Which was the better investment since 2005, Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) or S&P 500 (SPY)?

Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) was the better investment. $1,000 invested in Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) in 2005 would be worth $23,111 today, compared to $9,342 for S&P 500 (SPY).

What would $1,000 in Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) vs S&P 500 (SPY) be worth today?

$1,000 invested in Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) in 2005 would be worth $23,111 today (+2211.1%). The same $1,000 in S&P 500 (SPY) would be worth $9,342 (+834.2%).

How do Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) and S&P 500 (SPY) compare to the S&P 500 since 2005?

The same $1,000 invested in the S&P 500 in 2005 would be worth $9,342 today (+834.2%). Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) returned $23,111 and S&P 500 (SPY) returned $9,342 over the same period.

Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) vs S&P 500 (SPY): $1,000 invested since 2005

QQQ vs SPY · Data through 2026-06-01

Investment amount

$1,000 invested in 2005 would be worth

Nasdaq 100 (QQQ)Winner

$23,110

+2211.0%

S&P 500 (SPY)

$9,342

+834.2%

The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $9,342(+834.2%)

Growth of $1,000

Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) vs. S&P 500 (SPY) vs. S&P 500, 2005 to present

Year-by-year comparison

Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) vs. S&P 500 (SPY), 2005 to present

Year	Nasdaq 100 (QQQ)	Return	S&P 500 (SPY)	Return	S&P 500
2005	$1,000	-	$1,000	-	$1,000
2006	$1,127	+12.7%	$1,098	+9.8%	$1,098
2007	$1,186	+5.3%	$1,261	+14.8%	$1,261
2008	$1,218	+2.7%	$1,227	-2.7%	$1,227
2009	$787	-35.4%	$758	-38.3%	$758
2010	$1,166	+48.1%	$1,005	+32.7%	$1,005
2011	$1,540	+32.1%	$1,228	+22.2%	$1,228
2012	$1,680	+9.1%	$1,280	+4.2%	$1,280
2013	$1,879	+11.9%	$1,491	+16.5%	$1,491
2014	$2,452	+30.5%	$1,811	+21.4%	$1,811
2015	$2,918	+19.0%	$2,066	+14.1%	$2,066
2016	$3,036	+4.0%	$2,048	-0.9%	$2,048
2017	$3,672	+21.0%	$2,458	+20.0%	$2,458
2018	$5,039	+37.2%	$3,104	+26.3%	$3,104
2019	$5,044	+0.1%	$3,029	-2.4%	$3,029
2020	$6,626	+31.3%	$3,678	+21.4%	$3,678
2021	$9,568	+44.4%	$4,310	+17.2%	$4,310
2022	$11,096	+16.0%	$5,309	+23.2%	$5,309
2023	$9,071	-18.3%	$4,875	-8.2%	$4,875
2024	$12,927	+42.5%	$5,879	+20.6%	$5,879
2025	$16,288	+26.0%	$7,421	+26.2%	$7,421
2026	$19,492	+19.7%	$8,633	+16.3%	$8,633

Which came out ahead

Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) outpaced S&P 500 (SPY) over this stretch from 2005. That $1,000 grew to $23,111 in QQQ versus $9,342 in SPY as of 2026-06-01, roughly $13,769 more in the end.

The headline returns line up with the dollar figures. Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) returned +2211.1% against S&P 500 (SPY) at +834.2%, a gap of about 1376.9 percentage points over the 21.6-year window. Compounded, that is about 15.7% a year for QQQ against 10.9% for SPY.

Because Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) is itself a broad index fund, this matchup measures a single position against the market rather than against another single stock. Across this long 21.6-year window, small annual differences compounded into the wide ending gap. All figures use split-adjusted closing prices and exclude dividends, taxes, fees, and inflation, so a real after-tax result would differ.

This is a record of what already happened, not financial advice or a recommendation of either name. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

Other start years

Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) vs S&P 500 (SPY) from a different starting point

Since 2000 Since 2010 Since 2015 Since 2020 Since 2023

Individual stock pages

Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) since 2005+2211.1%S&P 500 (SPY) since 2005+834.2%

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For informational and educational purposes only. Not financial advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. All calculations are based on split-adjusted closing prices from Yahoo Finance and do not account for dividends, taxes, or trading fees. See our methodology and full disclaimer.