QQQM 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.
QQQMtracks the Nasdaq-100 Index
VUGtracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index
QQQM tracks the Nasdaq-100 IndexVUG tracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index
What did the last 5 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. Both funds are measured over the same 5 full years (2021–2025) — the longest stretch both were trading.
QQQM 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 | QQQM | VUG | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +20.09% | +6.18% | QQQM |
| 2025 | +20.85% | +19.40% | QQQM |
| 2024 | +25.68% | +32.69% | VUG |
| 2023 | +55.01% | +46.83% | QQQM |
| 2022 | -32.52% | -33.16% | QQQM |
| 2021 | +27.45% | +27.35% | QQQM |
| 2020 | +6.67% | +40.25% | VUG |
| 2019 | — | +37.03% | — |
| 2018 | — | -3.32% | — |
| 2017 | — | +27.72% | — |
| 2016 | — | +6.27% | — |
| 2015 | — | +3.24% | — |
| 2014 | — | +13.61% | — |
| 2013 | — | +32.48% | — |
| 2012 | — | +17.01% | — |
| 2011 | — | +1.82% | — |
| 2010 | — | +17.22% | — |
| 2009 | — | +36.14% | — |
| 2008 | — | -38.02% | — |
| 2007 | — | +12.52% | — |
| 2006 | — | +9.19% | — |
| 2005 | — | +5.02% | — |
| 2004 | — | +4.99% | — |
QQQM vs VUG in plain words
QQQM 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. QQQM charges 0.15% 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 7 calendar years both funds were trading, QQQM finished the year ahead 5 times and VUG 2 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2021 was worth $20,250 in QQQM versus $19,802 in VUG by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: QQQM vs VUG
| Fact | QQQM | VUG |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF | Vanguard Growth ETF |
| Tracks | Nasdaq-100 Index | CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.15% | 0.03% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 13 Oct 2020 | 26 Jan 2004 |
Frequently asked
Is QQQM or VUG better?
Across the 7 calendar years both funds were trading, QQQM finished the year ahead 5 times and VUG 2 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2021 was worth $20,250 in QQQM versus $19,802 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 QQQM and VUG?
QQQM 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. QQQM charges 0.15% 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 QQQM have become?
$10,000 invested in QQQM at the start of 2021 grew to $20,250 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 15.2% per year.
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