Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IWF vs XBI: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IWF returned +0.9% to XBI's +41.2%, and IWF charges 0.18% to XBI's 0.35%.
askIQ about this page
askIQ about IWF and XBI
Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $124.7bn for iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF and $10.3bn for State Street SPDR S&P Biotech ETF.
Pair scorecard
IWF costs 0.17 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 40.3 points; IWF is 12.1 times larger.
| Measure | IWF | XBI |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +0.9% | +41.2% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.8%, high on Oct 6, 2026 | |
| Below its all-time high | 8.9%, high on Feb 8, 2021 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Russell 1000 Growth Index | Biotech |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.18% | 0.35% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $124.7bn | $10.3bn |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 98% | |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 1% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 57.5% | 18% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, IWF and XBI hold 1% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
1% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
IWF and XBI on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
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.
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
- Are IWF and XBI in the same category?
- IWF is a stock ETF and XBI is a thematic ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
- Which returned more over the last year, IWF or XBI?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IWF returned +0.9% and XBI +41.2%.
- Which is cheaper, IWF or XBI?
- IWF is cheaper, by 0.17 percentage points a year. That is about $17 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 XBI, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwf-vs-xbi
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IWF against XBI. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwf-vs-xbi
[IWF against XBI (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwf-vs-xbi)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.