Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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Income ETFs

QQQI vs QYLD: Dividend Yield & Total Return

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Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, QQQI paid 13.9% of its price in cash against QYLD’s 12.3%, though QYLD returned more with it reinvested.

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Net assets: $15.5bn on Oct 28, 2026 for NEOS Nasdaq-100 High Income ETF, and $8.5bn on Oct 12, 2026 for Global X NASDAQ 100 Covered Call ETF.

At a glance
13.9%
QQQI cash paid, 1 year
12.3%
QYLD cash paid, 1 year
+8.9%
QQQI total return, 1 year
+16.5%
QYLD total return, 1 year
QQQI · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 3.4 pts behind QQQ
QQQI
+8.9%
QQQ
+12.3%

3.4 pts behind QQQ

QQQI over 1 year: paid 13.9%, price −5.4%, total +8.9%, QQQ +12.3%, −3.4 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+12.3%

QQQI

+8.9%

13.9% of it arrived as cash

3.4 pts behind QQQ

Total return, distributions reinvested

3.4 pts behind QQQ

QQQI over 1 year: paid 13.9%, price −5.4%, total +8.9%, QQQ +12.3%, −3.4 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+12.3%

QQQI

+8.9%

13.9% cash

3.4 pts behind QQQ

13.9% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. QQQI over 1 year: paid 13.9%, price −5.4%, total +8.9%, QQQ +12.3%, −3.4 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.
QYLD · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 4.2 pts ahead of QQQ
QYLD
+16.5%
QQQ
+12.3%

4.2 pts ahead of QQQ

QYLD over 1 year: paid 12.3%, price +3.3%, total +16.5%, QQQ +12.3%, +4.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+12.3%

QYLD

+16.5%

12.3% of it arrived as cash

4.2 pts ahead of QQQ

Total return, distributions reinvested

4.2 pts ahead of QQQ

QYLD over 1 year: paid 12.3%, price +3.3%, total +16.5%, QQQ +12.3%, +4.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+12.3%

QYLD

+16.5%

12.3% as cash

4.2 pts ahead of QQQ

12.3% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. QYLD over 1 year: paid 12.3%, price +3.3%, total +16.5%, QQQ +12.3%, +4.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

QYLD costs 0.08 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 7.6 points; QQQI is 1.8 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

QQQI vs QYLD: Dividend Yield & Total Return
MeasureQQQIQYLD
Paid and earned
Total return, 1 year+8.9%+16.5%
Price change, 1 yearfell 5.4%rose 3.3%
Return of capital, issuer estimate100% of the Oct 23, 2026 payment99% of the Sep 24, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
BenchmarkNasdaq-100, measured through QQQNasdaq-100, measured through QQQ
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.68%0.60%
Net assets, as of Oct 12, 2026$15.3bn$8.5bn
Holdings
Holdings in common93%
ETFIQ Distribution Coverage Score · QYLD scores higher How much of what it paid out did its total return cover?
IQ Income Score42.2QQQI72.8QYLD

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

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

Risk and return

Feb 9, 2024 to Oct 30, 2026 · 142 weekly returns · each against QQQ
QQQI QYLD
Return
Total return edge QQQI +50.0% +40.2%
Annualized edge QQQI +16.0% +13.2%
Price return edge QQQI +1.4% +0.2%
Risk
Volatility edge QYLD 16.0% 12.1%
Max drawdown edge QYLD (slight) −18.4% −17.5%
Downside capture 85.5% 59.2%
Beta 0.80 0.53
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe edge Tie 0.74 0.73
Sortino edge QQQI (slight) 1.09 1.03
Treynor 0.148 0.166
Calmar edge QQQI 0.87 0.75
Against the benchmark
Alpha −0.1% a year +0.9% a year
Alpha t-stat −0.05 0.25
Information ratio −0.66 −0.55
Tracking error 4.8% 11.2%
Reading

