Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IWF vs MGK: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IWF returned +0.9% to MGK's +7.8%; 72% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $124.7bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF, and $34.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Mega Cap Growth ETF.
Pair scorecard
MGK costs 0.13 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 6.9 points; IWF is 3.7 times larger.
| Measure | IWF | MGK |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +0.9% | +7.8% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.8%, high on Oct 6, 2026 | 4.4%, high on Oct 6, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Russell 1000 Growth Index | Morningstar US Mega Cap Growth Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.18% | 0.05% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $127.7bn | $34.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 72% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 57.5% | 64.5% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Jan 4, 2008 to Oct 23, 2026 · 981 weekly returnsMGK returned more: +1,024.1% to +910.6%. IWF and MGK swung about the same: 19.3% and 19.5%. MGK fell slightly less at its worst: −46.4% to −47.8%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IWF | MGK | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +910.6% | +1,024.1% | MGK | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +13.0% | +13.7% | MGK (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +721.5% | +823.8% | MGK | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 19.3% | 19.5% | Tie | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 13.3% | 13.3% | Tie | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −47.8% | −46.4% | MGK (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.66 | 0.68 | MGK (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.96 | 1.00 | MGK (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.27 | 0.30 | MGK (slight) | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 981 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, IWF and MGK hold 72% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
72% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
IWF and MGK on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IWF and MGK are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. IWF follows Russell 1000 Growth Index and MGK follows Morningstar US Mega Cap Growth Index.
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 IWF returned +0.9% and MGK +7.8% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 6.9 points.
- Number of holdings. IWF holds 374 positions and MGK holds 54.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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IWF
IWF tracks the Russell 1000 growth. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +0.9% with distributions reinvested, against +1.1% for its benchmark, the Russell 1000 Growth Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.18% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 94% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 374 positions, with the top ten at 57.5%. It sat 4.8% below its high of Oct 6, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
MGK
MGK tracks an index of Mega Cap Growth. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +7.8% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.05% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 99% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 54 positions, with the top ten at 64.5%. It sat 4.4% below its high of Oct 6, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, IWF or MGK?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IWF returned +0.9% and MGK +7.8%.
- Which is cheaper, IWF or MGK?
- MGK is cheaper, by 0.13 percentage points a year. That is about $13 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, IWF against MGK, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwf-vs-mgk
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IWF against MGK. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwf-vs-mgk
[IWF against MGK (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwf-vs-mgk)
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