ETF Versus

MGC vs SPLG

Vanguard Mega Cap Index Fund vs State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-02

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
SPLG State Street

State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF (SPLG) is an exchange-traded fund issued by State Street that provides exposure to large-cap U.S. equities across growth and value styles. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.02%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.26%. Launched in 2009, the fund has a 17-year track record.

AUM: N/A ER: 0.02% Yield: 1.26% Since: 2009-01-02

Quick Verdict

SPLG has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.02% vs 0.05%), saving about $60 per $10,000 over 10 years. MGC has edged ahead over the past year (17.8% vs 16.0%).

Key Metrics

Metric MGC SPLG
Expense Ratio 0.05% 0.02%
Dividend Yield 1.0% 1.3%
Fund Family N/A State Street
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
MGC +65.6%
SPLG +60.2%

Performance Comparison

Period MGC SPLG Difference
1 Month -4.37% -5.24% +0.87%
3 Months -5.14% -4.79% -0.35%
6 Months -2.78% -2.78% +0.00%
YTD -5.14% -4.79% -0.35%
1 Year +17.79% +15.99% +1.80%
3 Years +65.68% +58.37% +7.31%
5 Years +65.63% +60.23% +5.40%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period MGC Fees SPLG Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $100 $40 $60
$10.000 20 years $430 $172 $257
$10.000 30 years $1.388 $558 $831
$50.000 10 years $499 $200 $299
$50.000 30 years $6.941 $2.788 $4.154
$100.000 30 years $13.882 $5.575 $8.307

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric MGC SPLG
Annualized Volatility 17.3% 16.8%
Max Drawdown -26.6% -25.4%
Sharpe Ratio 0.41 0.38

Dividend Comparison

Metric MGC SPLG
Annual Dividend (per share) $2.42 $0.88
Dividend Yield 1.01% 1.16%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

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 SPLG 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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