Which paid more, QLDY or RDVI?

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, QLDY paid 35.3% of its starting price in cash and RDVI paid 9.1%, so QLDY paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.

Which returned more once distributions are counted, QLDY or RDVI?

With every distribution reinvested, QLDY returned +9.1% and RDVI +22.0% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.

Which is cheaper, QLDY or RDVI?

QLDY charges 1.04% a year and RDVI charges 0.75%, so RDVI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Income ETFs

QLDY vs RDVI: Dividend Yield & Total Return

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Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, QLDY paid 35.3% of its price in cash against RDVI’s 9.1%, though RDVI returned more with it reinvested.

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Net assets on Nov 3, 2026: $53m for Defiance Nasdaq 100 LightningSpread Income ETF and $3.9bn for FT Vest Rising Dividend Achievers Target Income ETF.

QLDY on its own →RDVI on its own →

At a glance

35.3%

QLDY cash paid, 1 year

9.1%

RDVI cash paid, 1 year

+9.1%

QLDY total return, 1 year

+22.0%

RDVI total return, 1 year

QLDY · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 3.2 pts behind QQQ

QLDY

+9.1%

QQQ

+12.3%

3.2 pts behind QQQ

QLDY over 1 year: paid 35.3%, price −27.2%, total +9.1%, QQQ +12.3%, −3.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+12.3%

QLDY

+9.1%

35.3% of it arrived as cash

3.2 pts behind QQQ

Total return, distributions reinvested

3.2 pts behind QQQ

QLDY over 1 year: paid 35.3%, price −27.2%, total +9.1%, QQQ +12.3%, −3.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+12.3%

QLDY

+9.1%

3.2 pts behind QQQ

35.3% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. QLDY over 1 year: paid 35.3%, price −27.2%, total +9.1%, QQQ +12.3%, −3.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

RDVI · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 About even with RDVY

RDVI

+22.0%

RDVY

+22.2%

About even with RDVY

RDVI over 1 year: paid 9.1%, price +12.2%, total +22.0%, RDVY +22.2%, −0.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

RDVY

+22.2%

RDVI

+22.0%

9.1% of it arrived as cash

about even with RDVY

Total return, distributions reinvested

About even with RDVY

RDVI over 1 year: paid 9.1%, price +12.2%, total +22.0%, RDVY +22.2%, −0.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

RDVY

+22.2%

RDVI

+22.0%

about even with RDVY

9.1% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. RDVI over 1 year: paid 9.1%, price +12.2%, total +22.0%, RDVY +22.2%, −0.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

RDVI costs 0.29 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 12.9 points; RDVI is far larger, $3.9bn against $53m.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

QLDY vs RDVI: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	QLDY	RDVI
Paid and earned
Measure	QLDY	RDVI
Total return, 1 year	+9.1%	+22.0%
Price change, 1 year	fell 27.2%	rose 12.2%
Return of capital, issuer estimate	0% of the Nov 2, 2026 payment	40% of the Oct 30, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	QLDY	RDVI
Benchmark	Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ	First Trust Rising Dividend Achievers ETF, measured through RDVY
Cost and size
Measure	QLDY	RDVI
Expense ratio	1.04%	0.75%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026	$53m	$3.9bn
Holdings
Measure	QLDY	RDVI
Holdings in common	0%

ETFIQ Distribution Coverage Score · RDVI scores higher How much of what it paid out did its total return cover?

IQ Income Score24.9QLDY92.5RDVI

How much of its payouts the fund's total return covered, ranked against 167 income ETFs not writing on a single company. 100 is best. How it is computed

QLDY 24.9

RDVI 92.5

0.3, the lowest in this set 99.7, the highest

One year only, and a ratio of two published numbers: it says nothing about where a distribution came from. All income ETFs ranked by it →

Method

What they share

By the books each fund has filed, QLDY and RDVI hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Nov 3, 2026 and Nov 4, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first QLDY RDVI

