Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IWO vs VBR: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IWO returned +7.9% to VBR's +17.6%; 10% 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 $35.1bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Small-Cap Value ETF.
Pair scorecard
VBR costs 0.19 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 9.7 points; VBR is 2.5 times larger.
| Measure | IWO | VBR |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +7.9% | +17.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 9.9%, high on Aug 14, 2026 | 3.9%, high on Aug 14, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Russell 2000 Growth Index | Morningstar US Small Cap Value Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.24% | 0.05% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $14.1bn | $35.1bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 10% | |
| 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 returnsVBR returned more: +674.1% to +546.2%. VBR swung slightly less: 21.8% to 23.3%. IWO fell slightly less at its worst: −56.5% to −61.3%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IWO | VBR | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +546.2% | +674.1% | VBR | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +8.5% | +9.4% | VBR (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +451.3% | +382.6% | IWO | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 23.3% | 21.8% | VBR (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 16.3% | 15.3% | VBR (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −56.5% | −61.3% | IWO (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.39 | 0.44 | VBR | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.56 | 0.63 | VBR | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.15 | 0.15 | Tie | 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 VBR hold 10% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
10% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
IWO and VBR on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IWO and VBR do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. IWO follows Russell 2000 Growth Index and VBR follows Morningstar US Small Cap Value Index.
- Holdings in common. 10% 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 VBR +17.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 9.7 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.
VBR
VBR tracks an index of Small-Cap Value. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +17.6% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.05% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 30% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 822 positions, with the top ten at 5.9%. It sat 3.9% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, IWO or VBR?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IWO returned +7.9% and VBR +17.6%.
- Which is cheaper, IWO or VBR?
- VBR is cheaper, by 0.19 percentage points a year. That is about $19 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 VBR, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwo-vs-vbr
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IWO against VBR. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwo-vs-vbr
[IWO against VBR (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwo-vs-vbr)
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