IBIT vs QQQ: Performance, Holdings, Fees & Risk
IBIT and QQQ are ETFs, but they can differ materially in exposure, yield, fees and risk. IBIT is iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF, while QQQ is Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1. QQQ is broader by holdings count, with 107 positions versus 2 for IBIT. QQQ has the lower expense ratio. Current AlgovestIQ evidence has IBIT ahead on AIQ Score, 61 versus 51.
What is the main difference between IBIT and QQQ?
QQQ holds 107 positions to IBIT's 2.
| Metric | IBIT | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.25% | 0.18% |
| Holdings | 2 | 107 |
| Average volume | 45,678,744 | 37,968,274 |
| Performance | ||
| 1Y return | -24% | +19.6% |
| YTD return | -5.9% | +16.8% |
| Risk | ||
| Annualized volatility | 45.1% | 19.9% |
| Max drawdown (1Y) | -48.4% | -12.2% |
| Beta | 1.77 | 1.45 |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.44 | 0.77 |
| Sortino ratio | -0.69 | 1.20 |
| AlgovestIQ | ||
| AIQ Score | 61/100 | 51/100 |
| AIQ Edge Score | 8/10 | 4/10 |
| Momentum | 57/100 | 21/100 |
| Risk Resilience | 35/100 | 72/100 |
AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison
iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF vs Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1
IBIT leads
IBIT leads by 10 AIQ points, primarily on Momentum, having only recently taken the lead back from QQQ.
Fragile: 2 of 3 evidence groups support IBIT, the lead recently changed hands, and its current signal state is conflicted.
iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF
Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1
The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors IBIT over QQQ, 61 versus 51 as of Oct 21, 2026. IBIT's advantage is driven primarily by stronger momentum, while QQQ holds the stronger risk resilience profile. IBIT also shows the stronger technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average. 2 of 3 covered evidence groups favor IBIT today, and the comparison is rated Fragile on stability: the lead has already changed hands inside the comparison window. IBIT lead: Reversed — QQQ led by 2 AIQ points 30 sessions ago; IBIT now leads by 10.
Compare iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF and Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 across performance, expense ratio, dividend yield, drawdown, volatility and the Algovestiq AIQ Score.
IBIT vs QQQ: which fits what
Each row is settled by a single measure. Where the gap is too small to matter it reads Similar, and no row decides the comparison as a whole.
| If you want | IBIT | QQQ | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower costExpense ratio | 0.25% | 0.18% | QQQ |
| Broader diversificationNumber of holdings | 2 | 107 | QQQ |
| Smaller drawdownsMax drawdown, 1 year | -48.4% | -12.2% | QQQ |
| Lower volatilityAnnualized volatility, 1 year | 45.1% | 19.9% | QQQ |
Similar means the gap is within 0.01 percentage points of expense ratio, 25% more holdings, 3 points of top-10 weight, 0.2 points of yield, 2 points of drawdown or 1 point of volatility. Past drawdowns and volatility describe the funds’ history, not their future.
Performance over time
Total return with distributions reinvested, from daily closes for both ETFs.
Total return comparison
Growth of $10,000, distributions reinvested
Split-adjusted closes; each distribution is reinvested at the close on its ex-dividend date. Taxes and trading costs are not modeled.
Compare IBIT and QQQ against another ticker
Open a multi-ticker workspace without changing this focused pair page.
AIQ Factor Divergence
Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.
- Risk Resilience35 vs 72QQQ +37
- Momentum57 vs 21IBIT +36
- Quality78 vs 82QQQ +4
2 of 3 evidence groups favor IBIT. IBIT’s edge is concentrated in momentum; QQQ keeps a meaningful risk resilience edge.
What changed since the last close
Latest scored session 2026-10-20, compared against the prior scored session 2026-10-19.
Largest factor move: Momentum +3
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 5 active signals are unchanged.
Largest factor move: Momentum -2
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 3 active signals are unchanged.
IBIT's lead widened by 2 AIQ points in the latest session.
Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — IBIT and QQQ both carry a full feed there.
The central trade-off
IBIT (iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF): the stronger current systematic profile, led by momentum.
QQQ (Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1): the counter-case, on risk resilience, quality.
Fund facts, side by side
Two funds tracking overlapping universes are separated by cost and risk far more than by holdings. Those lead here.
| Measure | IBIT | QQQ | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.25% | 0.18% | Lower is better — it compounds against you every year you hold. |
| Holdings | 2 | 107 | More holdings means broader diversification, not better returns. |
| Average volume | 45,678,744 | 37,968,274 | Liquidity — matters most if you trade size. |
| Annualized volatility | 45.1% | 19.9% | Lower is a steadier ride for the same exposure. |
| Max drawdown (1Y) | -48.4% | -12.2% | The worst peak-to-trough loss over the past year. |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.44 | 0.77 | Return per unit of risk. Higher is better. |
| Beta | 1.77 | 1.45 | Sensitivity to the broad market. Neither direction is better — it depends on the role in your portfolio. |
Where the exposure actually sits
Sector exposure for each fund, ordered by the size of the difference.
