Are IJR and LYTE in the same category?

IJR is a stock ETF and LYTE is a thematic ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.

Which is cheaper, IJR or LYTE?

IJR is cheaper, by 0.59 percentage points a year. That is about $59 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

IJR vs LYTE: Differences, Returns & Fees

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IJR and LYTE are measured over different days, and IJR charges 0.06% to LYTE's 0.65%.

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Net assets: $104.6bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF, and $165m on Oct 28, 2026 for Roundhill Photonics & Optics ETF.

IJR on its own →LYTE on its own →

At a glance

+17.5%

IJR total return, 1 year

−19.6%

LYTE total return, since launch, Aug 6, 2026

0.06%

IJR expense ratio

0.65%

LYTE expense ratio

Pair scorecard

IJR costs 0.59 points a year less; IJR is far larger, $104.6bn against $163m.

IJR vs LYTE: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	IJR	LYTE
Return
Measure	IJR	LYTE
Total return, 1 year	+17.5%	not published
Drawdown
Measure	IJR	LYTE
Below its high	6.8%, high on Aug 14, 2026
Below its all-time high		28.5%, high on Aug 17, 2026
Benchmark
Measure	IJR	LYTE
What it tracks	S&P SmallCap 600	Photonics and optics
Cost and size
Measure	IJR	LYTE
Expense ratio	0.06%	0.65%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026	$104.6bn	$163m
Holdings
Measure	IJR	LYTE
Holdings in common	not published
In the S&P 500, by weight	0%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund	5.3%

Method

Side by side

IJR iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF LYTE Roundhill Photonics & Optics ETF

Where it sits Stock ETF Thematic ETF

Issuer iShares Roundhill

What it is Tracks the S&P SmallCap 600 Photonics and optics

Total return, 1 year +17.5% −19.6% (since launch, Aug 6, 2026)

Its benchmark over the same days +17.6% (SPSM) not measured

Gap to its benchmark −0.1 pts vs SPSM not measured

Expense ratio 0.06% 0.65%

Holdings 642 not yet filed

Net assets, IJR as of Oct 27, 2026 and LYTE as of Oct 28, 2026 $104.6bn $165m

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

Alert

About each fund

IJR

IJR tracks the S&P SmallCap 600. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +17.5% with distributions reinvested, against +17.6% for its benchmark, the S&P SmallCap 600. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% 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 642 positions, with the top ten at 5.3%. It sat 6.8% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

LYTE

LYTE has no public holdings filing captured yet. Since it first traded on Aug 6, 2026 the fund returned −19.6% with distributions reinvested. It sits 28.5% below its all-time high of Aug 17, 2026.

Questions people ask

Are IJR and LYTE in the same category?: IJR is a stock ETF and LYTE is a thematic ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
Which is cheaper, IJR or LYTE?: IJR is cheaper, by 0.59 percentage points a year. That is about $59 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

IJR vs REMX IJR vs XBI IBB vs IJR AIRR vs IJR LYTE vs VB IWM vs LYTE LYTE vs VUG LYTE vs QQQ

Where to next

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

Sources and dates

IJR filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

IJR prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for IJR ↗

LYTE filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

LYTE prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Roundhill page for LYTE ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

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ETFIQ, IJR against LYTE, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ijr-vs-lyte

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