ETF Versus

IWM vs VOO

iShares Russell 2000 ETF vs Vanguard S&P 500 ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-10

IWM iShares

iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to small-cap U.S. equities with higher growth potential and volatility. It charges a moderate expense ratio of 0.19%. The fund offers a modest dividend yield of 0.97%. Launched in 2000, the fund has a 26-year track record.

AUM: $72.8B ER: 0.19% Yield: 0.97% Since: May 22, 2000
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 1.14%. Launched in 2010, the fund has a 16-year track record.

AUM: $858.3B ER: 0.03% Yield: 1.14% Since: Sep 7, 2010

Quick Verdict

VOO is significantly cheaper at 0.03% vs 0.19% expense ratio, saving you approximately $317 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. Over the past year, IWM has significantly outperformed with a 43.7% return vs 29.7%.

Key Metrics

Metric IWM VOO
Expense Ratio 0.19% 0.03%
Dividend Yield 1.0% 1.1%
Fund Family iShares Vanguard
Category US Small Cap US Large Cap Blend

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

70 90 110 130 150 170 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
IWM +17.8%
VOO +65.2%

Performance Comparison

Period IWM VOO Difference
1 Month +3.30% +0.48% +2.82%
3 Months -0.12% -2.24% +2.12%
6 Months +6.86% +2.53% +4.33%
YTD +4.99% -0.52% +5.51%
1 Year +43.74% +29.66% +14.08%
3 Years +47.45% +66.05% -18.60%
5 Years +17.80% +65.17% -47.37%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period IWM Fees VOO Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $377 $60 $317
$10,000 20 years $1,613 $258 $1,355
$10,000 30 years $5,178 $835 $4,342
$50,000 10 years $1,884 $299 $1,585
$50,000 30 years $25,888 $4,176 $21,712
$100,000 30 years $51,776 $8,352 $43,424

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric IWM VOO
Annualized Volatility 22.6% 16.8%
Max Drawdown -33.1% -25.4%
Sharpe Ratio 0.06 0.42

Dividend Comparison

Metric IWM VOO
Annual Dividend (per share) $2.54 $7.13
Dividend Yield 0.97% 1.14%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

0 of top 9 holdings overlap (0% overlap in top holdings)

IWM Top Holdings

NameWeight
Bloom Energy CorporationBE1.04%
FabrinetFN0.71%
COEUR MINING INCCDE.NE0.65%
Credo Technology Group Holding LtdCRDO0.58%
Nextpower Inc.NXT0.55%
EchoStar CorporationSATS0.54%
Advanced Energy Industries, Inc.AEIS0.45%
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc.KTOS0.44%
Sterling Infrastructure, Inc.STRL0.41%
Hecla Mining CompanyHL0.40%

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%

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 IWM if...

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

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