OriginaveVTI 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.
VTItracks the CRSP US Total Market 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
VTI tracks the CRSP US Total Market 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.
VTI 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 | VTI | QQQ | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +11.04% | +20.16% | QQQ |
| 2025 | +17.10% | +20.77% | QQQ |
| 2024 | +23.81% | +25.58% | QQQ |
| 2023 | +26.05% | +54.86% | QQQ |
| 2022 | -19.52% | -32.58% | VTI |
| 2021 | +25.68% | +27.42% | QQQ |
| 2020 | +21.08% | +48.41% | QQQ |
| 2019 | +30.67% | +38.96% | QQQ |
| 2018 | -5.23% | -0.13% | QQQ |
| 2017 | +21.21% | +32.66% | QQQ |
| 2016 | +12.82% | +7.10% | VTI |
| 2015 | +0.36% | +9.44% | QQQ |
| 2014 | +12.55% | +19.18% | QQQ |
| 2013 | +33.45% | +36.63% | QQQ |
| 2012 | +16.45% | +18.11% | QQQ |
| 2011 | +0.97% | +3.48% | QQQ |
| 2010 | +17.43% | +20.14% | QQQ |
| 2009 | +28.90% | +54.68% | QQQ |
| 2008 | -36.99% | -41.73% | VTI |
| 2007 | +5.37% | +19.03% | QQQ |
| 2006 | +15.70% | +7.14% | VTI |
| 2005 | +6.30% | +1.57% | VTI |
| 2004 | +12.78% | +10.54% | VTI |
| 2003 | +30.74% | +49.67% | QQQ |
| 2002 | -20.48% | -37.37% | VTI |
| 2001 | -4.40% | -33.34% | VTI |
| 2000 | — | -36.11% | — |
| 1999 | — | +78.95% | — |
VTI vs QQQ in plain words
VTI tracks the CRSP US Total Market Index while QQQ follows the Nasdaq-100 Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. VTI charges 0.03% a year in running costs and QQQ charges 0.18% — VTI is the cheaper fund to hold.
Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically. Across the 26 calendar years both funds were trading, VTI finished the year ahead 8 times and QQQ 18 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $37,896 in VTI versus $59,045 in QQQ by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: VTI vs QQQ
| Fact | VTI | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF | Invesco QQQ Trust |
| Tracks | CRSP US Total Market Index | Nasdaq-100 Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.03% | 0.18% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 24 May 2001 | 10 Mar 1999 |
Frequently asked
Is VTI or QQQ better?
Across the 26 calendar years both funds were trading, VTI finished the year ahead 8 times and QQQ 18 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $37,896 in VTI 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 VTI and QQQ?
VTI tracks the CRSP US Total Market Index while QQQ follows the Nasdaq-100 Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. VTI charges 0.03% a year in running costs and QQQ charges 0.18% — VTI 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 VTI have become?
$10,000 invested in VTI at the start of 2016 grew to $37,896 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 14.3% per year.