ETF Versus

MGC vs SPLG

Vanguard Mega Cap Index Fund vs State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-10

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
SPLG SPDR

State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF (SPLG) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to large-cap U.S. equities across growth and value styles. Launched in 2009, the fund has a 17-year track record.

AUM: N/A ER: N/A Yield: N/A Since: 2009-01-02

Quick Verdict

SPLG has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.00% vs 0.05%), saving about $100 per $10,000 over 10 years. Both funds have delivered similar 1-year returns (30.5% vs 29.7%), tracking closely.

Key Metrics

Metric MGC SPLG
Expense Ratio 0.05% N/A
Dividend Yield 1.0% N/A
Fund Family Vanguard SPDR
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
MGC +69.5%
SPLG +65.4%

Performance Comparison

Period MGC SPLG Difference
1 Month +0.34% +0.54% -0.20%
3 Months -2.85% -2.18% -0.67%
6 Months +1.77% +2.59% -0.82%
YTD -1.33% -0.46% -0.87%
1 Year +30.54% +29.69% +0.85%
3 Years +72.94% +66.15% +6.79%
5 Years +69.52% +65.40% +4.12%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period MGC Fees SPLG Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $100 $0 $100
$10,000 20 years $430 $0 $430
$10,000 30 years $1,388 $0 $1,388
$50,000 10 years $499 $0 $499
$50,000 30 years $6,941 $0 $6,941
$100,000 30 years $13,882 $0 $13,882

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric MGC SPLG
Annualized Volatility 17.3% 16.9%
Max Drawdown -26.6% -25.4%
Sharpe Ratio 0.44 0.42

Dividend Comparison

Metric MGC SPLG
Annual Dividend (per share) $2.42 $0.88
Dividend Yield 0.98% 1.10%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

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 SPLG 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.

Related Comparisons