Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IBB vs XBI: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IBB returned +37.5% to XBI's +41.2%; 43% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $11.0bn for iShares Biotechnology ETF and $10.3bn for State Street SPDR S&P Biotech ETF.
Pair scorecard
XBI costs 0.09 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 3.7 points; IBB is 1.1 times larger.
| Measure | IBB | XBI |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +37.5% | +41.2% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its all-time high | 8.9%, high on Feb 8, 2021 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Biotech | Biotech |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.44% | 0.35% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $11.0bn | $10.3bn |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 99% | 98% |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 43% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 50% | 18% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Feb 17, 2006 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,079 weekly returnsXBI returned more: +817.9% to +688.0%. IBB swung less: 22.7% to 29.2%. IBB fell less at its worst: −37.5% to −61.5%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IBB | XBI | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +688.0% | +817.9% | XBI | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +10.5% | +11.3% | XBI (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +654.3% | +767.9% | XBI | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 22.7% | 29.2% | IBB | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 15.8% | 20.0% | IBB | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −37.5% | −61.5% | IBB | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.48 | 0.45 | IBB (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.68 | 0.66 | IBB (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.28 | 0.18 | IBB | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,079 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, IBB and XBI hold 43% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
43% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
IBB and XBI on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IBB and XBI do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- Holdings in common. 43% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 IBB returned +37.5% and XBI +41.2% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 3.7 points.
- What each follows (similar). Both follow Biotech.
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.
XBI
By weight, 13% of XBI's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 98%. The top ten holdings are 18% of the fund across 165 positions, as published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 the fund returned +41.2% with distributions reinvested. It sits 8.9% below its all-time high of Feb 8, 2021.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, IBB or XBI?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IBB returned +37.5% and XBI +41.2%.
- Which is cheaper, IBB or XBI?
- XBI is cheaper, by 0.09 percentage points a year. That is about $9 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 XBI, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ibb-vs-xbi
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IBB against XBI. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ibb-vs-xbi
[IBB against XBI (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ibb-vs-xbi)
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