Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IBB vs IYR: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IBB returned +37.5% to IYR's +3.4%, and IYR charges 0.37% to IBB's 0.44%.
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Net assets: $11.0bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares Biotechnology ETF, and $3.9bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares U.S. Real Estate ETF.
Pair scorecard
IYR costs 0.07 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 34.1 points; IBB is 2.7 times larger.
| Measure | IBB | IYR |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +37.5% | +3.4% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 8.6%, high on Jul 28, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Biotech | Dow Jones U.S. Real Estate Capped Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.44% | 0.37% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 26, 2026 | $10.7bn | $4.0bn |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 99% | |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 50% | 52.5% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, IBB and IYR hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
IBB and IYR on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IBB
By weight, 40% of IBB's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 99%. The top ten holdings are 50% of the fund across 245 positions, as published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 the fund returned +37.5% with distributions reinvested.
IYR
IYR tracks an index of U.S. Real Estate. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +3.4% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.37% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 80% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 59 positions, with the top ten at 52.5%. It sat 8.6% below its high of Jul 28, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Are IBB and IYR in the same category?
- IBB is a thematic ETF and IYR 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, IBB or IYR?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IBB returned +37.5% and IYR +3.4%.
- Which is cheaper, IBB or IYR?
- IYR is cheaper, by 0.07 percentage points a year. That is about $7 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.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, IBB against IYR, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ibb-vs-iyr
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IBB against IYR. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ibb-vs-iyr
[IBB against IYR (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ibb-vs-iyr)
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