ETF Versus

IVV vs MGC

iShares Core S&P 500 ETF vs Vanguard Mega Cap Index Fund

Last updated: 2026-04-02

IVV iShares

iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to large-cap U.S. equities across growth and value styles. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.03%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.23%. Launched in 2000, the fund has a 26-year track record.

AUM: $702.1B ER: 0.03% Yield: 1.23% Since: May 15, 2000
MGC

Vanguard Mega Cap Index Fund (MGC) is an exchange-traded fund that provides exposure to large-cap U.S. equities across growth and value styles. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.05%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.01%. Launched in 2007, the fund has a 19-year track record.

AUM: $8.4B ER: 0.05% Yield: 1.01% Since: Dec 24, 2007

Quick Verdict

IVV has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.03% vs 0.05%), saving about $40 per $10,000 over 10 years. MGC has edged ahead over the past year (17.8% vs 16.7%).

Key Metrics

Metric IVV MGC
Expense Ratio 0.03% 0.05%
Dividend Yield 1.2% 1.0%
Fund Family iShares N/A
Category US Large Cap Blend US Large Cap Blend

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

85 104 123 142 161 180 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
IVV +61.3%
MGC +65.6%

Performance Comparison

Period IVV MGC Difference
1 Month -4.55% -4.37% -0.18%
3 Months -4.10% -5.14% +1.04%
6 Months -2.14% -2.78% +0.64%
YTD -4.10% -5.14% +1.04%
1 Year +16.72% +17.79% -1.07%
3 Years +59.51% +65.68% -6.17%
5 Years +61.35% +65.63% -4.28%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period IVV Fees MGC Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $60 $100 $40
$10.000 20 years $258 $430 $171
$10.000 30 years $835 $1.388 $553
$50.000 10 years $299 $499 $199
$50.000 30 years $4.176 $6.941 $2.765
$100.000 30 years $8.352 $13.882 $5.531

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric IVV MGC
Annualized Volatility 16.9% 17.3%
Max Drawdown -25.4% -26.6%
Sharpe Ratio 0.39 0.41

Dividend Comparison

Metric IVV MGC
Annual Dividend (per share) $8.06 $2.42
Dividend Yield 1.22% 1.01%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

8 of top 9 holdings overlap (89% overlap in top holdings)

IVV Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA7.45%
Apple Inc.AAPL6.68%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT4.85%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN3.56%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO2.61%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG2.34%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META2.10%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA1.86%
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.BRK.B1.57%

MGC Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA8.53%
Apple Inc.AAPL8.14%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT6.09%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN4.22%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO3.15%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG2.99%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META2.95%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA2.37%
Eli Lilly and CompanyLLY1.87%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose IVV if...

you want the lowest fees and plan to buy and hold long-term. Over decades, the expense ratio difference compounds significantly.

Either works if...

you just need broad us large cap blend exposure. Both are solid options — pick whichever your brokerage offers commission-free.

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AGG vs IVV BND vs IVV BNDX vs IVV DGRO vs IVV DVY vs IVV EEM vs IVV EFA vs IVV GLD vs IVV