OriginaveVTI vs QQQM: which ETF won each year?
Yearly returns side by side, one winner per year — dividends included, priced as you'd actually buy them.
VTI
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
- 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 IndexQQQM tracks the Nasdaq-100 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.
VTI vs QQQM, 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 | QQQM | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +12.58% | +20.88% | QQQM |
| 2025 | +17.10% | +20.85% | QQQM |
| 2024 | +23.81% | +25.68% | QQQM |
| 2023 | +26.05% | +55.01% | QQQM |
| 2022 | -19.52% | -32.52% | VTI |
| 2021 | +25.68% | +27.45% | QQQM |
| 2020 | +21.08% | +6.67% | VTI |
| 2019 | +30.67% | — | — |
| 2018 | -5.23% | — | — |
| 2017 | +21.21% | — | — |
| 2016 | +12.82% | — | — |
| 2015 | +0.36% | — | — |
| 2014 | +12.55% | — | — |
| 2013 | +33.45% | — | — |
| 2012 | +16.45% | — | — |
| 2011 | +0.97% | — | — |
| 2010 | +17.43% | — | — |
| 2009 | +28.90% | — | — |
| 2008 | -36.99% | — | — |
| 2007 | +5.37% | — | — |
| 2006 | +15.70% | — | — |
| 2005 | +6.30% | — | — |
| 2004 | +12.78% | — | — |
| 2003 | +30.74% | — | — |
| 2002 | -20.48% | — | — |
| 2001 | -4.40% | — | — |
VTI vs QQQM in plain words
VTI tracks the CRSP US Total Market Index while QQQM 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 QQQM charges 0.15% — VTI 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, VTI finished the year ahead 2 times and QQQM 5 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2021 was worth $18,483 in VTI versus $20,250 in QQQM by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: VTI vs QQQM
| Fact | VTI | QQQM |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF | Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF |
| Tracks | CRSP US Total Market Index | Nasdaq-100 Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.03% | 0.15% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 24 May 2001 | 13 Oct 2020 |
| $10,000 invested | What $10,000 in VTI became | What $10,000 in QQQM became |
How bumpy the ride was: VTI vs QQQM
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 swung more than VTI: annualised volatility of 16.9% for VTI against 22.2% for QQQM, with VTI moving 1% or more on 27.6% of trading days and QQQM on 40.3%. Both had their worst day on 4 Apr 2025: VTI closed -5.87% and QQQM -6.11%.
QQQM had the deeper drawdown: it 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; VTI fell -25.36% from its peak on 3 Jan 2022 to a low on 12 Oct 2022, then closed back above the old peak on 19 Dec 2023, 14 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 1,501 days measured. The widest single-day gap came on 9 Nov 2020, when VTI moved +1.19% and QQQM -2.07%.
| Measure | VTI | QQQM |
|---|---|---|
| Annualised volatility | 16.9% | 22.2% |
| Worst day | -5.87% on 4 Apr 2025 | -6.11% on 4 Apr 2025 |
| Best day | +10.15% on 9 Apr 2025 | +11.74% on 9 Apr 2025 |
| Days moving 1% or more | 27.6% of days | 40.3% of days |
| Deepest drawdown | -25.36% | -35.04% |
| Peak to trough | 3 Jan 2022 → 12 Oct 2022 | 19 Nov 2021 → 3 Nov 2022 |
| Back above the old peak | 19 Dec 2023 · 14 months | 12 Dec 2023 · 13 months |
Years VTI and QQQM 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 2023: VTI returned +26.05% and QQQM +55.01%, a gap of 29.0 points. They rose together in 5 years and fell together in 1 year.
| Year | VTI | QQQM | Gap (VTI − QQQM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | +26.05% | +55.01% | -29.0 pts |
| 2022 | -19.52% | -32.52% | +13.0 pts |
| 2020 | +21.08% | +6.67% | +14.4 pts |
How often VTI beat QQQM over any 12 months
Across the 60 rolling 12-month windows since October 2020, measured month-end to month-end, VTI finished ahead in 30.0% of them (18) and QQQM in 70.0% (42).
$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 $17,822 in VTI and $19,699 in QQQM, leaving QQQM $1,877 ahead.
| Outcome | VTI | QQQM |
|---|---|---|
| Paid in | $12,000 | $12,000 |
| Value at the end of 2025 | $17,822 | $19,699 |
| Gain on the money paid in | +$5,822 | +$7,699 |
| Gain in % | +48.52% | +64.16% |
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 VTI or QQQM better?
Across the 7 calendar years both funds were trading, VTI finished the year ahead 2 times and QQQM 5 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2021 was worth $18,483 in VTI versus $20,250 in QQQM 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 QQQM?
VTI tracks the CRSP US Total Market Index while QQQM 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 QQQM charges 0.15% — VTI 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, VTI or QQQM?
QQQM swung more than VTI: annualised volatility of 16.9% for VTI against 22.2% for QQQM, with VTI moving 1% or more on 27.6% of trading days and QQQM on 40.3%. Both had their worst day on 4 Apr 2025: VTI closed -5.87% and QQQM -6.11%.
Which had the deeper drawdown, VTI or QQQM?
QQQM had the deeper drawdown: it 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; VTI fell -25.36% from its peak on 3 Jan 2022 to a low on 12 Oct 2022, then closed back above the old peak on 19 Dec 2023, 14 months after the low.
How often did VTI beat QQQM over a 12-month period?
Across the 60 rolling 12-month windows since October 2020, measured month-end to month-end, VTI finished ahead in 30.0% of them (18) and QQQM in 70.0% (42).
What would $10,000 in VTI have become?
$10,000 invested in VTI at the start of 2021 grew to $18,483 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 13.1% 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.