Data as of .
QQQI vs YMAX: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year YMAX paid 39.0% 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 YMAX hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in QQQI | Only in YMAX |
|---|---|
| NVIDIA Corp 7.66% | YieldMax AMD Option Income Strategy ETF 6.95% |
| Apple Inc 6.63% | Yieldmax Amzn Option Income ETF 5.36% |
| Micron Technology Inc 5.61% | Yieldmax Tsm Option Income Strategy ETF 5.01% |
| Microsoft Corp 4.38% | YieldMax Crypto Industry & Tec 4.99% |
| Advanced Micro Devices Inc 4.12% | YieldMax GOOGL Option Income S 4.88% |
| Amazon.com Inc 4.05% | YieldMax MARA Option Income Strategy ETF 4.80% |
| Tesla Inc 3.35% | YieldMax AI & Tech Portfolio Option Inco 4.72% |
| Alphabet Inc 3.32% | YieldMax Semiconductor Portfolio Option 4.66% |
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 | YMAX | QQQI | YMAX | QQQI | YMAX | |
| 3 months | +0.7% | +5.6% | 3.5% | 10.8% | +1.4 pts | +2.3 pts |
| 6 months | +13.7% | +15.5% | 7.5% | 24.3% | −7.0 pts | −0.5 pts |
| 1 year | +16.9% | −0.6% | 14.2% | 39.0% | −6.1 pts | −18.1 pts |
| Since launch | +58.2% | +41.0% | 38.6% | 91.3% | −12.1 pts | −25.7 pts |
| QQQI NEOS Nasdaq-100(R) High Income ETF Covered call on QQQ, paying monthly | YMAX YieldMax(R) Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs 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% | 41.6% |
| Expense ratio | 0.68% | 1.33% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 14.2% | 39.0% |
| Price change, 1 year | +1.5% | −41.0% |
| Total return, 1 year | +16.9% | −0.6% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +23.0% | +17.5% |
| Ahead or behind | −6.1 pts | −18.1 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | 98% | 68% |
| Age | 955 days | 968 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).
YMAX in plain words
Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, YMAX paid 39.0% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 41.0%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −0.6%. S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy returned +17.5% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 18.1 pts. At its price on Sep 11, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 41.6%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 68% 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 YMAX?
- Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, QQQI paid 14.2% of its starting price in cash and YMAX paid 39.0%, so YMAX 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 YMAX?
- With every distribution reinvested, QQQI returned +16.9% and YMAX returned −0.6% over the year to Sep 11, 2026, so QQQI returned more.
- Which is cheaper, QQQI or YMAX?
- QQQI charges 0.68% a year and YMAX charges 1.33%, 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 YMAX, data as of Sep 11, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/qqqi-vs-ymax Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.