ETF Versus

QQQ vs XLK

Invesco QQQ Trust vs State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-02

QQQ Invesco

Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Invesco that provides exposure to large-cap U.S. growth stocks with above-average earnings potential. It charges a moderate expense ratio of 0.18%. The fund offers a modest dividend yield of 0.48%. Launched in 1999, the fund has a 27-year track record.

AUM: $363.1B ER: 0.18% Yield: 0.48% Since: Mar 10, 1999
XLK

State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) is an exchange-traded fund that provides exposure to us sector - technology securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.08%. The fund offers a modest dividend yield of 0.57%. Launched in 1998, the fund has a 28-year track record.

AUM: $82.2B ER: 0.08% Yield: 0.57% Since: Dec 16, 1998

Quick Verdict

XLK is significantly cheaper at 0.08% vs 0.18% expense ratio, saving you approximately $198 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. Over the past year, XLK has significantly outperformed with a 29.7% return vs 23.6%.

Key Metrics

Metric QQQ XLK
Expense Ratio 0.18% 0.08%
Dividend Yield 0.5% 0.6%
Fund Family Invesco N/A
Category US Large Cap Growth US Sector - Technology

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

75 104 133 162 191 220 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
QQQ +76.5%
XLK +95.1%

Performance Comparison

Period QQQ XLK Difference
1 Month -3.91% -3.32% -0.59%
3 Months -4.70% -6.51% +1.81%
6 Months -3.13% -5.23% +2.10%
YTD -4.70% -6.51% +1.81%
1 Year +23.61% +29.73% -6.12%
3 Years +82.51% +78.96% +3.55%
5 Years +76.50% +95.13% -18.63%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period QQQ Fees XLK Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $357 $159 $198
$10.000 20 years $1.529 $686 $844
$10.000 30 years $4.912 $2.212 $2.699
$50.000 10 years $1.786 $797 $989
$50.000 30 years $24.558 $11.061 $13.497
$100.000 30 years $49.116 $22.123 $26.993

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric QQQ XLK
Annualized Volatility 22.4% 24.7%
Max Drawdown -35.6% -34.0%
Sharpe Ratio 0.42 0.49

Dividend Comparison

Metric QQQ XLK
Annual Dividend (per share) $2.81 $0.77
Dividend Yield 0.48% 0.57%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

4 of top 9 holdings overlap (44% overlap in top holdings)

QQQ Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA8.55%
Apple Inc.AAPL7.67%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT5.56%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN4.49%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA3.79%
Walmart Inc.WMT3.48%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META3.26%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG3.13%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO2.99%

XLK Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA15.50%
Apple Inc.AAPL13.63%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT10.05%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO5.37%
Micron Technology, Inc.MU3.39%
Palantir Technologies Inc.PLTR2.98%
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.AMD2.95%
Cisco Systems, Inc.CSCO2.73%
Applied Materials, Inc.AMAT2.42%
Lam Research CorporationLRCX2.38%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose XLK if...

you want the lowest fees and plan to buy and hold long-term. Over decades, the expense ratio difference compounds significantly.

Choose XLK if...

recent performance momentum matters to your strategy. Note that past performance doesn't guarantee future results.

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