Are LYTE and SPY in the same category?

LYTE is a thematic ETF and SPY is a stock ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.

Which is cheaper, LYTE or SPY?

SPY is cheaper, by 0.56 percentage points a year. That is about $56 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

LYTE vs SPY: Differences, Returns & Fees

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LYTE and SPY are measured over different days, and SPY charges 0.09% to LYTE's 0.65%.

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Net assets: $165m on Oct 28, 2026 for Roundhill Photonics & Optics ETF, and $814.8bn on Oct 27, 2026 for SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust.

LYTE on its own →SPY on its own →

At a glance

−19.6%

LYTE total return, since launch, Aug 6, 2026

+13.6%

SPY total return, 1 year

0.65%

LYTE expense ratio

0.09%

SPY expense ratio

Pair scorecard

SPY costs 0.56 points a year less; SPY is far larger, $814.8bn against $163m.

LYTE vs SPY: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	LYTE	SPY
Return
Measure	LYTE	SPY
Total return, 1 year	not published	+13.6%
Drawdown
Measure	LYTE	SPY
Below its all-time high	28.5%, high on Aug 17, 2026
Benchmark
Measure	LYTE	SPY
What it tracks	Photonics and optics	S&P 500 Index
Cost and size
Measure	LYTE	SPY
Expense ratio	0.65%	0.09%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026	$163m	$814.8bn
Holdings
Measure	LYTE	SPY
Holdings in common	not published
In the S&P 500, by weight		100%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund		38.1%

Method

Side by side

LYTE Roundhill Photonics & Optics ETF SPY SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust

Where it sits Thematic ETF Stock ETF

Issuer Roundhill State Street

What it is Photonics and optics Tracks the S&P 500

Total return, 1 year −19.6% (since launch, Aug 6, 2026) +13.6%

Its benchmark over the same days not measured +13.7% (VOO)

Gap to its benchmark not measured −0.1 pts vs VOO

Expense ratio 0.65% 0.09%

Holdings not yet filed 504

Net assets, LYTE as of Oct 28, 2026 and SPY as of Oct 27, 2026 $165m $814.8bn

LYTE and SPY on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

Alert

About each fund

LYTE

LYTE has no public holdings filing captured yet. Since it first traded on Aug 6, 2026 the fund returned −19.6% with distributions reinvested. It sits 28.5% below its all-time high of Aug 17, 2026.

SPY

SPY tracks the S&P 500. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.6% with distributions reinvested, against +13.7% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 504 positions, with the top ten at 38.1%.

Questions people ask

Are LYTE and SPY in the same category?: LYTE is a thematic ETF and SPY is a stock ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
Which is cheaper, LYTE or SPY?: SPY is cheaper, by 0.56 percentage points a year. That is about $56 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

IVV vs LYTE LYTE vs VOO LYTE vs VTI LYTE vs VIG IBB vs SPY SPY vs XBI SOXX vs SPY SMH vs SPY

Where to next

LYTE on its own →SPY on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →SPY dividend history →SPY holdings →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

LYTE filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

LYTE prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Roundhill page for LYTE ↗

SPY filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

State Street website ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, LYTE against SPY, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/lyte-vs-spy

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