Are IBB and PFF in the same category?

IBB is a thematic ETF and PFF is a bond 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 PFF?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IBB returned +37.5% and PFF −4.2%.

Which is cheaper, IBB or PFF?

IBB is cheaper, by 0.01 percentage points a year. That is about $1 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

How much do IBB and PFF overlap with the S&P 500?

By their latest filed holdings, 40% of IBB and 0% of PFF by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

IBB vs PFF: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IBB returned +37.5% to PFF's −4.2%, and IBB charges 0.44% to PFF's 0.45%.

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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $11.0bn for iShares Biotechnology ETF and $11.8bn for iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF.

IBB on its own →PFF on its own →

At a glance

+37.5%

IBB total return, 1 year

−4.2%

PFF total return, 1 year

0.44%

IBB expense ratio

0.45%

PFF expense ratio

Pair scorecard

IBB costs 0.01 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 41.7 points; PFF is 1.1 times larger.

IBB vs PFF: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	IBB	PFF
Return
Measure	IBB	PFF
Total return, 1 year	+37.5%	−4.2%
Drawdown
Measure	IBB	PFF
Below its high		7.1%, high on May 8, 2026
Benchmark
Measure	IBB	PFF
What it tracks	Biotech	ICE Exchange-Listed Preferred & Hybrid Securities Index
Cost and size
Measure	IBB	PFF
Expense ratio	0.44%	0.45%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026	$11.0bn	$11.8bn
Active share vs the S&P 500	99%
Holdings
Measure	IBB	PFF
Holdings in common	0%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund	50%	22.7%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method

What they share

By the books each fund has filed, IBB and PFF hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first IBB PFF

BRUKER 0.47% 0.62%

Only in one fund ↓

Only in IBB

GILEAD SCIENCES 8.56%

AMGEN INC 8.20%

VERTEX PHARMACEUTICALS 7.53%

REGENERON PHARMACEUTICALS 5.64%

MODERNA 5.29%

NATERA 3.85%

ARGENX SE ADR 3.42%

ILLUMINA INC 2.93%

Only in PFF

STRATEGY INC 3.53%

BOEING CO 3.11%

HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE CONV PR 2.36%

ALPHABET INC 2.31%

SUPER MICRO COMPUTER INC 2.27%

ALPHABET INC 2.26%

WELLS FARGO & COMPANY SERIES L 2.14%

ORACLE CORPORATION 2.06%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

IBB iShares Biotechnology ETF PFF iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF

Where it sits Thematic ETF Bond ETF

Issuer iShares iShares

What it is Biotech Tracks an index of Preferred and Income Securities

Total return, 1 year +37.5% −4.2%

Its benchmark over the same days not measured +13.6% (MLRG)

Gap to its benchmark not measured −17.8 pts vs MLRG

Expense ratio 0.44% 0.45%

Already in the S&P 500 40.2% 0.0%

Holdings 245 453

Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 $11.0bn $11.8bn

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

Alert

About each fund

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.

PFF

PFF tracks an index of Preferred and Income Securities. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −4.2% with distributions reinvested, against +13.6% for its benchmark, the MSCI USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.45% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 453 positions, with the top ten at 22.7%. It sat 7.1% below its high of May 8, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Are IBB and PFF in the same category?: IBB is a thematic ETF and PFF is a bond 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 PFF?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IBB returned +37.5% and PFF −4.2%.
Which is cheaper, IBB or PFF?: IBB is cheaper, by 0.01 percentage points a year. That is about $1 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
How much do IBB and PFF overlap with the S&P 500?: By their latest filed holdings, 40% of IBB and 0% of PFF by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.

Other comparisons

IBB vs JNK IBB vs SPSB EMB vs IBB IBB vs VGLT PFF vs XBI CGBL vs PFF BITO vs PFF PDBC vs PFF

Where to next

IBB on its own →PFF on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →IBB dividend history →IBB holdings →PFF dividend history →PFF holdings →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

IBB and PFF filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

IBB and PFF prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for IBB ↗

iShares page for PFF ↗

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 PFF, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ibb-vs-pff

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Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.