SPYI alternatives and similar ETFs

The ETFs most like SPYI are GPIX, QQQI and JEPQ. GPIX, QQQI and JEPQ hold stocks plus call options sold on them, which trade some of the gains for extra income, like SPYI. GPIX costs less: 0.29% a year against 0.68%.

Written by the Tactfolio research team. Fund facts checked October 17, 2026. Prices through October 16, 2026.

Key points

  • 8 funds can stand in for SPYI: 7 of the same kind and 1 related fund.
  • SPYI charges 0.68% a year (about $68 on $10,000). The cheapest alternative here, VYM, charges 0.04%.
  • GPIX moved most like SPYI: a daily correlation of 0.98 over about the last five years.
  • Returns and drops for each pair use the same dates for both funds.

SPYI alternatives at a glance#

Each fund below can stand in for SPYI, closest first. “Same kind” funds hold the same kind of stocks through a different index. “Related” funds make a different bet that often moves the same way.

ETFHow closeYearly feeFee on $10,000Tracks
SPYIThis fund0.68%$68No index
GPIXSame kind of fund0.29%$29No index
QQQISame kind of fund0.68%$68No index
JEPQSame kind of fund0.35%$35No index
QYLDSame kind of fund0.6%$60Cboe NASDAQ-100 BuyWrite V2 Index
XYLDSame kind of fund0.6%$60Cboe S&P 500 BuyWrite Index
JEPISame kind of fund0.35%$35No index
DIVOSame kind of fund0.56%$56No index
VYMRelated fund0.04%$4FTSE High Dividend Yield Index

Fees come from each fund company, checked on the dates shown on each fund’s page.

How SPYI and its alternatives did over the same dates#

$10k20252026
SPYIGPIXQQQIJEPQGrowth of $10,000, log scale, with dividends reinvested. Past results do not tell you what happens next.

Each row measures the alternative and SPYI on the days both traded, so neither gets a head start. Correlation shows how closely their daily moves matched over about the last five years. A value of 1 means they always moved together.

ETFMoves with SPYIPer yearSPYI per yearWorst dropSPYI worst dropSince
GPIX0.9822.5%19.2%−17.5%−16.5%October 2023
QQQI0.9518.2%16.3%−20.0%−16.5%January 2024
JEPQ0.9218.7%14.7%−20.1%−16.5%August 2022
QYLD0.8814.6%14.7%−19.1%−16.5%August 2022
XYLD0.8811.6%14.7%−15.5%−16.5%August 2022
JEPI0.869.6%14.7%−13.3%−16.5%August 2022
DIVO0.8213.8%14.7%−12.1%−16.5%August 2022
VYM0.8114.2%14.7%−14.5%−16.5%August 2022

Prices through October 16, 2026. Figures use daily closing prices adjusted for splits, with dividends reinvested. They do not include taxes or the cost of buying and selling. Past results do not tell you what will happen next.

Each SPYI alternative, compared#

GPIX: Goldman Sachs S&P 500 Premium Income ETF#

GPIX also holds stocks plus call options sold on them, which trade some of the gains for extra income. It tracks no index (its managers pick what it holds), while SPYI tracks no index (its managers pick what it holds).

It charges 0.29% a year, about $29 on $10,000, against $68 for SPYI. It held 492 stocks, against 510 for SPYI.

From October 2023 to October 2026, GPIX returned about 22.5% a year and SPYI returned about 19.2% a year. Over about the last five years they moved almost exactly together (correlation 0.98).

Read the GPIX fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

QQQI: NEOS Nasdaq-100 High Income ETF#

QQQI also holds stocks plus call options sold on them, which trade some of the gains for extra income. It tracks no index (its managers pick what it holds), while SPYI tracks no index (its managers pick what it holds).

It charges 0.68% a year, about $68 on $10,000, against $68 for SPYI.

From January 2024 to October 2026, QQQI returned about 18.2% a year and SPYI returned about 16.3% a year. Over about the last five years they moved almost exactly together (correlation 0.95).

Read the QQQI fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

JEPQ: JPMorgan Nasdaq Equity Premium Income ETF#

JEPQ also holds stocks plus call options sold on them, which trade some of the gains for extra income. It tracks no index (its managers pick what it holds), while SPYI tracks no index (its managers pick what it holds).

It charges 0.35% a year, about $35 on $10,000, against $68 for SPYI. It held 110 stocks, against 510 for SPYI.

From August 2022 to October 2026, JEPQ returned about 18.7% a year and SPYI returned about 14.7% a year. Over about the last five years they moved together on most days (correlation 0.92).

Read the JEPQ fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

QYLD: Global X NASDAQ 100 Covered Call ETF#

QYLD also holds stocks plus call options sold on them, which trade some of the gains for extra income. It tracks the Cboe NASDAQ-100 BuyWrite V2 Index, while SPYI tracks no index (its managers pick what it holds).

It charges 0.6% a year, about $60 on $10,000, against $68 for SPYI. It held 102 stocks, against 510 for SPYI.

From August 2022 to October 2026, QYLD returned about 14.6% a year and SPYI returned about 14.7% a year. Over about the last five years they moved together on most days (correlation 0.88).

Read the QYLD fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

XYLD: Global X S&P 500 Covered Call ETF#

XYLD also holds stocks plus call options sold on them, which trade some of the gains for extra income. It tracks the Cboe S&P 500 BuyWrite Index, while SPYI tracks no index (its managers pick what it holds).

