SPY vs VGT ETF Comparison
Compare SPY and VGT across fund costs, diversification, holdings, performance, income, risk and current AlgovestIQ evidence.
What is the main difference between SPY and VGT?
SPY is State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF, while VGT is Vanguard Information Technology ETF. SPY is tied to Equity; VGT is tied to Sector Equity. SPY is broader by holdings count, with 504 positions versus 319 for VGT. VGT is more concentrated at the top, based on top-10 holdings weight.
| Metric | SPY | VGT | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.09% | 0.09% | Fund |
| Holdings | 504 | 319 | Fund |
| Top-10 concentration | 58.1% | 101.9% | Fund |
| Underlying exposure | Equity | Sector Equity | Fund |
| Annualized volatility | 12.8% | 20.7% | Risk |
| Max drawdown | -9.1% | -11.6% | Risk |
| Beta | 1.00 | 1.66 | Risk |
| Sharpe ratio | 1.06 | 0.38 | Risk |
| Sortino ratio | 1.51 | 0.54 | Risk |
| AIQ Score | 62/100 | 53/100 | AlgovestIQ |
| AIQ Edge Score | 9/10 | 6/10 | AlgovestIQ |
| Momentum | 47/100 | - | AlgovestIQ |
| Risk Resilience | 89/100 | 65/100 | AlgovestIQ |
AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison
State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF vs Vanguard Information Technology ETF
SPY leads
SPY leads by 9 AIQ points, primarily on Risk Resilience and Quality.
Competitive: 3 of 3 evidence groups support SPY, and its current signal state is conflicted.
State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF
Vanguard Information Technology ETF
The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors SPY over VGT, 62 versus 53 as of Sep 2, 2026. SPY's advantage is driven primarily by stronger risk resilience and quality. 3 of 3 covered evidence groups favor SPY today, and the comparison is rated Competitive on stability: the leader is throwing conflicting signals.
Compare State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF and Vanguard Information Technology ETF across performance, expense ratio, dividend yield, drawdown, volatility and the Algovestiq AIQ Score.
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%89 vs 65SPY +24
- Quality30%84 vs 71SPY +13
- Value30%39 vs 28SPY +11
3 of 3 evidence groups favor SPY. SPY’s edge is concentrated in risk resilience and quality.
What changed since the last close
Latest scored session 2026-09-02, compared against the prior scored session 2026-09-01.
No factor moved materially.
No new signals fired.
Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — SPY and VGT 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
SPYSPY on the overall AIQ Score, which weights Quality and Value at 30% each.
Growth
EvenGrowth figures are not covered for both names.
Value
SPYSPY on the peer-relative Value factor, by 11 points.
Momentum
EvenThe two are level on Momentum.
Lower downside
SPYSPY 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 | SPY | VGT | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.09% | 0.09% | Lower is better — it compounds against you every year you hold. |
| Assets under management | $811.9B | $160.2B | Larger funds generally carry tighter spreads. |
| Holdings | 504 | 310 | More holdings means broader diversification, not better returns. |
| Average volume | 73,651,172 | 756,706 | Liquidity — matters most if you trade size. |
| Annualized volatility | 12.8% | 20.7% | Lower is a steadier ride for the same exposure. |
| Max drawdown | -9.1% | -11.6% | The worst peak-to-trough loss on record for the fund. |
| Sharpe ratio | 1.06 | 0.38 | Return per unit of risk. Higher is better. |
| Beta | 1.00 | 1.66 | Sensitivity to the broad market. Neither direction is better — it depends on the role in your portfolio. |
Where the exposure actually sits
SPY and VGT share 60.09% of their weighted exposure across 73 common holdings.
VGT is the more concentrated of the two: its ten largest positions are 101.9% of the fund, against 58.08% for SPY (319 holdings vs 504). Concentration cuts both ways — it is what drives outperformance when the top names work, and what makes the drawdown deeper when they do not.
431 holdings are unique to SPY and 246 to VGT. Owning both is a partial overlap: a majority of the capital is distinct, but the largest positions are shared.
Largest shared positions
| Holding | SPY | VGT | Shared |
|---|---|---|---|
| AAPLAPPLE INC | 14.06% | 32.51% | 14.06% |
| MSFTMICROSOFT CORP | 11.39% | 21.93% | 11.39% |
| NVDANVIDIA CORP | 8.08% | 17.16% | 8.08% |
| MUMICRON TECHNOLOGY INC | 3.27% | 7.64% | 3.27% |
| AVGOBROADCOM INC | 2.65% | 4.21% | 2.65% |
| AMDADVANCED MICRO DEVICES | 2.32% | 6.35% | 2.32% |
| INTCINTEL CORP | 1.34% | 3.31% | 1.34% |
| LRCXLAM RESEARCH CORP | 1.14% | 3.08% | 1.14% |
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, SPY or VGT?
