ETF Versus

IWF vs IYR

iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF vs iShares U.S. Real Estate 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
IYR iShares

iShares U.S. Real Estate ETF (IYR) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to U.S. real estate investment trusts (REITs) and real estate companies. It charges an above-average expense ratio of 0.38%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 2.37%. Launched in 2000, the fund has a 26-year track record.

AUM: $3.9B ER: 0.38% Yield: 2.37% Since: Jun 12, 2000

Quick Verdict

IWF is significantly cheaper at 0.18% vs 0.38% expense ratio, saving you approximately $391 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. Over the past year, IWF has significantly outperformed with a 18.2% return vs -1.0%. Income investors may prefer IYR for its higher yield (2.4% vs 0.4%).

Key Metrics

Metric IWF IYR
Expense Ratio 0.18% 0.38%
Dividend Yield 0.4% 2.4%
Fund Family iShares iShares
Category US Large Cap Growth US Real Estate

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

75 99 123 147 171 195 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
IWF +71.3%
IYR +1.0%

Performance Comparison

Period IWF IYR Difference
1 Month -4.73% -6.56% +1.83%
3 Months -8.83% +0.95% -9.78%
6 Months -8.48% -2.23% -6.25%
YTD -8.83% +0.95% -9.78%
1 Year +18.20% -0.97% +19.17%
3 Years +75.80% +12.64% +63.16%
5 Years +71.26% +0.99% +70.27%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period IWF Fees IYR Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $357 $748 $391
$10.000 20 years $1.529 $3.173 $1.643
$10.000 30 years $4.912 $10.097 $5.186
$50.000 10 years $1.786 $3.739 $1.953
$50.000 30 years $24.558 $50.486 $25.928
$100.000 30 years $49.116 $100.972 $51.856

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric IWF IYR
Annualized Volatility 21.4% 18.8%
Max Drawdown -33.1% -36.9%
Sharpe Ratio 0.40 -0.13

Dividend Comparison

Metric IWF IYR
Annual Dividend (per share) $1.69 $2.25
Dividend Yield 0.39% 2.37%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

0 of top 9 holdings overlap (0% 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%

IYR Top Holdings

NameWeight
Welltower Inc.WELL10.03%
Prologis, Inc.PLD9.11%
Equinix, Inc.EQIX4.68%
Digital Realty Trust, Inc.DLR4.59%
Simon Property Group, Inc.SPG4.50%
Realty Income CorporationO4.44%
American Tower CorporationAMT4.39%
Public StoragePSA3.40%
Ventas, Inc.VTR3.15%
CBRE Group, Inc.CBRE3.10%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose IWF if...

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

Choose IWF if...

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

Choose IYR if...

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

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