ETF Versus

VOX vs XLC

Vanguard Communication Services Index Fund ETF Shares vs State Street Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-02

VOX

Vanguard Communication Services Index Fund ETF Shares (VOX) is an exchange-traded fund that provides exposure to us sector - communication securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.09%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.05%. Launched in 2004, the fund has a 22-year track record.

AUM: $5.3B ER: 0.09% Yield: 1.05% Since: Sep 23, 2004
XLC

State Street Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLC) is an exchange-traded fund that provides exposure to us sector - communication securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.08%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.26%. Launched in 2018, the fund has a 8-year track record.

AUM: $23.5B ER: 0.08% Yield: 1.26% Since: Jun 18, 2018

Quick Verdict

Both funds have nearly identical expense ratios (0.08% vs 0.09%), so fees are not a differentiator here. Over the past year, VOX has significantly outperformed with a 21.5% return vs 15.3%.

Key Metrics

Metric VOX XLC
Expense Ratio 0.09% 0.08%
Dividend Yield 1.1% 1.3%
Fund Family N/A N/A
Category US Sector - Communication US Sector - Communication

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

55 76 97 118 139 160 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
VOX +34.6%
XLC +46.1%

Performance Comparison

Period VOX XLC Difference
1 Month -5.46% -5.62% +0.16%
3 Months -6.02% -4.84% -1.18%
6 Months -2.14% -4.42% +2.28%
YTD -6.02% -4.84% -1.18%
1 Year +21.46% +15.26% +6.20%
3 Years +87.18% +91.10% -3.92%
5 Years +34.57% +46.08% -11.51%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period VOX Fees XLC Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $179 $159 $20
$10.000 20 years $771 $686 $85
$10.000 30 years $2.486 $2.212 $273
$50.000 10 years $896 $797 $99
$50.000 30 years $12.428 $11.061 $1.366
$100.000 30 years $24.855 $22.123 $2.732

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric VOX XLC
Annualized Volatility 21.2% 20.7%
Max Drawdown -47.4% -47.2%
Sharpe Ratio 0.18 0.25

Dividend Comparison

Metric VOX XLC
Annual Dividend (per share) $1.90 $1.40
Dividend Yield 1.05% 1.26%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

6 of top 9 holdings overlap (67% overlap in top holdings)

VOX Top Holdings

NameWeight
Meta Platforms, Inc.META21.98%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG8.92%
Netflix, Inc.NFLX5.42%
Verizon Communications Inc.VZ4.44%
AT&T Inc.T4.23%
The Walt Disney CompanyDIS4.19%
Comcast CorporationCMCSA2.98%
T-Mobile US, Inc.TMUS2.94%
Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.WBD2.90%

XLC Top Holdings

NameWeight
Meta Platforms, Inc.META13.18%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG6.18%
Netflix, Inc.NFLX4.51%
Live Nation Entertainment, Inc.LYV4.49%
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.TTWO4.47%
The Walt Disney CompanyDIS4.47%
Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.WBD4.43%
AT&T Inc.T4.40%
Electronic Arts Inc.EA4.40%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose VOX 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 sector - communication exposure. Both are solid options — pick whichever your brokerage offers commission-free.