IWR vs MLRG: Differences, Returns & Fees
IWR and MLRG hold 14% of their weight in the same names. Net assets on Oct 20, 2026: $57.0bn for iShares Russell Mid-Cap ETF and $1.3bn for iShares MSCI USA ETF.
MLRG costs 0.15 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.4 points; IWR is far larger, $57.0bn against $1.3bn.
| IWR | MLRG | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.18% | 0.03% |
| Net assets | $57.0bn | $1.3bn |
| Total return, 1 year | +15.1% | +15.5% |
| What it tracks | Russell Midcap Index | MSCI USA Index |
| Holdings in common | 14% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 6.8% | 37.8% |
| Below its high | 4.3%, high on Aug 14, 2026 | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 19, 2026.
IWR and MLRG are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. IWR follows Russell Midcap Index and MLRG follows MSCI USA Index.
- Holdings in common. 14% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 19, 2026).
- Cost. IWR charges 0.18% of assets a year and MLRG 0.03%, a gap of 0.15 points.
Data as of Oct 20, 2026. The differences are picked by a fixed rule, in a fixed order; the PDF prints it. Page 2 has the returns, overlap, risks and sources.
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What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, IWR and MLRG hold 14% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 19, 2026.
half
14% in common
On the same fields
IWR and MLRG on the fields both publish, as of Oct 20, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
About IWR
IWR tracks an index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.18% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 19, 2026, 62% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 825 positions, with the top ten at 6.8%. It sat 4.3% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 20, 2026.
Over the year to Oct 20, 2026 it returned +15.1% with distributions reinvested, against +15.0% for its benchmark, the Russell 3000 Index.
About MLRG
MLRG tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 20, 2026 it returned +15.5% with distributions reinvested, against +15.4% for its benchmark, the MSCI USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 19, 2026, 96% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 515 positions, with the top ten at 37.8%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, IWR or MLRG?
- In the year to Oct 20, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IWR returned +15.1% and MLRG +15.5%.
- Which is cheaper, IWR or MLRG?
- MLRG 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.
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure; a link is not an endorsement. 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, IWR against MLRG, data as of Oct 20, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwr-vs-mlrg
ETFIQ. (Oct 20, 2026). IWR against MLRG. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwr-vs-mlrg
[IWR against MLRG (ETFIQ, Oct 20, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwr-vs-mlrg)
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