Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
IAU vs VOOG: how they differ
IAU is a commodity fund and VOOG an equity index fund, and over the year IAU returned more, +19.2% against +17.8%.
iShares Gold Trust and Vanguard S&P 500 Growth Index Fund.
| IAU iShares Gold Trust | VOOG Vanguard S&P 500 Growth Index Fund | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | Vanguard |
| What it is | Gold | S&P 500 Growth |
| Total return, 1 year | +19.2% | +17.8% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +1.7 pts | +0.3 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.25% | 0.05% |
| Holdings | not filed | 146 |
IAU in plain words
IAU is a commodity fund tracking the Gold. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +19.2% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.25% a year. It sat 19.6% below its high of Jan 29, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
VOOG in plain words
VOOG is an index equity fund tracking the S&P 500 Growth. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +17.8% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.05% a year. By its holdings filed for May 31, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 146 positions, with the top ten at 60.2%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, IAU or VOOG?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IAU returned +19.2% and VOOG returned +17.8%, so IAU returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, IAU or VOOG?
- IAU charges 0.25% a year and VOOG charges 0.05%, so VOOG is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Other comparisons
Where to next
Where these figures came from
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, IAU against VOOG, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/IAU-VOOG Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources