SmarterDividends

JEPI vs QYLD: Yield, Cost and Returns Compared

As of Nov 7, 2026, QYLD yields more: 12.52% (dividend yield) against 7.47% for JEPI. JEPI is cheaper to own at 0.35% a year vs 0.60%. Over the same 6 years (May 2020 to Oct 2026), JEPI returned 10.8% a year with distributions reinvested, and QYLD 10.5%.

ComparedJEPIQYLD
YieldDividend yield7.47%12.52%
Expense ratio0.35%0.60%
Total return, 1 yr+9.6%+15.7%
Total return, 3 yr (a year)+11.5%+15.8%
Total return, 5 yr (a year)+7.4%+7.8%
Total return, 10 yr (a year)—+9.7%
Worst drop since May 2020-13.0%-22.8%
Share price since May 2020+12%−13%
PaysMonthlyMonthly
IssuerJPMorganGlobal X
Assets$46.2B$8.2B
Started20202013
TypeDerivative IncomeDerivative Income

Higher yield

QYLD

12.52%

Lower cost

JEPI

0.35%

Better total return

JEPI

10.8%/yr

Smaller worst drop

JEPI

-13.0%

Key facts: JEPI vs QYLD

Data as of · Source: SmarterDividends data

  • As of Nov 7, 2026, JEPI yields 7.47% (dividend yield) and QYLD yields 12.52% (dividend yield).
  • JEPI's expense ratio is 0.35% and QYLD's is 0.60%: $35 vs $60 a year on $10,000.
  • From May 2020 to Oct 2026, $10,000 in JEPI grew to $19,360 (10.8% a year) and $10,000 in QYLD to $18,951 (10.5% a year), distributions reinvested.
  • Their worst month-end drops over that time: -13.0% for JEPI and -22.8% for QYLD.
  • 2 of JEPI's top ten holdings are also in QYLD's top ten, an overlap of at least 4% of the fund.
Cite this page

SmarterDividends, "JEPI vs QYLD: Yield, Cost and Returns Compared," updated Nov 7, 2026, https://smarterdividends.com/compare/jepi-vs-qyld

$10,000 in each, May 2020 to Oct 2026

Distributions reinvested, month-end values, with the S&P 500 for reference.

JEPI became

$19,360

10.8% a year

QYLD became

$18,951

10.5% a year

Try other dates, monthly additions or more tickers →

Year by year

YearJEPIQYLD
2025+8.1%+9.3%
2024+12.6%+19.3%
2023+9.8%+22.7%
2022−3.5%−19.0%
2021+21.5%+10.4%

Total return each calendar year, distributions reinvested.

Top holdings

2 of the top ten overlap, at least 4% of each fund.

JEPI

  1. MA Mastercard Inc Class A2.0%
  2. AAPL Apple Inc1.9%
  3. MSFT Microsoft Corp1.9%
  4. V Visa Inc Class A1.9%
  5. NEE NextEra Energy Inc1.8%
  6. JNJ Johnson & Johnson1.8%
  7. EOG EOG Resources Inc1.8%
  8. MMM 3M Co1.8%
  9. JIMXX JPMorgan Prime Money Market IM1.8%
  10. ABBV AbbVie Inc1.8%

QYLD

  1. AAPL Apple Inc8.2%
  2. NVDA NVIDIA Corp8.1%
  3. MSFT Microsoft Corp6.3%
  4. MU Micron Technology Inc4.5%
  5. AMZN Amazon.com Inc4.2%
  6. AMD Advanced Micro Devices Inc3.7%
  7. TSLA Tesla Inc3.4%
  8. META Meta Platforms Inc Class A3.0%
  9. WMT Walmart Inc2.7%
  10. GOOGL Alphabet Inc Class A2.7%

JEPI vs QYLD: questions

Is JEPI or QYLD better?

It depends on the job. QYLD pays more today (12.52% vs 7.47%), JEPI costs less, and JEPI has the better total return over May 2020 to Oct 2026, with JEPI holding up better in its worst stretch. For income, look at yield and whether the payouts hold up; for growth, total return and drawdowns.

Which pays a higher dividend, JEPI or QYLD?

QYLD, at 12.52% against 7.47% for JEPI as of Nov 7, 2026. On $10,000 that's about $1,252 vs $747 a year at today's rates.

Which has the better total return?

JEPI. From May 2020 to Oct 2026, it returned 10.8% a year with distributions reinvested, against 10.5% for QYLD. $10,000 became $19,360 vs $18,951.

Which is cheaper, JEPI or QYLD?

JEPI, with a 0.35% expense ratio against 0.60%.

Do JEPI and QYLD hold the same things?

Partly. 2 of their top ten holdings match (AAPL, MSFT), at least 4% of each fund. Owning both doubles up on those.

Yields, costs and holdings as each fund reports them (via Yahoo Finance), updated daily; returns from month-end prices with distributions reinvested. QYLD leads on 4 of 7 measures above. For information only, not investment advice. Last fund data: Nov 7, 2026.