VOO vs VUG: fees, holdings and returns

What is the difference between VOO and VUG?#

VUG keeps only the growth side of large US companies: those with fast-growing sales and earnings. That makes it heavier in a few large tech companies. VOO holds all of the S&P 500, growth and value. Their fees are close, so the difference is mostly what they hold.

Fund facts checked on the Vanguard VOO page and the Vanguard VUG page.

Is VOO or VUG cheaper?#

Both charge 0.03% a year. On $10,000, that is about $3 a year for VOO and $3 for VUG. The fund takes its fee out of its own value a little each day, so you never get a bill.

VOO vs VUG performance over the same dates#

Both funds are measured from September 2010 to October 2026, the dates both traded. VOO returned about 14.8% a year and VUG returned about 16.6% a year. VUG came out ahead over this period, which does not mean it will again.

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.

VOO and VUG returns by year#

Which fell further in bad times?#

A drawdown is how far a fund falls from its last high point. VOO’s worst fall was −34.0%, from February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020. It got back to that high on August 10, 2020.

VUG’s worst fall was −35.6%, from November 19, 2021 to November 3, 2022. It got back to that high on January 23, 2024.

Their daily moves had a correlation of 0.96. A correlation of 1 means two funds always move up and down together. Near 0 means they move on their own. So holding both adds little variety.

Why people choose VOO or VUG#

VOO. People who want all large US companies, growth and value, tend to pick VOO.

VUG. People who want to lean toward large growth companies tend to pick VUG, and accept bigger swings.

Strategies that hold VOO or VUG#

These classic strategies hold one or both at least some of the time. Each is a set of written rules you can open, test and copy.

• Papa Bear Portfolio (Muscular Portfolios), by Brian Livingston, 2018 (holds VUG)

Other funds like VOO and VUG#

Each fund has more funds that hold the same kind of investments, ranked by how closely they move with it: VOO alternatives and VUG alternatives.

Test a mix of VOO and VUG#

Open the builder, add VOO and VUG, and give each a weight, such as 50% and 50%. The backtest shows how the mix would have done, with its worst drop, on daily prices. You can also add a rule, for example to switch between them, and compare. Read the full pages for VOO and VUG, or see more ETF comparisons.

The details#

Both funds use Tactfolio’s stored daily prices, adjusted for splits, with dividends reinvested. They are compared only on days both traded, starting the later fund’s first day, so neither gets a head start. Correlation uses daily returns over the same days. Read what a backtest simulates for more on these measures.