Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
XBI vs XLG: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, XBI returned +41.2% to XLG's +6.4%, and XLG charges 0.20% to XBI's 0.35%.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $10.3bn for State Street SPDR S&P Biotech ETF and $11.9bn for Invesco S&P 500 Top 50 ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLG costs 0.15 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 34.8 points; XLG is 1.2 times larger.
| Measure | XBI | XLG |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +41.2% | +6.4% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its all-time high | 8.9%, high on Feb 8, 2021 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Biotech | S&P 500 Top 50 Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.20% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $10.3bn | $11.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 1% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 18% | 60.3% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, XBI and XLG hold 1% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
1% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
XBI and XLG on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
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.
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
- Are XBI and XLG in the same category?
- XBI is a thematic ETF and XLG 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, XBI or XLG?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, XBI returned +41.2% and XLG +6.4%.
- Which is cheaper, XBI or XLG?
- XLG is cheaper, by 0.15 percentage points a year. That is about $15 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, XBI against XLG, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/xbi-vs-xlg
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). XBI against XLG. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/xbi-vs-xlg
[XBI against XLG (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/xbi-vs-xlg)
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