VTI vs XLK: Performance, Holdings, Fees & Risk
VTI and XLK are ETFs, but they can differ materially in exposure, yield, fees and risk. VTI is Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF, while XLK is State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF. VTI is broader by holdings count, with 3,524 positions versus 76 for XLK. XLK is more concentrated at the top, based on top-10 holdings weight. Current AlgovestIQ evidence has VTI ahead on AIQ Score, 60 versus 47.
What is the main difference between VTI and XLK?
XLK puts 100% of its assets in Technology, while VTI spreads across 11 sectors with none above 38%.
| Metric | VTI | XLK |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.08% |
| Holdings | 3,524 | 76 |
| Top-10 concentration | 33.2% | 61.2% |
| Distribution yieldTrailing 12 months | 1.05% | 0.45% |
| Average volume | 3,096,956 | 8,549,797 |
| Performance | ||
| 1Y return | +15.8% | +30.4% |
| YTD return | +12.5% | +28.8% |
| 5Y annualized returnTotal return, distributions reinvested | +11.4% | +19.4% |
| Risk | ||
| Annualized volatility | 13% | 26.5% |
| Max drawdown (1Y) | -9.2% | -16.1% |
| Max drawdown (5Y)Total return, distributions reinvested | -25.4% | -33.6% |
| Beta | 1.02 | 1.77 |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.86 | 0.98 |
| Sortino ratio | 1.32 | 1.55 |
| AlgovestIQ | ||
| AIQ Score | 60/100 | 47/100 |
| AIQ Edge Score | 8/10 | 3/10 |
| Momentum | 51/100 | 27/100 |
| Risk Resilience | 86/100 | 62/100 |
AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison
Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF vs State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF
VTI leads
VTI leads by 13 AIQ points, primarily on Momentum and Risk Resilience, and the lead has widened from 1 points over 30 sessions.
Competitive: 3 of 4 evidence groups support VTI, its lead is widening, and its current signal state is conflicted.
Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF
State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF
The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors VTI over XLK, 60 versus 47 as of Oct 22, 2026. VTI's advantage is driven primarily by stronger momentum and risk resilience. VTI also shows the stronger technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average. 3 of 4 covered evidence groups favor VTI today, and the comparison is rated Competitive on stability: the leader is throwing conflicting signals. VTI lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 1 to 13 points over 30 sessions.
Compare Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF and State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF across performance, expense ratio, dividend yield, drawdown, volatility and the Algovestiq AIQ Score.
VTI vs XLK: which fits what
Each row is settled by a single measure. Where the gap is too small to matter it reads Similar, and no row decides the comparison as a whole.
| If you want | VTI | XLK | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower costExpense ratio | 0.03% | 0.08% | VTI |
| Broader diversificationNumber of holdings | 3,524 | 76 | VTI |
| Lower concentrationWeight of the 10 largest holdings | 33.2% | 61.2% | VTI |
| Higher incomeTrailing 12-month distribution yield | 1.05% | 0.45% | VTI |
| Smaller drawdownsMax drawdown, 5 years | -25.4% | -33.6% | VTI |
| Lower volatilityAnnualized volatility, 1 year | 13% | 26.5% | VTI |
Similar means the gap is within 0.01 percentage points of expense ratio, 25% more holdings, 3 points of top-10 weight, 0.2 points of yield, 2 points of drawdown or 1 point of volatility. Past drawdowns and volatility describe the funds’ history, not their future.
Performance over time
Total return with distributions reinvested, from daily closes for both ETFs.
Total return comparison
Growth of $10,000, distributions reinvested
Split-adjusted closes; each distribution is reinvested at the close on its ex-dividend date. Taxes and trading costs are not modeled.
Compare VTI and XLK 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.
- Momentum51 vs 27VTI +24
- Risk Resilience86 vs 62VTI +24
- Value42 vs 31VTI +11
- Quality74 vs 73Even
3 of 4 evidence groups favor VTI. VTI’s edge is concentrated in momentum and risk resilience.
What changed since the last close
Latest scored session 2026-10-20, compared against the prior scored session 2026-10-19.
Largest factor move: Momentum +4
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 5 active signals are unchanged.
Largest factor move: Momentum -3
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 3 active signals are unchanged.
VTI's lead widened by 2 AIQ points in the latest session.
Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — VTI and XLK both carry a full feed there.
