Which is cheaper, PCOV or QQQY?

PCOV charges 0.34% a year and QQQY charges 1.01%, so PCOV is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Income ETFs

PCOV vs QQQY: Dividend Yield & Total Return

PCOV and QQQY both write options for income.

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Net assets: $10m on Nov 2, 2026 for Principal Equity Premium Income ETF, and $178m on Nov 3, 2026 for Defiance Nasdaq 100 Weekly Distribution ETF.

PCOV on its own →QQQY on its own →

At a glance

1.9%

PCOV cash paid, since launch, Aug 19, 2026

29.9%

QQQY cash paid, 1 year

−0.1%

PCOV total return, since launch, Aug 19, 2026

+13.6%

QQQY 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.

QQQY · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 1.3 pts ahead of QQQ

QQQY

+13.6%

QQQ

+12.3%

1.3 pts ahead of QQQ

QQQY over 1 year: paid 29.9%, price −17.8%, total +13.6%, QQQ +12.3%, +1.3 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+12.3%

QQQY

+13.6%

29.9% of it arrived as cash

1.3 pts ahead of QQQ

Total return, distributions reinvested

1.3 pts ahead of QQQ

QQQY over 1 year: paid 29.9%, price −17.8%, total +13.6%, QQQ +12.3%, +1.3 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+12.3%

QQQY

+13.6%

29.9% as cash

1.3 pts ahead of QQQ

29.9% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. QQQY over 1 year: paid 29.9%, price −17.8%, total +13.6%, QQQ +12.3%, +1.3 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

PCOV costs 0.67 points a year less; QQQY is 17.8 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

PCOV vs QQQY: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	PCOV	QQQY
Paid and earned
Measure	PCOV	QQQY
Total return, 1 year	not published	+13.6%
Price change	fell 2.0% (since Aug 19, 2026)	fell 17.8% (1 year)
Return of capital, issuer estimate		81% of the Oct 30, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	PCOV	QQQY
Benchmark	not published	Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ
Cost and size
Measure	PCOV	QQQY
Expense ratio	0.34%	1.01%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026	$10m	$178m
Holdings
Measure	PCOV	QQQY
Holdings in common	not published

Method

Side by side

PCOV Principal Equity Premium Income ETF · Covered call QQQY Defiance Nasdaq 100 Weekly Distribution ETF · Option income on QQQ, paying weekly

Issuer Principal Defiance

Strategy covered call option income

Benchmark none Nasdaq-100 (QQQ)

Pays not established weekly

Payout rate, annualized 7.2% 31.5%

Expense ratio 0.34% 1.01%

Cash paid, 1 year 1.9% (since launch, Aug 19, 2026) 29.9%

Price change, 1 year −2.0% (since launch, Aug 19, 2026) −17.8%

Total return, 1 year −0.1% (since launch, Aug 19, 2026) +13.6%

Benchmark return, 1 year not published +12.3%

Ahead or behind not available +1.3 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate not published 81%

Age 77 days 3.1 years

Net assets, PCOV as of Nov 2, 2026 and QQQY as of Nov 3, 2026 $10m $178m

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 QQQY: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	PCOV	QQQY	PCOV	QQQY	PCOV	QQQY
3 months	–	−3.5%	–	7.3%	–	−0.1 pts
6 months	–	+0.4%	–	15.4%	–	+0.7 pts
1 year	–	+13.6%	–	29.9%	–	+1.3 pts
3 years	–	+51.9%	–	88.2%	–	−39.4 pts
Since launchNot the same days: PCOV Aug 2026 · QQQY Sep 2023	−0.1%	+49.8%	1.9%	88.1%	not measured	−37.0 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.

QQQY

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, QQQY paid 29.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 17.8%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +13.6%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +12.3% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 1.3 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 31.5%, paid weekly. Defiance estimates that 81% 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.

Questions people ask

Which is cheaper, PCOV or QQQY?: PCOV charges 0.34% a year and QQQY charges 1.01%, so PCOV is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

PCOV vs QQQI PCOV vs QYLG PCOV vs TDAQ PCOV vs CAIQ QQQY vs TMGN QQQY vs VOOY QQQY vs XSHP QQQY vs YQQQ

Where to next

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

Sources and dates

PCOV filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

PCOV prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Principal website ↗

QQQY filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

QQQY prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

QQQY 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

Defiance page for QQQY ↗

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 QQQY, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/pcov-vs-qqqy

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