Are LYTE and VDE in the same category?

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

Which is cheaper, LYTE or VDE?

VDE 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 VDE: Differences, Returns & Fees

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LYTE and VDE are measured over different days, and VDE 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 $10.4bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Energy ETF.

LYTE on its own →VDE on its own →

At a glance

−19.6%

LYTE total return, since launch, Aug 6, 2026

+58.8%

VDE total return, 1 year

0.65%

LYTE expense ratio

0.09%

VDE expense ratio

Pair scorecard

VDE costs 0.56 points a year less.

LYTE vs VDE: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	LYTE	VDE
Return
Measure	LYTE	VDE
Total return, 1 year	not published	+58.8%
Drawdown
Measure	LYTE	VDE
Below its all-time high	28.5%, high on Aug 17, 2026
Benchmark
Measure	LYTE	VDE
What it tracks	Photonics and optics	MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Energy 25/50
Cost and size
Measure	LYTE	VDE
Expense ratio	0.65%	0.09%
Net assets, LYTE as of Oct 28, 2026 and VDE as of Sep 30, 2026	$165m	$10.4bn
Holdings
Measure	LYTE	VDE
Holdings in common	not published
In the S&P 500, by weight		81%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund		67.1%

Method

Side by side

LYTE Roundhill Photonics & Optics ETF VDE Vanguard Energy ETF

Where it sits Thematic ETF Stock ETF

Issuer Roundhill Vanguard

What it is Photonics and optics Tracks an index of Energy

Total return, 1 year −19.6% (since launch, Aug 6, 2026) +58.8%

Its benchmark over the same days not measured +59.0% (FENY)

Gap to its benchmark not measured −0.2 pts vs FENY

Expense ratio 0.65% 0.09%

Holdings not yet filed 113

Net assets, LYTE as of Oct 28, 2026 and VDE as of Sep 30, 2026 $165m $10.4bn

LYTE and VDE 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.

VDE

VDE tracks an index of Energy. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +58.8% with distributions reinvested, against +59.0% for its benchmark, the MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Energy 25/50. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 81% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 113 positions, with the top ten at 67.1%.

Questions people ask

Are LYTE and VDE in the same category?: LYTE is a thematic ETF and VDE is a stock ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
Which is cheaper, LYTE or VDE?: VDE 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

LYTE vs XLE LYTE vs XLV LYTE vs VPU LYTE vs XLU REMX vs VDE VDE vs XBI IBB vs VDE AIRR vs VDE

Where to next

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

Sources and dates

LYTE filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

LYTE prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Roundhill page for LYTE ↗

VDE filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

VDE prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Vanguard page for VDE ↗

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

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

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

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