Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IBB vs VOX: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IBB returned +37.5% to VOX's −5.7%, and VOX charges 0.09% to IBB's 0.44%.
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Net assets: $11.0bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares Biotechnology ETF, and $6.0bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Communication Services ETF.
Pair scorecard
VOX costs 0.35 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 43.2 points; IBB is 1.9 times larger.
| Measure | IBB | VOX |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +37.5% | −5.7% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 10.8%, high on Jan 29, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Biotech | MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Communication Services 25/50 |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.44% | 0.09% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $11.2bn | $6.0bn |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 99% | |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 50% | 71.1% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Oct 8, 2004 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,150 weekly returnsIBB returned more: +852.1% to +478.6%. VOX swung less: 19.7% to 22.4%. IBB fell less at its worst: −37.5% to −54.8%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IBB | VOX | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +852.1% | +478.6% | IBB | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +10.7% | +8.3% | IBB | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +811.4% | +252.8% | IBB | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 22.4% | 19.7% | VOX | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 15.6% | 13.6% | VOX | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −37.5% | −54.8% | IBB | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.49 | 0.41 | IBB | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.70 | 0.59 | IBB | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.29 | 0.15 | IBB | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,150 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, IBB and VOX hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
IBB and VOX on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IBB and VOX do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. IBB follows Biotech and VOX follows MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Communication Services 25/50.
- Holdings in common. 0% 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 VOX −5.7% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 43.2 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.
VOX
VOX tracks an index of Communication Services. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −5.7% with distributions reinvested, against −5.9% for its benchmark, the MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Communication Services 25/50. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 84% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 113 positions, with the top ten at 71.1%. It sat 10.8% below its high of Jan 29, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Are IBB and VOX in the same category?
- IBB is a thematic ETF and VOX 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 VOX?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IBB returned +37.5% and VOX −5.7%.
- Which is cheaper, IBB or VOX?
- VOX is cheaper, by 0.35 percentage points a year. That is about $35 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 VOX, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ibb-vs-vox
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IBB against VOX. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ibb-vs-vox
[IBB against VOX (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ibb-vs-vox)
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