARK returned −2.6% and QLDY +9.1% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.
Which is cheaper, OARK or QLDY?: OARK charges 1.00% a year and QLDY charges 1.04%, so OARK is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

OARK vs QDTY OARK vs XQQI OARK vs ROCQ OARK vs QDTE QLDY vs RECI QLDY vs TMGN QLDY vs VOOY QLDY vs YSPC

Where to next

ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) →Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) →OARK on its own →QLDY on its own →OARK dividend history →OARK holdings →QLDY dividend history →QLDY holdings →Method →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

OARK and QLDY filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

OARK prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

OARK 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

YieldMax page for OARK ↗

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

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