Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
FDN vs VUG: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, FDN returned −1.1% to VUG's +6.6%, and VUG charges 0.03% to FDN's 0.49%.
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Net assets: $5.1bn on Oct 27, 2026 for First Trust Dow Jones Internet Index Fund, and $232.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF.
Pair scorecard
VUG costs 0.46 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 7.7 points.
| Measure | FDN | VUG |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −1.1% | +6.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its all-time high | 6.3%, high on Oct 9, 2026 | |
| Below its high | 4.1%, high on Oct 6, 2026 | |
| Against its benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Internet and e-commerce | Morningstar US Large Cap Growth Index |
| Against the S&P 500, 1 year | behind by 14.8 pts | |
| Against its benchmark, 1 year | behind by 14.8 pts | |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.49% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, FDN as of Oct 27, 2026 and VUG as of Sep 30, 2026 | $5.1bn | $232.9bn |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 86% | |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 22% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 61% | 63.1% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Jun 30, 2006 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,060 weekly returnsFDN returned slightly more: +1,228.8% to +1,108.9%. VUG swung less: 19.3% to 24.1%. VUG fell less at its worst: −49.9% to −59.4%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | FDN | VUG | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +1,228.8% | +1,108.9% | FDN (slight) | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +13.5% | +13.0% | FDN (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +1,223.1% | +882.7% | FDN | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 24.1% | 19.3% | VUG | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 16.4% | 13.3% | VUG | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −59.4% | −49.9% | VUG | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.58 | 0.64 | VUG | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.85 | 0.93 | VUG (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.23 | 0.26 | VUG | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,060 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, FDN and VUG hold 22% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
22% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
FDN and VUG on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
FDN and VUG do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. FDN follows Internet and e-commerce and VUG follows Morningstar US Large Cap Growth Index.
- Holdings in common. 22% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 FDN returned −1.1% and VUG +6.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 7.7 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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FDN
By weight, 82% of FDN's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 86%. The top ten holdings are 61% of the fund across 41 positions, as published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 the fund returned −1.1% with distributions reinvested against +13.7% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index, so a holder was behind by 14.8 pts. It sits 6.3% below its all-time high of Oct 9, 2026.
VUG
VUG tracks an index of US growth. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +6.6% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 97% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 137 positions, with the top ten at 63.1%. It sat 4.1% below its high of Oct 6, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Are FDN and VUG in the same category?
- FDN is a thematic ETF and VUG is a stock ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
- Which returned more over the last year, FDN or VUG?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, FDN returned −1.1% and VUG +6.6%.
- Which is cheaper, FDN or VUG?
- VUG is cheaper, by 0.46 percentage points a year. That is about $46 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
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How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
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ETFIQ, FDN against VUG, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/fdn-vs-vug
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). FDN against VUG. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/fdn-vs-vug
[FDN against VUG (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/fdn-vs-vug)
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