⚖️ VTI vs VOO Comparison · Free & No Signup

VTI vs VOO: 3,600 Stocks vs 500 — Same Price

Both cost the same 0.03% per year. The difference is breadth: VTI covers the entire US stock market while VOO focuses on the 500 largest companies.

🔬 Compare top 10 holdings → 💡 Plain-English verdict

🤝 BFF Take

A Genuine Toss-Up — Depends on What You Want

VTI and VOO charge identical 0.03% expense ratios, so cost doesn't decide this one. VTI holds roughly 3,600+ US stocks — including small- and mid-cap companies — while VOO holds only the 500 largest. In practice, because mega-cap stocks dominate both indexes by weight, VTI and VOO tend to move almost in lockstep: their 10-year correlation is above 0.99. The question is whether you want exposure to smaller companies that could outperform over long cycles. Historically, small-cap and mid-cap stocks have delivered higher long-run returns but with more volatility. If you want the broadest possible US diversification, VTI edges out VOO. If you want the simplest, most stable large-cap core, VOO is perfectly sufficient.

📋 Quick Takeaways

💰Identical cost — both charge 0.03%/yr (~$3/yr per $10K). This is not a cost decision.

🔄High overlap (~85%+) because large-caps dominate VTI by weight — they move nearly identically day-to-day

🎯VTI for maximum US breadth (includes small/mid-cap); VOO for pure large-cap S&P 500 exposure

✓ Reviewed by a CFA® Charterholder · Data as of Jul 14, 2026 · Educational only, not financial advice

VTI

Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares

Expense Ratio

0.03%

1-Year Return

+21.1%

AUM

$2,202.6B

Holdings

3,642

VOO

Vanguard S&P 500 ETF

Expense Ratio

0.03%

1-Year Return

+20.8%

AUM

$1,600.2B

Holdings

503

📋 VTI vs VOO — Key Facts Side by Side

Metric	VTI	VOO
Fund Name	Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares	Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
Issuer	Vanguard	Vanguard
Tracks Index	CRSP US Total Market	S&P 500
Expense Ratio	0.03%	0.03%
Cost per $10K/yr	$3.00	$3.00
AUM	$2,202.6B	$1,600.2B
Holdings	3,642	503
Inception	2001	2010
1-Year Return	+21.11%	+20.81%
3-Year Return	+20.97%	+21.34%
5-Year Return	+12.10%	+13.21%
Dividend Yield	1.05%	1.07%
Holdings Overlap	~85% by weight (S&P 500 stocks make up ~85% of VTI) — see full overlap →
Avg Bid-Ask Spread	0.00%	0.00%

Expense ratio, AUM, and returns updated Jul 14, 2026 from ETF BFF database. Returns are annualised. Not investment advice.

📊 VTI vs VOO — Annualised Returns

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

🎯 Which Fund Fits Which Investor?

Often fits investors who...

VTI

want broader diversification (3,642 holdings vs 503)
want the entire US stock market: large, mid, and small cap in one fund

Often fits investors who...

VOO

want focused large-cap US stock exposure via S&P 500

💰 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.

Investment amount$ Years held Expected annual return%

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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❓ VTI vs VOO — Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between VTI and VOO?

VTI tracks the CRSP US Total Market Index and holds approximately 3,600+ US stocks including large, mid, and small-cap companies. VOO tracks the S&P 500 and holds only the 500 largest US companies. Both charge 0.03% expense ratio. Because large-cap stocks dominate the US market by weight, VTI and VOO behave very similarly — their long-term returns are nearly identical — but VTI offers slightly broader diversification.

Does VTI outperform VOO?

Over most 10-year periods, VOO has slightly outperformed VTI because large-cap stocks (which make up most of both funds) have dominated small and mid-cap stocks since 2010. However, in periods when smaller companies outperform — as they historically did from 2000–2010 — VTI's broader exposure provides an advantage. Neither is guaranteed to outperform the other; the difference is primarily diversification, not expected return.

Is VTI or VOO better for a Roth IRA?

Both are excellent choices for a Roth IRA. VTI's broader diversification (including small and mid-cap stocks) is slightly preferable in a tax-advantaged account where you're investing for decades, since small-cap stocks have historically provided higher long-run returns — though with more volatility. That said, VOO is also a perfectly valid single-fund Roth IRA holding. Many financial planners consider them interchangeable for most individual investors.

Can I hold VTI and VOO together?

Holding both provides minimal diversification benefit because VTI already includes all the stocks in VOO plus thousands more. If you own both, you're effectively doubling your large-cap S&P 500 exposure (which is the dominant weight in VTI) without meaningfully increasing your exposure to small and mid-cap stocks. If your goal is broad US diversification, just owning VTI alone accomplishes that more cleanly.

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

📄 VTI & VOO Fact Sheets

VTI 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.