SPLG vs VUG ETF Comparison
Compare SPLG and VUG across fund costs, diversification, holdings, performance, income, risk and current AlgovestIQ evidence.
What is the main difference between SPLG and VUG?
SPLG is SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF, while VUG is Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF. SPLG is tied to Equity; VUG is tied to Large Cap Equity. SPLG is broader by holdings count, with 503 positions versus 147 for VUG. VUG is more concentrated at the top, based on top-10 holdings weight.
| Metric | SPLG | VUG | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.02% | 0.03% | Fund |
| Assets under management | $95.7B | $372.0B | Fund |
| Holdings | 503 | 147 | Fund |
| Top-10 concentration | 59% | 95.6% | Fund |
| Average volume | 11,823,121 | 1,787,878 | Fund |
| Underlying exposure | Equity | Large Cap Equity | Fund |
| 1Y return | - | +17.2% | Performance |
| YTD return | - | +9.3% | Performance |
| Annualized volatility | 11.3% | 17.9% | Risk |
| Max drawdown | -3% | -16.7% | Risk |
| Beta | 1.01 | 1.33 | Risk |
| Sharpe ratio | 2.30 | 0.70 | Risk |
| Sortino ratio | 2.96 | 1.07 | Risk |
| AIQ Score | 64/100 | 58/100 | AlgovestIQ |
| AIQ Edge Score | 9/10 | 7/10 | AlgovestIQ |
| Momentum | - | 59/100 | AlgovestIQ |
| Risk Resilience | 100/100 | 76/100 | AlgovestIQ |
AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison
State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF vs Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF
SPLG leads
SPLG leads by 6 AIQ points, primarily on Risk Resilience, and the lead has widened from 2 points over 30 sessions.
Stable: 2 of 3 evidence groups support SPLG, and its lead is widening.
State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF
Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF
The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors SPLG over VUG, 64 versus 58 as of Sep 5, 2026. SPLG's advantage is driven primarily by stronger risk resilience. 2 of 3 covered evidence groups favor SPLG today, and the comparison is rated Stable on stability. SPLG lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 2 to 6 points over 30 sessions.
Compare State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF and Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF across performance, expense ratio, dividend yield, drawdown, volatility and the Algovestiq AIQ Score.
Compare SPLG and VUG against another ticker
Open a multi-ticker workspace without changing this focused pair page.
AIQ Factor Divergence
Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.
- Risk Resilience15%100 vs 76SPLG +24
- Value30%32 vs 29Even
- Quality30%77 vs 76Even
2 of 3 evidence groups favor SPLG. SPLG’s edge is concentrated in risk resilience.
What changed since the last close
Latest scored session 2026-09-04, compared against the prior scored session 2026-09-03.
No factor moved materially.
No new signals fired.
Largest factor move: Value -1
No new signals fired.
SPLG's lead was unchanged in the latest snapshot.
Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — SPLG and VUG both carry a full feed there.
Which one fits your objective
The same two names rank differently depending on what you are optimizing for. All six reads are shown at once — none of them is hidden behind a toggle.
Balanced
SPLGSPLG on the overall AIQ Score, which weights Quality and Value at 30% each.
Growth
EvenGrowth figures are not covered for both names.
Value
EvenThe two are level on Value.
Momentum
EvenThe two are level on Momentum.
Lower downside
SPLGSPLG on Risk Resilience, by 24 points.
Analyst upside
EvenAnalyst targets are level or not covered for both names.
Fund facts, side by side
Two funds tracking overlapping universes are separated by cost and risk far more than by holdings. Those lead here.
| Measure | SPLG | VUG | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.02% | 0.03% | Lower is better — it compounds against you every year you hold. |
| Assets under management | $95.7B | $372.0B | Larger funds generally carry tighter spreads. |
| Holdings | 504 | 166 | More holdings means broader diversification, not better returns. |
| Average volume | 11,823,121 | 1,787,878 | Liquidity — matters most if you trade size. |
| Annualized volatility | 11.3% | 17.9% | Lower is a steadier ride for the same exposure. |
| Max drawdown | -3% | -16.7% | The worst peak-to-trough loss on record for the fund. |
| Sharpe ratio | 2.30 | 0.70 | Return per unit of risk. Higher is better. |
| Beta | 1.01 | 1.33 | Sensitivity to the broad market. Neither direction is better — it depends on the role in your portfolio. |
Where the exposure actually sits
SPLG and VUG share 84.49% of their weighted exposure across 110 common holdings.
VUG is the more concentrated of the two: its ten largest positions are 95.57% of the fund, against 58.97% for SPLG (147 holdings vs 503). Concentration cuts both ways — it is what drives outperformance when the top names work, and what makes the drawdown deeper when they do not.
393 holdings are unique to SPLG and 37 to VUG. Owning both adds little diversification — they are largely the same exposure in different wrappers.
Largest shared positions
| Holding | SPLG | VUG | Shared |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSFTMICROSOFT CORP | 13.7% | 19.19% | 13.7% |
| AAPLAPPLE INC | 13.57% | 25.19% | 13.57% |
| NVDANVIDIA CORP | 8.34% | 12.81% | 8.34% |
| AMZNAMAZON.COM INC | 7.56% | 10.3% | 7.56% |
| AVGOBROADCOM INC | 2.98% | 4.46% | 2.98% |
| METAMETA PLATFORMS INC CLASS A | 2.77% | 3.41% | 2.77% |
| GOOGLALPHABET INC CL A | 2.64% | 5.8% | 2.64% |
| LLYELI LILLY + CO | 2.22% | 5.44% | 2.22% |
Shared weight is the lower of the two positions — the portion of capital both funds genuinely have in the same security.
ETF comparison questions
Short answers to the fund-specific questions behind this comparison.
Which ETF is more diversified, SPLG or VUG?
SPLG currently has more reported holdings, with 503 positions versus 147.
Which has the lower expense ratio?
SPLG has the lower reported expense ratio in the current fund profile.
Which ETF has the higher distribution yield?
The current dataset does not show a higher-yield winner.
Which ETF has been more volatile?
VUG has the higher annualized volatility in the current risk snapshot.
Which ETF has had the smaller drawdown?
SPLG has the less severe max drawdown in the current risk snapshot.
Which ETF has the stronger current AlgovestIQ evidence?
SPLG currently leads on supporting AlgovestIQ evidence, 64 to 58.
AIQ Agreement Matrix
2 of 3 covered evidence groups favor SPLG. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.
| Evidence group | Favors | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ Score | SPLG | 64 vs 58 |
| Fundamentals | Not covered | Not covered |
| Valuation | Even | Value 32 vs 29 |
| Technicals | Not covered | Not covered |
| Risk Resilience | SPLG | Risk Resilience 100 vs 76 |
| Analyst expectations | Not covered | Not covered |
✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of SPLG and VUG and are excluded from the count.
AIQ Decision Stability
The conclusion rests on a wide gap and broad agreement. It is unlikely to turn on a single session.
- The AIQ gap is moderate at 6 points.
- The leader's advantage has been widening. (supports the conclusion holding)
- The lead has been steady session to session. (supports the conclusion holding)
Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on SPLG.
How the comparison changed
120 daily snapshots · Apr 23 – Sep 4SPLG lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 2 to 6 points over 30 sessions.
- Today
- SPLG +6
- 64 vs 58
- 7 sessions ago
- SPLG +7
- 64 vs 57
- 30 sessions ago
- SPLG +2
- 64 vs 62
- 90 sessions ago
- SPLG +6
- 64 vs 58
The lead changed hands 2 times in this window, most recently on May 4 when SPLG moved ahead of VUG.
AIQ Signal Divergence
Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.
No active signals
4 bullish / 1 bearish / 2 neutral, conflicted
- Golden Cross Active — bullish, trend, long horizon (5.27%)
- Bollinger Band Squeeze — neutral, volatility, short horizon
- EMA Ribbon Expansion Bullish — bullish, trend, medium horizon
VUG is conflicted, so the timing case there is weaker than the score alone suggests.
Price vs model alignment
Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.
Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price -0.48%, AIQ 0 points).
What would flip this result
A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.
- 1VUG closes the Risk Resilience gap — currently 24 points behind, the largest single contributor to SPLG's edge.
- 2VUG's Bollinger Band Squeeze turns directional — it is neutral today and would confirm a change in trend.
- 3SPLG starts generating bearish momentum or trend signals.
- 4A regime shift changes factor weighting — the composite weights Quality and Value at 30% each, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.
The full evidence
Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.