AIQ Agreement Matrix
2 of 3 covered evidence groups favor IBIT. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.
| Evidence group | Favors | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ Score | IBIT | 61 vs 51 |
| Fundamentals | Not covered | Not covered |
| Valuation | Not covered | Not covered |
| Technicals | IBIT | Price vs 50-day 7.5% vs -0.2%; vs 200-day 11.9% vs 6.2% |
| Risk Resilience | QQQ | Risk Resilience 35 vs 72 |
| Analyst expectations | Not covered | Not covered |
✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of IBIT and QQQ and are excluded from the count.
AIQ Decision Stability
The conclusion is sensitive to small changes. Treat the lead as provisional and watch the flip conditions below.
- The AIQ gap is moderate at 10 points.
- The lead has already changed hands inside the comparison window. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- The leader is throwing conflicting signals. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on IBIT.
How the comparison changed
120 daily snapshots · Jun 21 – Oct 20IBIT lead: Reversed — QQQ led by 2 AIQ points 30 sessions ago; IBIT now leads by 10.
- Today
- IBIT +10
- 61 vs 51
- 7 sessions ago
- IBIT +1
- 58 vs 57
- 30 sessions ago
- QQQ +2
- 63 vs 65
- 90 sessions ago
- QQQ +6
- 61 vs 67
The lead changed hands 4 times in this window, most recently on Oct 15 when IBIT moved ahead of QQQ.
AIQ Signal Divergence
Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.
3 bullish / 1 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted
Only IBIT
- Bollinger Band Squeeze — neutral, volatility, short horizon
- EMA Ribbon Expansion Bullish — bullish, trend, medium horizon
- Uptrend Structure Active — bullish, trend, long horizon
1 bullish / 2 bearish, conflicted
Only QQQ
- Keltner Channel Breakdown — bearish, volatility, short horizon
Both carry 2 more signals that do not separate them: Golden Cross Active, MACD Bearish Crossover.
IBIT leads the comparison while carrying a conflicted signal state, which is one reason the stability rating is not higher.
Price vs model alignment
Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.
Price and the AIQ Score both moved up over the latest session (price +2.42%, AIQ +1 points).
Price is up while the AIQ Score moved down 1 points over the same session — price and model disagree (price +1.05%, AIQ -1 points).
What would flip this result
A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.
- 1QQQ closes the Momentum gap — currently 36 points behind, the largest single contributor to IBIT's edge.
- 2QQQ's Keltner Channel Breakdown resolves — a bearish volatility rule currently active against it.
- 3IBIT's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 3 bullish and 1 bearish rules at once.
- 4A regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.
The full evidence
Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.
Performance
QQQ leads 4 of 6 windows| Metric | IBIT | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week (5 sessions) | -0.9% | -3.5% |
| 1 month (20 sessions) | -4.3% | -4% |
| 3 months (63 sessions) | 25.1% | 1.7% |
| 6 months (126 sessions) | 9.9% | 11.4% |
| Year to date | -5.9% | 16.8% |
| 1 year (252 sessions) | -24% | 19.6% |
Technicals
IBIT has the stronger structure| Metric | IBIT | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 45.6 | 37.2 |
| ADX (14) | 22 | 20.3 |
| Price vs 50-day | 7.5% | -0.2% |
| Price vs 200-day | 11.9% | 6.2% |
| Volatility (1M, annualized) | 21.7% | 15.4% |
Risk
QQQ is the more resilient| Metric | IBIT | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | 1.77 | 1.45 |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.44 | 0.77 |
| Sortino ratio | -0.69 | 1.2 |
| Max drawdown | -48.4% | -12.2% |
| Current drawdown | -27.6% | -5.5% |
| Annualized volatility | 45.1% | 19.9% |
| Value at risk (95%) | -4% | -1.9% |
Straight answers
Short answers to the questions fund investors ask about this pair, from the figures above.
What is the difference between IBIT and QQQ?
QQQ holds 107 positions to IBIT's 2.
Which ETF is more diversified, IBIT or QQQ?
QQQ holds more positions: 107 versus 2 for IBIT.
Which has the lower expense ratio?
QQQ has the lower expense ratio, 0.18% a year against 0.25% for IBIT.
Which ETF has been more volatile?
IBIT has been more volatile over the past year, at 45.1% annualized against 19.9% for QQQ.
Which ETF has had the smaller drawdown?
QQQ fell less from peak to trough over the past year: -12.2% against -48.4% for IBIT.
Compare IBIT and QQQ with others
Continue your research
This page answers which of the two. These answer the questions on either side of it.
How this comparison is scored
The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.
The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.
How to use side-by-side comparison →This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.