VOO vs VT: which ETF won each year?
Yearly returns side by side, one winner per year — dividends included, priced as you'd actually buy them.
VOO
VT
VOO tracks the S&P 500 IndexVT tracks the FTSE Global All Cap 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 VT, 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 | VT | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +12.73% | +12.86% | VT |
| 2025 | +17.82% | +22.43% | VT |
| 2024 | +24.98% | +16.49% | VOO |
| 2023 | +26.32% | +22.02% | VOO |
| 2022 | -18.17% | -18.00% | VT |
| 2021 | +28.79% | +18.27% | VOO |
| 2020 | +18.32% | +16.59% | VOO |
| 2019 | +31.37% | +26.81% | VOO |
| 2018 | -4.50% | -9.76% | VOO |
| 2017 | +21.77% | +24.50% | VT |
| 2016 | +12.17% | +8.50% | VOO |
| 2015 | +1.33% | -1.86% | VOO |
| 2014 | +12.93% | +3.68% | VOO |
| 2013 | +32.39% | +22.94% | VOO |
| 2012 | +15.99% | +17.12% | VT |
| 2011 | +1.90% | -7.51% | VOO |
| 2010 | +14.78% | +13.08% | VOO |
| 2009 | — | +32.66% | — |
| 2008 | — | -33.05% | — |
VOO vs VT in plain words
VOO tracks the S&P 500 Index while VT follows the FTSE Global All Cap 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 VT charges 0.06% — 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 12 times and VT 5 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $39,747 in VOO versus $30,414 in VT by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: VOO vs VT
| Fact | VOO | VT |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | Vanguard S&P 500 ETF | Vanguard Total World Stock ETF |
| Tracks | S&P 500 Index | FTSE Global All Cap Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.03% | 0.06% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 7 Sept 2010 | 24 Jun 2008 |
| $10,000 invested | What $10,000 in VOO became | What $10,000 in VT became |
How bumpy the ride was: VOO vs VT
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.
VOO and VT swung about equally: annualised volatility of 17.0% for VOO against 17.0% for VT, with VOO moving 1% or more on 23.4% of trading days and VT on 24.3%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: VOO closed -11.74% and VT -11.64%.
Both funds suffered a drawdown of about the same depth: 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; VT fell -34.24% from its peak on 12 Feb 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 24 Aug 2020, 5 months after the low.
Day to day the two move almost in lockstep: the correlation of their daily returns is 0.97, and they closed in opposite directions on 9.5% of the 4,042 days measured. The widest single-day gap came on 2 Mar 2020, when VOO moved +4.46% and VT +2.74%.
| Measure | VOO | VT |
|---|---|---|
| Annualised volatility | 17.0% | 17.0% |
| Worst day | -11.74% on 16 Mar 2020 | -11.64% on 16 Mar 2020 |
| Best day | +9.54% on 24 Mar 2020 | +9.14% on 24 Mar 2020 |
| Days moving 1% or more | 23.4% of days | 24.3% of days |
| Deepest drawdown | -33.99% | -34.24% |
| Peak to trough | 19 Feb 2020 → 23 Mar 2020 | 12 Feb 2020 → 23 Mar 2020 |
| Back above the old peak | 10 Aug 2020 · 4 months | 24 Aug 2020 · 5 months |
Years VOO and VT 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 2021: VOO returned +28.79% and VT +18.27%, a gap of 10.5 points. They rose together in 12 years, fell together in 2 years and went opposite ways in 2 years.
| Year | VOO | VT | Gap (VOO − VT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | +24.98% | +16.49% | +8.5 pts |
| 2021 | +28.79% | +18.27% | +10.5 pts |
| 2018 | -4.50% | -9.76% | +5.3 pts |
| 2014 | +12.93% | +3.68% | +9.2 pts |
| 2013 | +32.39% | +22.94% | +9.4 pts |
| 2011 | +1.90% | -7.51% | +9.4 pts |
How often VOO beat VT over any 12 months
Across the 181 rolling 12-month windows since September 2010, measured month-end to month-end, VOO finished ahead in 80.1% of them (145) and VT in 19.9% (36).
$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 $88,709 in VT, leaving VOO $29,954 ahead.
| Outcome | VOO | VT |
|---|---|---|
| Paid in | $36,000 | $36,000 |
| Value at the end of 2025 | $118,662 | $88,709 |
| Gain on the money paid in | +$82,662 | +$52,709 |
| Gain in % | +229.62% | +146.41% |
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 VT better?
Across the 17 calendar years both funds were trading, VOO finished the year ahead 12 times and VT 5 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $39,747 in VOO versus $30,414 in VT 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 VT?
VOO tracks the S&P 500 Index while VT follows the FTSE Global All Cap 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 VT charges 0.06% — 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 VT?
VOO and VT swung about equally: annualised volatility of 17.0% for VOO against 17.0% for VT, with VOO moving 1% or more on 23.4% of trading days and VT on 24.3%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: VOO closed -11.74% and VT -11.64%.
Which had the deeper drawdown, VOO or VT?
Both funds suffered a drawdown of about the same depth: 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; VT fell -34.24% from its peak on 12 Feb 2020 to a low on 23 Mar 2020, then closed back above the old peak on 24 Aug 2020, 5 months after the low.
How often did VOO beat VT 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 80.1% of them (145) and VT in 19.9% (36).
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.