VTI 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.
VTI
VGT
VTI tracks the CRSP US Total Market 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.
VTI 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 | VTI | VGT | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +12.58% | +33.83% | VGT |
| 2025 | +17.10% | +21.77% | VGT |
| 2024 | +23.81% | +29.30% | VGT |
| 2023 | +26.05% | +52.66% | VGT |
| 2022 | -19.52% | -29.70% | VTI |
| 2021 | +25.68% | +30.45% | VGT |
| 2020 | +21.08% | +46.04% | VGT |
| 2019 | +30.67% | +48.62% | VGT |
| 2018 | -5.23% | +2.46% | VGT |
| 2017 | +21.21% | +37.08% | VGT |
| 2016 | +12.82% | +13.77% | VGT |
| 2015 | +0.36% | +5.05% | VGT |
| 2014 | +12.55% | +16.69% | VGT |
| 2013 | +33.45% | +30.97% | VTI |
| 2012 | +16.45% | +13.96% | VTI |
| 2011 | +0.97% | +0.54% | VTI |
| 2010 | +17.43% | +12.78% | VTI |
| 2009 | +28.90% | +61.89% | VGT |
| 2008 | -36.99% | -42.82% | VTI |
| 2007 | +5.37% | +14.78% | VGT |
| 2006 | +15.70% | +8.85% | VTI |
| 2005 | +6.30% | +3.00% | VTI |
| 2004 | +12.78% | -2.86% | VTI |
| 2003 | +30.74% | — | — |
| 2002 | -20.48% | — | — |
| 2001 | -4.40% | — | — |
VTI vs VGT in plain words
VTI tracks the CRSP US Total Market 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. VTI charges 0.03% a year in running costs and VGT charges 0.09% — VTI is the cheaper fund to hold.
Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically. Across the 23 calendar years both funds were trading, VTI finished the year ahead 9 times and VGT 14 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $37,896 in VTI versus $76,464 in VGT by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: VTI vs VGT
| Fact | VTI | VGT |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF | Vanguard Information Technology ETF |
| Tracks | CRSP US Total Market 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 | 24 May 2001 | 26 Jan 2004 |
| $10,000 invested | What $10,000 in VTI became | What $10,000 in VGT became |
How bumpy the ride was: VTI vs VGT
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.
VGT swung more than VTI: annualised volatility of 18.8% for VTI against 22.7% for VGT, with VTI moving 1% or more on 25.9% of trading days and VGT on 36.4%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: VTI closed -11.38% and VGT -13.49%.
VTI had the deeper drawdown: it fell -55.45% from its peak on 9 Oct 2007 to a low on 9 Mar 2009, then closed back above the old peak on 13 Mar 2012, 36 months after the low; VGT fell -54.63% from its peak on 31 Oct 2007 to a low on 20 Nov 2008, then closed back above the old peak on 6 Jan 2011, 25 months after the low.
Day to day the two usually move together: the correlation of their daily returns is 0.90, and they closed in opposite directions on 15.2% of the 5,706 days measured. The widest single-day gap came on 27 Jan 2025, when VTI moved -1.39% and VGT -5.21%.
| Measure | VTI | VGT |
|---|---|---|
| Annualised volatility | 18.8% | 22.7% |
| Worst day | -11.38% on 16 Mar 2020 | -13.49% on 16 Mar 2020 |
| Best day | +12.83% on 13 Oct 2008 | +13.48% on 9 Apr 2025 |
| Days moving 1% or more | 25.9% of days | 36.4% of days |
| Deepest drawdown | -55.45% | -54.63% |
| Peak to trough | 9 Oct 2007 → 9 Mar 2009 | 31 Oct 2007 → 20 Nov 2008 |
| Back above the old peak | 13 Mar 2012 · 36 months | 6 Jan 2011 · 25 months |
Years VTI and VGT parted ways
In 12 of the 22 completed calendar years both funds were trading, the two returns ended more than 5 points apart. The widest split was 2009: VTI returned +28.90% and VGT +61.89%, a gap of 33.0 points. They rose together in 18 years, fell together in 2 years and went opposite ways in 2 years.
| Year | VTI | VGT | Gap (VTI − VGT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | +23.81% | +29.30% | -5.5 pts |
| 2023 | +26.05% | +52.66% | -26.6 pts |
| 2022 | -19.52% | -29.70% | +10.2 pts |
| 2020 | +21.08% | +46.04% | -25.0 pts |
| 2019 | +30.67% | +48.62% | -18.0 pts |
| 2018 | -5.23% | +2.46% | -7.7 pts |
| 2017 | +21.21% | +37.08% | -15.9 pts |
| 2009 | +28.90% | +61.89% | -33.0 pts |
| 2008 | -36.99% | -42.82% | +5.8 pts |
| 2007 | +5.37% | +14.78% | -9.4 pts |
| 2006 | +15.70% | +8.85% | +6.8 pts |
| 2004 | +12.78% | -2.86% | +15.6 pts |
How often VTI beat VGT over any 12 months
Across the 261 rolling 12-month windows since January 2004, measured month-end to month-end, VTI finished ahead in 26.1% of them (68) and VGT in 73.9% (193).
$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 $226,239 in VTI and $470,456 in VGT, leaving VGT $244,216 ahead.
| Outcome | VTI | VGT |
|---|---|---|
| Paid in | $50,400 | $50,400 |
| Value at the end of 2025 | $226,239 | $470,456 |
| Gain on the money paid in | +$175,839 | +$420,056 |
| Gain in % | +348.89% | +833.44% |
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 VTI or VGT better?
Across the 23 calendar years both funds were trading, VTI finished the year ahead 9 times and VGT 14 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $37,896 in VTI 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 VTI and VGT?
VTI tracks the CRSP US Total Market 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. VTI charges 0.03% a year in running costs and VGT charges 0.09% — VTI 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, VTI or VGT?
VGT swung more than VTI: annualised volatility of 18.8% for VTI against 22.7% for VGT, with VTI moving 1% or more on 25.9% of trading days and VGT on 36.4%. Both had their worst day on 16 Mar 2020: VTI closed -11.38% and VGT -13.49%.
Which had the deeper drawdown, VTI or VGT?
VTI had the deeper drawdown: it fell -55.45% from its peak on 9 Oct 2007 to a low on 9 Mar 2009, then closed back above the old peak on 13 Mar 2012, 36 months after the low; VGT fell -54.63% from its peak on 31 Oct 2007 to a low on 20 Nov 2008, then closed back above the old peak on 6 Jan 2011, 25 months after the low.
How often did VTI beat VGT over a 12-month period?
Across the 261 rolling 12-month windows since January 2004, measured month-end to month-end, VTI finished ahead in 26.1% of them (68) and VGT in 73.9% (193).
What would $10,000 in VTI have become?
$10,000 invested in VTI at the start of 2016 grew to $37,896 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 14.3% 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.