Data as of .
QQQI vs ULTY: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year ULTY paid 46.9% of its price in cash against QQQI’s 14.2%, though QQQI returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: QQQI scores higher
Was the payout funded by returns, or by your own capital?
A percentile among the 161 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, QQQI and ULTY hold 23% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | QQQI | ULTY |
|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA Corp | 7.66% | 4.80% |
| Advanced Micro Devices Inc | 4.12% | 4.15% |
| Amazon.com Inc | 4.05% | 5.16% |
| Alphabet Inc | 3.32% | 5.66% |
| Lam Research Corp | 2.37% | 4.99% |
| Palantir Technologies Inc | 1.18% | 4.40% |
| Analog Devices Inc | 0.85% | 5.47% |
| Shopify Inc | 0.61% | 3.69% |
| Fortinet Inc | 0.50% | 3.56% |
| Astera Labs Inc | 0.35% | 4.56% |
| Lumentum Holdings Inc | 0.26% | 4.86% |
| Strategy Inc | 0.12% | 4.65% |
| Only in QQQI | Only in ULTY |
|---|---|
| Apple Inc 6.63% | Ciena Corp 4.95% |
| Micron Technology Inc 5.61% | Quanta Services Inc 4.95% |
| Microsoft Corp 4.38% | IREN Ltd 4.80% |
| Tesla Inc 3.35% | Coherent Corp 4.50% |
| Alphabet Inc 3.07% | VanEck Gold Miners ETF/USA 4.33% |
| Intel Corp 2.99% | Comfort Systems USA Inc 4.31% |
| Broadcom Inc 2.82% | Amplify Junior Silver Miners E 4.21% |
| Meta Platforms Inc 2.65% | Robinhood Markets Inc 3.84% |
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 Apr 30, 2026 and Jun 30, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QQQI | ULTY | QQQI | ULTY | QQQI | ULTY | |
| 3 months | +0.7% | −0.3% | 3.5% | 14.2% | +1.4 pts | −3.6 pts |
| 6 months | +13.7% | +11.2% | 7.5% | 29.8% | −7.0 pts | −4.8 pts |
| 1 year | +16.9% | −5.8% | 14.2% | 46.9% | −6.1 pts | −23.3 pts |
| Since launch | +58.2% | +9.0% | 38.6% | 86.7% | −12.1 pts | −45.9 pts |
| QQQI NEOS Nasdaq-100(R) High Income ETF Covered call on QQQ, paying monthly | ULTY YieldMax(R) Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF Synthetic covered call on SPY, paying weekly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | NEOS | YieldMax |
| Strategy | covered call | synthetic covered call |
| Benchmark | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) | S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy |
| Pays | monthly | weekly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 14.3% | 61.5% |
| Expense ratio | 0.68% | 1.30% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 14.2% | 46.9% |
| Price change, 1 year | +1.5% | −53.3% |
| Total return, 1 year | +16.9% | −5.8% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +23.0% | +17.5% |
| Ahead or behind | −6.1 pts | −23.3 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | 98% | 100% |
| Age | 955 days | 925 days |
QQQI in plain words
Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, QQQI paid 14.2% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 1.5%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +16.9%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +23.0% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 6.1 pts. At its price on Sep 11, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 14.3%, paid monthly. NEOS estimates that 98% of the distribution paid Jun 18, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterization rather than a measure of erosion).
ULTY in plain words
Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, ULTY paid 46.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 53.3%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −5.8%. S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy returned +17.5% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 23.3 pts. At its price on Sep 11, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 61.5%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Sep 10, 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, QQQI or ULTY?
- Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, QQQI paid 14.2% of its starting price in cash and ULTY paid 46.9%, so ULTY 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 ULTY?
- With every distribution reinvested, QQQI returned +16.9% and ULTY returned −5.8% over the year to Sep 11, 2026, so QQQI returned more.
- Which is cheaper, QQQI or ULTY?
- QQQI charges 0.68% a year and ULTY charges 1.30%, so QQQI 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, QQQI against ULTY, data as of Sep 11, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/qqqi-vs-ulty Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.