ESGU vs FTGS: Differences, Returns & Fees
ESGU and FTGS hold 17% of their weight in the same names, and ESGU returned +17.3% over the year. Net assets on Oct 9, 2026: $18.3bn for iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF and $1.3bn for First Trust Growth Strength ETF.
ESGU costs 0.45 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 10.3 points; ESGU is 13.9 times larger.
| ESGU | FTGS | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.60% |
| Net assets | $18.3bn | $1.3bn |
| Total return, 1 year | +17.3% | +7.0% |
| What it tracks | MSCI USA Extended ESG Focus Index | Growth Strength Index |
| Holdings in common | 17% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 37.8% | 24.9% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 9, 2026.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, ESGU and FTGS hold 17% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Oct 9, 2026.
half
17% in common
On the same fields
ESGU and FTGS on the fields both publish, as of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
About ESGU
ESGU tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned +17.3% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 9, 2026, 97% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 269 positions, with the top ten at 37.8%.
About FTGS
FTGS tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned +7.0% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.60% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 9, 2026, 94% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 50 positions, with the top ten at 24.9%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, ESGU or FTGS?
- In the year to Oct 9, 2026, with distributions reinvested, ESGU returned +17.3% and FTGS +7.0%.
- Which is cheaper, ESGU or FTGS?
- ESGU is cheaper, by 0.45 percentage points a year. That is about $45 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure; a link is not an endorsement. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
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ETFIQ, ESGU against FTGS, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/esgu-vs-ftgs
ETFIQ. (Oct 9, 2026). ESGU against FTGS. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/esgu-vs-ftgs
[ESGU against FTGS (ETFIQ, Oct 9, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/esgu-vs-ftgs)
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