Performance
Split across windows| Metric | SPLG | VUG |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week (5 sessions) | — | 0% |
| 1 month (20 sessions) | — | 0.2% |
| 3 months (63 sessions) | — | -0.3% |
| 6 months (126 sessions) | — | 14.9% |
| Year to date | — | 9.3% |
| 1 year (252 sessions) | — | 17.2% |
Technicals
Split| Metric | SPLG | VUG |
|---|---|---|
| RSI (14) | — | 47.2 |
| ADX (14) | — | 13.5 |
| Price vs 50-day | — | 2% |
| Price vs 200-day | — | 7.9% |
| Volatility (1M, annualized) | — | 12.6% |
Risk
SPLG is the more resilient| Metric | SPLG | VUG |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | 1.01 | 1.33 |
| Sharpe ratio | 2.3 | 0.7 |
| Sortino ratio | 2.96 | 1.07 |
| Max drawdown | -3% | -16.7% |
| Current drawdown | -1.1% | -1.6% |
| Annualized volatility | 11.3% | 17.9% |
| Value at risk (95%) | -0.7% | -1.8% |
Straight answers
Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.
Which is better, SPLG or VUG?
On the Algovestiq AIQ Score, SPLG is the stronger of the two as of Sep 5, 2026, scoring 64 against VUG's 58. The edge comes from risk resilience. This is a systematic score, not a recommendation: it ranks the two on the same evidence, it does not know your holding period or tax position.
Is SPLG or VUG the better buy right now?
SPLG carries the stronger systematic profile as of Sep 5, 2026, and the comparison is rated Stable — 2 of 3 covered evidence groups agree. A Stable rating means the gap is wide and the evidence is broad, so the conclusion is unlikely to turn on a single session.
Why does the AIQ Score favor SPLG over VUG?
The composite weights Quality at 30%, Value at 30%, Momentum at 25% and Risk Resilience at 15%. SPLG leads Risk Resilience by 24 points. Where the two split, the factor with the larger weight carries the result.
Which is better value, SPLG or VUG?
Neither name separates on the peer-relative Value factor. The two are level on Value. The Value factor reads valuation relative to sector peers and to the company's own fundamental quality, so it is not the same as simply having the lower multiple.
Which has stronger growth, SPLG or VUG?
Growth figures are not covered for both names. Growth here is measured on reported revenue and earnings, not on forward estimates — it describes what the businesses have delivered, not what the Street expects next.
Which has stronger momentum, SPLG or VUG?
The two are level on Momentum. Momentum carries 25% of the AIQ composite. It has documented persistence over three- to twelve-month horizons, which makes it a timing input rather than a reason to hold something indefinitely.
Which is riskier, SPLG or VUG?
SPLG is the more resilient of the two, so the other name carries the higher downside risk. SPLG on Risk Resilience, by 24 points. The Risk Resilience factor weights 15% of the composite; position sizing usually responds to it more usefully than the buy/avoid decision does.
Is SPLG more profitable than VUG?
Margin data is not comparable for both names in the current snapshot.
Is SPLG's lead over VUG getting stronger or weaker?
SPLG lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 2 to 6 points over 30 sessions. This is measured from 120 daily comparison snapshots between 2026-04-23 and 2026-09-04. The lead has changed hands 2 times in that window, most recently on 2026-05-04, when SPLG moved ahead of VUG.
What would change the SPLG vs VUG verdict?
The result is a state, not a forecast, so it changes when the underlying evidence changes. Concretely: VUG closes the Risk Resilience gap — currently 24 points behind, the largest single contributor to SPLG's edge; VUG's Bollinger Band Squeeze turns directional — it is neutral today and would confirm a change in trend; SPLG starts generating bearish momentum or trend signals; a regime shift changes factor weighting — the composite weights Quality and Value at 30% each, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.
What do the current signals say about SPLG and VUG?
SPLG: No active signals. VUG: 4 bullish / 1 bearish / 2 neutral, conflicted. A conflicted state means bullish and bearish rules are active on the same name at once — the technical evidence is not pointing one way, and a decision taken on it carries more timing risk. On VUG it is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon).
Compare SPLG and VUG with others
How this comparison is scored
The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality (30%), Value (30%), Momentum (25%) and Risk (15%). Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.
The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.
How to use side-by-side comparison →This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.