ETF Versus

VOO vs VXUS

Vanguard S&P 500 ETF vs Vanguard Total International Stock 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
VXUS Vanguard

Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF Shares (VXUS) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Vanguard that provides exposure to international stocks across both developed and emerging markets. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.05%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 2.93%. Launched in 2011, the fund has a 15-year track record.

AUM: $129.4B ER: 0.05% Yield: 2.93% Since: Jan 26, 2011

Quick Verdict

VOO has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.03% vs 0.05%), saving about $40 per $10,000 over 10 years. Over the past year, VXUS has significantly outperformed with a 25.3% return vs 16.8%. Income investors may prefer VXUS for its higher yield (2.9% vs 1.2%).

Key Metrics

Metric VOO VXUS
Expense Ratio 0.03% 0.05%
Dividend Yield 1.2% 2.9%
Fund Family Vanguard Vanguard
Category US Large Cap Blend International Equity

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

70 91 112 133 154 175 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
VOO +61.3%
VXUS +21.4%

Performance Comparison

Period VOO VXUS Difference
1 Month -4.59% -5.33% +0.74%
3 Months -4.14% +1.92% -6.06%
6 Months -2.11% +4.49% -6.60%
YTD -4.14% +1.92% -6.06%
1 Year +16.77% +25.26% -8.49%
3 Years +59.52% +40.28% +19.24%
5 Years +61.27% +21.42% +39.85%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period VOO Fees VXUS Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $60 $100 $40
$10.000 20 years $258 $430 $171
$10.000 30 years $835 $1.388 $553
$50.000 10 years $299 $499 $199
$50.000 30 years $4.176 $6.941 $2.765
$100.000 30 years $8.352 $13.882 $5.531

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric VOO VXUS
Annualized Volatility 16.8% 15.9%
Max Drawdown -25.4% -32.7%
Sharpe Ratio 0.39 0.04

Dividend Comparison

Metric VOO VXUS
Annual Dividend (per share) $7.13 $2.29
Dividend Yield 1.18% 2.93%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

0 of top 9 holdings overlap (0% 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%

VXUS Top Holdings

NameWeight
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited!tpe/23303.43%
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.!krx/0059301.59%
ASML Holding N.V.!ams/ASML1.29%
Tencent Holdings Limited!hkg/07000.92%
SK hynix Inc.!krx/0006600.91%
Roche Holding AGROC1.L0.76%
Alibaba Group Holding Limited!hkg/99880.73%
Novartis AG!swx/NOVN0.73%
HSBC Holdings plc!lon/HSBA0.73%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose VOO if...

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

Choose VXUS if...

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

Choose VXUS if...

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

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