Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
VUG vs XLG: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VUG returned +6.6% to XLG's +6.4%; 72% of their weight is in the same names.
askIQ about this page
askIQ about VUG and XLG
Net assets: $232.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF, and $11.9bn on Oct 27, 2026 for Invesco S&P 500 Top 50 ETF.
Pair scorecard
VUG costs 0.17 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.2 points.
| Measure | VUG | XLG |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +6.6% | +6.4% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.1%, high on Oct 6, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Morningstar US Large Cap Growth Index | S&P 500 Top 50 Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.20% |
| Net assets, VUG as of Sep 30, 2026 and XLG as of Oct 27, 2026 | $232.9bn | $11.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 72% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 63.1% | 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 returnsVUG returned more: +1,186.1% to +882.5%. XLG swung less: 17.0% to 18.9%. VUG fell slightly less at its worst: −49.9% to −51.7%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | VUG | XLG | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +1,186.1% | +882.5% | VUG | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +12.6% | +11.2% | VUG | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +933.5% | +572.4% | VUG | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 18.9% | 17.0% | XLG | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 13.1% | 11.8% | XLG (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −49.9% | −51.7% | VUG (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.63 | 0.61 | VUG (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.91 | 0.87 | VUG (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.25 | 0.22 | VUG | 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, VUG and XLG hold 72% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
72% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
VUG and XLG on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
VUG and XLG do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. VUG follows Morningstar US Large Cap Growth Index and XLG follows S&P 500 Top 50 Index.
- Cost. VUG charges 0.03% of assets a year and XLG 0.20%, a gap of 0.17 points.
- Holdings in common (similar). 72% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026).
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
The two-page PDF for this pair is coming. Save the comparison to follow its changes. Free. It needs an email sign-in, once.
VUG
VUG tracks an index of US growth. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +6.6% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 97% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 137 positions, with the top ten at 63.1%. It sat 4.1% below its high of Oct 6, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
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, VUG or XLG?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VUG returned +6.6% and XLG +6.4%.
- Which is cheaper, VUG or XLG?
- VUG 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.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, VUG against XLG, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vug-vs-xlg
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). VUG against XLG. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vug-vs-xlg
[VUG against XLG (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vug-vs-xlg)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.