Data as of .
QLDY vs XPAY: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year QLDY paid 29.2% of its price in cash against XPAY’s 19.9%, though XPAY returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: XPAY 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, QLDY and XPAY hold 5% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | QLDY | XPAY |
|---|---|---|
| First American Government Obligations Fund 12/01/2031 | 4.77% | 4.95% |
| Only in QLDY | Only in XPAY |
|---|---|
| Ndx 12/18/2026 2001.44 C 94.80% | SPY 02/12/2027 33.47 C 13.75% |
| United States Treasury Note/bond 2.375% 05/15/2027 0.53% | SPY 07/16/2027 36.7 C 11.79% |
| Ndxp Us 09/21/26 P29500 0.08% | SPY 03/12/2027 33.67 C 11.51% |
| Xnd 12/18/2026 10.44 C 0.05% | SPY 04/16/2027 33.87 C 11.49% |
| Cash & Other -0.06% | SPY 06/11/2027 37.11 C 10.07% |
| Nasdaq-1 Put Opt 09/26 29650 -0.16% | SPY 01/15/2027 33.21 C 6.96% |
| SPY 12/11/2026 33.1 C 6.40% | |
| SPY 09/10/2027 37.99 C 5.57% |
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 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QLDY | XPAY | QLDY | XPAY | QLDY | XPAY | |
| 3 months | −6.6% | +2.0% | 8.3% | 5.0% | −4.1 pts | −0.3 pts |
| 6 months | +20.1% | +17.8% | 18.7% | 11.1% | −4.2 pts | −0.2 pts |
| 1 year | +10.6% | +15.7% | 29.2% | 19.9% | −11.2 pts | −0.9 pts |
| Since launch | +10.6% | +34.7% | 29.2% | 37.5% | −11.2 pts | −2.3 pts |
| QLDY Defiance Nasdaq 100 LightningSpread(TM) Income ETF Option income on QQQ, paying weekly | XPAY Roundhill S&P 500 Target 20 Managed Distribution ETF Option income on SPY, paying monthly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | Defiance | Roundhill |
| Strategy | option income | option income |
| Benchmark | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) | S&P 500 (SPY) |
| Pays | weekly | monthly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 19.6% | 20.8% |
| Expense ratio | 1.04% | 0.49% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 29.2% | 19.9% |
| Price change, 1 year | −20.3% | −5.8% |
| Total return, 1 year | +10.6% | +15.7% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +21.8% | +16.6% |
| Ahead or behind | −11.2 pts | −0.9 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | 100% | not published |
| Age | 365 days | 687 days |
| Net assets | $52m | $179m |
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).
XPAY in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, XPAY paid 19.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 5.8%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +15.7%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +16.6% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 0.9 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 20.8%, paid monthly.
Questions people ask
- Which paid more, QLDY or XPAY?
- Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, QLDY paid 29.2% of its starting price in cash and XPAY paid 19.9%, 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 XPAY?
- With every distribution reinvested, QLDY returned +10.6% and XPAY returned +15.7% over the year to Sep 18, 2026, so XPAY returned more.
- Which is cheaper, QLDY or XPAY?
- QLDY charges 1.04% a year and XPAY charges 0.49%, so XPAY 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, QLDY against XPAY, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/qldy-vs-xpay Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.