OriginaveQQQ vs VUG: 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
SPYSPDR S&P 500 ETF Trusttracks the S&P 500 Index
VOOVanguard S&P 500 ETFtracks the S&P 500 Index
IVViShares Core S&P 500 ETFtracks the S&P 500 Index- VTIVanguard Total Stock Market ETFtracks the CRSP US Total Market Index
- QQQInvesco QQQ Trusttracks the Nasdaq-100 Index
- QQQMInvesco NASDAQ 100 ETFtracks the Nasdaq-100 Index
- VGTVanguard Information Technology ETFtracks the MSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 Index
- ACWIiShares MSCI ACWI ETFtracks the MSCI ACWI Index
- VTVanguard Total World Stock ETFtracks the FTSE Global All Cap Index
- URTHiShares MSCI World ETFtracks the MSCI World Index
SCHGSchwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETFtracks the Dow Jones U.S. Large-Cap Growth Total Stock Market Index- SCHDSchwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETFtracks the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index
- VTVVanguard Value ETFtracks the CRSP US Large Cap Value Index
- VUGVanguard Growth ETFtracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index
- MTUMiShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETFtracks the MSCI USA Momentum SR Variant Index
- SPMOInvesco S&P 500 Momentum ETFtracks the S&P 500 Momentum Index
- SPHQInvesco S&P 500 Quality ETFtracks the S&P 500 Quality Index
VUGtracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index
- SPYSPDR S&P 500 ETF Trusttracks the S&P 500 Index
- VOOVanguard S&P 500 ETFtracks the S&P 500 Index
- IVViShares Core S&P 500 ETFtracks the S&P 500 Index
- VTIVanguard Total Stock Market ETFtracks the CRSP US Total Market Index
- QQQInvesco QQQ Trusttracks the Nasdaq-100 Index
- QQQMInvesco NASDAQ 100 ETFtracks the Nasdaq-100 Index
- VGTVanguard Information Technology ETFtracks the MSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 Index
- ACWIiShares MSCI ACWI ETFtracks the MSCI ACWI Index
- VTVanguard Total World Stock ETFtracks the FTSE Global All Cap Index
- URTHiShares MSCI World ETFtracks the MSCI World Index
- SCHGSchwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETFtracks the Dow Jones U.S. Large-Cap Growth Total Stock Market Index
- SCHDSchwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETFtracks the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index
- VTVVanguard Value ETFtracks the CRSP US Large Cap Value Index
- VUGVanguard Growth ETFtracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index
- MTUMiShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETFtracks the MSCI USA Momentum SR Variant Index
- SPMOInvesco S&P 500 Momentum ETFtracks the S&P 500 Momentum Index
- SPHQInvesco S&P 500 Quality ETFtracks the S&P 500 Quality Index
QQQ tracks the Nasdaq-100 IndexVUG tracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth 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 VUG, 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 | VUG | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +20.16% | +6.18% | QQQ |
| 2025 | +20.77% | +19.40% | QQQ |
| 2024 | +25.58% | +32.69% | VUG |
| 2023 | +54.86% | +46.83% | QQQ |
| 2022 | -32.58% | -33.16% | QQQ |
| 2021 | +27.42% | +27.35% | QQQ |
| 2020 | +48.41% | +40.25% | QQQ |
| 2019 | +38.96% | +37.03% | QQQ |
| 2018 | -0.13% | -3.32% | QQQ |
| 2017 | +32.66% | +27.72% | QQQ |
| 2016 | +7.10% | +6.27% | QQQ |
| 2015 | +9.44% | +3.24% | QQQ |
| 2014 | +19.18% | +13.61% | QQQ |
| 2013 | +36.63% | +32.48% | QQQ |
| 2012 | +18.11% | +17.01% | QQQ |
| 2011 | +3.48% | +1.82% | QQQ |
| 2010 | +20.14% | +17.22% | QQQ |
| 2009 | +54.68% | +36.14% | QQQ |
| 2008 | -41.73% | -38.02% | VUG |
| 2007 | +19.03% | +12.52% | QQQ |
| 2006 | +7.14% | +9.19% | VUG |
| 2005 | +1.57% | +5.02% | VUG |
| 2004 | +10.54% | +4.99% | QQQ |
| 2003 | +49.67% | — | — |
| 2002 | -37.37% | — | — |
| 2001 | -33.34% | — | — |
| 2000 | -36.11% | — | — |
| 1999 | +78.95% | — | — |
QQQ vs VUG in plain words
QQQ tracks the Nasdaq-100 Index while VUG follows the CRSP US Large Cap Growth 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 VUG charges 0.03% — VUG 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 19 times and VUG 4 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $59,045 in QQQ versus $49,942 in VUG by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: QQQ vs VUG
| Fact | QQQ | VUG |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | Invesco QQQ Trust | Vanguard Growth ETF |
| Tracks | Nasdaq-100 Index | CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.18% | 0.03% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 10 Mar 1999 | 26 Jan 2004 |
Frequently asked
Is QQQ or VUG better?
Across the 23 calendar years both funds were trading, QQQ finished the year ahead 19 times and VUG 4 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $59,045 in QQQ versus $49,942 in VUG 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 VUG?
QQQ tracks the Nasdaq-100 Index while VUG follows the CRSP US Large Cap Growth 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 VUG charges 0.03% — VUG 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.