It charges 0.6% a year, about $60 on $10,000, against $68 for SPYI. It held 505 stocks, against 510 for SPYI.

From August 2022 to October 2026, XYLD returned about 11.6% a year and SPYI returned about 14.7% a year. Over about the last five years they moved together on most days (correlation 0.88).

Read the XYLD fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

JEPI: JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF#

JEPI also holds stocks plus call options sold on them, which trade some of the gains for extra income. It tracks no index (its managers pick what it holds), while SPYI tracks no index (its managers pick what it holds).

It charges 0.35% a year, about $35 on $10,000, against $68 for SPYI. It held 135 stocks, against 510 for SPYI.

From August 2022 to October 2026, JEPI returned about 9.6% a year and SPYI returned about 14.7% a year. Over about the last five years they moved together on most days (correlation 0.86).

Read the JEPI fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

DIVO: Amplify CWP Enhanced Dividend Income ETF#

DIVO also holds stocks plus call options sold on them, which trade some of the gains for extra income. It tracks no index (its managers pick what it holds), while SPYI tracks no index (its managers pick what it holds).

It charges 0.56% a year, about $56 on $10,000, against $68 for SPYI. It held 30 stocks, against 510 for SPYI.

From August 2022 to October 2026, DIVO returned about 13.8% a year and SPYI returned about 14.7% a year. Over about the last five years they often moved together, but not always (correlation 0.82).

Read the DIVO fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

VYM: Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF#

VYM is a looser match. It holds US companies that pay high or steady dividends, while SPYI holds stocks plus call options sold on them, which trade some of the gains for extra income.

It charges 0.04% a year, about $4 on $10,000, against $68 for SPYI. It held 593 stocks, against 510 for SPYI.

From August 2022 to October 2026, VYM returned about 14.2% a year and SPYI returned about 14.7% a year. Over about the last five years they often moved together, but not always (correlation 0.81).

Read the VYM fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

SPYI versions from other fund companies#

Some people keep all their funds with one company. Here is the closest fund to SPYI from each other company on this page:

  • Goldman Sachs Asset Management: GPIX, Goldman Sachs S&P 500 Premium Income ETF (same kind of fund, 0.29% a year)
  • J.P. Morgan Asset Management: JEPQ, JPMorgan Nasdaq Equity Premium Income ETF (same kind of fund, 0.35% a year)
  • Global X (Mirae Asset): QYLD, Global X NASDAQ 100 Covered Call ETF (same kind of fund, 0.6% a year)
  • Amplify ETFs: DIVO, Amplify CWP Enhanced Dividend Income ETF (same kind of fund, 0.56% a year)
  • Vanguard: VYM, Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (related fund, 0.04% a year)

Most brokers let you buy any ETF, whoever runs it. Mutual fund versions, such as a fund company’s index mutual fund, are not listed here.

How to choose between SPYI and its alternatives#

  • What it tracks. A fund on the same index holds the same stocks. A different index can mean different weights, more or fewer holdings, or a different mix.
  • The fee. The difference is often small. On $10,000, SPYI costs about $68 a year. VYM costs about $4.
  • History. An older fund has been through more bad markets, so you can see how far it fell.
  • What you already own. Two funds that move together add little variety. A fund with a low correlation behaves more on its own.

Swapping SPYI to harvest a tax loss#

Some investors sell a fund at a loss to lower their taxes, then buy a similar fund so they stay invested. This is called tax-loss harvesting.

The IRS wash sale rule blocks the loss if you buy a “substantially identical” security within 30 days before or after the sale. The IRS has not said exactly when two funds count. Funds on the same index are more likely to. Funds on a different index, such as QYLD, XYLD or VYM, are less likely to.

Ask a tax professional before you rely on this. Read the IRS rules in Publication 550.

Test SPYI and its alternatives in a backtest#

Tactfolio is a platform where you build rules-based investing strategies, backtest them on decades of real prices, share them, and run them automatically in your own Alpaca account. Open the builder, add SPYI and GPIX, and see how each would have done on the same dates, or how a mix of both would have done.

The details#

Alternatives are picked from facts, not from returns. First come funds that track the same index as SPYI. Then come funds that hold the same kind of stocks through another index. Last come funds from a close category that make a different bet. Leveraged funds are only listed as alternatives to other leveraged funds.

Within each group, the funds whose daily returns moved most like SPYI over about the last five years come first. Returns and worst drops use Tactfolio’s stored daily prices, adjusted for splits, with dividends reinvested. Each alternative is measured with SPYI only on days both traded. Read what a backtest simulates for more on these measures.

Common questions#

What ETF is most similar to SPYI?#

GPIX is the closest. GPIX also holds stocks plus call options sold on them, which trade some of the gains for extra income. It tracks no index (its managers pick what it holds), while SPYI tracks no index (its managers pick what it holds). Over about the last five years they moved almost exactly together.

Is there a cheaper alternative to SPYI?#

Yes. VYM charges 0.04% a year, GPIX charges 0.29% a year and JEPQ charges 0.35% a year, against 0.68% for SPYI. On $10,000 that is about $4 a year instead of $68.

Is SPYI or GPIX better?#

Neither is better for everyone. From October 2023 to October 2026, SPYI returned about 19.2% a year and GPIX returned about 22.5% a year. SPYI charges 0.68% a year and GPIX charges 0.29%. Past returns do not tell you what comes next.

Sources#