VUG vs VTV ETF Comparison

Set your investment period and amount to compare the returns, growth and risk of two ETFs.

•••
A VUG
VUG 100%
B VTV
VTV 100%
Start date:, End date: $10,000 Dividends reinvested

Data as of 2026-10-23

Key comparison

Compare growth, loss risk, and cost in the same rows first.

6 essential metrics
Portfolio overview and core performance comparison
Portfolio A · VUG 100%Portfolio B · VTV 100%
CAGR +16.8%
CAGR +12.6%
Final Balance $53,463
Final Balance $36,097
Volatility +18.1%
Volatility +14.4%
MDD · daily -35.6%
MDD · daily -36.8%
Sharpe Ratio 0.85
Sharpe Ratio 0.72
Weighted expense ratio 0.03%
Weighted expense ratio 0.03%

Result summary

VUG had the higher CAGR. VUG had the smaller maximum drawdown.

  • VUG: CAGR 16.77%, daily maximum drawdown -35.61%.
  • VTV: CAGR 12.61%, daily maximum drawdown -36.78%.

Key points in this comparison

  • In 2020, returns were VUG +40.2% and VTV +2.3%, a gap of 37.9 percentage points.
  • Across 10 complete calendar years, VUG had the higher return in 8 and VTV in 2.
  • Maximum drawdown was -35.6% for VUG and -36.8% for VTV; VTV fell further. After its deepest decline, VTV took 296 days to get back to its previous peak.
Period & basis

2016-01-04 – 2026-10-23

Historical results for this period.

Cumulative performance

Compare growth paths and cumulative returns over the same period.

Portfolio value

Compare portfolio value and cumulative contributions on the same dates.

A vs B Cumulative Return Comparison
ETFTotal ReturnCAGRTotal invested
A+434.6%+16.8%10000
B+261.0%+12.6%10000
Hover over the chart to compare every value on the same date.

Risk and recovery

Compare the volatility taken for return with the loss path investors actually experienced.

Risk vs Return

Lower-left is safer, upper-right is higher risk/reward. Ideal: upper-left.

Hover over a point to review CAGR, volatility, Sharpe, and maximum drawdown together.
Risk vs Return
Compared portfoliosCAGRVolatility (Ann.)Sharpe RatioMDD · daily
A16.77%18.09%0.85-35.61%
B12.61%14.45%0.72-36.78%

Drawdown paths

Compare how far each portfolio's daily closing value fell from its prior peak over the same period.

Drawdown paths
Compared portfoliosMDD · daily
A-35.61
B-36.78
Hover over the chart to compare every value on the same date.

Returns and major declines

Compare annual returns and daily peak, trough, and recovery dates.

Annual Returns Comparison

Check consistency across annual, quarterly, decade, and rolling windows.

Annual Returns Comparison · Annual
MetricAB
2026· Partial year+11.2%+14.9%
2025+19.4%+15.3%
2024+32.7%+15.9%
2023+46.8%+9.3%
2022-33.1%-2.1%
2021+27.3%+26.5%
2020+40.2%+2.3%
2019+37.0%+25.6%
2018-3.3%-5.4%
2017+27.7%+17.1%
2016+6.3%+17.1%

Worst Drawdown Periods

A · Worst Drawdown Periods
Peak dateTrough dateRecovery dateDrawdown
2021-11-192022-11-032024-01-23-35.6%
2020-02-192020-03-232020-06-08-31.8%
2025-02-192025-04-082025-06-24-22.8%
B · Worst Drawdown Periods
Peak dateTrough dateRecovery dateDrawdown
2020-02-122020-03-232020-12-04-36.8%
2018-09-212018-12-242019-04-30-17.3%
2022-04-202022-09-302023-07-20-17.0%

Stress Test: Market Crashes

Return of each ETF during major historical market drawdown events
Event A B
Q4 2018 Selloff-21.8%-17.2%
COVID-19 Crash-31.8%-36.4%
2022 Rate Hike Bear Market-34.5%-14.0%

Questions about these results

How did the same initial investment grow?

From 2016-01-04 to 2026-10-23, an initial $10,000 ended at $53,463 for VUG and $36,097 for VTV. Annualized returns were 16.77% and 12.61%, respectively.

How did the results differ during market crises?

During 2022 Rate Hike Bear Market, returns were -34.5% for VUG and -14.0% for VTV. During COVID-19 Crash, returns were -31.8% for VUG and -36.4% for VTV.

What are the expense ratios and annual costs?

Weighted expense ratios are 0.03% for VUG and 0.03% for VTV. Applied to the initial $10,000, estimated annual costs are $3 and $3. Both weighted expense ratios are the same.

What are the dividend yields and their basis?

The yields are 0.40% for VUG and 1.85% for VTV. They use distributions from the last 365 days divided by the last closing price and do not predict future distributions.

How similarly do the two portfolios move?

The correlation of shared monthly returns is 0.69: they only partly moved in the same direction.

About the ETFs & sources

Shared calculation settings

Comparison settings

Trading cost: 0 bps per side · personal taxes excluded · see the methodology for dividend calculation Calculation Methodology