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 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 turned it into
$37,896
+14.25% per year on average · 2016–2025
VGT turned it into
$76,464
+22.56% per year on average · 2016–2025
Difference
−$38,569
VGT made more of the same money

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.

Years compared
23
where both funds were trading
VTI won
9
years
VGT won
14
years
YearVTIVGTWinner
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

FactVTIVGT
FundVanguard Total Stock Market ETFVanguard Information Technology ETF
TracksCRSP US Total Market IndexMSCI US IMI Information Technology 25/50 Index
Yearly cost (TER)0.03%0.09%
DividendsDistributing — dividends paid outDistributing — dividends paid out
Launched24 May 200126 Jan 2004
$10,000 investedWhat $10,000 in VTI becameWhat $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%.

MeasureVTIVGT
Annualised volatility18.8%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 more25.9% of days36.4% of days
Deepest drawdown-55.45%-54.63%
Peak to trough9 Oct 2007 → 9 Mar 200931 Oct 2007 → 20 Nov 2008
Back above the old peak13 Mar 2012 · 36 months6 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.

YearVTIVGTGap (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).

12-month windows
261
month-end to month-end, overlapping
VTI ahead
26.1%
68 of 261 windows
VGT ahead
73.9%
193 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 $226,239 in VTI and $470,456 in VGT, leaving VGT $244,216 ahead.

OutcomeVTIVGT
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.

Related comparisons

More head-to-heads featuring VTI or VGT.

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.