⚖️ VOO vs RSP Comparison · Free & No Signup

VOO vs RSP: Market Cap vs Equal Weight S&P 500

Both own all 503 S&P 500 companies. VOO weights them by size, so a handful of mega-caps make up over a third of the fund. RSP owns every company equally, from Apple to the smallest member.

💰 VOO is cheaper 🔬 Compare top 10 holdings → 💡 Plain-English verdict
🤝 BFF Take
VOO for Low Cost and Simplicity. RSP for Reduced Concentration Risk.

VOO (Vanguard S&P 500) and RSP (Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight) hold the same 503 companies, but they weight them in opposite ways. VOO weights by market cap, so as of 2026 its top 10 holdings account for over a third of the fund, concentrated in a handful of mega-cap technology names. RSP weights every company at roughly 0.2% and rebalances quarterly, so a regional bank carries the same weight as Apple. Over long periods, equal weighting has historically outperformed market-cap weighting, because the quarterly rebalance forces a sell-high, buy-low discipline and gives more exposure to the smaller S&P 500 companies that have historically earned a size premium. But that is not a promise: RSP charges 0.20% versus VOO's 0.03%, and it lagged badly in 2023-2025 when a few mega-cap growth stocks drove most of the index's return. VOO is the better fit for an investor who wants the cheapest, simplest core S&P 500 holding and is comfortable riding the index's current concentration. RSP is the better fit for an investor who specifically wants to reduce single-stock and single-sector risk without leaving the S&P 500. This is educational information, not a recommendation.

📋 Quick Takeaways
⚖️VOO: 0.03% ER, market-cap weighted, top 10 stocks = a third-plus of the fund. RSP: 0.20% ER, every stock held at ~0.2%.
📊Equal weighting has outperformed market-cap weighting over most long periods, but RSP lagged sharply in 2023-2025 when mega-cap tech led the market.
🎯VOO for the cheapest, simplest S&P 500 core. RSP to cut AAPL/NVDA/MSFT concentration without leaving the index, at 6-7x the fee.
📊 Data-Based Take: VOO has the lower fee

Whether the lower-cost fund suits your situation depends on your existing holdings, account type, tax situation, and how you use each fund. This is a cost comparison, not a personalized recommendation.

Both funds trade commission-free at every major brokerage. Where to buy them →

Reviewed by a CFA® Charterholder · Data as of Sep 5, 2026 · Educational only, not financial advice
VOO
Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
Expense Ratio
0.03% ✓
1-Year Return
+19.5%
AUM
$1,600.2B
Holdings
503
RSP
Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF
Expense Ratio
0.20%
1-Year Return
+16.8%
AUM
$100.9B
Holdings
503

📋 VOO vs RSP: Key Facts Side by Side

Metric VOO RSP
Fund Name Vanguard S&P 500 ETF Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF
Issuer Vanguard Invesco
Tracks Index S&P 500 S&P 500 Equal Weight Index
Expense Ratio 0.03% ✓ 0.20%
Cost per $10K/yr $3.00 $20.00
AUM $1,600.2B $100.9B
Holdings 503 503
Inception 2010 2003
1-Year Return +19.46% +16.77%
3-Year Return +20.83% +15.10%
5-Year Return +12.62% +8.58%
Dividend Yield 1.04% 1.46%
Holdings Overlap See holdings overlap →
Avg Bid-Ask Spread 0.00% 0.01%

Expense ratio, AUM, and returns updated Sep 5, 2026 from ETF BFF database. Returns are annualised. Not investment advice.

📊 VOO vs RSP: Annualised Returns

Annualised returns (trailing, price-based). Past performance does not guarantee future results.

🎯 Which Fund Fits Which Investor?

Often fits investors who...
VOO
  • want the lowest fees: saves ~$17/yr per $10K vs RSP
  • want focused large-cap US stock exposure via S&P 500
Often fits investors who...
RSP
  • want focused large-cap US stock exposure via S&P 500 Equal Weight Index
  • already use Invesco and prefer staying within one fund family

💰 What the Fee Difference Actually Costs

Adjust the numbers for your situation. This models each fund's expense ratio compounding against your balance over time.

Assumes a constant annual return reinvested, with each fund's expense ratio deducted yearly. Illustrative only; actual returns vary. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

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❓ VOO vs RSP: Frequently Asked Questions

Neither is better in every case; it depends on what you want from an S&P 500 fund. VOO is cheaper (0.03% vs 0.20%), more liquid, and follows the index exactly, so you accept whatever concentration the market produces, currently over a third of the fund in the ten largest companies. RSP holds the same 503 companies equally, which reduces mega-cap concentration and has historically outperformed over long periods, but it costs more, trades less, and can lag for years when a few large stocks lead. VOO suits a hands-off core holding; RSP suits an investor deliberately hedging concentration. This is educational information, not personalized advice.
Over long, full market cycles, equal-weight strategies like RSP have historically outperformed market-cap strategies like VOO, because RSP rebalances toward the smaller S&P 500 companies that have earned a size premium over time. But it is streaky. RSP significantly underperformed VOO during 2023-2025, when Apple, Nvidia, Microsoft, and a few other mega-caps drove a disproportionate share of the S&P 500's return. RSP tends to win in broad or value-led markets and lag in narrow, mega-cap growth rallies. Past performance does not predict future results.
VOO charges 0.03% ($3 per year per $10,000). RSP charges 0.20% ($20 per year per $10,000). On a $100,000 balance that is roughly a $170 annual difference, and it compounds over decades. RSP's historical long-run outperformance has more than covered that gap in some periods, but the fee is a certain cost while the outperformance is not guaranteed. In a taxable account, RSP's quarterly rebalancing can also generate more turnover than VOO.
Because VOO and other cap-weighted S&P 500 funds hold more of a company as its market value rises, a long rally in a few mega-cap technology stocks has pushed the top 10 holdings to over a third of the index, the highest concentration since the late-1990s dot-com era. RSP addresses this directly: it caps every company at about 0.2% and rebalances quarterly, so no single stock or sector can dominate. That is the main reason an investor picks RSP over VOO, accepting a higher fee and different return pattern in exchange.
Both work in a Roth IRA, and the account's tax shelter actually favors RSP slightly on one point: RSP's quarterly rebalancing creates more turnover, which can trigger taxable distributions in a regular brokerage account but is harmless inside a Roth. So if you specifically want equal weight, a Roth or other tax-advantaged account is a sensible place to hold it. For a simple, low-cost core that you never touch, VOO is the more common default. Neither choice is a recommendation; match it to your own plan.

New to ETF investing? See answers to the most common ETF questions →

📄 VOO & RSP Fact Sheets

VOO Fact Sheet RSP Fact Sheet
ℹ️ Data shown is for educational purposes and may not reflect the most current figures. Returns are trailing price-based and exclude dividend reinvestment. Past performance does not guarantee future results. ETF BFF is not a licensed financial advisor. This is not personalized financial advice.