Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IBB vs VOO: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IBB returned +37.5% to VOO's +13.7%, and VOO charges 0.03% to IBB's 0.44%.
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Net assets: $11.0bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares Biotechnology ETF, and $1.0tn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard S&P 500 ETF.
Pair scorecard
VOO costs 0.41 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 23.8 points; VOO is far larger, $1.0tn against $11.2bn.
| Measure | IBB | VOO |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +37.5% | +13.7% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Biotech | S&P 500 Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.44% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $11.2bn | $1.0tn |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 99% | |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 1% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 50% | 39.1% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Sep 17, 2010 to Oct 23, 2026 · 840 weekly returnsVOO returned more: +804.0% to +658.8%. VOO swung less: 15.9% to 22.7%. VOO fell less at its worst: −31.8% to −37.5%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IBB | VOO | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +658.8% | +804.0% | VOO | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +13.4% | +14.6% | VOO (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +628.8% | +575.9% | IBB (slight) | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 22.7% | 15.9% | VOO | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 15.5% | 10.9% | VOO | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −37.5% | −31.8% | VOO | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.60 | 0.84 | VOO | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.88 | 1.22 | VOO | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.36 | 0.46 | VOO | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 840 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, IBB and VOO hold 1% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
1% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
IBB and VOO on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IBB and VOO do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. IBB follows Biotech and VOO follows S&P 500 Index.
- Holdings in common. 1% 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 IBB returned +37.5% and VOO +13.7% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 23.8 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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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.
VOO
VOO tracks the S&P 500. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.7% with distributions reinvested, against +13.7% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 507 positions, with the top ten at 39.1%.
Questions people ask
- Are IBB and VOO in the same category?
- IBB is a thematic ETF and VOO 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 VOO?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IBB returned +37.5% and VOO +13.7%.
- Which is cheaper, IBB or VOO?
- VOO is cheaper, by 0.41 percentage points a year. That is about $41 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, IBB against VOO, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ibb-vs-voo
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IBB against VOO. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ibb-vs-voo
[IBB against VOO (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ibb-vs-voo)
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