ETF and Index Fund Comparisons

Each comparison below is built from the issuers' own fund documents and SEC filings, with every hard figure dated. They answer the same question from different angles: you know roughly what you want to own, and you need to pick between two tickers that look alike. Start with the group that matches your decision.

S&P 500: Same Index, Different Wrapper

These funds hold the same 500 companies. The differences are fee, fund structure, where you can hold them, and tax behavior.

• SPY vs VOO: the original 1993 ETF against Vanguard's cheaper open-end fund, and why the "SPY lags by a third" charts are wrong.
• IVV vs VOO: BlackRock and Vanguard at the same 0.03% fee. As close to identical as two funds get.
• FXAIX vs VOO: Fidelity's 0.015% mutual fund against the Vanguard ETF, and the taxable-account catch.
• SWPPX vs VOO: Schwab's no-minimum 0.02% mutual fund against the ETF.
• VFIAX vs VOO: two share classes of the same Vanguard fund. Only the wrapper differs.

Broad Market vs Growth and Tech Tilts

Here the funds hold different things. The trade-off is diversification against concentration in the market's fastest-growing names.

• QQQ vs VOO: the Nasdaq-100 against the S&P 500, with QQQ's year-by-year swings.
• SPY vs QQQ: the two most-traded ETFs, read from a trader's point of view.
• VUG vs VOO: large-cap growth against the full S&P 500 at the same fee, including the 2026 index rename.
• VOO vs VOOG: the S&P 500 against its own growth half.
• VGT vs QQQ: a pure technology sector fund against the Nasdaq-100.
• QQQ vs QQQM: the same index at two fees, and what changed when QQQ left the unit-investment-trust structure in December 2025.

Total U.S. Market vs the World

• VTI vs VOO: the whole U.S. market against large caps only. How much do the small and mid caps really add?
• VT vs VTI: one global fund against a U.S.-only fund, and why the ten-year gap is not the whole story.
• VTI vs VXUS: the two halves of a global stock portfolio and how investors combine them.

Dividend and Income ETFs

• VYM vs SCHD: a broad high-yield basket against a quality-screened 100-stock fund.
• JEPI vs JEPQ: two covered-call income funds, and what a double-digit yield costs you.

Background Guides

• ETF vs index fund: the wrapper question in general terms.
• Mutual funds vs ETFs: how each trades, prices, and is taxed.
• Should you invest in the S&P 500?
• Is the Nasdaq a good investment?

These comparisons are for educational purposes only and are not investment advice. Expense ratios, yields, holdings, and fund assets change over time; each article dates its figures and links the primary source. Confirm current numbers on the issuer's site and consult a qualified financial professional before investing.