VUG vs MTUM: which ETF won each year?
Yearly returns side by side, one winner per year — dividends included, priced as you'd actually buy them.
VUGtracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index
MTUMtracks the MSCI USA Momentum SR Variant Index
VUG tracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth IndexMTUM tracks the MSCI USA Momentum SR Variant 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.
VUG vs MTUM, 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 | VUG | MTUM | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | +6.18% | +37.24% | MTUM |
| 2025 | +19.40% | +22.15% | MTUM |
| 2024 | +32.69% | +32.89% | MTUM |
| 2023 | +46.83% | +9.15% | VUG |
| 2022 | -33.16% | -18.27% | MTUM |
| 2021 | +27.35% | +13.36% | VUG |
| 2020 | +40.25% | +29.86% | VUG |
| 2019 | +37.03% | +27.25% | VUG |
| 2018 | -3.32% | -1.67% | MTUM |
| 2017 | +27.72% | +37.50% | MTUM |
| 2016 | +6.27% | +5.00% | VUG |
| 2015 | +3.24% | +8.91% | MTUM |
| 2014 | +13.61% | +14.62% | MTUM |
| 2013 | +32.48% | +19.21% | VUG |
| 2012 | +17.01% | — | — |
| 2011 | +1.82% | — | — |
| 2010 | +17.22% | — | — |
| 2009 | +36.14% | — | — |
| 2008 | -38.02% | — | — |
| 2007 | +12.52% | — | — |
| 2006 | +9.19% | — | — |
| 2005 | +5.02% | — | — |
| 2004 | +4.99% | — | — |
VUG vs MTUM in plain words
VUG tracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index while MTUM follows the MSCI USA Momentum SR Variant Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. VUG charges 0.03% a year in running costs and MTUM charges 0.15% — VUG is the cheaper fund to hold.
Both funds distribute: dividends land in your account as cash instead of being reinvested automatically. Across the 14 calendar years both funds were trading, VUG finished the year ahead 6 times and MTUM 8 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $49,942 in VUG versus $38,506 in MTUM by the end of 2025, dividends reinvested.
Fund facts: VUG vs MTUM
| Fact | VUG | MTUM |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | Vanguard Growth ETF | iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF |
| Tracks | CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index | MSCI USA Momentum SR Variant Index |
| Yearly cost (TER) | 0.03% | 0.15% |
| Dividends | Distributing — dividends paid out | Distributing — dividends paid out |
| Launched | 26 Jan 2004 | 16 Apr 2013 |
Frequently asked
Is VUG or MTUM better?
Across the 14 calendar years both funds were trading, VUG finished the year ahead 6 times and MTUM 8 times. $10,000 invested at the start of 2016 was worth $49,942 in VUG versus $38,506 in MTUM 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 VUG and MTUM?
VUG tracks the CRSP US Large Cap Growth Index while MTUM follows the MSCI USA Momentum SR Variant Index, so they own different slices of the market and their years can look very different. VUG charges 0.03% a year in running costs and MTUM charges 0.15% — VUG 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 VUG have become?
$10,000 invested in VUG at the start of 2016 grew to $49,942 by the end of 2025, with dividends reinvested — an average of 17.4% per year.