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 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 turned it into
$39,497
+14.72% per year on average · 2016–2025
VUG turned it into
$49,942
+17.45% per year on average · 2016–2025
Difference
−$10,445
VUG made more of the same money

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.

Years compared
23
where both funds were trading
IVV won
8
years
VUG won
15
years
YearIVVVUGWinner
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

FactIVVVUG
FundiShares Core S&P 500 ETFVanguard Growth ETF
TracksS&P 500 IndexCRSP US Large Cap Growth Index
Yearly cost (TER)0.03%0.03%
DividendsDistributing — dividends paid outDistributing — dividends paid out
Launched15 May 200026 Jan 2004
$10,000 investedWhat $10,000 in IVV becameWhat $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%.

MeasureIVVVUG
Annualised volatility18.5%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 more24.9% of days29.3% of days
Deepest drawdown-55.25%-50.68%
Peak to trough9 Oct 2007 → 9 Mar 200931 Oct 2007 → 9 Mar 2009
Back above the old peak16 Aug 2012 · 41 months8 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.

YearIVVVUGGap (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).

12-month windows
261
month-end to month-end, overlapping
IVV ahead
30.7%
80 of 261 windows
VUG ahead
69.3%
181 of 261 windows

$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.

OutcomeIVVVUG
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.

Related comparisons

More head-to-heads featuring IVV or VUG.

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.