Which is cheaper, PCOV or XISE?

PCOV charges 0.34% a year and XISE charges 0.85%, so PCOV is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Income ETFs

PCOV vs XISE: Dividend Yield & Total Return

PCOV and XISE both write options for income.

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Net assets: $10m on Nov 2, 2026 for Principal Equity Premium Income ETF, and $33m on Nov 3, 2026 for FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer & Premium Income ETF - September.

PCOV on its own →XISE on its own →

At a glance

1.9%

PCOV cash paid, since launch, Aug 19, 2026

6.1%

XISE cash paid, 1 year

−0.1%

PCOV total return, since launch, Aug 19, 2026

+7.0%

XISE 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.

XISE · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 7.8 pts behind VOO

XISE

+7.0%

VOO

+14.8%

7.8 pts behind VOO

XISE over 1 year: paid 6.1%, price +0.7%, total +7.0%, VOO +14.8%, −7.8 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

VOO

+14.8%

XISE

+7.0%

6.1% of it arrived as cash

7.8 pts behind VOO

Total return, distributions reinvested

7.8 pts behind VOO

XISE over 1 year: paid 6.1%, price +0.7%, total +7.0%, VOO +14.8%, −7.8 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

VOO

+14.8%

XISE

+7.0%

7.8 pts behind VOO

6.1% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. XISE over 1 year: paid 6.1%, price +0.7%, total +7.0%, VOO +14.8%, −7.8 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

PCOV costs 0.51 points a year less; XISE is 3.3 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

PCOV vs XISE: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	PCOV	XISE
Paid and earned
Measure	PCOV	XISE
Total return, 1 year	not published	+7.0%
Price change	fell 2.0% (since Aug 19, 2026)	rose 0.7% (1 year)
Against its benchmark
Measure	PCOV	XISE
Benchmark	not published	Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, measured through VOO
Cost and size
Measure	PCOV	XISE
Expense ratio	0.34%	0.85%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026	$10m	$33m
Holdings
Measure	PCOV	XISE
Holdings in common	not published

Method

Side by side

PCOV Principal Equity Premium Income ETF · Covered call XISE FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer & Premium Income ETF - September · Buffer with income on VOO, paying monthly

Issuer Principal First Trust

Strategy covered call buffer with income

Benchmark none Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO)

Pays not established monthly

Payout rate, annualized 7.2% 6.8%

Expense ratio 0.34% 0.85%

Cash paid, 1 year 1.9% (since launch, Aug 19, 2026) 6.1%

Price change, 1 year −2.0% (since launch, Aug 19, 2026) +0.7%

Total return, 1 year −0.1% (since launch, Aug 19, 2026) +7.0%

Benchmark return, 1 year not published +14.8%

Ahead or behind not available −7.8 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate not published 0%

Age 77 days 3.1 years

Net assets, PCOV as of Nov 2, 2026 and XISE as of Nov 3, 2026 $10m $33m

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 XISE: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	PCOV	XISE	PCOV	XISE	PCOV	XISE
3 months	–	+1.4%	–	1.6%	–	+1.6 pts
6 months	–	+2.9%	–	3.1%	–	−2.1 pts
1 year	–	+7.0%	–	6.1%	–	−7.8 pts
3 years	–	+21.3%	–	19.1%	–	−62.0 pts
Since launchNot the same days: PCOV Aug 2026 · XISE Sep 2023	−0.1%	+22.3%	1.9%	19.7%	not measured	−57.3 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.

XISE

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, XISE paid 6.1% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 0.7%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +7.0%. Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) returned +14.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 7.8 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 6.8%, paid monthly. First Trust estimates that 0% of the distribution paid Nov 3, 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 XISE?: PCOV charges 0.34% a year and XISE charges 0.85%, so PCOV is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

PCOV vs TSPY PCOV vs OVL PCOV vs TPAY PCOV vs SDTY XISE vs XSHP XISE vs YQQQ XISE vs XVSP XISE vs SIOO

Where to next

Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) →All income ETFs ranked by the Distribution Coverage Score →How the scores are computed →PCOV on its own →XISE on its own →PCOV dividend history →XISE dividend history →XISE holdings →Method →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

PCOV filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

PCOV prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Principal website ↗

XISE filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

XISE prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

XISE 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

First Trust page for XISE ↗

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

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