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.
SPYtracks the S&P 500 Index
VOOtracks the S&P 500 Index
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 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.
| Year | SPY | VOO | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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
| Fact | SPY | VOO |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust | Vanguard S&P 500 ETF |
| Tracks | S&P 500 Index | S&P 500 Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.0945% | 0.03% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 22 Jan 1993 | 7 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.