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Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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IAU vs VTWO: Differences, Returns & Fees

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IAU is a commodity fund and VTWO an equity index fund, and over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VTWO returned +14.3% against +2.7%.

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Net assets: $60.1bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares Gold Trust, and $16.6bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Russell 2000 ETF.

IAU on its own →VTWO on its own →
At a glance
+2.7%
IAU total return, 1 year
+14.3%
VTWO total return, 1 year
0.25%
IAU expense ratio
0.06%
VTWO expense ratio

Pair scorecard

VTWO costs 0.19 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 11.6 points; IAU is 3.7 times larger.

IAU vs VTWO: Differences, Returns & Fees
MeasureIAUVTWO
Return
Total return, 1 year+2.7%+14.3%
Drawdown
Below its high24.6%, high on Jan 29, 20267.5%, high on Aug 14, 2026
Benchmark
What it tracksGoldRussell 2000 Index
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.25%0.06%
Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026$62.2bn$16.6bn
Holdings
Holdings in commonnot published
In the S&P 500, by weight0%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund5.4%

Method

Side by side

IAU iShares Gold Trust VTWO Vanguard Russell 2000 ETF
Where it sits Commodity ETF Stock ETF
Issuer iShares Vanguard
What it is Holds gold Tracks the Russell 2000
Total return, 1 year +2.7% +14.3%
Its benchmark over the same days +2.5% (GLD) +14.1% (IWM)
Gap to its benchmark +0.2 pts vs GLD +0.2 pts vs IWM
Expense ratio 0.25% 0.06%
Holdings not counted 2002
Net assets, IAU as of Oct 28, 2026 and VTWO as of Sep 30, 2026 $60.1bn $16.6bn

IAU and VTWO on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

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About each fund
IAU

Its expense ratio is 0.25% a year, for the three months to Jun 30, 2026, as its 10-Q states.

IAU holds gold. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +2.7% with distributions reinvested, against +2.5% for its benchmark, the price of gold. It sat 24.6% below its high of Jan 29, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

VTWO

VTWO tracks the Russell 2000. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +14.3% with distributions reinvested, against +14.1% for its benchmark, the Russell 2000 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 2,002 positions, with the top ten at 5.4%. It sat 7.5% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, IAU or VTWO?
In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IAU returned +2.7% and VTWO +14.3%.
Which is cheaper, IAU or VTWO?
VTWO is cheaper, by 0.19 percentage points a year. That is about $19 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's own filings.
Other comparisons
IAU vs IWMIAU vs VBIAU vs IWCIAU vs IJTSLV vs VTWOUSO vs VTWOGLD vs VTWOSIVR vs VTWO
Where to next
IAU on its own →VTWO on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →VTWO dividend history →VTWO holdings →Standards and sources →
Sources and dates
iShares page for IAU ↗
VTWO filings on SEC EDGAR ↗
VTWO prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗
Vanguard page for VTWO ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

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ETFIQ, IAU against VTWO, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iau-vs-vtwo

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