ETF Versus

SPLG vs SPY

State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF vs State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust

Last updated: 2026-04-10

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
SPY SPDR

State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to large-cap U.S. equities across growth and value styles. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.09%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.09%. Launched in 1993, the fund has a 33-year track record.

AUM: $678.3B ER: 0.09% Yield: 1.09% Since: Jan 22, 1993

Quick Verdict

SPLG has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.00% vs 0.09%), saving about $179 per $10,000 over 10 years. Both funds have delivered similar 1-year returns (29.7% vs 29.6%), tracking closely.

Key Metrics

Metric SPLG SPY
Expense Ratio N/A 0.09%
Dividend Yield N/A 1.1%
Fund Family SPDR SPDR
Category US Large Cap Blend US Large Cap Blend

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

85 102 119 136 153 170 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2024-12 2026-04
SPLG +65.4%
SPY +65.2%

Performance Comparison

Period SPLG SPY Difference
1 Month +0.54% +0.54% +0.00%
3 Months -2.18% -2.19% +0.01%
6 Months +2.59% +2.55% +0.04%
YTD -0.46% -0.47% +0.01%
1 Year +29.69% +29.62% +0.07%
3 Years +66.15% +65.95% +0.20%
5 Years +65.40% +65.18% +0.22%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period SPLG Fees SPY Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $0 $179 $179
$10,000 20 years $0 $771 $771
$10,000 30 years $0 $2,486 $2,486
$50,000 10 years $0 $896 $896
$50,000 30 years $0 $12,428 $12,428
$100,000 30 years $0 $24,855 $24,855

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric SPLG SPY
Annualized Volatility 16.9% 17.1%
Max Drawdown -25.4% -25.4%
Sharpe Ratio 0.42 0.41

Dividend Comparison

Metric SPLG SPY
Annual Dividend (per share) $0.88 $7.38
Dividend Yield 1.10% 1.09%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

SPY Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA7.61%
Apple Inc.AAPL6.54%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT4.78%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN3.72%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO2.86%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG2.53%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META2.31%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA1.66%
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.BRK.B1.51%

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.

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