VOO vs VUG: which ETF won each year?
Yearly returns side by side, one winner per year — dividends included, priced as you'd actually buy them.
VOOtracks the S&P 500 Index
VUGtracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index
VOO tracks the S&P 500 IndexVUG tracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth 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.
VOO vs VUG, 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 | VOO | VUG | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +10.18% | +6.18% | VOO |
| 2025 | +17.82% | +19.40% | VUG |
| 2024 | +24.98% | +32.69% | VUG |
| 2023 | +26.32% | +46.83% | VUG |
| 2022 | -18.17% | -33.16% | VOO |
| 2021 | +28.79% | +27.35% | VOO |
| 2020 | +18.32% | +40.25% | VUG |
| 2019 | +31.37% | +37.03% | VUG |
| 2018 | -4.50% | -3.32% | VUG |
| 2017 | +21.77% | +27.72% | VUG |
| 2016 | +12.17% | +6.27% | VOO |
| 2015 | +1.33% | +3.24% | VUG |
| 2014 | +12.93% | +13.61% | VUG |
| 2013 | +32.39% | +32.48% | VUG |
| 2012 | +15.99% | +17.01% | VUG |
| 2011 | +1.90% | +1.82% | VOO |
| 2010 | +14.78% | +17.22% | VUG |
| 2009 | — | +36.14% | — |
| 2008 | — | -38.02% | — |
| 2007 | — | +12.52% | — |
| 2006 | — | +9.19% | — |
| 2005 | — | +5.02% | — |
| 2004 | — | +4.99% | — |
VOO vs VUG in plain words
VOO tracks the S&P 500 Index while VUG follows the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. Both funds charge 0.03% a year in running costs.
Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically. Across the 17 calendar years both funds were trading, VOO finished the year ahead 5 times and VUG 12 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $39,747 in VOO versus $49,942 in VUG by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: VOO vs VUG
| Fact | VOO | VUG |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | Vanguard S&P 500 ETF | Vanguard Growth ETF |
| Tracks | S&P 500 Index | CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.03% | 0.03% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 7 Sept 2010 | 26 Jan 2004 |
Frequently asked
Is VOO or VUG better?
Across the 17 calendar years both funds were trading, VOO finished the year ahead 5 times and VUG 12 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $39,747 in VOO versus $49,942 in VUG 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 VOO and VUG?
VOO tracks the S&P 500 Index while VUG follows the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. Both funds charge 0.03% a year in running costs. Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically.
What would $10,000 in VOO have become?
$10,000 invested in VOO at the start of 2016 grew to $39,747 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 14.8% per year.