Only in one fund ↓

Only in QLDY

Ndx 12/18/2026 2001.44 C 92.84%

United States Treasury Note/bond 2.375% 05/15/2027 0.49%

Exchange Put Opt 11/26 28320 0.15%

Xnd 12/18/2026 10.44 C 0.05%

Nasdaq-1 Put Opt 11/26 28470 -0.24%

Only in RDVI

The Travelers Companies, Inc. 2.39%

Accenture plc 2.35%

Visa Inc. (Class A) 2.35%

Veralto Corporation 2.34%

Automatic Data Processing, Inc. 2.32%

The Allstate Corporation 2.23%

Expedia Group, Inc. 2.17%

Chubb Limited 2.16%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

QLDY Defiance Nasdaq 100 LightningSpread Income ETF · Option income on QQQ, paying weekly RDVI FT Vest Rising Dividend Achievers Target Income ETF · Writes calls on the S&P 500, measured against the Nasdaq US Rising Dividend Achievers Index, paying monthly

Issuer Defiance First Trust

Strategy option income dividend stocks with call overlay

Benchmark Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) First Trust Rising Dividend Achievers ETF (RDVY)

Pays weekly monthly

Payout rate, annualized 19.7% 8.3%

Expense ratio 1.04% 0.75%

Cash paid, 1 year 35.3% 9.1%

Price change, 1 year −27.2% +12.2%

Total return, 1 year +9.1% +22.0%

Benchmark return, 1 year +12.3% +22.2%

Ahead or behind −3.2 pts −0.2 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate 0% 40%

Age 1.1 years 4.0 years

Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026 $53m $3.9bn

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: QLDY vs RDVI: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	QLDY	RDVI	QLDY	RDVI	QLDY	RDVI
3 months	−4.5%	−1.9%	9.5%	2.0%	−1.1 pts	+0.6 pts
6 months	−3.1%	+7.9%	18.5%	4.3%	−2.8 pts	+0.1 pts
1 year	+9.1%	+22.0%	35.3%	9.1%	−3.2 pts	−0.2 pts
3 years	–	+76.0%	–	30.9%	–	−6.4 pts
Since launchNot the same days: QLDY Sep 2025 · RDVI Oct 2022	+13.2%	+106.5%	39.1%	43.0%	−3.7 pts	−8.4 pts

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Alert

About each fund

QLDY

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, QLDY paid 35.3% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 27.2%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +9.1%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +12.3% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 3.2 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 19.7%, paid weekly. Defiance estimates that 0% of the distribution paid Nov 2, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice). That is a tax label, not a measure of erosion.

RDVI

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, RDVI paid 9.1% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 12.2%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +22.0%. First Trust Rising Dividend Achievers ETF (RDVY) returned +22.2% over the same days, so a holder was about even. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 8.3%, paid monthly. First Trust estimates that 40% of the distribution paid Oct 30, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice).

Questions people ask

Which paid more, QLDY or RDVI?: Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, QLDY paid 35.3% of its starting price in cash and RDVI paid 9.1%, so QLDY paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
Which returned more once distributions are counted, QLDY or RDVI?: With every distribution reinvested, QLDY returned +9.1% and RDVI +22.0% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.
Which is cheaper, QLDY or RDVI?: QLDY charges 1.04% a year and RDVI charges 0.75%, so RDVI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

QLDY vs RECI QLDY vs TMGN QLDY vs VOOY QLDY vs SDVD RDVI vs TDAQ RDVI vs CAIQ RDVI vs XQQI RDVI vs ROCQ

Where to next

Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) →First Trust Rising Dividend Achievers ETF (RDVY) →QLDY on its own →RDVI on its own →QLDY dividend history →QLDY holdings →RDVI dividend history →RDVI holdings →Method →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

QLDY filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

QLDY prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

QLDY 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

Defiance page for QLDY ↗

RDVI filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

RDVI prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

RDVI 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

First Trust page for RDVI ↗

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

How this is computed

It is a place in a set, not a rating or a recommendation.

Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.

Every number is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, QLDY against RDVI, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/qldy-vs-rdvi

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