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QQQ vs XLK

Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1

QQQANasdaq

State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF

XLKANYSE Arca

Overlap

Expense ratio

XLK −0.10pt a year

QQQ0.18%XLK0.08%

Avg volume · 30D

QQQ 4.4×the volume

QQQ36.9MXLK8.32M

10Y return · a year

XLK +3.7pt

QQQ+20.8%XLK+24.5%

QQQ vs XLK Performance

Oct 28, 2021 – Oct 28, 2026

+94.6%QQQ+146.4%XLK

Oct 28, 2021 to Oct 28, 2026. QQQ +94.6%. XLK +146.4%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.0%50%Oct 2021Apr 2024Oct 2026
Expense ratio
QQQ 0.18%
XLK 0.08%, better
Fund size
QQQ $477B
XLK $123B
1Y total return
QQQ +15.2%
XLK +27.1%, better
Yield (12M)
QQQ 0.43%
XLK 0.44%, better
Holdings
QQQ 105
XLK 77
Avg volume (30D)
QQQ 36.9M sh, better
XLK 8.32M sh
NAV per share
QQQ $712.04
XLK $186.31
52W range

ETF.net Grade

QQQ: Cost 64, Risk 49, Mission 100, Tradability 93, Holdings 61, Durability 81. XLK: Cost 98, Risk 56, Mission 76, Tradability 98, Holdings 41, Durability 82.
Pillar letters and Scores for QQQ, XLK, with each pillar’s weight
PillarQQQXLK
Cost30% weightB64A98
Mission25% weightA100A76
Risk15% weightC49B56
Tradability15% weightA93A98
Holdings10% weightB61C41
Durability5% weightA81A82

Where each fund ranks

How we build Categories ›
Different Categories. Each fund is graded against different funds, so their Grades do not compare head to head.

Different Categories. Their Grades do not compare head to head.

Nasdaq-100⁠

Category · 10 funds
See all 10 ›

QQQ ranks 2nd of 10 funds in the Nasdaq-100 Category.

  1. Rank 1AQQQMInvesco NASDAQ 100 ETFScore 77
  2. Rank 2AQQQInvesco QQQ Trust, Series 1Score 75
  3. Rank 3AIQQiShares Nasdaq 100 ETFScore 71

Technology (Broad)⁠

Category · 23 funds
See all 23 ›

XLK ranks 1st of 23 funds in the Technology (Broad) Category.

  1. Rank 1AXLKState Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETFScore 80
  2. Rank 2AFTECFidelity MSCI Information Technology Index ETFScore 77

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

QQQAInvesco QQQ Trust, Series 1

XLKAState Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF

In short

QQQ The 1999 original. QQQ tracks the Nasdaq-100, roughly 100 of the largest non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq, and has become one of the most heavily traded funds on the market.

XLK A 1998 original: XLK owns the technology slice of the S&P 500, about 70 names, for eight basis points. Big, heavily traded, and top-heavy by design, with quarterly caps the only brake on the giants at the top.

Stated mandate

QQQ The trust is designed to match the pre-expense investment performance of the Nasdaq-100 Index.

XLK The fund seeks to track the price and yield performance of the Technology Select Sector Index before expenses.

Why people hold it

  • QQQ Launched in 1999, it is one of the longest-running ETFs in the US and one of the most actively traded, which usually means tight spreads and easy fills at size.
  • The mandate is simple: match the Nasdaq-100 before expenses. Tracking has stayed about as close to the index as this structure allows.
  • At 0.18%, the fee sits below the typical Nasdaq-100 tracker, and the fund is one of the largest ETFs in existence.
  • The index screens out financial companies, so you own Nasdaq-listed tech, consumer and healthcare heavyweights rather than a broad slice of the market.nasdaq.com
  • XLK Costs 0.08% a year against a roughly 0.40% median for broad tech funds, tying FTEC as the cheapest of the category's top-rated names and undercutting VGT's 0.09%.
  • One of the largest and most actively traded funds in the tech aisle, so entering or exiting rarely means fighting the order book.
  • Running since December 1998 and dead simple: the tech sector of the S&P 500, spanning software, semiconductors, hardware, communications equipment and IT services. Pays quarterly.ssga.com

Worth knowing

  • QQQ Invesco's own QQQM follows the same index for 0.15%. QQQ's edge is trading depth, not price.
  • About 100 market-cap-weighted names with no financials: the biggest few carry a lot of the index, and sector swings land harder than in a total-market fund.nasdaq.com
  • Income is a side effect here, not the point. Distributions are paid quarterly and the index leans toward growth companies.nasdaq.com
  • XLK Top-heavy by construction. About 70 stocks, and the index only trims its biggest weights at quarterly rebalances to stay inside fund diversification limits.spglobal.com
  • The universe is S&P 500 tech only. Smaller tech companies outside the big index are out, and the Select Sector funds split the S&P 500 up, so some familiar names sit in other sector funds.ssga.com
  • It is one sector with no ballast from the rest of the market, so a tech drawdown lands here in full.

Full QQQ profile⁠

Full XLK profile⁠

QQQ vs XLK Holdings

Holdings as of Oct 28, 2026 for QQQ and Oct 27, 2026 for XLK

How we measure overlap

Each holding counts at its smaller weight in the two funds, summed over the full Holdings. Sector, country and asset class use the same rule on each fund’s split. Cash, FX and derivative lines stay out of the counts. Two bond funds get no overlap figure.