The central trade-off
VTI (Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF): the stronger current systematic profile, led by momentum and risk resilience.
XLK (State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF): the counter-case, on technicals — but at materially higher volatility, 19.5% against 9.8%.
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 | VTI | XLK | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.08% | Lower is better — it compounds against you every year you hold. |
| Holdings | 3,524 | 76 | More holdings means broader diversification, not better returns. |
| Average volume | 3,096,956 | 8,549,797 | Liquidity — matters most if you trade size. |
| Annualized volatility | 13% | 26.5% | Lower is a steadier ride for the same exposure. |
| Max drawdown (1Y) | -9.2% | -16.1% | The worst peak-to-trough loss over the past year. |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.86 | 0.98 | Return per unit of risk. Higher is better. |
| Beta | 1.02 | 1.77 | Sensitivity to the broad market. Neither direction is better — it depends on the role in your portfolio. |
Where the exposure actually sits
Sector exposure for each fund, ordered by the size of the difference.
How much of the same holdings they own
VTI and XLK share 32.06% of their weighted exposure across 72 common holdings.
3,427 holdings are unique to VTI, and 2 holdings are unique to XLK. Owning both is genuinely additive — most of the capital sits in different securities.
XLK is the more concentrated of the two: its ten largest positions are 61.2% of the fund, against 33.24% for VTI (76 holdings vs 3,524). Concentration cuts both ways — it is what drives outperformance when the top names work, and what makes the drawdown deeper when they do not.
Largest shared positions
| Holding | VTI | XLK | Shared |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVDANVIDIA CORP | 6.4% | 14.31% | 6.4% |
| AAPLAPPLE INC | 6.29% | 12.98% | 6.29% |
| MSFTMICROSOFT CORP | 4.79% | 9.9% | 4.79% |
| AVGOBROADCOM INC | 2.56% | 4.62% | 2.56% |
| MUMICRON TECHNOLOGY INC | 1.29% | 4.11% | 1.29% |
| AMDADVANCED MICRO DEVICES | 1.08% | 4.23% | 1.08% |
| CSCOCISCO SYSTEMS INC | 0.57% | 2.8% | 0.57% |
| AMATAPPLIED MATERIALS INC | 0.56% | 2.38% | 0.56% |
Shared weight is the lower of the two positions — the portion of capital both funds genuinely have in the same security.
What VTI adds that XLK doesn’t
| Holding | VTI | XLK |
|---|---|---|
| AMZNAmazon.com Inc | 3.65% | Not held |
| GOOGLAlphabet Inc | 2.9% | Not held |
| GOOGAlphabet Inc | 2.31% | Not held |
| METAMeta Platforms Inc | 1.7% | Not held |
| LLYEli Lilly & Co | 1.35% | Not held |
| JPMJPMorgan Chase & Co | 1.31% | Not held |
What XLK adds that VTI doesn’t
| Holding | XLK | VTI |
|---|---|---|
| NVDANVIDIA CORP | 14.31% | 6.4% |
| AAPLAPPLE INC | 12.98% | 6.29% |
| MSFTMICROSOFT CORP | 9.9% | 4.79% |
| AMDADVANCED MICRO DEVICES | 4.23% | 1.08% |
| MUMICRON TECHNOLOGY INC | 4.11% | 1.29% |
| INTCINTEL CORP | 3.27% | 0.5% |
Each list is a fund’s largest positions by weight that the other fund does not hold, or holds at less than half the weight.
VTI vs XLK: five-year payout growth
VTI grew its split-adjusted payout faster over 2020-2025 — 6.28% a year against XLK's 5.55%. VTI never reduced its annual distribution in the window; XLK did in 1 year.
| Dividend metric | VTI | XLK |
|---|---|---|
| 5Y payout CAGR | 6.28% | 5.55% |
| 2020 annual payout | $2.770 | $0.599 |
| 2025 annual payout | $3.757 | $0.784 |
| Calendar-year declines | 0 | 1 |
| Peer rank | #81 of 138 | #89 of 138 |
Split-adjusted annual distributions, 2020–2025. Research as of Sep 19, 2026. Yield and expense ratio above are current values, not part of this window.
