What is the expense ratio of IWF vs VO?

IWF has an expense ratio of 0.18%, while VO has an expense ratio of 0.03%.

IWF vs VO

iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF vs Vanguard Mid-Cap 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

VO Vanguard

Vanguard Mid-Cap Index Fund ETF Shares (VO) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Vanguard that provides exposure to mid-cap U.S. companies balancing growth potential and stability. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.03%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.50%. Launched in 2004, the fund has a 22-year track record.

AUM: $90.7B ER: 0.03% Yield: 1.50% Since: Jan 26, 2004

Quick Verdict

VO is significantly cheaper at 0.03% vs 0.18% expense ratio, saving you approximately $297 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. Over the past year, IWF has significantly outperformed with a 18.2% return vs 11.4%. Income investors may prefer VO for its higher yield (1.5% vs 0.4%).

Key Metrics

Metric	IWF	VO
Expense Ratio	0.18%	0.03%
Dividend Yield	0.4%	1.5%
Fund Family	iShares	Vanguard
Category	US Large Cap Growth	US Mid Cap

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

IWF +71.3%

VO +27.8%

Performance Comparison

Period	IWF	VO	Difference
1 Month	-4.73%	-5.54%	+0.81%
3 Months	-8.83%	-1.24%	-7.59%
6 Months	-8.48%	-2.10%	-6.38%
YTD	-8.83%	-1.24%	-7.59%
1 Year	+18.20%	+11.38%	+6.82%
3 Years	+75.80%	+37.24%	+38.56%
5 Years	+71.26%	+27.84%	+43.42%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment	Period	IWF Fees	VO Fees	You Save
$10.000	10 years	$357	$60	$297
$10.000	20 years	$1.529	$258	$1.271
$10.000	30 years	$4.912	$835	$4.076
$50.000	10 years	$1.786	$299	$1.486
$50.000	30 years	$24.558	$4.176	$20.382
$100.000	30 years	$49.116	$8.352	$40.764

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric	IWF	VO
Annualized Volatility	21.4%	17.6%
Max Drawdown	-33.1%	-28.6%
Sharpe Ratio	0.40	0.11

Dividend Comparison

Metric	IWF	VO
Annual Dividend (per share)	$1.69	$4.33
Dividend Yield	0.39%	1.50%
Distribution Frequency	Quarterly	Quarterly

Top Holdings

0 of top 9 holdings overlap (0% overlap in top holdings)

IWF Top Holdings

Name	Weight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA	12.82%
Apple Inc.AAPL	11.79%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT	8.78%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO	4.81%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN	4.61%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA	3.57%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META	3.28%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG	2.83%
Eli Lilly and CompanyLLY	2.62%

VO Top Holdings

Name	Weight
Newmont CorporationNEM	1.46%
Corning IncorporatedGLW	1.20%
Howmet Aerospace Inc.HWM	1.09%
Constellation Energy CorporationCEG	1.06%
Vertiv Holdings CoVRT	0.99%
Western Digital CorporationWDC	0.99%
Seagate Technology Holdings plcSTX	0.90%
Quanta Services, Inc.PWR	0.87%
Cummins Inc.CMI	0.83%
CRH plcCRH	0.83%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose VO 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 VO if...

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

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