IVV vs VUG: which ETF won each year?
Yearly returns side by side, one winner per year — dividends included, priced as you'd actually buy them.
IVV
VUG
IVV tracks the S&P 500 IndexVUG tracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index
What did the last 10 years do to $10,000?
You invest $10,000 at the start of the window and touch nothing — dividends reinvested, the running year not counted.
IVV vs VUG, year by year
Calendar-year total returns (dividends included) side by side, and who took the crown each year. A dash means the fund did not exist yet.
| Year | IVV | VUG | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +12.74% | +11.18% | IVV |
| 2025 | +17.85% | +19.40% | VUG |
| 2024 | +24.93% | +32.69% | VUG |
| 2023 | +26.31% | +46.83% | VUG |
| 2022 | -18.16% | -33.16% | IVV |
| 2021 | +28.76% | +27.35% | IVV |
| 2020 | +18.40% | +40.25% | VUG |
| 2019 | +31.25% | +37.03% | VUG |
| 2018 | -4.49% | -3.32% | VUG |
| 2017 | +21.75% | +27.72% | VUG |
| 2016 | +11.54% | +6.27% | IVV |
| 2015 | +1.28% | +3.24% | VUG |
| 2014 | +13.57% | +13.61% | VUG |
| 2013 | +32.31% | +32.48% | VUG |
| 2012 | +16.06% | +17.01% | VUG |
| 2011 | +1.88% | +1.82% | IVV |
| 2010 | +15.10% | +17.22% | VUG |
| 2009 | +26.61% | +36.14% | VUG |
| 2008 | -37.01% | -38.02% | IVV |
| 2007 | +5.29% | +12.52% | VUG |
| 2006 | +15.94% | +9.19% | IVV |
| 2005 | +4.87% | +5.02% | VUG |
| 2004 | +10.79% | +4.99% | IVV |
| 2003 | +28.46% | — | — |
| 2002 | -21.53% | — | — |
| 2001 | -11.96% | — | — |
| 2000 | -6.08% | — | — |
IVV vs VUG in plain words
IVV tracks the S&P 500 Index while VUG follows the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. Both funds charge 0.03% a year in running costs.
Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically. Across the 23 calendar years both funds were trading, IVV finished the year ahead 8 times and VUG 15 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $39,497 in IVV versus $49,942 in VUG by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: IVV vs VUG
| Fact | IVV | VUG |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | Vanguard Growth ETF |
| Tracks | S&P 500 Index | CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.03% | 0.03% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 15 May 2000 | 26 Jan 2004 |
| $10,000 invested | What $10,000 in IVV became | What $10,000 in VUG became |
How bumpy the ride was: IVV vs VUG
These head-to-head figures use only the 5,707 trading days both funds were listed: 30 Jan 2004 to 6 Oct 2026, roughly 22.6 years.
VUG swung more than IVV: annualised volatility of 18.5% for IVV against 20.0% for VUG, with IVV moving 1% or more on 24.9% of trading days and VUG on 29.3%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: IVV closed -11.57% and VUG -12.62%.
IVV had the deeper drawdown: it fell -55.25% from its peak on 9 Oct 2007 to a low on 9 Mar 2009, then closed back above the old peak on 16 Aug 2012, 41 months after the low; VUG fell -50.68% from its peak on 31 Oct 2007 to a low on 9 Mar 2009, then closed back above the old peak on 8 Feb 2011, 22 months after the low.
