Compare/Updated Oct 26, 2026, refreshed every trading day
SPY vs VOO
State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF against Vanguard S&P 500 ETF: 4 years of returns, risk and today’s technical read, from Kavout’s own data.
VOO did slightly better over the 1,000-trading-day comparison: $1,000 invested on October 28, 2022 grew to $2,065 (+106.5%), versus $2,052 (+105.2%) for SPY. VOO also led over the 3-month, 6-month, YTD, 1-year, and 3-year periods, while both funds matched over 1 month. The difference matters mainly because VOO charges a lower expense ratio—0.03% versus SPY’s 0.09%—which can improve long-term compounding. Risk was effectively the same: both had 12.7% volatility over the last 12 months, nearly identical daily-move correlation of 0.998, and comparable worst drawdowns of -18.7% for VOO versus -18.8% for SPY. SPY’s much larger trading ecosystem and $809B asset base may appeal to traders, while VOO’s lower cost and slightly stronger results favor long-term holding.
- Price is above its 200-day average ($725); 50-day at $767.
- RSI 42, neutral. Supertrend says sell. ADX 14, so the trend is weak.
- Price is above its 200-day average ($665); 50-day at $705.
- RSI 42, neutral. Supertrend says sell. ADX 14, so the trend is weak.
Head to head
Which has returned more, SPY or VOO?
SPY beat VOO in 16 of the last 48 months; VOO won the other 32. The typical monthly gap was 0.02 points.
Total return by period
Which is riskier?
Both: Feb 19, 2025 to Apr 8, 2025
- 0.998
- correlation of daily moves, 4 years
- 1.02
- SPY move per 1% in VOO
- 0.999
- correlation, last 12 months
Month by month
Of the last 48 months. The typical gap was 0.02 points.
When did they diverge?
| Month | SPY | VOO | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 2026 | +2.4% | +2.7% | -0.23 pts |
| September 2024 | +2.1% | +2.2% | -0.07 pts |
| November 2024 | +6.0% | +5.9% | +0.07 pts |
| December 2024 | -2.4% | -2.3% | -0.07 pts |
Where the numbers come from. 1000 daily adjusted closes per fund from the Kavout market-data API, dividends included. Signals and indicators are Kavout’s own, refreshed nightly. Every figure is calculated from those adjusted closes.
Holdings and fees
What do you actually own with SPY and VOO?
Go deeper
Ask InvestGPT which one fits your portfolio.
Eight research agents read your holdings, the overlap and the tax side, then answer in plain words. Free accounts get one report a month.
More comparisons
Find another comparison.
Track both, get told when something changes.
Add SPY and VOO to a watchlist and Kavout emails you when a signal flips or a price target is hit.
Free account, no card