Which was the better investment since 2015, Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) or S&P 500 (SPY)?

Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) was the better investment. $1,000 invested in Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) in 2015 would be worth $7,921 today, compared to $4,521 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 2015 would be worth $7,921 today (+692.1%). The same $1,000 in S&P 500 (SPY) would be worth $4,521 (+352.1%).

How do Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) and S&P 500 (SPY) compare to the S&P 500 since 2015?

The same $1,000 invested in the S&P 500 in 2015 would be worth $4,521 today (+352.1%). Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) returned $7,921 and S&P 500 (SPY) returned $4,521 over the same period.

Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) vs S&P 500 (SPY): $1,000 invested since 2015

QQQ vs SPY · Data through 2026-06-01

Investment amount

$1,000 invested in 2015 would be worth

Nasdaq 100 (QQQ)Winner

$7,921

+692.1%

S&P 500 (SPY)

$4,521

+352.1%

The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $4,521(+352.1%)

Growth of $1,000

Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) vs. S&P 500 (SPY) vs. S&P 500, 2015 to present

Year-by-year comparison

Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) vs. S&P 500 (SPY), 2015 to present

Year	Nasdaq 100 (QQQ)	Return	S&P 500 (SPY)	Return	S&P 500
2015	$1,000	-	$1,000	-	$1,000
2016	$1,040	+4.0%	$991	-0.9%	$991
2017	$1,258	+21.0%	$1,189	+20.0%	$1,189
2018	$1,727	+37.2%	$1,502	+26.3%	$1,502
2019	$1,729	+0.1%	$1,466	-2.4%	$1,466
2020	$2,271	+31.3%	$1,780	+21.4%	$1,780
2021	$3,279	+44.4%	$2,086	+17.2%	$2,086
2022	$3,803	+16.0%	$2,570	+23.2%	$2,570
2023	$3,109	-18.3%	$2,359	-8.2%	$2,359
2024	$4,430	+42.5%	$2,845	+20.6%	$2,845
2025	$5,582	+26.0%	$3,591	+26.2%	$3,591
2026	$6,680	+19.7%	$4,178	+16.3%	$4,178

Which came out ahead

From a $1,000 stake at the start of 2015, Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) came out ahead of S&P 500 (SPY). That $1,000 grew to $7,921 in QQQ versus $4,521 in SPY as of 2026-06-01, roughly $3,399 more in the end.

Stacked side by side, the totals tell the same story. Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) returned +692.1% against S&P 500 (SPY) at +352.1%, a gap of about 340.0 percentage points over the 11.6-year window. Compounded, that is about 19.6% a year for QQQ against 13.9% 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. 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 2005 Since 2010 Since 2020 Since 2023

Individual stock pages

Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) since 2015+692.1%S&P 500 (SPY) since 2015+352.1%

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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.