SPY vs VGT: Which ETF Is Better in 2026?
A metric-by-metric comparison of State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) and Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund ETF Shares (VGT) — both US Large Cap Blend / Technology funds — using ETFValuer's daily-updated rankings.
Educational content — not financial advice. Data as of July 25, 2026. ~5 minute read.
The Verdict
SPY (US Large Cap Blend) and VGT (Technology) sit in different corners of the market, so this is less a head-to-head than a question of what role each would play. They can be complements rather than alternatives — the metrics below show how differently the two have actually behaved.
On ETFValuer's overall model — which blends return, risk-adjusted performance, cost, drawdown, size and volatility — VGT scores higher: 76.0 (Grade B+) versus 74.7 for SPY. That doesn't make SPY a bad fund; it means VGT currently edges it out on this specific mix of factors. Read the metric-by-metric breakdown below before deciding which matters more for your own portfolio.
Head-to-Head: Every Metric
| SPY | VGT | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | US Large Cap Blend | Technology |
| Expense ratio | 0.09% | 0.09% |
| Fund size (AUM) | $781.2B | $169.2B |
| Dividend yield | 0.77% | 0.36% |
| 1-year return | +17.80% | +32.87% |
| 3-year return | +67.54% | +102.71% |
| Volatility | 12.68% | 23.59% |
| Max drawdown | -18.76% | -27.23% |
| Sharpe ratio | 1.01 | 1.18 |
| ETFValuer score | 74.7 | 76.0 |
| Grade | B | B+ |
| Overall rank | #53 | #42 |
Bold marks the better value in each row. "Better" is directional only (e.g. lower cost, higher return) — it isn't a recommendation by itself. See the full methodology.
Cost
On cost, the two are essentially tied — SPY charges 0.09% a year versus VGT's 0.09%. A difference this small (about $0.45 a year on a $10,000 position) isn't a reason to choose one fund over the other.
What SPY's Fees Cost You
SPY charges an expense ratio of 0.09% a year, deducted automatically from the fund's value. Small percentages compound into real money — adjust the figures below to see the impact on your own numbers.
Assumes a constant gross return and no additional contributions — a simplification, but it isolates exactly what the expense ratio costs. Try the full fee calculator to model contributions and compare any two funds.
Performance & Risk
Over the trailing 3 years, VGT returned +102.71% versus +67.54% for SPY — a gap of about 35.2 percentage points. On risk, SPY has held up better historically, with a shallower max drawdown (-18.76% vs. -27.23%). VGT currently has the better risk-adjusted return (Sharpe ratio of 1.18 vs. 1.01), meaning it delivered more return per unit of volatility taken on.
How Closely Do They Track Each Other?
Over the last 3.0 years of daily returns (752 shared trading days), SPY and VGT show a high correlation of 0.913 — closely related, but not identical. Holding both would add very little diversification: when one falls, the other almost always falls with it. Treat these as alternatives to each other, not as complements in the same portfolio.
| Measure | Value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Daily return correlation | 0.913 | High — closely related, but not identical |
| R-squared | 83.4% | 83.4% of SPY's daily moves are explained by VGT's |
| Tracking error (annualised) | 12.09% | Typical yearly spread between the two funds' returns |
| Annualised return over 3.0y | SPY +19.12% · VGT +26.85% | VGT ahead by 7.73 points a year |
Correlation alone understates how far these can drift. Across every rolling 12-month window in the period, SPY finished as much as +6.2 points ahead of VGT at the best extreme and -36.3 points at the worst — a 42.5-point spread between the best and worst year of relative performance. Two funds can correlate tightly day to day and still deliver very different outcomes over any single year you happen to hold them.
Calculated from daily total returns over the trailing 3-year window, recomputed every day this site refreshes. Correlation of 1.00 means the two funds moved in lockstep; 0.00 means their daily moves were unrelated.
Which One Should You Pick?
Lean SPY if…
- Current income matters to you — it yields 0.77% against 0.36%
- It has been the calmer ride (12.7% volatility vs 23.6%) with a shallower worst-case fall (-18.8% vs -27.2%)
- You want the deeper, more liquid market ($781B in assets vs $169B) and the tighter spread (0.047% vs 0.308%)
Lean VGT if…
- You care about return per unit of risk — its Sharpe ratio of 1.18 beats 1.01
- You weight recent results heavily — it returned 102.7% over 3 years against 67.5%
These two are not really substitutes, so "both, in some proportion" is often the right answer rather than picking one. Model the blend with the Portfolio Blender.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is SPY or VGT better?
On ETFValuer's overall model — which blends return, risk-adjusted performance, cost, drawdown, size and volatility — VGT scores higher: 76.0 (Grade B+) versus 74.7 for SPY. That doesn't make SPY a bad fund; it means VGT currently edges it out on this specific mix of factors. Read the metric-by-metric breakdown below before deciding which matters more for your own portfolio.
Which has the lower expense ratio, SPY or VGT?
VGT currently has the lower expense ratio (0.09% vs. 0.09%).
Can I hold both SPY and VGT?
You can, though the benefit is limited. At a correlation of 0.91, SPY and VGT fall together far more often than not, so owning both adds complexity and a second expense ratio without much real diversification. Most investors are better served picking one.
Go deeper on either fund
Full daily-updated metrics, holdings context, and category peers.