Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IWM vs VTI: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IWM returned +14.1% to VTI's +13.5%; 4% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $75.5bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares Russell 2000 ETF, and $689.2bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF.
Pair scorecard
VTI costs 0.16 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.6 points; VTI is 8.8 times larger.
| Measure | IWM | VTI |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +14.1% | +13.5% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 7.6%, high on Aug 14, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Russell 2000 Index | Morningstar US Total Market Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.19% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $78.0bn | $689.2bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 4% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 3.3% | 34.7% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Jun 8, 2001 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,324 weekly returnsVTI returned more: +898.9% to +650.1%. VTI swung less: 17.8% to 22.4%. VTI fell slightly less at its worst: −54.8% to −57.7%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IWM | VTI | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +650.1% | +898.9% | VTI | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +8.2% | +9.5% | VTI | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +441.2% | +540.9% | VTI | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 22.4% | 17.8% | VTI | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 15.7% | 12.7% | VTI | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −57.7% | −54.8% | VTI (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.39 | 0.50 | VTI | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.55 | 0.70 | VTI | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.14 | 0.17 | VTI | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,324 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, IWM and VTI hold 4% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
4% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
IWM and VTI on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IWM and VTI do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. IWM follows Russell 2000 Index and VTI follows Morningstar US Total Market Index.
- Holdings in common. 4% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- Cost. IWM charges 0.19% of assets a year and VTI 0.03%, a gap of 0.16 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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IWM
IWM tracks the Russell 2000. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +14.1% with distributions reinvested, against +14.3% for its benchmark, the Russell 2000 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.19% 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 1,977 positions, with the top ten at 3.3%. It sat 7.6% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
VTI
VTI tracks an index of US total market. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.5% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 88% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 3,521 positions, with the top ten at 34.7%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, IWM or VTI?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IWM returned +14.1% and VTI +13.5%.
- Which is cheaper, IWM or VTI?
- VTI is cheaper, by 0.16 percentage points a year. That is about $16 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, IWM against VTI, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwm-vs-vti
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IWM against VTI. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwm-vs-vti
[IWM against VTI (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwm-vs-vti)
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