AIQ Agreement Matrix
3 of 4 covered evidence groups favor VTI. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.
| Evidence group | Favors | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ Score | VTI | 60 vs 47 |
| Fundamentals | Not covered | Not covered |
| Valuation | VTI | Value 42 vs 31 |
| Technicals | XLK | Price vs 50-day -1.1% vs -3.9%; vs 200-day 5.3% vs 10.4% |
| Risk Resilience | VTI | Risk Resilience 86 vs 62 |
| 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 VTI and XLK 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 wide at 13 points. (supports the conclusion holding)
- The leader's advantage has been widening. (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 VTI.
How the comparison changed
120 daily snapshots · Jun 21 – Oct 20VTI lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 1 to 13 points over 30 sessions.
- Today
- VTI +13
- 60 vs 47
- 7 sessions ago
- VTI +11
- 59 vs 48
- 30 sessions ago
- VTI +1
- 60 vs 59
- 90 sessions ago
- VTI +5
- 66 vs 61
The lead changed hands 2 times in this window, most recently on Oct 2 when VTI moved ahead of XLK.
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.
2 bullish / 1 bearish / 2 neutral, conflicted
Only VTI
- ATR Contraction - Coiling — neutral, volatility, short horizon (0.96%)
- EMA Ribbon Compression — neutral, trend, medium horizon
- 52-Week High Proximity — bullish, risk, long horizon (1.7%)
1 bullish / 2 bearish, conflicted
Only XLK
- Keltner Channel Breakdown — bearish, volatility, short horizon
Both carry 2 more signals that do not separate them: Golden Cross Active, MACD Bearish Crossover.
VTI leads the comparison while carrying a conflicted signal state, which is one reason the stability rating is not higher.
Price vs model alignment
Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.
Price is down while the AIQ Score moved up 1 points over the same session — price and model disagree (price -1.33%, AIQ +1 points).
Price and the AIQ Score both moved down over the latest session (price -3.27%, AIQ -1 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.
- 1XLK closes the Momentum gap — currently 24 points behind, the largest single contributor to VTI's edge.
- 2XLK's Keltner Channel Breakdown resolves — a bearish volatility rule currently active against it.
- 3VTI's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 2 bullish and 1 bearish rules at once.
- 4A regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, 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
XLK leads 4 of 6 windows| Metric | VTI | XLK |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week (5 sessions) | -1.1% | -5.5% |
| 1 month (20 sessions) | -1.1% | -5.5% |
| 3 months (63 sessions) | 2.2% | 2.9% |
| 6 months (126 sessions) | 8.4% | 19.9% |
| Year to date | 12.5% | 28.8% |
| 1 year (252 sessions) | 15.8% | 30.4% |
Technicals
XLK has the stronger structure| Metric | VTI | XLK |
|---|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 55.2 | 32.7 |
| ADX (14) | 13.4 | 22.5 |
| Price vs 50-day | -1.1% | -3.9% |
| Price vs 200-day | 5.3% | 10.4% |
| Volatility (1M, annualized) | 9.8% | 19.5% |
Risk
VTI is the more resilient| Metric | VTI | XLK |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | 1.02 | 1.77 |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.86 | 0.98 |
| Sortino ratio | 1.32 | 1.55 |
| Max drawdown | -9.2% | -16.1% |
| Current drawdown | -1.9% | -8.2% |
| Annualized volatility | 13% | 26.5% |
| Value at risk (95%) | -1.4% | -2.6% |
Straight answers
Short answers to the questions fund investors ask about this pair, from the figures above.
What is the difference between VTI and XLK?
XLK puts 100% of its assets in Technology, while VTI spreads across 11 sectors with none above 38%.
How much do VTI and XLK overlap?
VTI and XLK share 32.06% of their weighted exposure across 72 common holdings. 3,427 holdings are unique to VTI, and 2 holdings are unique to XLK. Owning both is genuinely additive — most of the capital sits in different securities.
Which ETF is more diversified, VTI or XLK?
VTI holds more positions: 3,524 versus 76 for XLK.
Which has the lower expense ratio?
VTI has the lower expense ratio, 0.03% a year against 0.08% for XLK.
Which ETF has the higher distribution yield?
VTI, with a trailing 12-month distribution yield of 1.05% against 0.45% for XLK.
Which ETF has been more volatile?
XLK has been more volatile over the past year, at 26.5% annualized against 13% for VTI.
Which ETF has had the smaller drawdown?
VTI fell less from peak to trough over the past five years: -25.4% against -33.6% for XLK.
Compare VTI and XLK with others
Continue your research
This page answers which of the two. These answer the questions on either side of it.
How this comparison is scored
The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. 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.