ETF Versus

QQQ vs VTI

Invesco QQQ Trust vs Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares

Last updated: 2026-04-02

QQQ Invesco

Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Invesco that provides exposure to large-cap U.S. growth stocks with above-average earnings potential. It charges a moderate expense ratio of 0.18%. The fund offers a modest dividend yield of 0.48%. Launched in 1999, the fund has a 27-year track record.

AUM: $363.1B ER: 0.18% Yield: 0.48% Since: Mar 10, 1999
VTI Vanguard

Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares (VTI) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Vanguard that provides exposure to the total U.S. stock market across all capitalizations. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.03%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.17%. Launched in 2001, the fund has a 25-year track record.

AUM: $546.0B ER: 0.03% Yield: 1.17% Since: May 24, 2001

Quick Verdict

VTI is significantly cheaper at 0.03% vs 0.18% expense ratio, saving you approximately $297 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. Over the past year, QQQ has significantly outperformed with a 23.6% return vs 17.2%. Income investors may prefer VTI for its higher yield (1.2% vs 0.5%).

Key Metrics

Metric QQQ VTI
Expense Ratio 0.18% 0.03%
Dividend Yield 0.5% 1.2%
Fund Family Invesco Vanguard
Category US Large Cap Growth US Total Market

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

75 99 123 147 171 195 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
QQQ +76.5%
VTI +52.7%

Performance Comparison

Period QQQ VTI Difference
1 Month -3.91% -4.68% +0.77%
3 Months -4.70% -3.89% -0.81%
6 Months -3.13% -2.04% -1.09%
YTD -4.70% -3.89% -0.81%
1 Year +23.61% +17.21% +6.40%
3 Years +82.51% +57.96% +24.55%
5 Years +76.50% +52.67% +23.83%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period QQQ Fees VTI Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $357 $60 $297
$10.000 20 years $1.529 $258 $1.271
$10.000 30 years $4.912 $835 $4.076
$50.000 10 years $1.786 $299 $1.486
$50.000 30 years $24.558 $4.176 $20.382
$100.000 30 years $49.116 $8.352 $40.764

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric QQQ VTI
Annualized Volatility 22.4% 17.4%
Max Drawdown -35.6% -26.2%
Sharpe Ratio 0.42 0.32

Dividend Comparison

Metric QQQ VTI
Annual Dividend (per share) $2.81 $3.77
Dividend Yield 0.48% 1.17%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

8 of top 9 holdings overlap (89% overlap in top holdings)

QQQ Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA8.55%
Apple Inc.AAPL7.67%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT5.56%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN4.49%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA3.79%
Walmart Inc.WMT3.48%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META3.26%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG3.13%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO2.99%

VTI Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA6.17%
Apple Inc.AAPL5.89%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT4.40%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN3.05%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO2.28%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG2.16%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META2.13%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA1.72%
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.BRK.B1.37%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose VTI if...

you want the lowest fees and plan to buy and hold long-term. Over decades, the expense ratio difference compounds significantly.

Choose QQQ if...

recent performance momentum matters to your strategy. Note that past performance doesn't guarantee future results.

Choose VTI if...

you prioritize dividend income and want higher regular distributions from your portfolio.

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