DGRO alternatives and similar ETFs

DGRO alternatives at a glance#

Each fund below can stand in for DGRO, closest first. “Same kind” funds hold the same kind of stocks through a different index. “Related” funds make a different bet that often moves the same way.

Fees come from each fund company, checked on the dates shown on each fund’s page.

How DGRO and its alternatives did over the same dates#

Each row measures the alternative and DGRO on the days both traded, so neither gets a head start. Correlation shows how closely their daily moves matched over about the last five years. A value of 1 means they always moved together.

Prices through October 16, 2026. Figures use daily closing prices adjusted for splits, with dividends reinvested. They do not include taxes or the cost of buying and selling. Past results do not tell you what will happen next.

Each DGRO alternative, compared#

VIG: Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF#

VIG also holds US companies that have raised their dividends for many years in a row. It tracks the S&P U.S. Dividend Growers Index, while DGRO tracks the Morningstar US Dividend Growth Index.

It charges 0.04% a year, about $4 on $10,000, against $8 for DGRO. It held 333 stocks, against 391 for DGRO.

From June 2014 to October 2026, VIG returned about 11.9% a year and DGRO returned about 12.4% a year. Over about the last five years they moved almost exactly together (correlation 0.98).

Read the VIG fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

DGRW: WisdomTree U.S. Quality Dividend Growth Fund#

DGRW also holds US companies that have raised their dividends for many years in a row. It tracks the WisdomTree U.S. Quality Dividend Growth Index, while DGRO tracks the Morningstar US Dividend Growth Index.

It charges 0.28% a year, about $28 on $10,000, against $8 for DGRO. It held 199 stocks, against 391 for DGRO.

From June 2014 to October 2026, DGRW returned about 12.7% a year and DGRO returned about 12.4% a year. Over about the last five years they moved together on most days (correlation 0.94).

Read the DGRW fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

NOBL: ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF#

NOBL also holds US companies that have raised their dividends for many years in a row. It tracks the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Index, while DGRO tracks the Morningstar US Dividend Growth Index.

It charges 0.35% a year, about $35 on $10,000, against $8 for DGRO. It held 71 stocks, against 391 for DGRO.

From June 2014 to October 2026, NOBL returned about 10.0% a year and DGRO returned about 12.4% a year. Over about the last five years they moved together on most days (correlation 0.93).

Read the NOBL fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

VYM: Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF#

VYM is a looser match. It holds US companies that pay high or steady dividends, while DGRO holds US companies that have raised their dividends for many years in a row.

It charges 0.04% a year, about $4 on $10,000, against $8 for DGRO. It held 593 stocks, against 391 for DGRO.

From June 2014 to October 2026, VYM returned about 10.8% a year and DGRO returned about 12.4% a year. Over about the last five years they moved almost exactly together (correlation 0.97).

Read the VYM fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

SCHD: Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF#

SCHD is a looser match. It holds US companies that pay high or steady dividends, while DGRO holds US companies that have raised their dividends for many years in a row.

It charges 0.06% a year, about $6 on $10,000, against $8 for DGRO. It held 98 stocks, against 391 for DGRO.

From June 2014 to October 2026, SCHD returned about 12.1% a year and DGRO returned about 12.4% a year. Over about the last five years they moved together on most days (correlation 0.94).

Read the SCHD fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

SPYD: State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF#

SPYD is a looser match. It holds US companies that pay high or steady dividends, while DGRO holds US companies that have raised their dividends for many years in a row.

It charges 0.07% a year, about $7 on $10,000, against $8 for DGRO. It held 78 stocks, against 391 for DGRO.

From October 2015 to October 2026, SPYD returned about 8.9% a year and DGRO returned about 13.2% a year. Over about the last five years they moved together on most days (correlation 0.87).

Read the SPYD fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

HDV: iShares Core High Dividend ETF#

HDV is a looser match. It holds US companies that pay high or steady dividends, while DGRO holds US companies that have raised their dividends for many years in a row.

It charges 0.08% a year, about $8 on $10,000, against $8 for DGRO. It held 74 stocks, against 391 for DGRO.

From June 2014 to October 2026, HDV returned about 9.8% a year and DGRO returned about 12.4% a year. Over about the last five years they often moved together, but not always (correlation 0.84).

Read the HDV fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

SPHD: Invesco S&P 500 High Dividend Low Volatility ETF#

SPHD is a looser match. It holds US companies that pay high or steady dividends, while DGRO holds US companies that have raised their dividends for many years in a row.

It charges 0.3% a year, about $30 on $10,000, against $8 for DGRO.

From June 2014 to October 2026, SPHD returned about 8.3% a year and DGRO returned about 12.4% a year. Over about the last five years they often moved together, but not always (correlation 0.83).

Read the SPHD fund page for its returns by year and worst drop.

DGRO versions from other fund companies#

Some people keep all their funds with one company. Here is the closest fund to DGRO from each other company on this page:

• Vanguard: VIG, Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (same kind of fund, 0.04% a year)
• WisdomTree: DGRW, WisdomTree U.S. Quality Dividend Growth Fund (same kind of fund, 0.28% a year)
• ProShares: NOBL, ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (same kind of fund, 0.35% a year)
• Schwab: SCHD, Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (related fund, 0.06% a year)
• SPDR (State Street): SPYD, State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF (related fund, 0.07% a year)
• Invesco: SPHD, Invesco S&P 500 High Dividend Low Volatility ETF (related fund, 0.3% a year)

Most brokers let you buy any ETF, whoever runs it. Mutual fund versions, such as a fund company’s index mutual fund, are not listed here.

How to choose between DGRO and its alternatives#

• What it tracks. A fund on the same index holds the same stocks. A different index can mean different weights, more or fewer holdings, or a different mix.
• The fee. The difference is often small. On $10,000, DGRO costs about $8 a year. VIG costs about $4.
• History. An older fund has been through more bad markets, so you can see how far it fell.
• What you already own. Two funds that move together add little variety. A fund with a low correlation behaves more on its own.

Swapping DGRO to harvest a tax loss#

Some investors sell a fund at a loss to lower their taxes, then buy a similar fund so they stay invested. This is called tax-loss harvesting.

The IRS wash sale rule blocks the loss if you buy a “substantially identical” security within 30 days before or after the sale. The IRS has not said exactly when two funds count. Funds on the same index are more likely to. Funds on a different index, such as VIG, DGRW or NOBL, are less likely to.

Ask a tax professional before you rely on this. Read the IRS rules in Publication 550.

Test DGRO and its alternatives in a backtest#

Tactfolio is a platform where you build rules-based investing strategies, backtest them on decades of real prices, share them, and run them automatically in your own Alpaca account. Open the builder, add DGRO and VIG, and see how each would have done on the same dates, or how a mix of both would have done.

The details#

Alternatives are picked from facts, not from returns. First come funds that track the same index as DGRO. Then come funds that hold the same kind of stocks through another index. Last come funds from a close category that make a different bet. Leveraged funds are only listed as alternatives to other leveraged funds.

Within each group, the funds whose daily returns moved most like DGRO over about the last five years come first. Returns and worst drops use Tactfolio’s stored daily prices, adjusted for splits, with dividends reinvested. Each alternative is measured with DGRO only on days both traded. Read what a backtest simulates for more on these measures.