SPY currently has more reported holdings, with 504 positions versus 319.
Which has the lower expense ratio?
The current fund profile does not show a lower-cost winner.
Which ETF has the higher distribution yield?
The current dataset does not show a higher-yield winner.
Which ETF has been more volatile?
VGT has the higher annualized volatility in the current risk snapshot.
Which ETF has had the smaller drawdown?
SPY has the less severe max drawdown in the current risk snapshot.
Which ETF has the stronger current AlgovestIQ evidence?
SPY currently leads on supporting AlgovestIQ evidence, 62 to 53.
AIQ Agreement Matrix
3 of 3 covered evidence groups favor SPY. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.
| Evidence group | Favors | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ Score | SPY | 62 vs 53 |
| Fundamentals | Not covered | Not covered |
| Valuation | SPY | Value 39 vs 28 |
| Technicals | Not covered | Not covered |
| Risk Resilience | SPY | Risk Resilience 89 vs 65 |
| 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 SPY and VGT and are excluded from the count.
AIQ Decision Stability
The two are close enough that your objective, not the score, should decide.
- The AIQ gap is moderate at 9 points.
- 3 of 3 covered evidence groups point the same way. (supports the conclusion holding)
- The leader is throwing conflicting signals. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
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 SPY.
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.
4 bullish / 1 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted
- Golden Cross Active — bullish, trend, long horizon (6.20%)
- EMA Ribbon Expansion Bullish — bullish, trend, medium horizon
- 52-Week High Proximity — bullish, risk, long horizon (1.9%)
No active signals
SPY leads the comparison while carrying a conflicted signal state, which is one reason the stability rating is not higher.
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.
- 1VGT closes the Risk Resilience gap — currently 24 points behind, the largest single contributor to SPY's edge.
- 2VGT generates a confirmed bullish trend signal it does not currently carry, such as Golden Cross Active or MACD Bullish Crossover.
- 3SPY's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 4 bullish and 1 bearish rules at once.
- 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.
Technicals
Split| Metric | SPY | VGT |
|---|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 38.4 | — |
| ADX (14) | 14.2 | — |
| Price vs 50-day | 1.4% | — |
| Price vs 200-day | 7.2% | — |
| Volatility (1M, annualized) | 7.2% | — |
Risk
SPY is the more resilient| Metric | SPY | VGT |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | 1 | 1.66 |
| Sharpe ratio | 1.06 | 0.38 |
| Sortino ratio | 1.51 | 0.54 |
| Max drawdown | -9.1% | -11.6% |
| Current drawdown | -2.1% | -8.3% |
| Annualized volatility | 12.8% | 20.7% |
| Value at risk (95%) | -1.4% | -2.3% |
Straight answers
Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.
Which is better, SPY or VGT?
On the Algovestiq AIQ Score, SPY is the stronger of the two as of Sep 2, 2026, scoring 62 against VGT's 53. The edge comes from risk resilience and quality. 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 SPY or VGT the better buy right now?
SPY carries the stronger systematic profile as of Sep 2, 2026, and the comparison is rated Competitive — 3 of 3 covered evidence groups agree. A Competitive rating means the two are close enough that your objective, not the score, should decide.
Why does the AIQ Score favor SPY over VGT?
The composite weights Quality at 30%, Value at 30%, Momentum at 25% and Risk Resilience at 15%. SPY leads Risk Resilience by 24 points; SPY leads Quality by 13 points; SPY leads Value by 11 points. Where the two split, the factor with the larger weight carries the result.
Which is better value, SPY or VGT?
SPY is the better-valued of the two on the peer-relative Value factor. SPY on the peer-relative Value factor, by 11 points. 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, SPY or VGT?
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, SPY or VGT?
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, SPY or VGT?
SPY is the more resilient of the two, so the other name carries the higher downside risk. SPY 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 SPY more profitable than VGT?
Margin data is not comparable for both names in the current snapshot.
What would change the SPY vs VGT verdict?
The result is a state, not a forecast, so it changes when the underlying evidence changes. Concretely: VGT closes the Risk Resilience gap — currently 24 points behind, the largest single contributor to SPY's edge; VGT generates a confirmed bullish trend signal it does not currently carry, such as Golden Cross Active or MACD Bullish Crossover; SPY's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 4 bullish and 1 bearish rules at once; 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 SPY and VGT?
SPY: 4 bullish / 1 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted. VGT: No active signals. 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. The most decision-relevant rule on SPY is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon).
Compare SPY and VGT 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.