OriginaveSPY vs QQQ: which ETF won each year?
Yearly returns side by side, one winner per year — dividends included, priced as you'd actually buy them.
SPYtracks the S&P 500 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
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
SPY tracks the S&P 500 IndexQQQ tracks the Nasdaq-100 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.
SPY vs QQQ, 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 | SPY | QQQ | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +10.09% | +20.16% | QQQ |
| 2025 | +17.72% | +20.77% | QQQ |
| 2024 | +24.89% | +25.58% | QQQ |
| 2023 | +26.18% | +54.86% | QQQ |
| 2022 | -18.18% | -32.58% | SPY |
| 2021 | +28.73% | +27.42% | SPY |
| 2020 | +18.33% | +48.41% | QQQ |
| 2019 | +31.22% | +38.96% | QQQ |
| 2018 | -4.57% | -0.13% | QQQ |
| 2017 | +21.71% | +32.66% | QQQ |
| 2016 | +12.00% | +7.10% | SPY |
| 2015 | +1.23% | +9.44% | QQQ |
| 2014 | +13.46% | +19.18% | QQQ |
| 2013 | +32.31% | +36.63% | QQQ |
| 2012 | +15.99% | +18.11% | QQQ |
| 2011 | +1.89% | +3.48% | QQQ |
| 2010 | +15.06% | +20.14% | QQQ |
| 2009 | +26.35% | +54.68% | QQQ |
| 2008 | -36.80% | -41.73% | SPY |
| 2007 | +5.15% | +19.03% | QQQ |
| 2006 | +15.85% | +7.14% | SPY |
| 2005 | +4.83% | +1.57% | SPY |
| 2004 | +10.70% | +10.54% | SPY |
| 2003 | +28.18% | +49.67% | QQQ |
| 2002 | -21.58% | -37.37% | SPY |
| 2001 | -11.76% | -33.34% | SPY |
| 2000 | -9.74% | -36.11% | SPY |
| 1999 | +20.39% | +78.95% | QQQ |
| 1998 | +28.69% | — | — |
| 1997 | +33.47% | — | — |
| 1996 | +22.50% | — | — |
| 1995 | +38.05% | — | — |
| 1994 | +0.40% | — | — |
| 1993 | +8.71% | — | — |
SPY vs QQQ in plain words
SPY tracks the S&P 500 Index while QQQ follows the Nasdaq-100 Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. SPY charges 0.0945% a year in running costs and QQQ charges 0.18% — SPY is the cheaper fund to hold.
Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically. Across the 28 calendar years both funds were trading, SPY finished the year ahead 10 times and QQQ 18 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $39,466 in SPY versus $59,045 in QQQ by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: SPY vs QQQ
| Fact | SPY | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust | Invesco QQQ Trust |
| Tracks | S&P 500 Index | Nasdaq-100 Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.0945% | 0.18% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 22 Jan 1993 | 10 Mar 1999 |
Frequently asked
Is SPY or QQQ better?
Across the 28 calendar years both funds were trading, SPY finished the year ahead 10 times and QQQ 18 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $39,466 in SPY versus $59,045 in QQQ 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 SPY and QQQ?
SPY tracks the S&P 500 Index while QQQ follows the Nasdaq-100 Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. SPY charges 0.0945% a year in running costs and QQQ charges 0.18% — SPY 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 SPY have become?
$10,000 invested in SPY at the start of 2016 grew to $39,466 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 14.7% per year.