Which paid more, QLDY or WDTE?

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, QLDY paid 35.3% of its starting price in cash and WDTE paid 27.9%, 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 WDTE?

With every distribution reinvested, QLDY returned +9.1% and WDTE +14.1% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.

Which is cheaper, QLDY or WDTE?

QLDY charges 1.04% a year and WDTE charges 1.03%, so WDTE is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Income ETFs

QLDY vs WDTE: 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 WDTE’s 27.9%, though WDTE returned more with it reinvested.

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Net assets on Nov 3, 2026: $53m for Defiance Nasdaq 100 LightningSpread Income ETF and $69m for Defiance S&P 500 Weekly Distribution ETF.

QLDY on its own →WDTE on its own →

At a glance

35.3%

QLDY cash paid, 1 year

27.9%

WDTE cash paid, 1 year

+9.1%

QLDY total return, 1 year

+14.1%

WDTE 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%

35.3% cash

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.

WDTE · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 0.7 pts behind SPY

WDTE

+14.1%

SPY

+14.8%

0.7 pts behind SPY

WDTE over 1 year: paid 27.9%, price −15.9%, total +14.1%, SPY +14.8%, −0.7 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

WDTE

+14.1%

27.9% of it arrived as cash

0.7 pts behind SPY

Total return, distributions reinvested

0.7 pts behind SPY

WDTE over 1 year: paid 27.9%, price −15.9%, total +14.1%, SPY +14.8%, −0.7 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

WDTE

+14.1%

27.9% as cash

0.7 pts behind SPY

27.9% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. WDTE over 1 year: paid 27.9%, price −15.9%, total +14.1%, SPY +14.8%, −0.7 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

WDTE costs 0.01 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 5.0 points; WDTE is 1.3 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

QLDY vs WDTE: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	QLDY	WDTE
Paid and earned
Measure	QLDY	WDTE
Total return, 1 year	+9.1%	+14.1%
Price change, 1 year	fell 27.2%	fell 15.9%
Return of capital, issuer estimate	0% of the Nov 2, 2026 payment	100% of the Oct 30, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	QLDY	WDTE
Benchmark	Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ	S&P 500, measured through SPY
Cost and size
Measure	QLDY	WDTE
Expense ratio	1.04%	1.03%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026	$53m	$69m
Holdings
Measure	QLDY	WDTE
Holdings in common	0%

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

IQ Income Score24.9QLDY35.6WDTE

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

WDTE 35.6

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 WDTE hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Nov 4, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first QLDY WDTE

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 WDTE

Spx Us 12/18/26 C600 95.18%

Spx 11/05/2026 7710.15 C 0.14%

Spx 11/05/2026 7688.62 C -0.28%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

QLDY Defiance Nasdaq 100 LightningSpread Income ETF · Option income on QQQ, paying weekly WDTE Defiance S&P 500 Weekly Distribution ETF · Option income on SPY, paying weekly

Issuer Defiance Defiance

Strategy option income option income

Benchmark Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) S&P 500 (SPY)

Pays weekly weekly

Payout rate, annualized 19.7% 30.3%

Expense ratio 1.04% 1.03%

Cash paid, 1 year 35.3% 27.9%

Price change, 1 year −27.2% −15.9%

Total return, 1 year +9.1% +14.1%

Benchmark return, 1 year +12.3% +14.8%

Ahead or behind −3.2 pts −0.7 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate 0% 100%

Age 1.1 years 3.1 years

Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026 $53m $69m

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 WDTE: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	QLDY	WDTE	QLDY	WDTE	QLDY	WDTE
3 months	−4.5%	−0.4%	9.5%	7.3%	−1.1 pts	−0.2 pts
6 months	−3.1%	+4.6%	18.5%	14.4%	−2.8 pts	−0.4 pts
1 year	+9.1%	+14.1%	35.3%	27.9%	−3.2 pts	−0.7 pts
3 years	–	+50.8%	–	78.5%	–	−32.1 pts
Since launchNot the same days: QLDY Sep 2025 · WDTE Sep 2023	+13.2%	+49.2%	39.1%	79.5%	−3.7 pts	−30.4 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.

WDTE

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, WDTE paid 27.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 15.9%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +14.1%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 0.7 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 30.3%, paid weekly. Defiance estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Oct 30, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice).

Questions people ask

Which paid more, QLDY or WDTE?: Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, QLDY paid 35.3% of its starting price in cash and WDTE paid 27.9%, 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 WDTE?: With every distribution reinvested, QLDY returned +9.1% and WDTE +14.1% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.
Which is cheaper, QLDY or WDTE?: QLDY charges 1.04% a year and WDTE charges 1.03%, so WDTE is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

QLDY vs XYLG QLDY vs XRMI QLDY vs ACSP QLDY vs SPIN WDTE vs QQQY WDTE vs QYLG WDTE vs QRMI WDTE vs TDAQ

Where to next

Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) →S&P 500 (SPY) →QLDY on its own →WDTE on its own →QLDY dividend history →QLDY holdings →WDTE dividend history →WDTE holdings →Method →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

QLDY and WDTE filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

QLDY prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

QLDY 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

Defiance page for QLDY ↗

WDTE prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

WDTE 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

Defiance page for WDTE ↗

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.

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

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