Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IWF vs VUG: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IWF returned +0.9% to VUG's +6.6%; 78% of their weight is in the same names.
askIQ about this page
askIQ about IWF and VUG
Net assets: $124.7bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF, and $232.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF.
Pair scorecard
VUG costs 0.15 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 5.7 points; VUG is 1.8 times larger.
| Measure | IWF | VUG |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +0.9% | +6.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.8%, high on Oct 6, 2026 | 4.1%, high on Oct 6, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Russell 1000 Growth Index | Morningstar US Large Cap Growth Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.18% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $127.7bn | $232.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 78% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 57.5% | 63.1% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Feb 6, 2004 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,185 weekly returnsVUG returned slightly more: +1,211.3% to +1,167.4%. IWF and VUG swung about the same: 18.3% and 18.6%. IWF and VUG fell about the same at their worst: −50.4% and −49.9%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IWF | VUG | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +1,167.4% | +1,211.3% | VUG (slight) | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +11.8% | +12.0% | Tie | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +890.8% | +938.6% | VUG (slight) | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 18.3% | 18.6% | Tie | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 12.6% | 12.8% | Tie | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −50.4% | −49.9% | Tie | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.60 | 0.60 | Tie | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.87 | 0.87 | Tie | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.23 | 0.24 | VUG (slight) | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,185 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, IWF and VUG hold 78% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
78% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
IWF and VUG on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IWF and VUG 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 VUG follows Morningstar US Large Cap Growth Index.
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 IWF returned +0.9% and VUG +6.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 5.7 points.
- Cost. IWF charges 0.18% of assets a year and VUG 0.03%, a gap of 0.15 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
Free. It needs an email sign-in, once.
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.
VUG
VUG tracks an index of US growth. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +6.6% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 97% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 137 positions, with the top ten at 63.1%. It sat 4.1% below its high of Oct 6, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, IWF or VUG?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IWF returned +0.9% and VUG +6.6%.
- Which is cheaper, IWF or VUG?
- VUG is cheaper, by 0.15 percentage points a year. That is about $15 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, IWF against VUG, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwf-vs-vug
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IWF against VUG. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwf-vs-vug
[IWF against VUG (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwf-vs-vug)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.