Compare/Updated Oct 26, 2026, refreshed every trading day
SPY vs VTI
State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF against Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF: 4 years of returns, risk and today’s technical read, from Kavout’s own data.
SPY performed slightly better than VTI over the 1,000 trading days from Oct 28, 2022 to Oct 23, 2026: $1,000 grew to $2,052 for SPY (+105.2%) versus $2,017 for VTI (+101.7%). SPY also led over 1-, 3-, and 6-month periods, while VTI led YTD; both returned 14.7% over one year. The difference reflects SPY’s greater concentration in large-cap S&P 500 companies, which outperformed the broader market during this period. Risk was very similar: SPY volatility was 12.7% versus 12.9% for VTI, and maximum drawdown was -18.8% versus -19.3%. VTI had the lower expense ratio at 0.03% versus SPY’s 0.09%, making it the lower-cost option despite its slightly weaker performance. Both remain highly correlated at 0.996.
- 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 ($357); 50-day at $377.
- RSI 42, neutral. Supertrend says sell. ADX 14, so the trend is weak.
Head to head
Which has returned more, SPY or VTI?
SPY beat VTI in 28 of the last 48 months; VTI won the other 20. The typical monthly gap was 0.28 points.
Total return by period
Which is riskier?
Both: Feb 19, 2025 to Apr 8, 2025
- 0.996
- correlation of daily moves, 4 years
- 0.98
- SPY move per 1% in VTI
- 0.995
- correlation, last 12 months
Month by month
Of the last 48 months. The typical gap was 0.28 points.
When did they diverge?
| Month | SPY | VTI | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 2023 | +3.7% | +2.7% | +1.01 pts |
| November 2024 | +6.0% | +6.7% | -0.74 pts |
| December 2023 | +4.6% | +5.3% | -0.73 pts |
| July 2024 | +1.2% | +1.9% | -0.68 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 VTI?
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