Which is cheaper, PCOV or QYLD?

PCOV charges 0.34% a year and QYLD charges 0.60%, so PCOV is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Income ETFs

PCOV vs QYLD: Dividend Yield & Total Return

PCOV and QYLD both write options for income.

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Net assets: $10m on Nov 2, 2026 for Principal Equity Premium Income ETF, and $8.5bn on Oct 12, 2026 for Global X NASDAQ 100 Covered Call ETF.

PCOV on its own →QYLD on its own →

At a glance

1.9%

PCOV cash paid, since launch, Aug 19, 2026

12.3%

QYLD cash paid, 1 year

−0.1%

PCOV total return, since launch, Aug 19, 2026

+16.5%

QYLD 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.

QYLD · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 4.2 pts ahead of QQQ

QYLD

+16.5%

QQQ

+12.3%

4.2 pts ahead of QQQ

QYLD over 1 year: paid 12.3%, price +3.3%, total +16.5%, QQQ +12.3%, +4.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+12.3%

QYLD

+16.5%

12.3% of it arrived as cash

4.2 pts ahead of QQQ

Total return, distributions reinvested

4.2 pts ahead of QQQ

QYLD over 1 year: paid 12.3%, price +3.3%, total +16.5%, QQQ +12.3%, +4.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+12.3%

QYLD

+16.5%

12.3% as cash

4.2 pts ahead of QQQ

12.3% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. QYLD over 1 year: paid 12.3%, price +3.3%, total +16.5%, QQQ +12.3%, +4.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

PCOV costs 0.26 points a year less; QYLD is far larger, $8.5bn against $10m.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

PCOV vs QYLD: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	PCOV	QYLD
Paid and earned
Measure	PCOV	QYLD
Total return, 1 year	not published	+16.5%
Price change	fell 2.0% (since Aug 19, 2026)	rose 3.3% (1 year)
Return of capital, issuer estimate		99% of the Sep 24, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	PCOV	QYLD
Benchmark	not published	Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ
Cost and size
Measure	PCOV	QYLD
Expense ratio	0.34%	0.60%
Net assets, as of Oct 12, 2026	$10m	$8.5bn
Holdings
Measure	PCOV	QYLD
Holdings in common	not published

Method

Side by side

PCOV Principal Equity Premium Income ETF · Covered call QYLD Global X NASDAQ 100 Covered Call ETF · Covered call on QQQ, paying monthly

Issuer Principal Global X

Strategy covered call covered call

Benchmark none Nasdaq-100 (QQQ)

Pays not established monthly

Payout rate, annualized 7.2% 12.2%

Expense ratio 0.34% 0.60%

Cash paid, 1 year 1.9% (since launch, Aug 19, 2026) 12.3%

Price change, 1 year −2.0% (since launch, Aug 19, 2026) +3.3%

Total return, 1 year −0.1% (since launch, Aug 19, 2026) +16.5%

Benchmark return, 1 year not published +12.3%

Ahead or behind not available +4.2 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate not published 99%

Age 77 days 12.9 years

Net assets, PCOV as of Nov 2, 2026 and QYLD as of Oct 12, 2026 $10m $8.5bn

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 QYLD: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	PCOV	QYLD	PCOV	QYLD	PCOV	QYLD
3 months	–	+2.4%	–	3.0%	–	+5.9 pts
6 months	–	+5.4%	–	6.0%	–	+5.8 pts
1 year	–	+16.5%	–	12.3%	–	+4.2 pts
3 years	–	+52.7%	–	37.9%	–	−38.6 pts
Since launchNot the same days: PCOV Aug 2026 · QYLD Dec 2013	−0.1%	+194.8%	1.9%	117.5%	not measured	−610.5 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.

QYLD

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, QYLD paid 12.3% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 3.3%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +16.5%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +12.3% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 4.2 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 12.2%, paid monthly. Global X estimates that 99% of the distribution paid Sep 24, 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 QYLD?: PCOV charges 0.34% a year and QYLD charges 0.60%, so PCOV is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

PCOV vs QRMI PCOV vs GPIQ PCOV vs QQQI PCOV vs JEPQ QYLD vs XSHP QYLD vs YQQQ QYLD vs XVSP QYLD 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 →QYLD on its own →PCOV dividend history →QYLD dividend history →QYLD holdings →Method →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

PCOV filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

PCOV prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Principal website ↗

QYLD filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

QYLD prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

QYLD 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

Global X page for QYLD ↗

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

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