From Feb 2024 to Oct 2026, QQQI returned more: +50.0% to +40.2%. QYLD swung less: 12.1% to 16.0%. QYLD fell slightly less at its worst: −17.5% to −18.4%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured
Open ↓
Risk and return: QQQI vs QYLD: Dividend Yield & Total Return
MeasureQQQIQYLDQQQEdgeHow it is measured
Return
Total return+50.0%+40.2%QQQIPrice change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized+16.0%+13.2%QQQITotal return as a yearly rate.
Price return+1.4%+0.2%QQQIPrice change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility16.0%12.1%QYLDSpread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation10.8%8.5%QYLDLike volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown−18.4%−17.5%QYLD (slight)Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture69.5%39.1%100.0%QQQIShare of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture85.5%59.2%100.0%QYLDShare of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta0.800.531.00QYLD lowerHow far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared0.980.751.00Not an edgeShare of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe0.740.73TieReturn above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino1.091.03QQQI (slight)Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor0.1480.1660.149QYLDReturn above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar0.870.75QQQIAnnualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
BenchmarkQQQQQQQQQThe ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha−0.1% a year+0.9% a year0.0%Not significantYearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat−0.050.25Not an edgeHow sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range−3.1% to +2.9%−6.4% to +8.2%Both include zeroThe 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio−0.66−0.55QYLDReturn against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error4.8%11.2%0.0%Not an edgeHow far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 142 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

93%

By the books each fund has filed, QQQI and QYLD hold 93% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Nov 3, 2026.

0 half 100%

half

93% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first QQQI QYLD
NVIDIA Corp 8.08% 8.20%
Apple Inc 7.88% 7.65%
Microsoft Corp 6.31% 5.82%
Amazon.com Inc 4.40% 4.93%
Micron Technology Inc 4.34% 4.32%
Advanced Micro Devices Inc 3.56% 3.62%
Meta Platforms Inc 3.00% 2.78%
Alphabet Inc 2.66% 3.50%
Tesla Inc 3.42% 2.62%
Broadcom Inc 2.57% 3.11%
Walmart Inc 2.74% 2.53%
Alphabet Inc 2.48% 3.28%
Only in one fund ↓
Only in QQQI
Moderna Inc 0.33%
NDX US 12/18/26 C29625 -0.38%
NDX US 12/18/26 C29000 -0.59%
Only in QYLD
WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY, INC. 0.31%
ELECTRONIC ARTS INC 0.25%
THE KRAFT HEINZ COMPANY 0.14%
Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

QQQI NEOS Nasdaq-100 High Income ETF · Option income on QQQ, paying monthly QYLD Global X NASDAQ 100 Covered Call ETF · Covered call on QQQ, paying monthly
Issuer NEOS Global X
Strategy option income covered call
Benchmark Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) Nasdaq-100 (QQQ)
Pays monthly monthly
Payout rate, annualized 14.7% 12.2%
Expense ratio 0.68% 0.60%
Cash paid, 1 year 13.9% 12.3%
Price change, 1 year −5.4% +3.3%
Total return, 1 year +8.9% +16.5%
Benchmark return, 1 year +12.3% +12.3%
Ahead or behind −3.4 pts +4.2 pts
Return of capital, latest estimate 100% 99%
Age 2.8 years 12.9 years
Net assets, QQQI as of Oct 28, 2026 and QYLD as of Oct 12, 2026 $15.5bn $8.5bn

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: QQQI vs QYLD: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Total returnCash paidAgainst the benchmark
WindowQQQIQYLDQQQIQYLDQQQIQYLD
3 months−2.2%+2.4%3.5%3.0%+1.3 pts+5.9 pts
6 months−0.2%+5.4%6.9%6.0%+0.1 pts+5.8 pts
1 year+8.9%+16.5%13.9%12.3%−3.4 pts+4.2 pts
3 years–+52.7%–37.9%–−38.6 pts
Since launchNot the same days: QQQI Jan 2024 · QYLD Dec 2013+53.8%+194.8%41.2%117.5%−11.2 pts−610.5 pts

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About each fund
QQQI

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, QQQI paid 13.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 5.4%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +8.9%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +12.3% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 3.4 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 14.7%, paid monthly. NEOS estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Oct 23, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice). That is a tax label, not a measure of erosion.

QYLD

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, QYLD paid 12.3% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 3.3%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +16.5%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +12.3% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 4.2 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 12.2%, paid monthly. Global X estimates that 99% of the distribution paid Sep 24, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice).

Questions people ask

Which paid more, QQQI or QYLD?
Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, QQQI paid 13.9% of its starting price in cash and QYLD paid 12.3%, so QQQI paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
Which returned more once distributions are counted, QQQI or QYLD?
With every distribution reinvested, QQQI returned +8.9% and QYLD +16.5% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.
Which is cheaper, QQQI or QYLD?
QQQI charges 0.68% a year and QYLD charges 0.60%, so QYLD is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
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Sources and dates

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, QQQI against QYLD, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/qqqi-vs-qyld

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