Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
VTI vs XLG: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VTI returned +13.5% to XLG's +6.4%; 57% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $689.2bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF, and $11.9bn on Oct 27, 2026 for Invesco S&P 500 Top 50 ETF.
Pair scorecard
VTI costs 0.17 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 7.1 points.
| Measure | VTI | XLG |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +13.5% | +6.4% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Morningstar US Total Market Index | S&P 500 Top 50 Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.20% |
| Net assets, VTI as of Sep 30, 2026 and XLG as of Oct 27, 2026 | $689.2bn | $11.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 57% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 34.7% | 60.3% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
May 20, 2005 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,118 weekly returnsXLG returned slightly more: +882.5% to +844.5%. XLG swung slightly less: 17.0% to 17.9%. XLG fell slightly less at its worst: −51.7% to −54.8%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | VTI | XLG | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +844.5% | +882.5% | XLG (slight) | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +11.0% | +11.2% | Tie | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +543.1% | +572.4% | XLG (slight) | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 17.9% | 17.0% | XLG (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 12.7% | 11.8% | XLG (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −54.8% | −51.7% | XLG (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.57 | 0.61 | XLG (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.81 | 0.87 | XLG (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.20 | 0.22 | XLG (slight) | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,118 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, VTI and XLG hold 57% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
57% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
VTI and XLG on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
VTI and XLG are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. VTI follows Morningstar US Total Market Index and XLG follows S&P 500 Top 50 Index.
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 VTI returned +13.5% and XLG +6.4% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 7.1 points.
- Number of holdings. VTI holds 3,521 positions and XLG holds 53.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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VTI
VTI tracks an index of US total market. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.5% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 88% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 3,521 positions, with the top ten at 34.7%.
XLG
XLG tracks the S&P 500 top 50. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +6.4% with distributions reinvested, against +13.7% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.20% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 98% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 53 positions, with the top ten at 60.3%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, VTI or XLG?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VTI returned +13.5% and XLG +6.4%.
- Which is cheaper, VTI or XLG?
- VTI is cheaper, by 0.17 percentage points a year. That is about $17 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, VTI against XLG, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vti-vs-xlg
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