Which is cheaper, PCOV or QQQI?

PCOV charges 0.34% a year and QQQI charges 0.68%, so PCOV is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Income ETFs

PCOV vs QQQI: Dividend Yield & Total Return

PCOV and QQQI both write options for income.

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Net assets: $10m on Nov 2, 2026 for Principal Equity Premium Income ETF, and $15.5bn on Oct 28, 2026 for NEOS Nasdaq-100 High Income ETF.

PCOV on its own →QQQI on its own →

At a glance

1.9%

PCOV cash paid, since launch, Aug 19, 2026

13.9%

QQQI cash paid, 1 year

−0.1%

PCOV total return, since launch, Aug 19, 2026

+8.9%

QQQI total return, 1 year

PCOV · since launch to Nov 4, 2026 Not measured

PCOV

−0.1%

none

Not measured

PCOV since launch: paid 1.9%, price −2.0%, total −0.1%, not measured against a benchmark. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

PCOV

−0.1%

Total return, distributions reinvested

Not measured

PCOV since launch: paid 1.9%, price −2.0%, total −0.1%, not measured against a benchmark. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

PCOV

−0.1%

1.9% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. PCOV since launch: paid 1.9%, price −2.0%, total −0.1%, not measured against a benchmark. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQI · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 3.4 pts behind QQQ

QQQI

+8.9%

QQQ

+12.3%

3.4 pts behind QQQ

QQQI over 1 year: paid 13.9%, price −5.4%, total +8.9%, QQQ +12.3%, −3.4 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+12.3%

QQQI

+8.9%

13.9% of it arrived as cash

3.4 pts behind QQQ

Total return, distributions reinvested

3.4 pts behind QQQ

QQQI over 1 year: paid 13.9%, price −5.4%, total +8.9%, QQQ +12.3%, −3.4 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+12.3%

QQQI

+8.9%

13.9% as cash

3.4 pts behind QQQ

13.9% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. QQQI over 1 year: paid 13.9%, price −5.4%, total +8.9%, QQQ +12.3%, −3.4 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

PCOV costs 0.34 points a year less; QQQI is far larger, $15.5bn against $10m.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

PCOV vs QQQI: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	PCOV	QQQI
Paid and earned
Measure	PCOV	QQQI
Total return, 1 year	not published	+8.9%
Price change	fell 2.0% (since Aug 19, 2026)	fell 5.4% (1 year)
Return of capital, issuer estimate		100% of the Oct 23, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	PCOV	QQQI
Benchmark	not published	Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ
Cost and size
Measure	PCOV	QQQI
Expense ratio	0.34%	0.68%
Net assets, as of Oct 28, 2026	$10m	$15.5bn
Holdings
Measure	PCOV	QQQI
Holdings in common	not published

Method

Side by side

PCOV Principal Equity Premium Income ETF · Covered call QQQI NEOS Nasdaq-100 High Income ETF · Option income on QQQ, paying monthly

Issuer Principal NEOS

Strategy covered call option income

Benchmark none Nasdaq-100 (QQQ)

Pays not established monthly

Payout rate, annualized 7.2% 14.7%

Expense ratio 0.34% 0.68%

Cash paid, 1 year 1.9% (since launch, Aug 19, 2026) 13.9%

Price change, 1 year −2.0% (since launch, Aug 19, 2026) −5.4%

Total return, 1 year −0.1% (since launch, Aug 19, 2026) +8.9%

Benchmark return, 1 year not published +12.3%

Ahead or behind not available −3.4 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate not published 100%

Age 77 days 2.8 years

Net assets, PCOV as of Nov 2, 2026 and QQQI as of Oct 28, 2026 $10m $15.5bn

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: PCOV vs QQQI: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	PCOV	QQQI	PCOV	QQQI	PCOV	QQQI
3 months	–	−2.2%	–	3.5%	–	+1.3 pts
6 months	–	−0.2%	–	6.9%	–	+0.1 pts
1 year	–	+8.9%	–	13.9%	–	−3.4 pts
Since launchNot the same days: PCOV Aug 2026 · QQQI Jan 2024	−0.1%	+53.8%	1.9%	41.2%	not measured	−11.2 pts

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Alert

About each fund

PCOV

Over the period from its first trade on Aug 19, 2026 to Nov 4, 2026, PCOV paid 1.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 2.0%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −0.1%. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 7.2%, paid periodically.

QQQI

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, QQQI paid 13.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 5.4%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +8.9%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +12.3% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 3.4 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 14.7%, paid monthly. NEOS estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Oct 23, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice). That is a tax label, not a measure of erosion.

Questions people ask

Which is cheaper, PCOV or QQQI?: PCOV charges 0.34% a year and QQQI charges 0.68%, so PCOV is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

PCOV vs QYLD PCOV vs QDTE PCOV vs ROCQ PCOV vs GPIQ QQQI vs XSHP QQQI vs YQQQ QQQI vs XVSP QQQI vs SIOO

Where to next

Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) →All income ETFs ranked by the Distribution Coverage Score →How the scores are computed →PCOV on its own →QQQI on its own →PCOV dividend history →QQQI dividend history →QQQI holdings →Method →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

PCOV filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

PCOV prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Principal website ↗

QQQI filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

QQQI prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

QQQI 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

NEOS page for QQQI ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

How this is computed

Every number is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, PCOV against QQQI, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/pcov-vs-qqqi

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