⚖️ VT vs VOO Comparison · Free & No Signup

VT vs VOO: A Whole-World Fund vs a US-Only Fund

These are not two versions of the same thing. VOO is 500 US companies. VT is nearly the entire global stock market in one ticker. The choice is really a question about how much you believe in US outperformance continuing.

💰 VOO is cheaper 🔬 Compare top 10 holdings → 💡 Plain-English verdict
🤝 BFF Take
A Diversification Choice: VOO Is Cheaper and US-Only, VT Owns the World

VOO holds the 500 largest US companies, charges 0.03%, and has outperformed in recent years because US large caps led the market. VT holds about 9,500 stocks across the US and international markets, charges 0.07%, and has trailed VOO recently because international stocks lagged. Neither fund is wrong; they express different beliefs. VOO concentrates your bet in one country at the lowest possible cost. VT spreads it across the whole world in a single fund, accepting periods of underperformance when the US is leading, in exchange for not having to guess which region wins next. Many investors pair VOO with a separate international fund to build their own global mix. If you would rather own everything in one ticker and never rebalance between regions, VT does that. Recent US outperformance is not a guarantee of future results, which is the entire case for global diversification.

📋 Quick Takeaways
🌍VOO is 500 US large caps; VT is ~9,500 stocks across the US and international markets in one fund
💰VOO costs 0.03%; VT costs 0.07%, the small premium for holding the entire global market
🎯Choose VOO for low-cost US exposure (often paired with a separate international fund); choose VT for one-fund global diversification
📊 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.

✓ Reviewed by a CFA® Charterholder · Data updated Jun 2026 · Educational only, not financial advice
VT
Vanguard Total World Stock ETF
Expense Ratio
0.07%
1-Year Return
+18.5%
AUM
$35B
Holdings
9,500
VOO
Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
Expense Ratio
0.03% ✓
1-Year Return
+26.5%
AUM
$990B
Holdings
503

📋 VT vs VOO — Key Facts Side by Side

Metric VT VOO
Fund Name Vanguard Total World Stock ETF Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
Issuer Vanguard Vanguard
Tracks Index FTSE Global All Cap S&P 500
Expense Ratio 0.07% 0.03% ✓
Cost per $10K/yr $7.00 $3.00
AUM $35B $990B
Holdings 9,500 503
Inception 2008 2010
1-Year Return +18.50% +26.50%
3-Year Return +7.20% +10.20%
5-Year Return +12.50% +15.90%
Avg Bid-Ask Spread 0.02% 0.01%

Data from ETF BFF database. Returns are annualised. Not investment advice.

📊 VT vs VOO — Annualised Returns

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

🎯 Should You Buy VT or VOO?

Choose if...
VT
  • You want broader diversification (9,500 holdings vs 503)
  • You want geographic diversification beyond US stocks
Choose if...
VOO
  • You want the lowest fees — saves ~$4/yr per $10K vs VT
  • You want focused large-cap US stock exposure via S&P 500

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❓ VT vs VOO — Frequently Asked Questions

VOO holds only US large-cap stocks (the S&P 500), while VT holds nearly the entire global stock market, including US, developed international, and emerging markets, across roughly 9,500 companies. VOO is a concentrated US bet at 0.03%. VT is a one-fund global portfolio at 0.07%. They are not interchangeable, because VT includes thousands of non-US stocks that VOO does not.
Both can anchor a long-term portfolio, but they make different assumptions. VOO assumes US large caps will keep leading and keeps your cost lowest. VT assumes you do not want to guess which region wins and prefers built-in global diversification. VOO has outperformed recently. Whether that continues is exactly what no one can predict, which is the argument for VT. There is no single right answer; pick the assumption you are comfortable holding through long stretches.
VOO has outperformed mostly because US large-cap stocks, especially large technology companies, have led global markets for much of the past decade. VT holds those same US companies but also holds international stocks, which lagged over the same period, dragging its blended return below VOO's. In periods when international outperforms, the relationship can flip. Past performance does not predict which region leads next.
Usually not, because VT already contains the same US large caps that VOO holds, so owning both just overweights the US stocks you already own inside VT. If you want more US exposure than VT provides, the cleaner approach is to pair VOO (or a total US market fund) with a separate international fund, which lets you control the US-to-international ratio yourself.
For the stock portion of a portfolio, yes. VT holds nearly every investable stock in the world in market-cap proportions, so a single share gives you global equity diversification. Most investors still pair it with a bond fund to manage risk, but for stocks alone, VT is designed to be a complete, one-fund holding.

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📄 VT & VOO Fact Sheets

VT Fact Sheet→ VOO 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.