ETF Versus

IWF vs SPYG

iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF vs State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Growth ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-02

IWF iShares

iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (IWF) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to large-cap U.S. growth stocks with above-average earnings potential. It charges a moderate expense ratio of 0.18%. The fund offers a modest dividend yield of 0.39%. Launched in 2000, the fund has a 26-year track record.

AUM: $108.0B ER: 0.18% Yield: 0.39% Since: May 22, 2000

State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Growth ETF (SPYG) is an exchange-traded fund that provides exposure to large-cap U.S. growth stocks with above-average earnings potential. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.04%. The fund offers a modest dividend yield of 0.57%. Launched in 2000, the fund has a 26-year track record.

AUM: $40.3B ER: 0.04% Yield: 0.57% Since: Sep 25, 2000

Quick Verdict

SPYG is significantly cheaper at 0.04% vs 0.18% expense ratio, saving you approximately $277 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. SPYG has edged ahead over the past year (22.5% vs 18.2%).

Key Metrics

Metric IWF SPYG
Expense Ratio 0.18% 0.04%
Dividend Yield 0.4% 0.6%
Fund Family iShares N/A
Category US Large Cap Growth US Large Cap Growth

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

80 103 126 149 172 195 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
IWF +71.3%
SPYG +69.9%

Performance Comparison

Period IWF SPYG Difference
1 Month -4.73% -4.37% -0.36%
3 Months -8.83% -7.07% -1.76%
6 Months -8.48% -5.37% -3.11%
YTD -8.83% -7.07% -1.76%
1 Year +18.20% +22.54% -4.34%
3 Years +75.80% +78.00% -2.20%
5 Years +71.26% +69.92% +1.34%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period IWF Fees SPYG Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $357 $80 $277
$10.000 20 years $1.529 $344 $1.185
$10.000 30 years $4.912 $1.112 $3.800
$50.000 10 years $1.786 $399 $1.387
$50.000 30 years $24.558 $5.560 $18.998
$100.000 30 years $49.116 $11.121 $37.995

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric IWF SPYG
Annualized Volatility 21.4% 21.1%
Max Drawdown -33.1% -33.1%
Sharpe Ratio 0.40 0.40

Dividend Comparison

Metric IWF SPYG
Annual Dividend (per share) $1.69 $0.56
Dividend Yield 0.39% 0.57%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

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

IWF Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA12.82%
Apple Inc.AAPL11.79%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT8.78%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO4.81%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN4.61%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA3.57%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META3.28%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG2.83%
Eli Lilly and CompanyLLY2.62%

SPYG Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA14.62%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT9.48%
Apple Inc.AAPL6.43%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO5.06%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG4.63%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META4.32%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN3.72%
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.BRK.B3.03%
Eli Lilly and CompanyLLY2.51%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose SPYG if...

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

Choose SPYG if...

recent performance momentum matters to your strategy. Note that past performance doesn't guarantee future results.

Either works if...

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

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