Data as of .
QDTE vs QLDY: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year QDTE paid 36.1% of its price in cash against QLDY’s 29.2%, and returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: QDTE scores higher
Was the payout funded by returns, or by your own capital?
A percentile among the 173 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, QDTE and QLDY hold 4% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | QDTE | QLDY |
|---|---|---|
| First American Government Obligations Fund 12/01/2031 | 3.90% | 4.77% |
| Only in QDTE | Only in QLDY |
|---|---|
| NDX 03/19/2027 2510.15 C 25.90% | Ndx 12/18/2026 2001.44 C 94.80% |
| QQQ 11/19/2027 70.11 C 24.77% | United States Treasury Note/bond 2.375% 05/15/2027 0.53% |
| NDX 06/11/2027 3059.42 C 22.64% | Ndxp Us 09/21/26 P29500 0.08% |
| QQQ 09/17/2027 70.69 C 17.82% | Xnd 12/18/2026 10.44 C 0.05% |
| Roundhill Weekly T-Bill ETF 4.97% | Cash & Other -0.06% |
| Nasdaq-1 Put Opt 09/26 29650 -0.16% |
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 Sep 18, 2026 and Sep 21, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QDTE | QLDY | QDTE | QLDY | QDTE | QLDY | |
| 3 months | −0.9% | −6.6% | 7.6% | 8.3% | +1.6 pts | −4.1 pts |
| 6 months | +19.7% | +20.1% | 16.2% | 18.7% | −4.5 pts | −4.2 pts |
| 1 year | +21.1% | +10.6% | 36.1% | 29.2% | −0.7 pts | −11.2 pts |
| Since launch | +59.9% | +10.6% | 74.1% | 29.2% | −4.3 pts | −11.2 pts |
| QDTE Roundhill Innovation-100 0DTE Covered Call Strategy ETF 0DTE covered call on QQQ, paying weekly | QLDY Defiance Nasdaq 100 LightningSpread(TM) Income ETF Option income on QQQ, paying weekly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | Roundhill | Defiance |
| Strategy | 0DTE covered call | option income |
| Benchmark | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) |
| Pays | weekly | weekly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 20.8% | 19.6% |
| Expense ratio | 0.96% | 1.04% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 36.1% | 29.2% |
| Price change, 1 year | −19.2% | −20.3% |
| Total return, 1 year | +21.1% | +10.6% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +21.8% | +21.8% |
| Ahead or behind | −0.7 pts | −11.2 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | not published | 100% |
| Age | 925 days | 365 days |
| Net assets | $967m | $52m |
QDTE in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, QDTE paid 36.1% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 19.2%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +21.1%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +21.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 0.7 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 20.8%, paid weekly.
QLDY in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, QLDY paid 29.2% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 20.3%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +10.6%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +21.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 11.2 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 19.6%, paid weekly. Defiance estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Sep 17, 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, QDTE or QLDY?
- Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, QDTE paid 36.1% of its starting price in cash and QLDY paid 29.2%, so QDTE paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
- Which returned more once distributions are counted, QDTE or QLDY?
- With every distribution reinvested, QDTE returned +21.1% and QLDY returned +10.6% over the year to Sep 18, 2026, so QDTE returned more.
- Which is cheaper, QDTE or QLDY?
- QDTE charges 0.96% a year and QLDY charges 1.04%, so QDTE 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, QDTE against QLDY, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/qdte-vs-qldy Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.