Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IWO vs VB: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IWO returned +7.9% to VB's +14.4%; 15% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $14.0bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF, and $76.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Small-Cap ETF.
Pair scorecard
VB costs 0.21 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 6.5 points; VB is 5.5 times larger.
| Measure | IWO | VB |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +7.9% | +14.4% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 9.9%, high on Aug 14, 2026 | 5.7%, high on Aug 14, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Russell 2000 Growth Index | Morningstar US Small Cap Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.24% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $14.1bn | $76.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 15% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 6.4% | 5.9% |
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 returnsVB returned more: +705.5% to +546.2%. VB swung slightly less: 21.5% to 23.3%. IWO fell slightly less at its worst: −56.5% to −58.8%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IWO | VB | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +546.2% | +705.5% | VB | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +8.5% | +9.6% | VB | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +451.3% | +482.0% | VB (slight) | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 23.3% | 21.5% | VB (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 16.3% | 15.1% | VB (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −56.5% | −58.8% | IWO (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.39 | 0.45 | VB | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.56 | 0.64 | VB | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.15 | 0.16 | VB (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, IWO and VB hold 15% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
15% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
IWO and VB on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IWO and VB do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. IWO follows Russell 2000 Growth Index and VB follows Morningstar US Small Cap Index.
- Holdings in common. 15% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 IWO returned +7.9% and VB +14.4% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 6.5 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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IWO
IWO tracks the Russell 2000 Growth. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +7.9% with distributions reinvested, against +8.0% for its benchmark, the Russell 2000 Growth Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.24% 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 1,122 positions, with the top ten at 6.4%. It sat 9.9% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
VB
VB tracks an index of Small-Cap. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +14.4% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 22% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1,303 positions, with the top ten at 5.9%. It sat 5.7% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, IWO or VB?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IWO returned +7.9% and VB +14.4%.
- Which is cheaper, IWO or VB?
- VB is cheaper, by 0.21 percentage points a year. That is about $21 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, IWO against VB, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwo-vs-vb
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IWO against VB. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwo-vs-vb
[IWO against VB (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwo-vs-vb)
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