Which was the better investment since 2010, Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) or S&P 500 (SPY)?

Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) was the better investment. $1,000 invested in Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) in 2010 would be worth $19,828 today, compared to $9,294 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 2010 would be worth $19,828 today (+1882.8%). The same $1,000 in S&P 500 (SPY) would be worth $9,294 (+829.4%).

How do Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) and S&P 500 (SPY) compare to the S&P 500 since 2010?

The same $1,000 invested in the S&P 500 in 2010 would be worth $9,294 today (+829.4%). Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) returned $19,828 and S&P 500 (SPY) returned $9,294 over the same period.

Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) vs S&P 500 (SPY): $1,000 invested since 2010

QQQ vs SPY · Data through 2026-06-01

Investment amount

$1,000 invested in 2010 would be worth

Nasdaq 100 (QQQ)Winner

$19,827

+1882.7%

S&P 500 (SPY)

$9,293

+829.3%

The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $9,294(+829.4%)

Growth of $1,000

Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) vs. S&P 500 (SPY) vs. S&P 500, 2010 to present

Year-by-year comparison

Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) vs. S&P 500 (SPY), 2010 to present

Year	Nasdaq 100 (QQQ)	Return	S&P 500 (SPY)	Return	S&P 500
2010	$1,000	-	$1,000	-	$1,000
2011	$1,321	+32.1%	$1,222	+22.2%	$1,222
2012	$1,441	+9.1%	$1,273	+4.2%	$1,273
2013	$1,612	+11.9%	$1,483	+16.5%	$1,483
2014	$2,104	+30.5%	$1,801	+21.4%	$1,801
2015	$2,503	+19.0%	$2,056	+14.1%	$2,056
2016	$2,604	+4.0%	$2,038	-0.9%	$2,038
2017	$3,150	+21.0%	$2,445	+20.0%	$2,445
2018	$4,323	+37.2%	$3,088	+26.3%	$3,088
2019	$4,328	+0.1%	$3,013	-2.4%	$3,013
2020	$5,684	+31.3%	$3,659	+21.4%	$3,659
2021	$8,209	+44.4%	$4,288	+17.2%	$4,288
2022	$9,520	+16.0%	$5,282	+23.2%	$5,282
2023	$7,782	-18.3%	$4,850	-8.2%	$4,850
2024	$11,090	+42.5%	$5,849	+20.6%	$5,849
2025	$13,974	+26.0%	$7,383	+26.2%	$7,383
2026	$16,723	+19.7%	$8,588	+16.3%	$8,588

Which came out ahead

From a $1,000 stake at the start of 2010, Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) came out ahead of S&P 500 (SPY). That $1,000 grew to $19,828 in QQQ versus $9,294 in SPY as of 2026-06-01, roughly $10,534 more in the end.

The headline returns line up with the dollar figures. Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) returned +1882.8% against S&P 500 (SPY) at +829.4%, a gap of about 1053.4 percentage points over the 16.6-year window. Compounded, that is about 19.7% a year for QQQ against 14.4% 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. All figures use split-adjusted closing prices and exclude dividends, taxes, fees, and inflation, so a real after-tax result would differ.

Treat this as history rather than advice about either company. 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 2005 Since 2015 Since 2020 Since 2023

Individual stock pages

Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) since 2010+1882.8%S&P 500 (SPY) since 2010+829.4%

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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.