Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
SMAY vs VTWO: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, SMAY returned +8.8% to VTWO's +14.3%, and VTWO charges 0.06% to SMAY's 0.90%.
askIQ about this page
askIQ about SMAY and VTWO
Net assets: $111m on Oct 27, 2026 for FT Vest U.S. Small Cap Moderate Buffer ETF - May, and $16.6bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Russell 2000 ETF.
Pair scorecard
VTWO costs 0.84 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 5.5 points.
| Measure | SMAY | VTWO |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +8.8% | +14.3% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 7.5%, high on Aug 14, 2026 | |
| Index fall to the buffer | 1.3% | |
| Fund price fall to the buffer | 3.5% | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | IWM | Russell 2000 Index |
| The outcome period | ||
| Room to the cap | 15.2% | |
| Buffer left, in index points | 15.0% of 15.0% | |
| Days left in the period | 205 | |
| Period ends | May 21, 2027 | |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.90% | 0.06% |
| Net assets, SMAY as of Oct 27, 2026 and VTWO as of Sep 30, 2026 | $111m | $16.6bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | not published | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 5.4% | |
Side by side
SMAY and VTWO on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
SMAY
From its price on Oct 28, 2026, the fund can gain about 15.2% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 3.5% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, IWM can fall 1.3% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 15.0% of the 15.0% buffer still sits below today's IWM level. 205 days remained on Oct 28, 2026. On May 21, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.
VTWO
VTWO tracks the Russell 2000. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +14.3% with distributions reinvested, against +14.1% for its benchmark, the Russell 2000 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 2,002 positions, with the top ten at 5.4%. It sat 7.5% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Are SMAY and VTWO in the same category?
- SMAY is a buffer ETF and VTWO is a stock ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
- Which returned more over the last year, SMAY or VTWO?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SMAY returned +8.8% and VTWO +14.3%.
- Which is cheaper, SMAY or VTWO?
- VTWO is cheaper, by 0.84 percentage points a year. That is about $84 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.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, SMAY against VTWO, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/smay-vs-vtwo
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). SMAY against VTWO. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/smay-vs-vtwo
[SMAY against VTWO (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/smay-vs-vtwo)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.