VOO, the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, returned 15.5% with dividends reinvested from October 21, 2025 to October 19, 2026, slightly ahead of VTI, the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF, at 14.8%, according to DataPorium price and dividend data [1][2]. Both paid a trailing 12-month dividend yield of 1.05%, both fell about 9.2% from their January 2026 peak to their March 30, 2026 low, and their daily returns moved almost in lockstep, with a correlation of 0.996. The choice between them is mainly about what they hold, not about results.
What is the difference between VTI and VOO?
VOO tracks the S&P 500, the 500 large US companies chosen by an index committee. VTI tracks the whole investable US stock market, roughly the same large companies plus thousands of mid-size and small ones. Because the large companies make up most of the US market's value, VTI's results are dominated by the same stocks that drive VOO, and the small and mid-size companies add only a small difference.
Both funds are run by the same issuer and charge very low annual fees; the fee gap between them is small enough that it matters less than the difference in holdings. Check the issuer's website for the current expense ratios and fund sizes, which change over time. This article uses only DataPorium's price and dividend data [1][2].
Which performed better: VTI or VOO?
Over the 12 months of daily prices in DataPorium's data, VOO came out about 0.7 percentage points ahead [2]:
| Measure | VOO | VTI |
|---|---|---|
| Closing price, October 21, 2025 | $617.09 | $330.91 |
| Closing price, October 19, 2026 | $704.60 | $375.54 |
| Price return | +14.2% | +13.5% |
| Total return, dividends reinvested | +15.5% | +14.8% |
| 2026 year to date (price, from December 31, 2025) | +12.4% | +12.0% |
| Largest drop from a peak (closing prices) | -9.2% | -9.2% |
| Rise from the March 30, 2026 low | +21.3% | +20.5% |
| Annualized volatility of daily returns | 12.8% | 13.0% |
Source: DataPorium Stock Market, daily closing prices and dividends of VOO and VTI, October 21, 2025 to October 19, 2026 [2]. Total return reinvests each dividend at the closing price on its ex-dividend date. Volatility is the standard deviation of daily returns times the square root of 252.
The two funds peaked and bottomed on the same days: both had their highest close before the drop on January 27, 2026 and their lowest close on March 30, 2026, when VOO closed at $580.93 and VTI at $311.68 [2]. VOO then recovered slightly faster. Since the two funds share their largest holdings, a gap of this kind means the S&P 500 companies did a little better than the smaller companies that only VTI holds.
Our analysis of DataPorium's price data shows that VTI and VOO had a correlation of 0.996 in daily returns over the 12 months to October 19, 2026: on almost every day the two funds moved by nearly the same amount.
DataPorium's daily price data in this comparison covers 12 months, so it does not show 3- or 5-year returns; the dividend record below goes back to 2016.
How did VTI and VOO do month by month in 2026?
Month-end prices show how closely the two funds track each other. In 2026, their monthly price changes were about half a percentage point apart or less [2]:
| Month (2026) | VOO | VTI |
|---|---|---|
| January | +1.4% | +1.6% |
| February | -0.8% | -0.5% |
| March | -5.3% | -5.3% |
| April | +10.5% | +10.4% |
| May | +5.3% | +5.2% |
| June | -1.2% | -0.7% |
| July | 0.0% | -0.5% |
| August | +2.7% | +2.7% |
| September | -0.6% | -1.0% |
| October (to the 19th) | +0.5% | +0.3% |
Source: DataPorium Stock Market, change in the last closing price of each month, prices only [2].
VTI did a little better in January and February, when it fell less, and VOO did a little better in June, July, September and October. April, with a gain of more than 10% for both, was the best month of the 12 [2].
Do VTI and VOO pay the same dividend?
The yields are the same, and the dividend growth has been almost the same for a decade. Over the 12 months to October 19, 2026, VOO paid $7.428 a share and VTI $3.949, a trailing yield of 1.05% each on their October 19 prices [2]. Both pay four times a year, in late March, June, September and December.
| Year | VOO dividends per share | VTI dividends per share |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $4.138 | $2.215 |
| 2017 | $4.368 | $2.343 |
| 2018 | $4.737 | $2.604 |
| 2019 | $5.571 | $2.905 |
| 2020 | $5.303 | $2.770 |
| 2021 | $5.437 | $2.930 |
| 2022 | $5.947 | $3.184 |
| 2023 | $6.357 | $3.413 |
| 2024 | $6.705 | $3.675 |
| 2025 | $7.068 | $3.756 |
Source: DataPorium Stock Market, dividend history of VOO and VTI, calendar years 2016 to 2025, four payments in each year [2].
From 2016 to 2025, VOO's yearly dividend rose 70.8% and VTI's 69.6%, an average of 6.1% and 6.0% a year [2]. Both funds' yearly dividends fell once in that decade, in 2020. In 2026, the first three payments add up to $5.657 for VOO and $2.998 for VTI, 6.8% and 6.9% more than the first three payments of 2025 [2].
Which is riskier, VTI or VOO?
In the last 12 months, VTI was very slightly more volatile, 13.0% a year against 12.8%, and its largest drop was the same, -9.2% [2]. The extra small and mid-size companies in VTI tend to swing more than the largest companies, but they are a small part of the fund, so the difference in risk is small. Neither fund holds bonds or foreign stocks; both carry the full risk of the US stock market.
The share prices differ, $704.60 for VOO and $375.54 for VTI on October 19, 2026 [2], but that does not change the return. A lower share price only matters to investors who buy whole shares and want smaller amounts.
How to compare the two funds yourself
DataPorium's ETF pages show each fund's daily prices and dividend history, and the stock market pages chart any fund against another [1][2]. The total return here assumes dividends were reinvested on the ex-dividend date at that day's closing price and ignores taxes and trading costs.
Frequently asked questions
Is VTI or VOO better?
Neither was clearly better: VOO returned 15.5% and VTI 14.8% with dividends over the 12 months to October 19, 2026, with the same 1.05% yield and nearly identical risk [2].
What is the dividend yield of VOO?
VOO paid $7.428 a share in the 12 months to October 19, 2026, a yield of 1.05% on its $704.60 closing price [2].
Does VTI pay a higher dividend than VOO?
No. Both yielded 1.05% over the 12 months to October 19, 2026; VTI's dividend per share is lower ($3.949) because its share price is lower [2].
Should I own both VTI and VOO?
Holding both adds little diversification: their daily returns had a correlation of 0.996 over the 12 months to October 19, 2026, because VOO's 500 companies also make up most of VTI [2].
