SPY vs VOO: which ETF won each year?

Yearly returns side by side, one winner per year — dividends included, priced as you'd actually buy them.

SPY tracks the S&P 500 IndexVOO tracks the S&P 500 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.

SPY turned it into
$39,466
+14.72% per year on average · 20162025
VOO turned it into
$39,747
+14.80% per year on average · 20162025
Difference
−$281
VOO made more of the same money

SPY vs VOO, 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
17
where both funds were trading
SPY won
2
years
VOO won
11
years
YearSPYVOOWinner
2026 (so far)+10.09%+10.18%VOO
2025+17.72%+17.82%VOO
2024+24.89%+24.98%VOO
2023+26.18%+26.32%VOO
2022-18.18%-18.17%Tie
2021+28.73%+28.79%VOO
2020+18.33%+18.32%Tie
2019+31.22%+31.37%VOO
2018-4.57%-4.50%VOO
2017+21.71%+21.77%VOO
2016+12.00%+12.17%VOO
2015+1.23%+1.33%VOO
2014+13.46%+12.93%SPY
2013+32.31%+32.39%VOO
2012+15.99%+15.99%Tie
2011+1.89%+1.90%Tie
2010+15.06%+14.78%SPY
2009+26.35%
2008-36.80%
2007+5.15%
2006+15.85%
2005+4.83%
2004+10.70%
2003+28.18%
2002-21.58%
2001-11.76%
2000-9.74%
1999+20.39%
1998+28.69%
1997+33.47%
1996+22.50%
1995+38.05%
1994+0.40%
1993+8.71%

SPY vs VOO in plain words

SPY and VOO both track the S&P 500 Index, so their returns are nearly identical — the real differences are costs and fund structure. SPY charges 0.0945% a year in running costs and VOO charges 0.03% — 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, SPY finished the year ahead 2 times and VOO 11 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $39,466 in SPY versus $39,747 in VOO by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.

Fund facts: SPY vs VOO

FactSPYVOO
FundSPDR S&P 500 ETF TrustVanguard S&P 500 ETF
TracksS&P 500 IndexS&P 500 Index
Yearly cost (TER)0.0945%0.03%
DividendsDistributing — dividends paid outDistributing — dividends paid out
Launched22 Jan 19937 Sept 2010

Frequently asked

Is SPY or VOO better?

Across the 17 calendar years both funds were trading, SPY finished the year ahead 2 times and VOO 11 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $39,466 in SPY versus $39,747 in VOO 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 SPY and VOO?

SPY and VOO both track the S&P 500 Index, so their returns are nearly identical — the real differences are costs and fund structure. SPY charges 0.0945% a year in running costs and VOO charges 0.03% — VOO is the cheaper fund to hold. Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically.

What would $10,000 in SPY have become?

$10,000 invested in SPY at the start of 2016 grew to $39,466 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 14.7% per year.

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