Summit Showdown|
4 min
Updated December 2025

VOO vs IVV: Which S&P 500 ETF Should You Buy in 2025?

The two lowest-cost S&P 500 ETFs compared, Vanguard vs iShares for your portfolio.

Head-to-Head Comparison

Metric
VOO
IVV
Expense Ratio
0.03%
0.03%
Dividend Yield
1.32%
1.30%
5Y Total Return
15.20%
15.18%
Volatility
17.5%
17.5%
Distribution
Quarterly
Quarterly
Tax Efficiency
High
High

The Verdict by Scenario

Scenario

Vanguard account holders

VOO

VOO trades commission-free at Vanguard with seamless integration into their platform.

Scenario

Fidelity/Schwab account holders

IVV

IVV trades commission-free at most major brokerages and integrates well with iShares portfolios.

Scenario

Performance comparison

🤝Tie

Identical expense ratios and near-identical tracking. Returns differ by mere basis points, effectively the same fund.

Compare Any ETFs

Use our interactive tool to compare expense ratios, yields, and growth projections.

Launch

Section 1Identical Twins

VOO and IVV both track the S&P 500 with 0.03% expense ratios. They hold the same 500 stocks in nearly identical weights. Performance differences are measured in hundredths of a percent. This is truly a coin-flip decision, pick whichever fits your brokerage ecosystem better.

Section 2VOO: The Vanguard Way

VOO benefits from Vanguard's unique mutual-fund-to-ETF share class structure, which provides slight tax advantages. For Vanguard account holders, VOO integrates seamlessly with other Vanguard funds. Vanguard's investor-owned structure means profits go back to shareholders through lower costs.

Section 3IVV: The iShares Standard

IVV is the iShares flagship S&P 500 ETF, part of BlackRock's massive ETF family. It has slightly higher daily trading volume than VOO and works well for investors building all-iShares portfolios. Many 401(k) plans use IVV as their S&P 500 option.
WT
WealthTrails
Updated December 2025
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