Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
VOO vs XAR: how they differ
Over the year VOO returned more, +17.6% against +11.8%, and VOO charges 0.03% against 0.35%.
Vanguard 500 Index Fund and State Street(R) SPDR(R) S&P(R) Aerospace & Defense ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, VOO and XAR hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in VOO | Only in XAR |
|---|---|
| NVIDIA Corp 7.53% | RTX CORP 3.34% |
| Apple Inc 6.61% | VSE CORP 3.33% |
| Microsoft Corp 4.31% | ATI INC 3.25% |
| Amazon.com Inc 3.63% | ARCHER AVIATION INC A 3.23% |
| Alphabet Inc 3.26% | AXON ENTERPRISE INC 3.20% |
| Broadcom Inc 2.78% | GENERAL DYNAMICS CORP 3.11% |
| Alphabet Inc 2.60% | GENERAL ELECTRIC 3.04% |
| Micron Technology Inc 2.02% | LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP 3.02% |
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Sep 10, 2026.
| VOO Vanguard 500 Index Fund | XAR State Street(R) SPDR(R) S&P(R) Aerospace & Defense ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Thematic ETF |
| Issuer | Vanguard | State Street |
| What it is | S&P 500 | Defense |
| Total return, 1 year | +17.6% | +11.8% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +0.1 pts | −5.7 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.35% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 100.0% | 35.0% |
| Holdings | 506 | 49 |
VOO in plain words
VOO is an index equity fund tracking the S&P 500. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +17.6% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 506 positions, with the top ten at 36.5%.
XAR in plain words
By weight, 35% of XAR'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 31% of the fund across 49 positions, as published by its issuer for Sep 10, 2026. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 the fund returned +11.8% with distributions reinvested against +17.5% for the S&P 500, so a holder was behind by 5.7 pts. It sits 17.1% below its all-time high of Aug 14, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, VOO or XAR?
- In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VOO returned +17.6% and XAR returned +11.8%, so VOO returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, VOO or XAR?
- VOO charges 0.03% a year and XAR charges 0.35%, so VOO is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do VOO and XAR overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 100% of VOO and 35% of XAR by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 0% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
- Are VOO and XAR the same kind of fund?
- No. VOO is an index ETF and XAR is a thematic ETF, so they are built for different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and what each actually holds.
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Where these figures came from
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, VOO against XAR, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/voo-vs-xar Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources