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Security Comparison

PLTR vs PLTY: Which Is the Better Pick in 2026?

A head-to-head comparison of Palantir Technologies Inc. and YieldMax PLTR Option Income Strategy ETF covering yield, cost, risk, and income potential.

Updated October 16, 2026

How these figures are calculated: methodology.

Best for

  • PLTRInvestors who want direct ownership of the underlying business, with no fund wrapper or management fee.
  • PLTYInvestors who want to maximize current income — roughly 84.84%, generated by selling options premium.

Jump to the side-by-side numbers

Visual comparison

Key metrics

Projected income on $10K

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.

PLTR has lagged PLTY over the trailing twelve months, posting a 4.44% total return against 6.33%. Measured from Oct 2024 — the start of shared available history — PLTR has compounded at 110.24% a year versus 68.42% for PLTY. 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.
SymbolYTD cumulative1Y cumulativeSince Oct 2024Volatility Sharpe Sortino Max drawdown
PLTR4.66%4.44%110.24%59.1%0.000.00-48.2%
PLTY7.36%6.33%68.42%50.6%0.040.06-41.4%

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 Oct 2024” measures every fund from October 8, 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

MetricPLTRPLTY
Forward distribution rate—84.84%
Trailing 12-month yield—75.67%
30-day SEC yield—2.28%
Return of capital—54.78%

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

PLTR (Palantir Technologies Inc.) has no distribution rate on file and its distribution frequency is None. PLTR 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.
MetricPLTRPLTY
Full namePalantir Technologies Inc.YieldMax PLTR Option Income Strategy ETF
Issuer—YieldMax
Last Close$186.03 as of October 16, 2026$34.52 as of October 16, 2026
Distribution rate—84.84%
Trailing 12-month yield—75.67%
30-day SEC yield—2.28%
Distribution Safety Score™ —27
Safety-Adjusted Yield —22.91%
Expense ratio—1.07%
AUM—$387M
Distribution frequencyNoneWeekly
Underlying index—Palantir (PLTR)
ObjectiveBuilds and deploys software platforms for data integration, analysis, and operations. Serves government and commercial customers with Gotham, Foundry, and Apollo platforms for AI-powered decision making.Seeks current income and indirect exposure to the share price of Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR), investing at least 80% of net assets in securities and financial instruments providing that exposure.
Asset classEquityEquity
Inception dateN/A10/07/2024
Beta1.6021.802
Last dividend—$0.5632 payable today
Ex-dividend date—10/15/2026

Bottom lineChoose PLTR if you want direct ownership of the underlying business, with no fund wrapper or management fee. Choose PLTY if you want to maximize current income — roughly 84.84%, generated by selling options premium. There's no free lunch: PLTY's payout comes from selling options, which caps upside and can erode the share price over time, while PLTR 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. PLTY 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.

Income calculator

See how much monthly income a hypothetical investment would generate in each security at current yields.

ETFs62
Total AUM$10.0B

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 PLTY.

Want to go deeper?

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Quick verdict

PLTR (Palantir Technologies Inc.) is a stock, while PLTY (YieldMax PLTR Option Income Strategy ETF) is an ETF — their trading structures differ.

PLTY currently shows a 84.84% distribution yield. PLTR has not yet established a full distribution history, so a comparable yield figure is not available.

Who should choose each?

Choose PLTR

Palantir Technologies Inc.

  • Want direct stock ownership — full upside and dividend growth potential, no fund wrapper or expense ratio.
  • Prefer lower volatility — a beta of 1.6 vs 1.8 for PLTY.

Choose PLTY

YieldMax PLTR Option Income Strategy ETF

  • Want to maximize current income — PLTY distributes roughly 84.84% from selling options premium, while PLTR makes no distribution.
  • Are comfortable with an options-income strategy — a large payout in exchange for capped upside.

Not sure? Use the income calculator and snapshot above to weigh these trade-offs against your own goals.

Deep dive

Yield & income

On a $10,000 investment, PLTR has no reported distribution yield yet, so a cash estimate is not available, while PLTY would produce $163.15 cash per distribution, at current distribution rates.

PLTR yield—
PLTY yield84.84%

Cost & efficiency

PLTY charges a 1.07% expense ratio — roughly $1,070 over 10 years on $10,000 (simplified, not compounded). PLTR is a stock, not a fund, so it charges no expense ratio.

PLTY ER1.07%

Strategy & risk

PLTR is a stock built around AI data analytics exposure, while PLTY tracks Palantir (PLTR) with a covered call approach. Beta is 1.602 for PLTR and 1.802 for PLTY, making PLTR the less volatile of the two by this measure.

PLTR beta1.602
PLTY beta1.802

Security details

PLTR (Palantir Technologies Inc.) is a stock. PLTY is managed by YieldMax (launched 10/07/2024) with $387M in assets.

PLTY AUM$387M

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Frequently asked questions

Which of PLTR or PLTY pays more dividend income?

PLTY currently reports a distribution yield, while PLTR 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 PLTR and PLTY?

PLTR (Palantir Technologies Inc.) is a stock built around AI data analytics exposure, while PLTY (YieldMax PLTR Option Income Strategy ETF) tracks Palantir (PLTR) with a covered call approach. They are issued by — and YieldMax respectively.

Can I hold both PLTR and PLTY?

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, PLTR or PLTY?

PLTY charges a 1.07% expense ratio. PLTR 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 PLTR vs PLTY generate?

At current rates, PLTR does not pay distributions, so there is no cash income to estimate. The same in PLTY would produce about $163.15 cash per distribution ($8,484.00 annually).

Which has performed better historically, PLTR or PLTY?

PLTR has lagged PLTY over the trailing twelve months, posting a 4.44% total return against 6.33%. Measured from Oct 2024 — the start of shared available history — PLTR has compounded at 110.24% a year versus 68.42% for PLTY. Figures are total returns: price change plus every distribution reinvested. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

More comparisons to explore

Learn the method

The metrics behind this comparison, explained in the Academy.

Still deciding? Compare them against your own portfolio

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These comparisons follow the Dividend Vision methodology.