QQQ vs VGT: which ETF won each year?
Yearly returns side by side, one winner per year — dividends included, priced as you'd actually buy them.
QQQtracks the Nasdaq-100 Index
VGTtracks the MSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 Index
QQQ tracks the Nasdaq-100 IndexVGT tracks the MSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 Index
What did the last 10 years do to $10,000?
You invest $10,000 at the start of the window and touch nothing — dividends reinvested, the running year not counted.
QQQ vs VGT, year by year
Calendar-year total returns (dividends included) side by side, and who took the crown each year. A dash means the fund did not exist yet.
| Year | QQQ | VGT | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +20.16% | +27.13% | VGT |
| 2025 | +20.77% | +21.77% | VGT |
| 2024 | +25.58% | +29.30% | VGT |
| 2023 | +54.86% | +52.66% | QQQ |
| 2022 | -32.58% | -29.70% | VGT |
| 2021 | +27.42% | +30.45% | VGT |
| 2020 | +48.41% | +46.04% | QQQ |
| 2019 | +38.96% | +48.62% | VGT |
| 2018 | -0.13% | +2.46% | VGT |
| 2017 | +32.66% | +37.08% | VGT |
| 2016 | +7.10% | +13.77% | VGT |
| 2015 | +9.44% | +5.05% | QQQ |
| 2014 | +19.18% | +16.69% | QQQ |
| 2013 | +36.63% | +30.97% | QQQ |
| 2012 | +18.11% | +13.96% | QQQ |
| 2011 | +3.48% | +0.54% | QQQ |
| 2010 | +20.14% | +12.78% | QQQ |
| 2009 | +54.68% | +61.89% | VGT |
| 2008 | -41.73% | -42.82% | QQQ |
| 2007 | +19.03% | +14.78% | QQQ |
| 2006 | +7.14% | +8.85% | VGT |
| 2005 | +1.57% | +3.00% | VGT |
| 2004 | +10.54% | -2.86% | QQQ |
| 2003 | +49.67% | — | — |
| 2002 | -37.37% | — | — |
| 2001 | -33.34% | — | — |
| 2000 | -36.11% | — | — |
| 1999 | +78.95% | — | — |
QQQ vs VGT in plain words
QQQ tracks the Nasdaq-100 Index while VGT follows the MSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. QQQ charges 0.18% a year in running costs and VGT charges 0.09% — VGT is the cheaper fund to hold.
Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically. Across the 23 calendar years both funds were trading, QQQ finished the year ahead 11 times and VGT 12 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $59,045 in QQQ versus $76,464 in VGT by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: QQQ vs VGT
| Fact | QQQ | VGT |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | Invesco QQQ Trust | Vanguard Information Technology ETF |
| Tracks | Nasdaq-100 Index | MSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.18% | 0.09% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 10 Mar 1999 | 26 Jan 2004 |
Frequently asked
Is QQQ or VGT better?
Across the 23 calendar years both funds were trading, QQQ finished the year ahead 11 times and VGT 12 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $59,045 in QQQ versus $76,464 in VGT by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested. Past returns don't promise future ones — but this is what actually happened.
What is the difference between QQQ and VGT?
QQQ tracks the Nasdaq-100 Index while VGT follows the MSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. QQQ charges 0.18% a year in running costs and VGT charges 0.09% — VGT is the cheaper fund to hold. Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically.
What would $10,000 in QQQ have become?
$10,000 invested in QQQ at the start of 2016 grew to $59,045 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 19.4% per year.