QQQ vs XLK Cost

Overpaying QQQ vs XLK

$2,060

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

  • QQQ 0.18%

    $3,749

  • XLK 0.08%

    $1,689

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • QQQ 0.18%
  • XLK 0.08%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$1K$2K$3K$4K051015202530QQQ $3,749XLK $1,689

Year by year

YearQQQXLKOverpaying
10$328$147$181
20$1,281$575$706
30$3,749$1,689$2,060

Expense ratio

  • 0.18%QQQ
  • 0.08%XLK, cheaper

Different Categories. Each fund is graded against different funds, so their Grades do not compare head to head.Different Categories, so each fee sits in its own Category’s range.

QQQ among 10 Nasdaq-100 funds

  • Middle half of Nasdaq-100 funds
  • Median 0.20%

QQQ 4th cheapest of 10 funds

XLK among 23 Technology (Broad) funds

  • Middle half of Technology (Broad) funds
  • Median 0.45%

XLK cheapest of 23 funds

QQQ vs XLK Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 28, 2026
Yield (12M)
QQQ 0.43%
XLK 0.44%, better
Payout (12M)
QQQ $3.09
XLK $0.83
Last payment
QQQ $0.75
XLK $0.22
Ex-dividend
QQQ Sep 21, 2026
XLK Sep 21, 2026
Paid on
QQQ Oct 8, 2026
XLK Sep 23, 2026
Frequency
QQQ Quarterly
XLK Quarterly

Distribution history

Per share, 2017 to 2026, same scale for both

QQQQuarterly · 40 paymentsAll QQQ payments⁠
One bar per payment. 40 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Mar 17, 2017 $0.27; Jun 16, 2017 $0.38; Sep 18, 2017 $0.32; Dec 18, 2017 $0.33; Mar 19, 2018 $0.28; Jun 18, 2018 $0.38; Sep 24, 2018 $0.33; Dec 24, 2018 $0.42; Mar 18, 2019 $0.32; Jun 24, 2019 $0.42; Sep 23, 2019 $0.38; Dec 23, 2019 $0.46; Mar 23, 2020 $0.36; Jun 22, 2020 $0.42; Sep 21, 2020 $0.39; Dec 21, 2020 $0.56; Mar 22, 2021 $0.39; Jun 21, 2021 $0.40; Sep 20, 2021 $0.41; Dec 20, 2021 $0.49; Mar 21, 2022 $0.43; Jun 21, 2022 $0.53; Sep 19, 2022 $0.52; Dec 19, 2022 $0.66; Mar 20, 2023 $0.47; Jun 20, 2023 $0.50; Sep 18, 2023 $0.54; Dec 18, 2023 $0.81; Dec 27, 2023 $0.22; Mar 18, 2024 $0.57; Jun 24, 2024 $0.76; Sep 23, 2024 $0.68; Dec 23, 2024 $0.83; Mar 24, 2025 $0.72; Jun 23, 2025 $0.59; Sep 22, 2025 $0.69; Dec 22, 2025 $0.79; Mar 23, 2026 $0.73; Jun 22, 2026 $0.81; Sep 21, 2026 $0.75. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$0.502017202020232026YTD
XLKQuarterly · 39 paymentsAll XLK payments⁠
One bar per payment. 39 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Mar 17, 2017 $0.10; Jun 16, 2017 $0.11; Sep 15, 2017 $0.10; Dec 15, 2017 $0.12; Mar 16, 2018 $0.11; Jun 15, 2018 $0.13; Sep 21, 2018 $0.13; Dec 21, 2018 $0.13; Mar 15, 2019 $0.12; Jun 21, 2019 $0.14; Sep 20, 2019 $0.13; Dec 20, 2019 $0.15; Mar 23, 2020 $0.19; Jun 22, 2020 $0.14; Sep 21, 2020 $0.12; Dec 21, 2020 $0.15; Mar 22, 2021 $0.14; Jun 21, 2021 $0.13; Sep 20, 2021 $0.14; Dec 20, 2021 $0.16; Mar 21, 2022 $0.14; Jun 21, 2022 $0.16; Sep 19, 2022 $0.16; Dec 19, 2022 $0.18; Mar 20, 2023 $0.16; Jun 20, 2023 $0.18; Sep 18, 2023 $0.18; Dec 18, 2023 $0.21; Mar 18, 2024 $0.17; Jun 24, 2024 $0.20; Sep 23, 2024 $0.20; Dec 23, 2024 $0.19; Mar 24, 2025 $0.19; Jun 23, 2025 $0.20; Sep 22, 2025 $0.18; Dec 22, 2025 $0.22; Mar 23, 2026 $0.17; Jun 22, 2026 $0.23; Sep 21, 2026 $0.22. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$0.502017202020232026YTD

QQQ vs XLK Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

  • QQQ
  • XLK
Oct 28, 2021 to Oct 28, 2026. Worst fall: QQQ −35.1% · Nov 2022. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−30%−20%−10%0%Oct 2021Apr 2024Oct 2026

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
QQQ 17.3%, betterXLK 22.7%
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
QQQ 1.27, betterXLK 1.23
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
QQQ −35.1%XLK −33.6%, better
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
QQQ 1.23XLK 1.35

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