ETF Versus

VOO vs VUG

Vanguard S&P 500 ETF vs Vanguard Growth Index Fund ETF Shares

Last updated: 2026-04-02

VOO Vanguard

Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Vanguard 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 1.18%. Launched in 2010, the fund has a 16-year track record.

AUM: $792.0B ER: 0.03% Yield: 1.18% Since: Sep 7, 2010
VUG Vanguard

Vanguard Growth Index Fund ETF Shares (VUG) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Vanguard that provides exposure to large-cap U.S. growth stocks with above-average earnings potential. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.03%. The fund offers a modest dividend yield of 0.45%. Launched in 2004, the fund has a 22-year track record.

AUM: $179.8B ER: 0.03% Yield: 0.45% Since: Jan 26, 2004

Quick Verdict

VUG has edged ahead over the past year (18.0% vs 16.8%). Income investors may prefer VOO for its higher yield (1.2% vs 0.5%).

Key Metrics

Metric VOO VUG
Expense Ratio 0.03% 0.03%
Dividend Yield 1.2% 0.5%
Fund Family Vanguard Vanguard
Category US Large Cap Blend US Large Cap Growth

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

75 98 121 144 167 190 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
VOO +61.3%
VUG +66.0%

Performance Comparison

Period VOO VUG Difference
1 Month -4.59% -4.47% -0.12%
3 Months -4.14% -9.18% +5.04%
6 Months -2.11% -8.28% +6.17%
YTD -4.14% -9.18% +5.04%
1 Year +16.77% +18.01% -1.24%
3 Years +59.52% +77.18% -17.66%
5 Years +61.27% +66.01% -4.74%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period VOO Fees VUG Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $60 $60 $0
$10.000 20 years $258 $258 $0
$10.000 30 years $835 $835 $0
$50.000 10 years $299 $299 $0
$50.000 30 years $4.176 $4.176 $0
$100.000 30 years $8.352 $8.352 $0

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric VOO VUG
Annualized Volatility 16.8% 22.2%
Max Drawdown -25.4% -36.0%
Sharpe Ratio 0.39 0.37

Dividend Comparison

Metric VOO VUG
Annual Dividend (per share) $7.13 $1.99
Dividend Yield 1.18% 0.45%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

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

VOO Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA7.31%
Apple Inc.AAPL6.63%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT4.96%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN3.47%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO2.56%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG2.46%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META2.40%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA1.92%
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.BRK.B1.57%

VUG Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA12.82%
Apple Inc.AAPL12.23%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT9.15%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG4.49%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META4.44%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN4.41%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO3.95%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA3.58%
Eli Lilly and CompanyLLY2.82%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose VOO if...

you prioritize dividend income and want higher regular distributions from your portfolio.

Related Comparisons