ETF Versus

IWF vs VGT

iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF vs Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund ETF Shares

Last updated: 2026-04-10

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 0.38%. Launched in 2000, the fund has a 26-year track record.

AUM: $116.5B ER: 0.18% Yield: 0.38% Since: May 22, 2000
VGT Vanguard

Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund ETF Shares (VGT) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Vanguard that provides exposure to us sector - technology securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.09%. The fund offers a modest dividend yield of 0.41%. Launched in 2004, the fund has a 22-year track record.

AUM: $111.1B ER: 0.09% Yield: 0.41% Since: Jan 26, 2004

Quick Verdict

VGT has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.09% vs 0.18%), saving about $178 per $10,000 over 10 years. Over the past year, VGT has significantly outperformed with a 45.9% return vs 29.9%.

Key Metrics

Metric IWF VGT
Expense Ratio 0.18% 0.09%
Dividend Yield 0.4% 0.4%
Fund Family iShares Vanguard
Category US Large Cap Growth US Sector - Technology

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

80 106 132 158 184 210 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
IWF +73.8%
VGT +95.4%

Performance Comparison

Period IWF VGT Difference
1 Month -1.05% +1.18% -2.23%
3 Months -6.42% -2.85% -3.57%
6 Months -4.69% -1.56% -3.13%
YTD -5.33% -1.62% -3.71%
1 Year +29.88% +45.89% -16.01%
3 Years +84.44% +97.36% -12.92%
5 Years +73.81% +95.36% -21.55%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period IWF Fees VGT Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $357 $179 $178
$10,000 20 years $1,529 $771 $759
$10,000 30 years $4,912 $2,486 $2,426
$50,000 10 years $1,786 $896 $889
$50,000 30 years $24,558 $12,428 $12,131
$100,000 30 years $49,116 $24,855 $24,261

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric IWF VGT
Annualized Volatility 21.4% 25.1%
Max Drawdown -33.1% -35.5%
Sharpe Ratio 0.42 0.48

Dividend Comparison

Metric IWF VGT
Annual Dividend (per share) $1.69 $3.06
Dividend Yield 0.38% 0.41%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

4 of top 9 holdings overlap (44% overlap in top holdings)

IWF Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA12.99%
Apple Inc.AAPL11.43%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT8.59%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO5.22%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN4.76%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META3.56%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA3.15%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG3.03%
Eli Lilly and CompanyLLY2.65%

VGT Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA18.07%
Apple Inc.AAPL15.84%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT10.39%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO4.34%
Micron Technology, Inc.MU2.37%
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.AMD1.65%
Cisco Systems, Inc.CSCO1.63%
Palantir Technologies Inc.PLTR1.57%
Applied Materials, Inc.AMAT1.54%
Lam Research CorporationLRCX1.53%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose VGT if...

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

Choose VGT if...

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

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