SmarterDividends

QYLD vs RYLD: Yield, Cost and Returns Compared

As of Nov 9, 2026, QYLD yields more: 12.52% (dividend yield) against 12.27% for RYLD. QYLD is cheaper to own at 0.60% a year vs 0.60%. Over the same 7 years (Apr 2019 to Oct 2026), QYLD returned 9.0% a year with distributions reinvested, and RYLD 5.3%.

ComparedQYLDRYLD
YieldDividend yield12.52%12.27%
Expense ratio0.60%0.60%
Total return, 1 yr+15.6%+12.1%
Total return, 3 yr (a year)+15.7%+11.0%
Total return, 5 yr (a year)+7.7%+2.1%
Total return, 10 yr (a year)+9.6%—
Worst drop since Apr 2019-22.7%-31.1%
Share price since Apr 2019−22%−39%
PaysMonthlyMonthly
IssuerGlobal XGlobal X
Assets$8.2B$1.3B
Started20132019
TypeDerivative IncomeDerivative Income

Higher yield

QYLD

12.52%

Lower cost

QYLD

0.60%

Better total return

QYLD

9.0%/yr

Smaller worst drop

QYLD

-22.7%

Key facts: QYLD vs RYLD

Data as of · Source: SmarterDividends data

  • As of Nov 9, 2026, QYLD yields 12.52% (dividend yield) and RYLD yields 12.27% (dividend yield).
  • QYLD's expense ratio is 0.60% and RYLD's is 0.60%: $60 vs $60 a year on $10,000.
  • From Apr 2019 to Oct 2026, $10,000 in QYLD grew to $19,126 (9.0% a year) and $10,000 in RYLD to $14,745 (5.3% a year), distributions reinvested.
  • Their worst month-end drops over that time: -22.7% for QYLD and -31.1% for RYLD.
  • 0 of QYLD's top ten holdings are also in RYLD's top ten.
Cite this page

SmarterDividends, "QYLD vs RYLD: Yield, Cost and Returns Compared," updated Nov 9, 2026, https://smarterdividends.com/compare/qyld-vs-ryld

$10,000 in each, Apr 2019 to Oct 2026

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

QYLD became

$19,126

9.0% a year

RYLD became

$14,745

5.3% a year

Try other dates, monthly additions or more tickers →

Year by year

YearQYLDRYLD
2025+9.2%+5.6%
2024+19.3%+10.2%
2023+22.7%+0.3%
2022−19.1%−13.0%
2021+10.4%+22.2%
2020+8.7%−0.4%

Total return each calendar year, distributions reinvested.

Top holdings

No overlap in the top ten.

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%

RYLD

  1. RSSL Global X Russell 2000 ETF103.0%

QYLD vs RYLD: questions

Is QYLD or RYLD better?

It depends on the job. QYLD pays more today (12.52% vs 12.27%), QYLD costs less, and QYLD has the better total return over Apr 2019 to Oct 2026, with QYLD 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, QYLD or RYLD?

QYLD, at 12.52% against 12.27% for RYLD as of Nov 9, 2026. On $10,000 that's about $1,252 vs $1,227 a year at today's rates.

Which has the better total return?

QYLD. From Apr 2019 to Oct 2026, it returned 9.0% a year with distributions reinvested, against 5.3% for RYLD. $10,000 became $19,126 vs $14,745.

Which is cheaper, QYLD or RYLD?

QYLD, with a 0.60% expense ratio against 0.60%.

Do QYLD and RYLD hold the same things?

Not at the top: none of their top ten holdings match.

Related comparisons

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 6 of 6 measures above. For information only, not investment advice. Last fund data: Nov 9, 2026.