Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
SPY vs XBI: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, SPY returned +13.6% to XBI's +41.2%, and SPY charges 0.09% to XBI's 0.35%.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $814.8bn for SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust and $10.3bn for State Street SPDR S&P Biotech ETF.
Pair scorecard
SPY costs 0.26 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 27.6 points; SPY is far larger, $814.8bn against $10.3bn.
| Measure | SPY | XBI |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +13.6% | +41.2% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its all-time high | 8.9%, high on Feb 8, 2021 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | S&P 500 Index | Biotech |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.09% | 0.35% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $814.8bn | $10.3bn |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 98% | |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 2% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 38.1% | 18% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, SPY and XBI hold 2% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
2% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
SPY and XBI on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
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%.
XBI
By weight, 13% of XBI's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 98%. The top ten holdings are 18% of the fund across 165 positions, as published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 the fund returned +41.2% with distributions reinvested. It sits 8.9% below its all-time high of Feb 8, 2021.
Questions people ask
- Are SPY and XBI in the same category?
- SPY is a stock ETF and XBI is a thematic ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
- Which returned more over the last year, SPY or XBI?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SPY returned +13.6% and XBI +41.2%.
- Which is cheaper, SPY or XBI?
- SPY is cheaper, by 0.26 percentage points a year. That is about $26 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, SPY against XBI, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/spy-vs-xbi
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). SPY against XBI. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/spy-vs-xbi
[SPY against XBI (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/spy-vs-xbi)
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