A head-to-head comparison of Marathon Digital Holdings Inc. and YieldMax MARA Option Income Strategy ETF covering yield, cost, risk, and income potential.
Projections assume the current yield and share price remain constant. Actual results will vary.
Total returns
100% reinvested · ex-date convention. Period returns use this fixed assumption, independent of chart settings. YTD and 1Y are cumulative period returns; 3Y, 5Y, and 10Y are annualized. The shared Since-start window is annualized only when it covers at least one year.
MARA has outpaced MARO over the trailing twelve months, posting a -62.85% total return against -65.92%. Measured from Dec 2024 — the start of shared available history — MARA has compounded at -45.10% a year versus -49.59% for MARO. Figures are total returns: price change plus every distribution reinvested.
Total return and risk statistics by fund. Each row is one fund; each column is one period or statistic.
Total return with all distributions reinvested on the ex-dividend date (a modeling convention, not the cash-settlement date), split-adjusted, as of October 16, 2026. YTD and 1Y are cumulative period returns; 3Y, 5Y, and 10Y are annualized. The shared Since-start window is annualized only when it covers at least one year. “Since Dec 2024” measures every fund from December 10, 2024 — the start of shared available history — so all funds share one comparison window. Volatility is the annualized standard deviation of daily total returns over the past year. Sharpe and Sortino divide the annualized return in excess of the risk-free rate by, respectively, that volatility and the downside deviation (both over the past year) — higher is better. Max drawdown is the largest peak-to-trough total-return decline over the same window — shallower is better.
Distribution rate, SEC yield and return of capital
Metric
MARA
MARO
Forward distribution rate
—
81.30%
Trailing 12-month yield
—
251.98%
30-day SEC yield
—
3.10%
Return of capital
—
29.26%
Total return (price change plus reinvested distributions) is the Total returns section above. Return of capital is the share of a recent distribution that was not income. A 30-day SEC yield can sit far from the headline distribution rate; both numbers are the fund's own published fields.
Not a distribution payer
MARA (Marathon Digital Holdings Inc.) has no distribution rate on file and its distribution frequency is None. MARA is not a payer. The blank yield is not a zero yield.
Side-by-side snapshot
Side-by-side snapshot. Each row is one metric;
each column is one fund.
Seeks current income and indirect exposure to the share price of MARA Holdings, Inc. (MARA), investing at least 80% of net assets in securities and financial instruments providing that exposure.
Bottom lineChoose MARA if you want direct ownership of the underlying business, with no fund wrapper or management fee. Choose MARO if you want to maximize current income — roughly 81.30%, generated by selling options premium. There's no free lunch: MARO's payout comes from selling options, which caps upside and can erode the share price over time, while MARA keeps full price exposure.
How the risk works
Read this before the income numbers below: the strategy mechanics on this page shape what those payouts can cost you.
Capped upside and premium dependence. MARO generates income by selling options, which trades away part of a strong rally in exchange for premium. Distributions can include return of capital, and a payout the underlying assets cannot sustain shows up as NAV erosion over time — the big yield number is not free.
ETFs and AUM reflect what Dividend Vision tracks — the issuer's full lineup may be larger.
YieldMax is known for specializing in options-based and income-focused ETFs that emphasize yield generation through covered call strategies and other income-producing methodologies. The firm operates a diverse lineup of 63 funds organized across multiple families including covered call strategies, 0DTE (zero days to expiration) options, double distribution approaches, and various target-date and performance-based portfolios designed to generate regular distributions. Notable offerings span popular underlying assets like major technology stocks and broad market indices, with a particular emphasis on providing enhanced income solutions for investors seeking regular cash flows through options strategies and other tactical approaches.
See our curated list of related YouTube videos on MARO.
MARA (Marathon Digital Holdings Inc.) is a stock, while MARO (YieldMax MARA Option Income Strategy ETF) is an ETF — their trading structures differ.
MARO currently shows a 81.30% distribution yield. MARA has not yet established a full distribution history, so a comparable yield figure is not available.
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On a $10,000 investment, MARA has no reported distribution yield yet, so a cash estimate is not available, while MARO would produce $156.35 cash per distribution, at current distribution rates.
MARA yield—
MARO yield81.30%
Cost & efficiency
MARO charges a 1.00% expense ratio — roughly $1,000 over 10 years on $10,000 (simplified, not compounded). MARA is a stock, not a fund, so it charges no expense ratio.
MARO ER1.00%
Strategy & risk
MARA is a stock, while MARO tracks Marathon Digital (MARA) with a covered call approach. Beta is 5.348 for MARA and 2.6951 for MARO, making MARO the less volatile of the two by this measure.
MARA beta5.348
MARO beta2.6951
Security details
MARA (Marathon Digital Holdings Inc.) is a stock. MARO is managed by YieldMax (launched 12/09/2024) with $43.8M in assets.
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Frequently asked questions
Which of MARA or MARO pays more dividend income?
MARO currently reports a distribution yield, while MARA has not yet established a full distribution history. A direct income comparison is not yet meaningful — check back once both funds have published several consecutive distributions.
What is the difference between MARA and MARO?
MARA (Marathon Digital Holdings Inc.) is a stock, while MARO (YieldMax MARA Option Income Strategy ETF) tracks Marathon Digital (MARA) with a covered call approach. They are issued by — and YieldMax respectively.
Can I hold both MARA and MARO?
Yes — nothing prevents holding both. Whether the combination actually diversifies depends on how much the underlying exposures overlap, which isn't fully measurable from the data on this page; review each security's holdings, sector, and strategy before treating them as complementary.
Which has lower fees, MARA or MARO?
MARO charges a 1.00% expense ratio. MARA is a stock, not a fund, so it has no expense ratio — owning it directly costs nothing in ongoing fund fees.
How much income does $10,000 in MARA vs MARO generate?
At current rates, MARA does not pay distributions, so there is no cash income to estimate. The same in MARO would produce about $156.35 cash per distribution ($8,130.00 annually).
Which has performed better historically, MARA or MARO?
MARA has outpaced MARO over the trailing twelve months, posting a -62.85% total return against -65.92%. Measured from Dec 2024 — the start of shared available history — MARA has compounded at -45.10% a year versus -49.59% for MARO. Figures are total returns: price change plus every distribution reinvested. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
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