ETF Versus

IVV vs MGC

iShares Core S&P 500 ETF vs Vanguard Mega Cap Index Fund

Last updated: 2026-04-10

IVV iShares

iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares 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 2000, the fund has a 26-year track record.

AUM: $743.8B ER: 0.03% Yield: 1.18% Since: May 15, 2000
MGC Vanguard

Vanguard Mega Cap Index Fund (MGC) 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 0.05%. The fund offers a modest dividend yield of 0.98%. Launched in 2007, the fund has a 19-year track record.

AUM: $8.8B ER: 0.05% Yield: 0.98% Since: Dec 24, 2007

Quick Verdict

IVV has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.03% vs 0.05%), saving about $40 per $10,000 over 10 years. Both funds have delivered similar 1-year returns (29.6% vs 30.5%), tracking closely.

Key Metrics

Metric IVV MGC
Expense Ratio 0.03% 0.05%
Dividend Yield 1.2% 1.0%
Fund Family iShares Vanguard
Category US Large Cap Blend US Large Cap Blend

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

85 103 121 139 157 175 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
IVV +65.3%
MGC +69.5%

Performance Comparison

Period IVV MGC Difference
1 Month +0.54% +0.34% +0.20%
3 Months -2.17% -2.85% +0.68%
6 Months +2.53% +1.77% +0.76%
YTD -0.45% -1.33% +0.88%
1 Year +29.60% +30.54% -0.94%
3 Years +66.01% +72.94% -6.93%
5 Years +65.33% +69.52% -4.19%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period IVV Fees MGC 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 IVV MGC
Annualized Volatility 16.9% 17.3%
Max Drawdown -25.4% -26.6%
Sharpe Ratio 0.42 0.44

Dividend Comparison

Metric IVV MGC
Annual Dividend (per share) $8.06 $2.42
Dividend Yield 1.18% 0.98%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

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

IVV Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA7.60%
Apple Inc.AAPL6.53%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT4.77%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN3.71%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO2.86%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG2.53%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META2.30%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA1.66%
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.BRK.B1.51%

MGC Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA8.53%
Apple Inc.AAPL8.14%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT6.09%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN4.22%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO3.15%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG2.99%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META2.95%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA2.37%
Eli Lilly and CompanyLLY1.87%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose IVV if...

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

Either works if...

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

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