ETF Versus

SPY vs SPYG

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

Last updated: 2026-04-10

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
SPYG SPDR

State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Growth ETF (SPYG) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to large-cap U.S. growth stocks with above-average earnings potential. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.04%. The fund offers a modest dividend yield of 0.54%. Launched in 2000, the fund has a 26-year track record.

AUM: $44.2B ER: 0.04% Yield: 0.54% Since: Sep 25, 2000

Quick Verdict

SPYG has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.04% vs 0.09%), saving about $99 per $10,000 over 10 years. Over the past year, SPYG has significantly outperformed with a 36.0% return vs 29.6%. Income investors may prefer SPY for its higher yield (1.1% vs 0.5%).

Key Metrics

Metric SPY SPYG
Expense Ratio 0.09% 0.04%
Dividend Yield 1.1% 0.5%
Fund Family SPDR SPDR
Category US Large Cap Blend US Large Cap Growth

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

80 101 122 143 164 185 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
SPY +65.2%
SPYG +75.3%

Performance Comparison

Period SPY SPYG Difference
1 Month +0.54% +0.63% -0.09%
3 Months -2.19% -3.48% +1.29%
6 Months +2.55% -0.04% +2.59%
YTD -0.47% -2.09% +1.62%
1 Year +29.62% +35.95% -6.33%
3 Years +65.95% +88.56% -22.61%
5 Years +65.18% +75.34% -10.16%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period SPY Fees SPYG Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $179 $80 $99
$10,000 20 years $771 $344 $427
$10,000 30 years $2,486 $1,112 $1,373
$50,000 10 years $896 $399 $497
$50,000 30 years $12,428 $5,560 $6,867
$100,000 30 years $24,855 $11,121 $13,734

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric SPY SPYG
Annualized Volatility 17.1% 21.1%
Max Drawdown -25.4% -33.1%
Sharpe Ratio 0.41 0.43

Dividend Comparison

Metric SPY SPYG
Annual Dividend (per share) $7.38 $0.56
Dividend Yield 1.09% 0.54%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

8 of top 9 holdings overlap (89% overlap in 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%

SPYG Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA14.49%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT9.10%
Apple Inc.AAPL6.22%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO5.44%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG4.82%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META4.39%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN3.75%
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.BRK.B2.88%
Eli Lilly and CompanyLLY2.47%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose SPYG if...

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

Choose SPYG if...

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

Choose SPY if...

you prioritize dividend income and want higher regular distributions from your portfolio.

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