Data as of .
ACES vs QCLN: which is really different?
ACES and QCLN hold 38% of their weight in the same names, and QCLN returned more over the year.
ETFIQ Off-Index Score: ACES scores higher
How much of it is not the index it is sold as an alternative to?
A percentile among the 379 thematic ETFs with a holdings filing. It is a position in a set, not a rating, and neither end of it is a recommendation. All thematic ETFs ranked by it · How it is computed
38% of the two portfolios are the same securities at the same weight.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, ACES and QCLN hold 38% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | ACES | QCLN |
|---|---|---|
| Tesla Inc | 4.24% | 8.08% |
| First Solar Inc | 6.25% | 3.96% |
| Brookfield Renewable Partners Lp | 4.68% | 3.08% |
| Ormat Technologies Inc | 4.84% | 2.06% |
| Enphase Energy Inc | 6.53% | 1.57% |
| Itron Inc | 3.48% | 1.36% |
| Plug Power Inc | 6.04% | 1.00% |
| Sunrun Inc | 4.18% | 0.71% |
| Eos Energy Enterprises Inc | 3.10% | 0.50% |
| Amprius Technologies Inc | 2.43% | 0.48% |
| T1 Energy Inc | 1.95% | 0.42% |
| Willdan Group Inc | 1.43% | 0.42% |
| Only in ACES | Only in QCLN |
|---|---|
| Nextpower Inc 5.93% | Bloom Energy Corporation (Class A) 10.51% |
| Ha Sustainable Infrastructure Capital In 4.40% | Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. 7.84% |
| Northland Power Inc 4.20% | ON Semiconductor Corporation 7.71% |
| Albemarle Corp 4.17% | Rivian Automotive, Inc. (Class A) 6.89% |
| Rivian Automotive Inc 4.08% | Nextpower Inc. (Class A) 4.00% |
| Clearway Energy Inc 3.79% | Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. 3.61% |
| Boralex Inc 3.00% | Enlight Renewable Energy Ltd. 3.60% |
| American Superconductor Corp 2.58% | Albemarle Corporation 3.35% |
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 May 31, 2026 and Sep 18, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | vs the S&P 500 | vs the Nasdaq-100 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACES | QCLN | ACES | QCLN | ACES | QCLN | |
| 3 months | −21.4% | −25.6% | −23.6 pts | −27.8 pts | −18.9 pts | −23.1 pts |
| 6 months | −10.0% | +4.5% | −28.0 pts | −13.6 pts | −34.2 pts | −19.8 pts |
| 1 year | −5.9% | +16.1% | −22.4 pts | −0.5 pts | −27.6 pts | −5.7 pts |
| 3 years | −25.4% | +7.8% | −103.8 pts | −70.6 pts | −123.6 pts | −90.4 pts |
| Since launch | +25.2% | +222.2% | −192.9 pts | −581.4 pts | −317.7 pts | −1468.0 pts |
| ACES ALPS Clean Energy ETF Holds 37 stocks in clean energy, 15% of its weight in S&P 500 companies | QCLN First Trust Nasdaq Clean Edge Green Energy Index Fund Holds 58 stocks in clean energy, 31% of its weight in S&P 500 companies | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | ALPS | First Trust |
| Theme | Clean energy | Clean energy |
| In the S&P 500 | 14.7% | 30.9% |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 98.1% | 97.9% |
| In the Nasdaq-100 | 4.2% | 15.9% |
| Holdings | 37 | 58 |
| Top ten, share of the fund | 51.3% | 59.5% |
| Expense ratio | 0.55% | 0.59% |
| Fee for the differing part | 0.56% | 0.60% |
| Total return, 1 year | −5.9% | +16.1% |
| vs the S&P 500 | −22.4 pts | −0.5 pts |
| vs the Nasdaq-100 | −27.6 pts | −5.7 pts |
| Below its high | −69.6% | −44.6% |
| Net assets | $145m | $546m |
ACES in plain words
By weight, 15% of ACES's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 98%. The top ten holdings are 51% of the fund across 37 positions, as filed for May 31, 2026. Over the year to Sep 18, 2026 the fund returned −5.9% with distributions reinvested against +16.6% for the S&P 500, so a holder was behind by 22.4 pts. It sits 69.6% below its all-time high of Feb 9, 2021.
QCLN in plain words
By weight, 31% of QCLN's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 98%. The top ten holdings are 60% of the fund across 58 positions, as published by its issuer for Sep 18, 2026. Over the year to Sep 18, 2026 the fund returned +16.1% with distributions reinvested against +16.6% for the S&P 500, so a holder was about even. It sits 44.6% below its all-time high of Feb 9, 2021.
Questions people ask
- Do ACES and QCLN hold the same stocks?
- By their latest filings, 38% of their books are the same securities at the same weight, which is a meaningful overlap. Overlap is the sum of the smaller weight of every security they share.
- Which is more different from the S&P 500, ACES or QCLN?
- ACES has 15% of its weight in S&P 500 names and QCLN has 31%, so ACES differs more from the index.
- Which is cheaper, ACES or QCLN?
- ACES charges 0.55% a year and QCLN charges 0.59%, so ACES 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, ACES against QCLN, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/themes/aces-vs-qcln Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.