QQQ vs VOO: fees, holdings and returns
QQQ holds the 100 largest companies on the Nasdaq exchange that are not banks or other financial firms. VOO holds about 500 large US companies from every industry. QQQ leans much more on technology, so it has swung more, up and down. Over the same dates since September 2010, QQQ returned about 19.5% a year and VOO returned about 14.8% a year.
Written by the Tactfolio research team. Fund facts checked October 16, 2026. Prices through October 16, 2026.
Key points
- VOO costs less: 0.03% a year against 0.18%.
- QQQ started trading in March 1999. VOO started in September 2010.
- Worst drops since 2010: QQQ −35.1%, VOO −34.0%.
- Daily correlation: 0.93 (1 means they always move together).
What is the difference between QQQ and VOO?#
QQQ is narrower. It holds about 100 companies, picked from one exchange, and leaves out financial companies such as banks. Technology companies make up a large part of it. VOO holds about 500 companies across every industry, including banks, energy and health care. When tech leads, QQQ tends to pull ahead. When tech falls hard, as in 2022, QQQ tends to fall further.
| Fact | QQQ | VOO |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 | Vanguard S&P 500 ETF |
| Issuer | Invesco | Vanguard |
| Expense ratio | 0.18% a year | 0.03% a year |
| Started trading | March 10, 1999 | September 7, 2010 |
| Tracks | Nasdaq-100 Index | S&P 500 Index |
| Holdings | n/a | 505 holdings as of September 30, 2026 |
| Type | US stocks, ETF | US stocks, ETF |
Fund facts checked on the Invesco QQQ page and the Vanguard VOO page.
Is QQQ or VOO cheaper?#
VOO costs less: 0.03% a year against 0.18%. On $10,000, that is about $18 a year for QQQ and $3 for VOO. The fund takes its fee out of its own value a little each day, so you never get a bill.
QQQ vs VOO performance over the same dates#
Both funds are measured from September 2010 to October 2026, the dates both traded. QQQ returned about 19.5% a year and VOO returned about 14.8% a year. QQQ came out ahead over this period, which does not mean it will again.
| Measure | QQQ | VOO |
|---|---|---|
| $10,000 grew to | $175,641 | $92,175 |
| Total return | 1,656% | 821.7% |
| Return per year (CAGR) | 19.5% | 14.8% |
| Worst drop from a high | −35.1% | −34.0% |
| Volatility (how much it swings) | 20.6% | 16.9% |
| Last 12 months | 18.9% | 16.8% |
| Last 3 years, per year | 25.0% | 22.1% |
| Last 5 years, per year | 14.7% | 12.9% |
| Last 10 years, per year | 20.5% | 15.5% |
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.
QQQ and VOO returns by year#
| Year | QQQ | VOO |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (part of the year) | 15.9% | 12.8% |
| 2025 | 20.8% | 17.8% |
| 2024 | 25.6% | 25.0% |
| 2023 | 54.9% | 26.3% |
| 2022 | −32.6% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | 27.4% | 28.8% |
| 2020 | 48.4% | 18.3% |
| 2019 | 39.0% | 31.4% |
| 2018 | −0.1% | −4.5% |
| 2017 | 32.7% | 21.8% |
| 2016 | 7.1% | 12.2% |
| 2015 | 9.4% | 1.3% |
| 2014 | 19.2% | 12.9% |
| 2013 | 36.6% | 32.4% |
| 2012 | 18.1% | 16.0% |
| 2011 | 3.5% | 1.9% |
| 2010 (part of the year) | 17.8% | 14.8% |
Which fell further in bad times?#
A drawdown is how far a fund falls from its last high point. QQQ’s worst fall was −35.1%, from December 27, 2021 to November 3, 2022. It got back to that high on December 13, 2023.
VOO’s worst fall was −34.0%, from February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020. It got back to that high on August 10, 2020.
Their daily moves had a correlation of 0.93. A correlation of 1 means two funds always move up and down together. Near 0 means they move on their own. So holding both adds little variety.
Why people choose QQQ or VOO#
QQQ. People who want more weight in large technology and growth companies tend to pick QQQ, and accept bigger swings.
VOO. People who want a broad mix of large US companies from every industry tend to pick VOO.
Strategies that hold QQQ or VOO#
These classic strategies hold one or both at least some of the time. Each is a set of written rules you can open, test and copy.
- Bold Asset Allocation (BAA), by Wouter Keller, 2022 (holds QQQ)
- Defensive Asset Allocation (DAA), by Wouter Keller and JW Keuning, 2018 (holds QQQ)
- Protective Asset Allocation (PAA), by Wouter Keller and JW Keuning, 2016 (holds QQQ)
- Vigilant Asset Allocation G12 (VAA-G12), by Wouter Keller and JW Keuning, 2017 (holds QQQ)
- Bold Asset Allocation G4 (BAA aggressive), by Wouter Keller, 2022 (holds QQQ)
- Quint Switching Filtered (Lewis Glenn’s QSF), by Lewis A. Glenn, 2018 (holds QQQ)
- Lethargic Asset Allocation (Keller’s LAA), by Wouter J. Keller, 2019 (holds QQQ)
- Resilient Asset Allocation (Keller’s RAA), by Wouter J. Keller, 2020 (holds QQQ)
- Pragmatic Asset Allocation (Quantpedia’s PAA), by Radovan Vojtko and Juliána Javorská (Quantpedia), 2024 (holds QQQ)
Other funds like QQQ and VOO#
Each fund has more funds that hold the same kind of investments, ranked by how closely they move with it: QQQ alternatives and VOO alternatives.
Test a mix of QQQ and VOO#
Open the builder, add QQQ and VOO, and give each a weight, such as 50% and 50%. The backtest shows how the mix would have done, with its worst drop, on daily prices. You can also add a rule, for example to switch between them, and compare. Read the full pages for QQQ and VOO, or see more ETF comparisons.
The details#
Both funds use Tactfolio’s stored daily prices, adjusted for splits, with dividends reinvested. They are compared only on days both traded, starting the later fund’s first day, so neither gets a head start. Correlation uses daily returns over the same days. Read what a backtest simulates for more on these measures.
Common questions#
Is QQQ riskier than VOO?#
QQQ has swung more than VOO in the past because it holds fewer companies and leans on technology. The volatility and worst drop figures above show how much more over the same dates.
Do QQQ and VOO hold the same companies?#
Many of the largest companies are in both. VOO also holds about 400 companies QQQ does not, including banks and many smaller industries.
Which is cheaper, QQQ or VOO?#
VOO costs less: 0.03% a year against 0.18%. Fees come from each issuer and were checked on October 16, 2026.
Which did better, QQQ or VOO?#
From September 2010 to October 2026, QQQ returned about 19.5% a year and VOO returned about 14.8% a year, with dividends reinvested. Their worst drops were −35.1% and −34.0%. Past returns do not tell you what comes next.