Simplify vs First Trust: ETF issuers compared | ETF Tracker

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Simplify vs First Trust: ETF issuers compared | ETF Tracker

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VTI▼ −0.2%VOO▼ −0.4%IVV▼ −0.3%SPY▼ −0.4%VXUS▼ −0.1%QQQ▼ −1.4%VUG▼ −1.3%BND▲ +0.3%VEA▲ +0.2%VTV▲ +0.9%VO▲ +0.8%IEFA▲ +0.6%SPYM▼ −0.3%VGT▼ −1.1%VB▲ +1.3%VWO▼ −0.7%IEMG▼ −1.3%AGG▲ +0.3%GLD▼ −1.3%VIG▲ +1.3%XLK▼ −1.2%IJH▲ +1.2%IWF▼ −1.5%BNDX▲ +0.1%SCHD▲ +1.5%SGOV▲ +0.0%QQQM▼ −1.4%IJR▲ +1.6%RSP▲ +1.2%VT▼ −0.2%

VTI▼ −0.2%VOO▼ −0.4%IVV▼ −0.3%SPY▼ −0.4%VXUS▼ −0.1%QQQ▼ −1.4%VUG▼ −1.3%BND▲ +0.3%VEA▲ +0.2%VTV▲ +0.9%VO▲ +0.8%IEFA▲ +0.6%SPYM▼ −0.3%VGT▼ −1.1%VB▲ +1.3%VWO▼ −0.7%IEMG▼ −1.3%AGG▲ +0.3%GLD▼ −1.3%VIG▲ +1.3%XLK▼ −1.2%IJH▲ +1.2%IWF▼ −1.5%BNDX▲ +0.1%SCHD▲ +1.5%SGOV▲ +0.0%QQQM▼ −1.4%IJR▲ +1.6%RSP▲ +1.2%VT▼ −0.2%

The ETF Trackerby

Markets Portfolio Issuers Visualizations Compare

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← Issuer rankingsSwap sides Change issuers

S

Simplify44 funds · $12.1B

VS

FT

First Trust333 funds · $293B

First Trust made investors more money ($34.2B) and had more funds that made money (85%).

The past year, all their funds · Data as of Oct 30, 2026

1M YTD 1Y 3Y 5Y

Tale of the tape

SIMPLIFY LEADS6of 13 matchups called

Fee per $100
Buffered
US stocks
Sectors
+2 more

Tale of the tape 1Y · lower fee wins

44Fundsin total333

21–16Made moneymade–lost, 1 year253–43

ETF Tracker · Talking about all things ETFsNot investment advice.

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57%

Win %funds that made money

85%

$521MMoney madefor investors, 1 year$34.2B

+2.8%Typical returnmiddle fund, 1 year+10.0%

5Launchesnew funds in 202632

$12.1BAssetsmoney invested$293B

$0.44Fee per $100paid each year · lower wins$0.60

FIRST TRUST LEADS7of 13 matchups called

Win %
Money made
Typical return
Income
+3 more

Categories ↓Share

Who wins each category · share of its funds that made money · 1Y

Simplify 5 · First Trust 4

Bufferedsmall sample

100%94 of 94

$29MMADE$4.9B+10.2%TYPICAL+9.8%HEQT+10.2%BESTQMAR+17.8%Open 106 funds →Income

83%29 of 35

$47MMADE$10.3B+2.8%TYPICAL+13.9%LITL+21.3%BESTEIPX+34.5%Open 57 funds →International

89%31 of 35

$38MMADE$875M+35.4%TYPICAL+10.5%WLDR+35.4%BESTFTHF+47.3%Open 40 funds →US stocks

97%31 of 32

$4MMADE$2.1B+3.0%TYPICAL+12.5%SPD+3.0%BESTEKG+35.9%Open 37 funds →Bonds & cash

48%12 of 25

$46MMADE$215M−4.2%TYPICAL−0.3%KNRG+3.4%BESTFCVT+5.3%Open 36 funds →Sectorssmall sample

84%21 of 25

$60MMADE$4.2B+22.5%TYPICAL+15.0%PINK+22.5%BESTFTXN+60.1%Open 26 funds →Thematic incomesmall sample

−$25MMADE$709M−42.9%TYPICAL+15.7%MAXI−42.9%BESTTDIV+16.3%Open 9 funds →Commoditiessmall sample

$12MMADE$1.2B+26.2%TYPICAL+37.5%HARD+26.2%BESTFCG+48.7%Open 8 funds →Cryptosmall sample

$4MMADE−$63M+9.9%TYPICAL−15.7%SPBC+9.9%BESTBFJL−5.4%Open 6 funds →

Twin funds: Simplify is cheaper in 3 of 3. First Trust returned more in 2.

Pairs that hold the same market. Fee = per $100 a year. Returns within 0.1 points are a tie; 5-year returns are per year.

CHEAPER3 – 00 tieBETTER 1Y1 – 20 tieBETTER 5Y1 – 00 tie

Bonds & cash · 1

SimplifyFee1Y5Y5Y1YFeeFirst Trust

CDX$0.50−4.9%—High Yield+2.7%+0.7%$0.69HYLS

Sectors · 1

SimplifyFee1Y5Y5Y1YFeeFirst Trust

PINK$0.51+22.5%+10.3%Health care+3.4%+23.4%$0.61FXH

Other · 1

SimplifyFee1Y5Y5Y1YFeeFirst Trust

CTA$0.75+17.1%—Managed Futures+5.4%+13.0%$0.98FMF

Squares, left to right: fee · 1 year · 5 years, coloured by who won. Most gaps come from different index rules, not fees.

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A picture of the tape, with the link back to it.

The made–lost record behind every Win %
The date of the data
The link to the live matchup
“Not advice”, on the card itself

The past year. Win % counts funds, not dollars; money made is estimated from each fund’s assets and return. Categories with fewer than 3 funds on a side are flagged. Not advice.