SPY vs. VOO vs. IVV: a faceoff between three giant, in style index funds, all monitoring the S&P 500. However what’s the distinction if all of them observe the identical index? And how are you going to resolve which is finest for you?
Let’s begin with the fundamentals.
SPY vs VOO vs IVV: By the Numbers

| SPY | VOO | IVV | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Identify | SPDR S&P 500 ETF Belief | Vanguard S&P 500 ETF | iShares Core S&P 500 ETF |
| Index Tracked | S&P 500 Index | S&P 500 Index | S&P 500 Index |
| Property Underneath Administration* | $403.3 billion | $339.7 billion | $352.1 billion |
| Common Each day Quantity (shares) | 10,989,786 (30-day common) | 4,089,646 (50 day common) | 4,627,769 (30-day common) |
| Variety of Holdings | 503 | 507 | 507 |
| Expense Ratio | 0.0945% | 0.03% | 0.03% |
| Dividend Yield* | 1.61% | 1.56% | 1.58% |
| Issuer | State Road International Advisors SPDR | Vanguard | iShares / Blackrock |
* As of October. 2023
5-Yr Efficiency
SPY vs VOO vs IVV: Overview
All three observe the identical S&P 500 index, which consists of 500 of the most important publicly traded firms within the US. Which means the three funds will probably be holding primarily the identical shares in the identical proportions. The one variations are within the particulars.
The S&P 500 index and the ETFs that observe them are market cap weighted. That signifies that they provide bigger firms a heavier weight.
- SPY is the most important S&P 500 index, barely forward of the others in complete property beneath administration and each day buying and selling quantity in comparison with the opposite two mixed. It additionally has the largest expense ratio, 3x larger than VOO and IVV.
- VOO is by a small margin the S&P 500 ETF with the smallest quantity of property beneath administration and the smallest buying and selling quantity.
- IVV Is similar to VOO however barely bigger in property and buying and selling quantity.
All three ETFs have an nearly an identical publicity as they observe the identical index. The one distinction is that VOO and IVV include just a few extra shares, as they’re approved to solely partially observe the S&P 500 composition whereas making an attempt to copy the index, therefore the marginally larger variety of shares held.
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SPY vs VOO vs IVV: The Variations
As a result of they’re so related, it’s simple to get confused about which S&P 500 ETF to decide on.
The primary option to make is between SPY and VOO/IVV. It is because SPY has a a lot larger expense ratio, greater than 3 occasions larger. So why is SPY the most important of the three if it prices extra to personal it?
It is because the expense ratio solely tells a part of the story about an ETF’s prices. The expense ratio defines the prices you’ll pay if you personal the ETF. Nonetheless, the unfold (the distinction between shopping for and promoting worth) additionally impacts the precise price of proudly owning shares in an ETF.
SPY has probably the most liquidity and the bottom unfold, making it the favourite S&P 500 ETF for the most important monetary establishments.
If you wish to purchase and maintain, you need the bottom expense ratio potential and can favor VOO or IVV. However for those who intend to commerce out and in of this place typically sufficient, you’ll finally pay decrease charges with SPY.
The selection between VOO and IVV is harder. Each have the identical expense ratio, and the dividend yield solely differs by a microscopic 0.02%.
One issue may very well be a choice for one issuer over the opposite. Each Vanguard and Blackrock are giant and well-respected establishments.
Whereas nearly on the similar worth in 2020, VOO has considerably lagged behind IVV since, buying and selling at a lower cost. This is because of small variations in how the ETF is managed and when it was created.
Nonetheless, taking a long-term view (20+ years), it appears this distinction will not be getting higher over time. So it’s not very prone to have an effect on the efficiency of your portfolio in precise apply.
Which Is Finest for You?
The very first thing to resolve is why you have an interest in shopping for an S&P 500 ETF.
📈 For those who plan to commerce the ETF frequently, SPY might be one of the best for you due to its larger liquidity and decrease buying and selling prices, even with a better expense ratio.
📈 If that is for a diversified buy-and-hold technique, VOO or IVV are a more sensible choice, attributable to their decrease expense ratios.
There’s little or no distinction between IVV and VOO. However for those who fear in regards to the slight however persistent low cost of VOO in comparison with the opposite 2 giant S&P 500 indexes, you would possibly favor IVV. A choice for Vanguard vs Blackrock may additionally resolve for one towards the opposite.
Regardless of which you select, any of those ETFs offers you diversified publicity to the highest 500 publicly listed firms within the US. For those who intend to carry for a few years, decrease charges would possibly make an actual distinction, particularly for those who maintain the ETF in a retirement account.
If you wish to diversify your S&P 500 ETF with different ETFs, you’ll have loads of choices. We’ve already checked out SPY vs QQQ, an SPX fund vs prime NASDAQ 100 fund, and VTI vs VOO, a serious SPX fund towards a fund monitoring the CRSP U.S. Complete Market Index. Any of those funds will present broad, cheap publicity to the US markets.