Data as of .
OARK vs YMAX: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year YMAX paid 39.0% of its price in cash against OARK’s 38.6%, though OARK returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: OARK scores higher
Was the payout funded by returns, or by your own capital?
A percentile among the 161 income ETFs writing on an index or proxy. It is a position in a set, not a rating, and neither end of it is a recommendation. All income ETFs ranked by it · How it is computed
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, OARK and YMAX hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in OARK | Only in YMAX |
|---|---|
| TREASURY BILL 37.81% | YieldMax AMD Option Income Strategy ETF 6.95% |
| TREASURY BILL 30.32% | Yieldmax Amzn Option Income ETF 5.36% |
| TREASURY BILL 18.55% | Yieldmax Tsm Option Income Strategy ETF 5.01% |
| TREASURY BILL 10.80% | YieldMax Crypto Industry & Tec 4.99% |
| TREASURY BILL 2.51% | YieldMax GOOGL Option Income S 4.88% |
| YieldMax MARA Option Income Strategy ETF 4.80% | |
| YieldMax AI & Tech Portfolio Option Inco 4.72% | |
| YieldMax Semiconductor Portfolio Option 4.66% |
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Apr 30, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OARK | YMAX | OARK | YMAX | OARK | YMAX | |
| 3 months | +5.1% | +5.6% | 9.6% | 10.8% | +5.9 pts | +2.3 pts |
| 6 months | +15.3% | +15.5% | 22.6% | 24.3% | −5.4 pts | −0.5 pts |
| 1 year | +7.2% | −0.6% | 38.6% | 39.0% | −15.8 pts | −18.1 pts |
| 3 years | +48.6% | not published | 82.9% | not published | −46.5 pts | not published |
| Since launch | +53.5% | +41.0% | 89.2% | 91.3% | −99.6 pts | −25.7 pts |
| OARK YieldMax(R) Innovation Option Income Strategy ETF Synthetic covered call on QQQ, paying weekly | YMAX YieldMax(R) Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs Synthetic covered call on SPY, paying weekly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | YieldMax | YieldMax |
| Strategy | synthetic covered call | synthetic covered call |
| Benchmark | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ), used as the innovation proxy | S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy |
| Pays | weekly | weekly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 37.1% | 41.6% |
| Expense ratio | 1.00% | 1.33% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 38.6% | 39.0% |
| Price change, 1 year | −33.3% | −41.0% |
| Total return, 1 year | +7.2% | −0.6% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +23.0% | +17.5% |
| Ahead or behind | −15.8 pts | −18.1 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | 39% | 68% |
| Age | 1388 days | 968 days |
OARK in plain words
Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, OARK paid 38.6% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 33.3%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +7.2%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ), used as the innovation proxy returned +23.0% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 15.8 pts. At its price on Sep 11, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 37.1%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 39% of the distribution paid Sep 11, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterization rather than a measure of erosion).
YMAX in plain words
Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, YMAX paid 39.0% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 41.0%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −0.6%. S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy returned +17.5% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 18.1 pts. At its price on Sep 11, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 41.6%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 68% of the distribution paid Sep 10, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterization rather than a measure of erosion).
Questions people ask
- Which paid more, OARK or YMAX?
- Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, OARK paid 38.6% of its starting price in cash and YMAX paid 39.0%, so YMAX 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 YMAX?
- With every distribution reinvested, OARK returned +7.2% and YMAX returned −0.6% over the year to Sep 11, 2026, so OARK returned more.
- Which is cheaper, OARK or YMAX?
- OARK charges 1.00% a year and YMAX charges 1.33%, so OARK is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
Where these figures came from
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, OARK against YMAX, data as of Sep 11, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/oark-vs-ymax Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.