VOO 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.
VOOtracks the S&P 500 Index
QQQtracks the Nasdaq-100 Index
VOO 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.
VOO 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 | VOO | QQQ | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +10.18% | +20.16% | QQQ |
| 2025 | +17.82% | +20.77% | QQQ |
| 2024 | +24.98% | +25.58% | QQQ |
| 2023 | +26.32% | +54.86% | QQQ |
| 2022 | -18.17% | -32.58% | VOO |
| 2021 | +28.79% | +27.42% | VOO |
| 2020 | +18.32% | +48.41% | QQQ |
| 2019 | +31.37% | +38.96% | QQQ |
| 2018 | -4.50% | -0.13% | QQQ |
| 2017 | +21.77% | +32.66% | QQQ |
| 2016 | +12.17% | +7.10% | VOO |
| 2015 | +1.33% | +9.44% | QQQ |
| 2014 | +12.93% | +19.18% | QQQ |
| 2013 | +32.39% | +36.63% | QQQ |
| 2012 | +15.99% | +18.11% | QQQ |
| 2011 | +1.90% | +3.48% | QQQ |
| 2010 | +14.78% | +20.14% | QQQ |
| 2009 | — | +54.68% | — |
| 2008 | — | -41.73% | — |
| 2007 | — | +19.03% | — |
| 2006 | — | +7.14% | — |
| 2005 | — | +1.57% | — |
| 2004 | — | +10.54% | — |
| 2003 | — | +49.67% | — |
| 2002 | — | -37.37% | — |
| 2001 | — | -33.34% | — |
| 2000 | — | -36.11% | — |
| 1999 | — | +78.95% | — |
VOO vs QQQ in plain words
VOO 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. VOO charges 0.03% a year in running costs and QQQ charges 0.18% — VOO is the cheaper fund to hold.
Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically. Across the 17 calendar years both funds were trading, VOO finished the year ahead 3 times and QQQ 14 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $39,747 in VOO versus $59,045 in QQQ by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: VOO vs QQQ
| Fact | VOO | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | Vanguard S&P 500 ETF | Invesco QQQ Trust |
| Tracks | S&P 500 Index | Nasdaq-100 Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.03% | 0.18% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 7 Sept 2010 | 10 Mar 1999 |
Frequently asked
Is VOO or QQQ better?
Across the 17 calendar years both funds were trading, VOO finished the year ahead 3 times and QQQ 14 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $39,747 in VOO 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 VOO and QQQ?
VOO 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. VOO charges 0.03% a year in running costs and QQQ charges 0.18% — VOO 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 VOO have become?
$10,000 invested in VOO at the start of 2016 grew to $39,747 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 14.8% per year.