Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
FTGS vs VO: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, FTGS returned +5.6% to VO's +12.8%; 8% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $1.3bn on Oct 27, 2026 for First Trust Growth Strength ETF, and $103.4bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Mid-Cap ETF.
Pair scorecard
VO costs 0.57 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 7.2 points.
| Measure | FTGS | VO |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +5.6% | +12.8% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.1%, high on Aug 13, 2026 | 3.1%, high on Aug 14, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Growth Strength Index | Morningstar US Mid Cap Index (formerly CRSP US Mid Cap Index) |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.60% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, FTGS as of Oct 27, 2026 and VO as of Sep 30, 2026 | $1.3bn | $103.4bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 8% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 21.4% | 9.7% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Nov 4, 2022 to Oct 23, 2026 · 207 weekly returnsFTGS returned more: +90.1% to +71.4%. VO swung slightly less: 14.4% to 16.0%. VO fell slightly less at its worst: −17.0% to −18.7%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | FTGS | VO | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +90.1% | +71.4% | FTGS | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +17.5% | +14.5% | FTGS | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +87.3% | +60.8% | FTGS | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 16.0% | 14.4% | VO (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 10.2% | 9.6% | VO (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −18.7% | −17.0% | VO (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.80 | 0.69 | FTGS | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 1.26 | 1.04 | FTGS | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.94 | 0.85 | FTGS (slight) | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 207 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, FTGS and VO hold 8% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
8% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
FTGS and VO on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
FTGS and VO are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. FTGS follows Growth Strength Index and VO follows Morningstar US Mid Cap Index (formerly CRSP US Mid Cap Index).
- Holdings in common. 8% 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 FTGS returned +5.6% and VO +12.8% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 7.2 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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FTGS
FTGS tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +5.6% with distributions reinvested, against +13.7% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.60% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 94% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 50 positions, with the top ten at 21.4%. It sat 4.1% below its high of Aug 13, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
VO
VO tracks an index of Mid-Cap. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +12.8% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 91% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 273 positions, with the top ten at 9.7%. It sat 3.1% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, FTGS or VO?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, FTGS returned +5.6% and VO +12.8%.
- Which is cheaper, FTGS or VO?
- VO is cheaper, by 0.57 percentage points a year. That is about $57 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Links are sources, not endorsements. 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, FTGS against VO, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ftgs-vs-vo
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). FTGS against VO. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ftgs-vs-vo
[FTGS against VO (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ftgs-vs-vo)
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