ETF Versus

SPYG vs VUG

State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Growth ETF vs Vanguard Growth Index Fund ETF Shares

Last updated: 2026-04-02

State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Growth ETF (SPYG) is an exchange-traded fund that provides exposure to large-cap U.S. growth stocks with above-average earnings potential. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.04%. The fund offers a modest dividend yield of 0.57%. Launched in 2000, the fund has a 26-year track record.

AUM: $40.3B ER: 0.04% Yield: 0.57% Since: Sep 25, 2000
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

Both funds have nearly identical expense ratios (0.03% vs 0.04%), so fees are not a differentiator here. SPYG has edged ahead over the past year (22.5% vs 18.0%).

Key Metrics

Metric SPYG VUG
Expense Ratio 0.04% 0.03%
Dividend Yield 0.6% 0.5%
Fund Family N/A Vanguard
Category US Large Cap Growth 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
SPYG +69.9%
VUG +66.0%

Performance Comparison

Period SPYG VUG Difference
1 Month -4.37% -4.47% +0.10%
3 Months -7.07% -9.18% +2.11%
6 Months -5.37% -8.28% +2.91%
YTD -7.07% -9.18% +2.11%
1 Year +22.54% +18.01% +4.53%
3 Years +78.00% +77.18% +0.82%
5 Years +69.92% +66.01% +3.91%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period SPYG Fees VUG Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $80 $60 $20
$10.000 20 years $344 $258 $86
$10.000 30 years $1.112 $835 $277
$50.000 10 years $399 $299 $100
$50.000 30 years $5.560 $4.176 $1.385
$100.000 30 years $11.121 $8.352 $2.769

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric SPYG VUG
Annualized Volatility 21.1% 22.2%
Max Drawdown -33.1% -36.0%
Sharpe Ratio 0.40 0.37

Dividend Comparison

Metric SPYG VUG
Annual Dividend (per share) $0.56 $1.99
Dividend Yield 0.57% 0.45%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

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

SPYG Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA14.62%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT9.48%
Apple Inc.AAPL6.43%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO5.06%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG4.63%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META4.32%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN3.72%
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.BRK.B3.03%
Eli Lilly and CompanyLLY2.51%

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 SPYG if...

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

Either works if...

you just need broad us large cap growth exposure. Both are solid options — pick whichever your brokerage offers commission-free.

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