OriginaveVOO 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.
VOO
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
QQQ
- 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
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) | +12.73% | +20.83% | 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 |
| $10,000 invested | What $10,000 in VOO became | What $10,000 in QQQ became |
How bumpy the ride was: VOO vs QQQ
These head-to-head figures use only the 4,043 trading days both funds were listed: 9 Sept 2010 to 6 Oct 2026, roughly 16.0 years.
QQQ swung more than VOO: annualised volatility of 17.0% for VOO against 20.6% for QQQ, with VOO moving 1% or more on 23.4% of trading days and QQQ on 32.8%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: VOO closed -11.74% and QQQ -11.98%.
QQQ had the deeper drawdown: it fell -35.12% from its peak on 27 Dec 2021 to a low on 3 Nov 2022, then closed back above the old peak on 13 Dec 2023, 13 months after the low; VOO fell -33.99% from its peak on 19 Feb 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 10 Aug 2020, 4 months after the low.
Day to day the two usually move together: the correlation of their daily returns is 0.93, and they closed in opposite directions on 13.9% of the 4,042 days measured. The widest single-day gap came on 9 Nov 2020, when VOO moved +1.25% and QQQ -2.04%.
| Measure | VOO | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| Annualised volatility | 17.0% | 20.6% |
| Worst day | -11.74% on 16 Mar 2020 | -11.98% on 16 Mar 2020 |
| Best day | +9.54% on 24 Mar 2020 | +12.00% on 9 Apr 2025 |
| Days moving 1% or more | 23.4% of days | 32.8% of days |
| Deepest drawdown | -33.99% | -35.12% |
| Peak to trough | 19 Feb 2020 → 23 Mar 2020 | 27 Dec 2021 → 3 Nov 2022 |
| Back above the old peak | 10 Aug 2020 · 4 months | 13 Dec 2023 · 13 months |
Years VOO and QQQ parted ways
In 9 of the 16 completed calendar years both funds were trading, the two returns ended more than 5 points apart. The widest split was 2020: VOO returned +18.32% and QQQ +48.41%, a gap of 30.1 points. They rose together in 14 years and fell together in 2 years.
| Year | VOO | QQQ | Gap (VOO − QQQ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | +26.32% | +54.86% | -28.5 pts |
| 2022 | -18.17% | -32.58% | +14.4 pts |
| 2020 | +18.32% | +48.41% | -30.1 pts |
| 2019 | +31.37% | +38.96% | -7.6 pts |
| 2017 | +21.77% | +32.66% | -10.9 pts |
| 2016 | +12.17% | +7.10% | +5.1 pts |
| 2015 | +1.33% | +9.44% | -8.1 pts |
| 2014 | +12.93% | +19.18% | -6.3 pts |
| 2010 | +14.78% | +20.14% | -5.4 pts |
How often VOO beat QQQ over any 12 months
Across the 181 rolling 12-month windows since September 2010, measured month-end to month-end, VOO finished ahead in 24.9% of them (45) and QQQ in 75.1% (136).
$200 a month into each, 2011–2025
Putting $200 into each fund at the start of every month from January 2011 to December 2025 (180 payments, $36,000 in total) would have grown to $118,662 in VOO and $179,209 in QQQ, leaving QQQ $60,547 ahead.
| Outcome | VOO | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| Paid in | $36,000 | $36,000 |
| Value at the end of 2025 | $118,662 | $179,209 |
| Gain on the money paid in | +$82,662 | +$143,209 |
| Gain in % | +229.62% | +397.80% |
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 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.
Which is more volatile, VOO or QQQ?
QQQ swung more than VOO: annualised volatility of 17.0% for VOO against 20.6% for QQQ, with VOO moving 1% or more on 23.4% of trading days and QQQ on 32.8%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: VOO closed -11.74% and QQQ -11.98%.
Which had the deeper drawdown, VOO or QQQ?
QQQ had the deeper drawdown: it fell -35.12% from its peak on 27 Dec 2021 to a low on 3 Nov 2022, then closed back above the old peak on 13 Dec 2023, 13 months after the low; VOO fell -33.99% from its peak on 19 Feb 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 10 Aug 2020, 4 months after the low.
How often did VOO beat QQQ over a 12-month period?
Across the 181 rolling 12-month windows since September 2010, measured month-end to month-end, VOO finished ahead in 24.9% of them (45) and QQQ in 75.1% (136).
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.
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.