SPY vs. VOO vs. IVV: a faceoff between three giant, standard index funds, all monitoring the S&P 500. However what’s the distinction if all of them monitor the identical index? And how will you resolve which is greatest for you?
Let’s begin with the fundamentals.
SPY vs VOO vs IVV: By the Numbers


SPY | VOO | IVV | |
---|---|---|---|
Full Identify | SPDR S&P 500 ETF Belief | Vanguard S&P 500 ETF | iShares Core S&P 500 ETF |
Index Tracked | S&P 500 Index | S&P 500 Index | S&P 500 Index |
Property Beneath Administration* | $403.3 billion | $339.7 billion | $352.1 billion |
Common Each day Quantity (shares) | 10,989,786 (30-day common) | 4,089,646 (50 day common) | 4,627,769 (30-day common) |
Variety of Holdings | 503 | 507 | 507 |
Expense Ratio | 0.0945% | 0.03% | 0.03% |
Dividend Yield* | 1.61% | 1.56% | 1.58% |
Issuer | State Road World Advisors SPDR | Vanguard | iShares / Blackrock |
* As of October. 2023
5-12 months Efficiency
SPY vs VOO vs IVV: Overview
All three observe the identical S&P 500 index, which consists of 500 of the biggest publicly traded firms within the US. Meaning the three funds will likely be holding basically the identical shares in the identical proportions. The one variations are within the particulars.
The S&P 500 index and the ETFs that monitor them are market cap weighted. That signifies that they offer bigger firms a heavier weight.
- SPY is the biggest S&P 500 index, barely forward of the others in complete belongings below administration and each day buying and selling quantity in comparison with the opposite two mixed. It additionally has the largest expense ratio, 3x larger than VOO and IVV.
- VOO is by a small margin the S&P 500 ETF with the smallest quantity of belongings below administration and the smallest buying and selling quantity.
- IVV Is similar to VOO however barely bigger in belongings and buying and selling quantity.
All three ETFs have an virtually an identical publicity as they observe the identical index. The one distinction is that VOO and IVV include a couple of extra shares, as they’re licensed to solely partially observe the S&P 500 composition whereas attempting to copy the index, therefore the marginally larger variety of shares held.
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SPY vs VOO vs IVV: The Variations
As a result of they’re so related, it’s straightforward to get confused about which S&P 500 ETF to decide on.
The primary option to make is between SPY and VOO/IVV. It’s because SPY has a a lot larger expense ratio, greater than 3 occasions larger. So why is SPY the biggest of the three if it prices extra to personal it?
It’s because the expense ratio solely tells a part of the story about an ETF’s prices. The expense ratio defines the prices you’ll pay whenever you personal the ETF. Nevertheless, the unfold (the distinction between shopping for and promoting value) additionally impacts the precise value of proudly owning shares in an ETF.
SPY has probably the most liquidity and the bottom unfold, making it the favourite S&P 500 ETF for the biggest monetary establishments.
If you wish to purchase and maintain, you need the bottom expense ratio attainable and can desire VOO or IVV. However in case you intend to commerce out and in of this place typically sufficient, you’ll finally pay decrease charges with SPY.
The selection between VOO and IVV is harder. Each have the identical expense ratio, and the dividend yield solely differs by a microscopic 0.02%.
One issue may very well be a choice for one issuer over the opposite. Each Vanguard and Blackrock are giant and well-respected establishments.
Whereas virtually on the identical value in 2020, VOO has considerably lagged behind IVV since, buying and selling at a lower cost. This is because of small variations in how the ETF is managed and when it was created.
Nevertheless, taking a long-term view (20+ years), it appears this distinction will not be getting better over time. So it’s not very prone to have an effect on the efficiency of your portfolio in precise apply.
Which Is Greatest for You?
The very first thing to resolve is why you have an interest in shopping for an S&P 500 ETF.
📈 If you happen to plan to commerce the ETF repeatedly, SPY might be one of the best for you due to its larger liquidity and decrease buying and selling prices, even with a better expense ratio.
📈 If that is for a diversified buy-and-hold technique, VOO or IVV are a more sensible choice, as a consequence of their decrease expense ratios.
There’s little or no distinction between IVV and VOO. However in case you fear concerning the slight however persistent low cost of VOO in comparison with the opposite 2 giant S&P 500 indexes, you may desire IVV. A choice for Vanguard vs Blackrock might additionally resolve for one towards the opposite.
Regardless of which you select, any of those ETFs provides you with diversified publicity to the highest 500 publicly listed firms within the US. If you happen to intend to carry for a few years, decrease charges may make an actual distinction, particularly in case you maintain the ETF in a retirement account.
If you wish to diversify your S&P 500 ETF with different ETFs, you’ll have loads of choices. We’ve already checked out SPY vs QQQ, an SPX fund vs high NASDAQ 100 fund, and VTI vs VOO, a significant SPX fund towards a fund monitoring the CRSP U.S. Complete Market Index. Any of those funds will present broad, cheap publicity to the US markets.