Data as of .
QCLN vs SMOG: which is really different?
QCLN and SMOG hold 26% of their weight in the same names, and QCLN returned more over the year.
ETFIQ Off-Index Score: QCLN 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
26% of the two portfolios are the same securities at the same weight.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, QCLN and SMOG hold 26% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | QCLN | SMOG |
|---|---|---|
| Tesla, Inc. | 8.08% | 8.17% |
| Bloom Energy Corporation (Class A) | 10.51% | 6.10% |
| Rivian Automotive, Inc. (Class A) | 6.89% | 2.98% |
| First Solar, Inc. | 3.96% | 2.94% |
| Nextpower Inc. (Class A) | 4.00% | 1.51% |
| EnerSys | 2.21% | 0.96% |
| Ormat Technologies, Inc. | 2.06% | 0.91% |
| Enphase Energy, Inc. | 1.57% | 0.66% |
| HA Sustainable Infrastructure Capital, Inc. | 1.62% | 0.56% |
| Sunrun Inc. | 0.71% | 0.28% |
| Only in QCLN | Only in SMOG |
|---|---|
| Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. 7.84% | Iberdrola Sa 8.25% |
| ON Semiconductor Corporation 7.71% | Nextera Energy Inc 7.03% |
| Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. 3.61% | Enel Spa 6.57% |
| Enlight Renewable Energy Ltd. 3.60% | Byd Co Ltd 5.64% |
| Albemarle Corporation 3.35% | Vestas Wind Systems A/S 4.89% |
| Acuity Inc. 3.12% | Samsung Sdi Co Ltd 4.22% |
| Brookfield Renewable Partners LP 3.08% | Axia Energia Sa 3.48% |
| MP Materials Corp. 2.89% | Kingspan Group Plc 2.96% |
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 Sep 18, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | vs the S&P 500 | vs the Nasdaq-100 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QCLN | SMOG | QCLN | SMOG | QCLN | SMOG | |
| 3 months | −25.6% | −7.7% | −27.8 pts | −9.9 pts | −23.1 pts | −5.2 pts |
| 6 months | +4.5% | +3.1% | −13.6 pts | −14.9 pts | −19.8 pts | −21.1 pts |
| 1 year | +16.1% | +11.5% | −0.5 pts | −5.0 pts | −5.7 pts | −10.2 pts |
| 3 years | +7.8% | +29.0% | −70.6 pts | −49.4 pts | −90.4 pts | −69.2 pts |
| Since launch | +222.2% | +112.2% | −581.4 pts | −691.3 pts | −1468.0 pts | −1578.0 pts |
| 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 | SMOG VanEck Low Carbon Energy ETF Holds 55 stocks in clean energy, 18% of its weight in S&P 500 companies | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | First Trust | VanEck |
| Theme | Clean energy | Clean energy |
| In the S&P 500 | 30.9% | 18.2% |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 97.9% | 97.8% |
| In the Nasdaq-100 | 15.9% | 8.1% |
| Holdings | 58 | 55 |
| Top ten, share of the fund | 59.5% | 60.1% |
| Expense ratio | 0.59% | 0.64% |
| Fee for the differing part | 0.60% | 0.65% |
| Total return, 1 year | +16.1% | +11.5% |
| vs the S&P 500 | −0.5 pts | −5.0 pts |
| vs the Nasdaq-100 | −5.7 pts | −10.2 pts |
| Below its high | −44.6% | −23.9% |
| Net assets | $546m | $131m |
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.
SMOG in plain words
By weight, 18% of SMOG'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 55 positions, as published by its issuer for Sep 18, 2026. Over the year to Sep 18, 2026 the fund returned +11.5% with distributions reinvested against +16.6% for the S&P 500, so a holder was behind by 5.0 pts. It sits 23.9% below its all-time high of Jan 22, 2021.
Questions people ask
- Do QCLN and SMOG hold the same stocks?
- By their latest filings, 26% 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, QCLN or SMOG?
- QCLN has 31% of its weight in S&P 500 names and SMOG has 18%, so QCLN differs more from the index.
- Which is cheaper, QCLN or SMOG?
- QCLN charges 0.59% a year and SMOG charges 0.64%, so QCLN 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, QCLN against SMOG, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/themes/qcln-vs-smog Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.