Data as of .
QYLD vs YMAX: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year YMAX paid 39.0% of its price in cash against QYLD’s 12.5%, though QYLD returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: QYLD 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, QYLD and YMAX hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in QYLD | Only in YMAX |
|---|---|
| NVIDIA CORP 8.46% | YieldMax AMD Option Income Strategy ETF 6.95% |
| APPLE INC 7.81% | Yieldmax Amzn Option Income ETF 5.36% |
| MICROSOFT CORP 5.90% | Yieldmax Tsm Option Income Strategy ETF 5.01% |
| MICRON TECHNOLOGY INC 4.86% | YieldMax Crypto Industry & Tec 4.99% |
| AMAZON.COM INC 4.42% | YieldMax GOOGL Option Income S 4.88% |
| ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES 3.72% | YieldMax MARA Option Income Strategy ETF 4.80% |
| ALPHABET INC-CL A 3.16% | YieldMax AI & Tech Portfolio Option Inco 4.72% |
| META PLATFORMS INC 3.07% | 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 Sep 11, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QYLD | YMAX | QYLD | YMAX | QYLD | YMAX | |
| 3 months | +4.7% | +5.6% | 3.0% | 10.8% | +5.5 pts | +2.3 pts |
| 6 months | +11.8% | +15.5% | 6.2% | 24.3% | −8.9 pts | −0.5 pts |
| 1 year | +22.2% | −0.6% | 12.5% | 39.0% | −0.7 pts | −18.1 pts |
| 3 years | +51.3% | not published | 36.6% | not published | −43.8 pts | not published |
| Since launch | +195.4% | +41.0% | 116.0% | 91.3% | −639.0 pts | −25.7 pts |
| QYLD Global X NASDAQ 100 Covered Call ETF Covered call on QQQ, paying monthly | YMAX YieldMax(R) Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs Synthetic covered call on SPY, paying weekly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | Global X | 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 | 11.9% | 41.6% |
| Expense ratio | 0.60% | 1.33% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 12.5% | 39.0% |
| Price change, 1 year | +8.4% | −41.0% |
| Total return, 1 year | +22.2% | −0.6% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +23.0% | +17.5% |
| Ahead or behind | −0.7 pts | −18.1 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | 100% | 68% |
| Age | 4656 days | 968 days |
QYLD in plain words
Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, QYLD paid 12.5% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 8.4%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +22.2%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +23.0% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 0.7 pts. At its price on Sep 11, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 11.9%, paid monthly. Global X estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Aug 27, 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, QYLD or YMAX?
- Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, QYLD paid 12.5% 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, QYLD or YMAX?
- With every distribution reinvested, QYLD returned +22.2% and YMAX returned −0.6% over the year to Sep 11, 2026, so QYLD returned more.
- Which is cheaper, QYLD or YMAX?
- QYLD charges 0.60% a year and YMAX charges 1.33%, so QYLD 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, QYLD against YMAX, data as of Sep 11, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/qyld-vs-ymax Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.