OriginaveQQQM vs VUG: which ETF won each year?
Yearly returns side by side, one winner per year — dividends included, priced as you'd actually buy them.
QQQM
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
VUG
- 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
QQQM tracks the Nasdaq-100 IndexVUG tracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index
What did the last 5 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. Both funds are measured over the same 5 full years (2021–2025) — the longest stretch both were trading.
QQQM vs VUG, 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 | QQQM | VUG | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +20.88% | +11.18% | QQQM |
| 2025 | +20.85% | +19.40% | QQQM |
| 2024 | +25.68% | +32.69% | VUG |
| 2023 | +55.01% | +46.83% | QQQM |
| 2022 | -32.52% | -33.16% | QQQM |
| 2021 | +27.45% | +27.35% | QQQM |
| 2020 | +6.67% | +40.25% | VUG |
| 2019 | — | +37.03% | — |
| 2018 | — | -3.32% | — |
| 2017 | — | +27.72% | — |
| 2016 | — | +6.27% | — |
| 2015 | — | +3.24% | — |
| 2014 | — | +13.61% | — |
| 2013 | — | +32.48% | — |
| 2012 | — | +17.01% | — |
| 2011 | — | +1.82% | — |
| 2010 | — | +17.22% | — |
| 2009 | — | +36.14% | — |
| 2008 | — | -38.02% | — |
| 2007 | — | +12.52% | — |
| 2006 | — | +9.19% | — |
| 2005 | — | +5.02% | — |
| 2004 | — | +4.99% | — |
QQQM vs VUG in plain words
QQQM tracks the Nasdaq-100 Index while VUG follows the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. QQQM charges 0.15% a year in running costs and VUG charges 0.03% — VUG is the cheaper fund to hold.
Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically. Across the 7 calendar years both funds were trading, QQQM finished the year ahead 5 times and VUG 2 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2021 was worth $20,250 in QQQM versus $19,802 in VUG by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: QQQM vs VUG
| Fact | QQQM | VUG |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF | Vanguard Growth ETF |
| Tracks | Nasdaq-100 Index | CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.15% | 0.03% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 13 Oct 2020 | 26 Jan 2004 |
| $10,000 invested | What $10,000 in QQQM became | What $10,000 in VUG became |
How bumpy the ride was: QQQM vs VUG
These head-to-head figures use only the 1,502 trading days both funds were listed: 13 Oct 2020 to 6 Oct 2026, roughly 6.0 years.
QQQM and VUG swung about equally: annualised volatility of 22.2% for QQQM against 21.7% for VUG, with QQQM moving 1% or more on 40.3% of trading days and VUG on 38.7%. Both had their worst day on 4 Apr 2025: QQQM closed -6.11% and VUG -6.06%.
VUG had the deeper drawdown: it fell -35.61% from its peak on 19 Nov 2021 to a low on 3 Nov 2022, then closed back above the old peak on 23 Jan 2024, 14 months after the low; QQQM fell -35.04% from its peak on 19 Nov 2021 to a low on 3 Nov 2022, then closed back above the old peak on 12 Dec 2023, 13 months after the low.
Day to day the two move almost in lockstep: the correlation of their daily returns is 0.98, and they closed in opposite directions on 5.8% of the 1,501 days measured. The widest single-day gap came on 25 Jun 2026, when QQQM moved +0.77% and VUG -0.93%.
| Measure | QQQM | VUG |
|---|---|---|
| Annualised volatility | 22.2% | 21.7% |
| Worst day | -6.11% on 4 Apr 2025 | -6.06% on 4 Apr 2025 |
| Best day | +11.74% on 9 Apr 2025 | +11.63% on 9 Apr 2025 |
| Days moving 1% or more | 40.3% of days | 38.7% of days |
| Deepest drawdown | -35.04% | -35.61% |
| Peak to trough | 19 Nov 2021 → 3 Nov 2022 | 19 Nov 2021 → 3 Nov 2022 |
| Back above the old peak | 12 Dec 2023 · 13 months | 23 Jan 2024 · 14 months |
Years QQQM and VUG parted ways
In 3 of the 6 completed calendar years both funds were trading, the two returns ended more than 5 points apart. The widest split was 2020: QQQM returned +6.67% and VUG +40.25%, a gap of 33.6 points. They rose together in 5 years and fell together in 1 year.
| Year | QQQM | VUG | Gap (QQQM − VUG) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | +25.68% | +32.69% | -7.0 pts |
| 2023 | +55.01% | +46.83% | +8.2 pts |
| 2020 | +6.67% | +40.25% | -33.6 pts |
How often QQQM beat VUG over any 12 months
Across the 60 rolling 12-month windows since October 2020, measured month-end to month-end, QQQM finished ahead in 68.3% of them (41) and VUG in 31.7% (19).
$200 a month into each, 2021–2025
Putting $200 into each fund at the start of every month from January 2021 to December 2025 (60 payments, $12,000 in total) would have grown to $19,699 in QQQM and $19,688 in VUG, leaving QQQM $12 ahead.
| Outcome | QQQM | VUG |
|---|---|---|
| Paid in | $12,000 | $12,000 |
| Value at the end of 2025 | $19,699 | $19,688 |
| Gain on the money paid in | +$7,699 | +$7,688 |
| Gain in % | +64.16% | +64.06% |
Each payment rides the return of the month it lands in, dividends reinvested. Only calendar years with all twelve months of data for both funds count, so the plan may start later than the shared history.
Frequently asked
Is QQQM or VUG better?
Across the 7 calendar years both funds were trading, QQQM finished the year ahead 5 times and VUG 2 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2021 was worth $20,250 in QQQM versus $19,802 in VUG 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 QQQM and VUG?
QQQM tracks the Nasdaq-100 Index while VUG follows the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. QQQM charges 0.15% a year in running costs and VUG charges 0.03% — VUG is the cheaper fund to hold. Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically.
Which is more volatile, QQQM or VUG?
QQQM and VUG swung about equally: annualised volatility of 22.2% for QQQM against 21.7% for VUG, with QQQM moving 1% or more on 40.3% of trading days and VUG on 38.7%. Both had their worst day on 4 Apr 2025: QQQM closed -6.11% and VUG -6.06%.
Which had the deeper drawdown, QQQM or VUG?
VUG had the deeper drawdown: it fell -35.61% from its peak on 19 Nov 2021 to a low on 3 Nov 2022, then closed back above the old peak on 23 Jan 2024, 14 months after the low; QQQM fell -35.04% from its peak on 19 Nov 2021 to a low on 3 Nov 2022, then closed back above the old peak on 12 Dec 2023, 13 months after the low.
How often did QQQM beat VUG over a 12-month period?
Across the 60 rolling 12-month windows since October 2020, measured month-end to month-end, QQQM finished ahead in 68.3% of them (41) and VUG in 31.7% (19).
What would $10,000 in QQQM have become?
$10,000 invested in QQQM at the start of 2021 grew to $20,250 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 15.2% per year.
Related comparisons
More head-to-heads featuring QQQM or VUG.
Source: Yahoo Finance daily adjusted closes for the US primary listings, dividends reinvested. Prices through · refreshed 7 Oct 2026, 08:49 UTC. How every number is calculated.