VOO vs VGT: which ETF won each year?
Yearly returns side by side, one winner per year — dividends included, priced as you'd actually buy them.
VOO
VGT
VOO tracks the S&P 500 IndexVGT tracks the MSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 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.
VOO vs VGT, 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 | VOO | VGT | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +12.73% | +33.83% | VGT |
| 2025 | +17.82% | +21.77% | VGT |
| 2024 | +24.98% | +29.30% | VGT |
| 2023 | +26.32% | +52.66% | VGT |
| 2022 | -18.17% | -29.70% | VOO |
| 2021 | +28.79% | +30.45% | VGT |
| 2020 | +18.32% | +46.04% | VGT |
| 2019 | +31.37% | +48.62% | VGT |
| 2018 | -4.50% | +2.46% | VGT |
| 2017 | +21.77% | +37.08% | VGT |
| 2016 | +12.17% | +13.77% | VGT |
| 2015 | +1.33% | +5.05% | VGT |
| 2014 | +12.93% | +16.69% | VGT |
| 2013 | +32.39% | +30.97% | VOO |
| 2012 | +15.99% | +13.96% | VOO |
| 2011 | +1.90% | +0.54% | VOO |
| 2010 | +14.78% | +12.78% | VOO |
| 2009 | — | +61.89% | — |
| 2008 | — | -42.82% | — |
| 2007 | — | +14.78% | — |
| 2006 | — | +8.85% | — |
| 2005 | — | +3.00% | — |
| 2004 | — | -2.86% | — |
VOO vs VGT in plain words
VOO tracks the S&P 500 Index while VGT follows the MSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. VOO charges 0.03% a year in running costs and VGT charges 0.09% — VOO is the cheaper fund to hold.
Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically. Across the 17 calendar years both funds were trading, VOO finished the year ahead 5 times and VGT 12 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $39,747 in VOO versus $76,464 in VGT by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: VOO vs VGT
| Fact | VOO | VGT |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | Vanguard S&P 500 ETF | Vanguard Information Technology ETF |
| Tracks | S&P 500 Index | MSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.03% | 0.09% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 7 Sept 2010 | 26 Jan 2004 |
| $10,000 invested | What $10,000 in VOO became | What $10,000 in VGT became |
How bumpy the ride was: VOO vs VGT
These head-to-head figures use only the 4,043 trading days both funds were listed: 9 Sept 2010 to 6 Oct 2026, roughly 16.0 years.
VGT swung more than VOO: annualised volatility of 17.0% for VOO against 22.4% for VGT, with VOO moving 1% or more on 23.4% of trading days and VGT on 36.4%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: VOO closed -11.74% and VGT -13.49%.
VGT had the deeper drawdown: it fell -35.07% from its peak on 27 Dec 2021 to a low on 14 Oct 2022, then closed back above the old peak on 20 Nov 2023, 13 months after the low; VOO fell -33.99% from its peak on 19 Feb 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 10 Aug 2020, 4 months after the low.
Day to day the two usually move together: the correlation of their daily returns is 0.92, and they closed in opposite directions on 14.8% of the 4,042 days measured. The widest single-day gap came on 9 Apr 2025, when VOO moved +9.27% and VGT +13.48%.
| Measure | VOO | VGT |
|---|---|---|
| Annualised volatility | 17.0% | 22.4% |
| Worst day | -11.74% on 16 Mar 2020 | -13.49% on 16 Mar 2020 |
| Best day | +9.54% on 24 Mar 2020 | +13.48% on 9 Apr 2025 |
| Days moving 1% or more | 23.4% of days | 36.4% of days |
| Deepest drawdown | -33.99% | -35.07% |
| Peak to trough | 19 Feb 2020 → 23 Mar 2020 | 27 Dec 2021 → 14 Oct 2022 |
| Back above the old peak | 10 Aug 2020 · 4 months | 20 Nov 2023 · 13 months |
Years VOO and VGT parted ways
In 6 of the 16 completed calendar years both funds were trading, the two returns ended more than 5 points apart. The widest split was 2020: VOO returned +18.32% and VGT +46.04%, a gap of 27.7 points. They rose together in 14 years, fell together in 1 year and went opposite ways in 1 year.
| Year | VOO | VGT | Gap (VOO − VGT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | +26.32% | +52.66% | -26.3 pts |
| 2022 | -18.17% | -29.70% | +11.5 pts |
| 2020 | +18.32% | +46.04% | -27.7 pts |
| 2019 | +31.37% | +48.62% | -17.3 pts |
| 2018 | -4.50% | +2.46% | -7.0 pts |
| 2017 | +21.77% | +37.08% | -15.3 pts |
How often VOO beat VGT over any 12 months
Across the 181 rolling 12-month windows since September 2010, measured month-end to month-end, VOO finished ahead in 22.1% of them (40) and VGT in 77.9% (141).
$200 a month into each, 2011–2025
Putting $200 into each fund at the start of every month from January 2011 to December 2025 (180 payments, $36,000 in total) would have grown to $118,662 in VOO and $208,793 in VGT, leaving VGT $90,130 ahead.
| Outcome | VOO | VGT |
|---|---|---|
| Paid in | $36,000 | $36,000 |
| Value at the end of 2025 | $118,662 | $208,793 |
| Gain on the money paid in | +$82,662 | +$172,793 |
| Gain in % | +229.62% | +479.98% |
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 VOO or VGT better?
Across the 17 calendar years both funds were trading, VOO finished the year ahead 5 times and VGT 12 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $39,747 in VOO versus $76,464 in VGT 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 VOO and VGT?
VOO tracks the S&P 500 Index while VGT follows the MSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. VOO charges 0.03% a year in running costs and VGT charges 0.09% — VOO is the cheaper fund to hold. Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically.
Which is more volatile, VOO or VGT?
VGT swung more than VOO: annualised volatility of 17.0% for VOO against 22.4% for VGT, with VOO moving 1% or more on 23.4% of trading days and VGT on 36.4%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: VOO closed -11.74% and VGT -13.49%.
Which had the deeper drawdown, VOO or VGT?
VGT had the deeper drawdown: it fell -35.07% from its peak on 27 Dec 2021 to a low on 14 Oct 2022, then closed back above the old peak on 20 Nov 2023, 13 months after the low; VOO fell -33.99% from its peak on 19 Feb 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 10 Aug 2020, 4 months after the low.
How often did VOO beat VGT over a 12-month period?
Across the 181 rolling 12-month windows since September 2010, measured month-end to month-end, VOO finished ahead in 22.1% of them (40) and VGT in 77.9% (141).
What would $10,000 in VOO have become?
$10,000 invested in VOO at the start of 2016 grew to $39,747 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 14.8% 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.