Day to day the two move almost in lockstep: the correlation of their daily returns is 0.96, and they closed in opposite directions on 10.2% of the 5,706 days measured. The widest single-day gap came on 9 Nov 2020, when IVV moved +1.25% and VUG -1.54%.
| Measure | IVV | VUG |
|---|---|---|
| Annualised volatility | 18.5% | 20.0% |
| Worst day | -11.57% on 16 Mar 2020 | -12.62% on 16 Mar 2020 |
| Best day | +11.10% on 28 Oct 2008 | +11.94% on 13 Oct 2008 |
| Days moving 1% or more | 24.9% of days | 29.3% of days |
| Deepest drawdown | -55.25% | -50.68% |
| Peak to trough | 9 Oct 2007 → 9 Mar 2009 | 31 Oct 2007 → 9 Mar 2009 |
| Back above the old peak | 16 Aug 2012 · 41 months | 8 Feb 2011 · 22 months |
Years IVV and VUG parted ways
In 11 of the 22 completed calendar years both funds were trading, the two returns ended more than 5 points apart. The widest split was 2020: IVV returned +18.40% and VUG +40.25%, a gap of 21.8 points. They rose together in 19 years and fell together in 3 years.
| Year | IVV | VUG | Gap (IVV − VUG) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | +24.93% | +32.69% | -7.8 pts |
| 2023 | +26.31% | +46.83% | -20.5 pts |
| 2022 | -18.16% | -33.16% | +15.0 pts |
| 2020 | +18.40% | +40.25% | -21.8 pts |
| 2019 | +31.25% | +37.03% | -5.8 pts |
| 2017 | +21.75% | +27.72% | -6.0 pts |
| 2016 | +11.54% | +6.27% | +5.3 pts |
| 2009 | +26.61% | +36.14% | -9.5 pts |
| 2007 | +5.29% | +12.52% | -7.2 pts |
| 2006 | +15.94% | +9.19% | +6.7 pts |
| 2004 | +10.79% | +4.99% | +5.8 pts |
How often IVV beat VUG over any 12 months
Across the 261 rolling 12-month windows since January 2004, measured month-end to month-end, IVV finished ahead in 30.7% of them (80) and VUG in 69.3% (181).
$200 a month into each, 2005–2025
Putting $200 into each fund at the start of every month from January 2005 to December 2025 (252 payments, $50,400 in total) would have grown to $234,304 in IVV and $308,579 in VUG, leaving VUG $74,275 ahead.
| Outcome | IVV | VUG |
|---|---|---|
| Paid in | $50,400 | $50,400 |
| Value at the end of 2025 | $234,304 | $308,579 |
| Gain on the money paid in | +$183,904 | +$258,179 |
| Gain in % | +364.89% | +512.26% |
Each payment rides the return of the month it lands in, dividends reinvested. Only calendar years with all twelve months of data for both funds count, so the plan may start later than the shared history.
Frequently asked
Is IVV or VUG better?
Across the 23 calendar years both funds were trading, IVV finished the year ahead 8 times and VUG 15 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $39,497 in IVV versus $49,942 in VUG by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested. Past returns don't promise future ones — but this is what actually happened.
What is the difference between IVV and VUG?
IVV tracks the S&P 500 Index while VUG follows the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. Both funds charge 0.03% a year in running costs. Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically.
Which is more volatile, IVV or VUG?
VUG swung more than IVV: annualised volatility of 18.5% for IVV against 20.0% for VUG, with IVV moving 1% or more on 24.9% of trading days and VUG on 29.3%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: IVV closed -11.57% and VUG -12.62%.
Which had the deeper drawdown, IVV or VUG?
IVV had the deeper drawdown: it fell -55.25% from its peak on 9 Oct 2007 to a low on 9 Mar 2009, then closed back above the old peak on 16 Aug 2012, 41 months after the low; VUG fell -50.68% from its peak on 31 Oct 2007 to a low on 9 Mar 2009, then closed back above the old peak on 8 Feb 2011, 22 months after the low.
How often did IVV beat VUG over a 12-month period?
Across the 261 rolling 12-month windows since January 2004, measured month-end to month-end, IVV finished ahead in 30.7% of them (80) and VUG in 69.3% (181).
What would $10,000 in IVV have become?
$10,000 invested in IVV at the start of 2016 grew to $39,497 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 14.7% per year.
Source: Yahoo Finance daily adjusted closes for the US primary listings, dividends reinvested. Prices through · refreshed 7 Oct 2026, 08:49 UTC. How every number is calculated.