ETF Versus

IWF vs XLK

iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF vs State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF

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
XLK SPDR

State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to us sector - technology securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.08%. The fund offers a modest dividend yield of 0.54%. Launched in 1998, the fund has a 28-year track record.

AUM: $90.3B ER: 0.08% Yield: 0.54% Since: Dec 16, 1998

Quick Verdict

XLK is significantly cheaper at 0.08% vs 0.18% expense ratio, saving you approximately $198 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. Over the past year, XLK has significantly outperformed with a 46.8% return vs 29.9%.

Key Metrics

Metric IWF XLK
Expense Ratio 0.18% 0.08%
Dividend Yield 0.4% 0.5%
Fund Family iShares SPDR
Category US Large Cap Growth US Sector - Technology

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

80 107 134 161 188 215 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
IWF +73.8%
XLK +102.2%

Performance Comparison

Period IWF XLK Difference
1 Month -1.05% +1.60% -2.65%
3 Months -6.42% -2.80% -3.62%
6 Months -4.69% +0.06% -4.75%
YTD -5.33% -1.13% -4.20%
1 Year +29.88% +46.81% -16.93%
3 Years +84.44% +93.34% -8.90%
5 Years +73.81% +102.25% -28.44%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period IWF Fees XLK Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $357 $159 $198
$10,000 20 years $1,529 $686 $844
$10,000 30 years $4,912 $2,212 $2,699
$50,000 10 years $1,786 $797 $989
$50,000 30 years $24,558 $11,061 $13,497
$100,000 30 years $49,116 $22,123 $26,993

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric IWF XLK
Annualized Volatility 21.4% 24.7%
Max Drawdown -33.1% -34.0%
Sharpe Ratio 0.42 0.51

Dividend Comparison

Metric IWF XLK
Annual Dividend (per share) $1.69 $0.77
Dividend Yield 0.38% 0.54%
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%

XLK Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA15.30%
Apple Inc.AAPL13.10%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT9.49%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO5.76%
Micron Technology, Inc.MU3.96%
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.AMD3.22%
Cisco Systems, Inc.CSCO2.74%
Lam Research CorporationLRCX2.69%
Applied Materials, Inc.AMAT2.63%
Palantir Technologies Inc.PLTR2.49%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose XLK if...

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

Choose XLK if...

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

Related Comparisons