Summit Showdown|
4 min
Updated December 2025
VTI vs VOO: Total Market or S&P 500 for Your Portfolio in 2025?
Comparing Vanguard Total Stock Market vs S&P 500 ETF, the two most popular index funds for passive investors.
Head-to-Head Comparison
Metric
VTI
VOO
Expense Ratio
0.03%
0.03%
Dividend Yield
1.38%
1.32%
5Y Total Return
14.95%
15.20%
Volatility
17.8%
17.5%
Distribution
Quarterly
Quarterly
Tax Efficiency
High
High
The Verdict by Scenario
Scenario
Simplicity seekers
🤝Tie
Both are excellent one-fund solutions with identical expense ratios. Historical performance is nearly identical, you cannot go wrong with either.
Scenario
Maximum diversification
VTI
VTI includes mid-cap and small-cap stocks that VOO excludes, providing exposure to over 4,000 companies vs VOO's 500.
Scenario
Benchmark tracking
VOO
If you want pure S&P 500 exposure to match the most-cited market benchmark, VOO is the direct play.
In This Showdown
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LaunchSection 1The Great Debate
VTI vs VOO is one of the most common questions in passive investing. Both funds are from Vanguard, both have rock-bottom 0.03% expense ratios, and both have delivered nearly identical returns over most periods. VTI tracks the CRSP US Total Market Index (4,000+ stocks), while VOO tracks the S&P 500 (500 large-cap stocks).
Section 2When VTI Wins
VTI captures small-cap and mid-cap stocks that historically outperform large-caps over very long periods. If you believe in the small-cap premium and want maximum diversification with a single fund, VTI is the logical choice. The additional 3,500+ stocks provide marginally more diversification.
Section 3When VOO Wins
VOO is slightly more concentrated in proven large-cap winners. In recent years, mega-cap tech dominance has made the S&P 500 a top performer. VOO also has slightly lower volatility and is the benchmark most advisors and media reference. For tax-loss harvesting pairs, owning one allows you to swap to the other.
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Updated December 2025