ISPY vs SPYI: Which Covered Call ETF Is Better?

ISPY and SPYI are both covered call ETFs tracking the same benchmark, but with different approaches. ISPY offers ~10% yield with a focus on yield-focused investor accepting minimal downside protection, while SPYI provides ~11.7% yield targeting investor in taxable accounts seeking tax-efficient income. Compare their scores, yields, and performance metrics to find the best fit for your portfolio.

Compare ETFs

Compare covered call ETFs with the same benchmark side by side

Step 1: Select Benchmark

Step 2: Select ETFs to Compare

ISPY

ProShares S&P 500 High Income ETF

S&P 500Inception: Mar 22, 2023

5.6

Overall Score

SPYI

NEOS S&P 500 High Income ETF

S&P 500Inception: Aug 30, 2022

6.2

Overall Score

CriteriaISPYSPYI
Overall Score
5.6
6.2
Total Return (25%)
8.0
7.1
Downside Protection (25%)
5.5
Upside Participation (25%)
9.0
7.5
Consistency (15%)
5.3
4.3
Expense Ratio (5%)
5.6
4.0
Liquidity (5%)
5.7
7.4
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Compare Across All Time Windows

Since Inception

3 Years

Pro only

1 Year

Pro only

3 Months

Pro only

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Key Metrics

MetricISPYSPYI
Expense Ratio0.550%0.680%
Inception DateMar 22, 2023Aug 30, 2022
IssuerProSharesNEOS
Distribution FrequencyMonthlyMonthly
Maturity Rating2/5 stars3/5 stars

Verdicts

ISPY

High yield but zero downside protection is a significant red flag — not suitable as a defensive holding

Investor Profile:

Yield-focused investor accepting minimal downside protection

SPYI

The optimal choice for taxable accounts — the Section 1256 tax advantage is underappreciated by the market

Investor Profile:

Investor in taxable accounts seeking tax-efficient income

Full scores for these funds

See where these rank against every SPY fund

Both funds are scored on total return, downside protection, upside participation, distribution consistency, cost and liquidity, against the same benchmark and the same window.

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