ETF Versus

IWF vs VGT

iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF vs Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund ETF Shares

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
VGT

Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund ETF Shares (VGT) is an exchange-traded fund that provides exposure to us sector - technology securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.09%. The fund offers a modest dividend yield of 0.43%. Launched in 2004, the fund has a 22-year track record.

AUM: $102.6B ER: 0.09% Yield: 0.43% Since: Jan 26, 2004

Quick Verdict

VGT has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.09% vs 0.18%), saving about $178 per $10,000 over 10 years. Over the past year, VGT has significantly outperformed with a 29.2% return vs 18.2%.

Key Metrics

Metric IWF VGT
Expense Ratio 0.18% 0.09%
Dividend Yield 0.4% 0.4%
Fund Family iShares N/A
Category US Large Cap Growth US Sector - Technology

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

80 107 134 161 188 215 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
IWF +71.3%
VGT +89.7%

Performance Comparison

Period IWF VGT Difference
1 Month -4.73% -3.71% -1.02%
3 Months -8.83% -6.53% -2.30%
6 Months -8.48% -6.49% -1.99%
YTD -8.83% -6.53% -2.30%
1 Year +18.20% +29.20% -11.00%
3 Years +75.80% +83.56% -7.76%
5 Years +71.26% +89.73% -18.47%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period IWF Fees VGT Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $357 $179 $178
$10.000 20 years $1.529 $771 $759
$10.000 30 years $4.912 $2.486 $2.426
$50.000 10 years $1.786 $896 $889
$50.000 30 years $24.558 $12.428 $12.131
$100.000 30 years $49.116 $24.855 $24.261

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric IWF VGT
Annualized Volatility 21.4% 25.1%
Max Drawdown -33.1% -35.5%
Sharpe Ratio 0.40 0.46

Dividend Comparison

Metric IWF VGT
Annual Dividend (per share) $1.69 $3.06
Dividend Yield 0.39% 0.43%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

4 of top 9 holdings overlap (44% 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%

VGT Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA18.07%
Apple Inc.AAPL15.84%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT10.39%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO4.34%
Micron Technology, Inc.MU2.37%
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.AMD1.65%
Cisco Systems, Inc.CSCO1.63%
Palantir Technologies Inc.PLTR1.57%
Applied Materials, Inc.AMAT1.54%
Lam Research CorporationLRCX1.53%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose VGT if...

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

Choose VGT if...

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

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