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<h2>Key Points</h2><ul><li>If you want a low-cost S&amp;P 500 index fund, the State Street SPDR Portfolio S&amp;P 500 ETF is a good choice.</li><li>Investors seeking a more tech-heavy, growth-oriented ETF can opt for the Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF.</li><li>10 stocks we like better than State Street SPDR Portfolio S&amp;P 500 ETF ›</li></ul>Especially during volatile times in the world economy, you might have questions about how to choose the best stock ETFs. Two popular ETFs offer different approaches to help build a diversified portfolio.The Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF (NASDAQ: VONG) invests in growth stocks of large U.S. companies. This fund seeks to track the performance of the Russell 1000 Growth index and tends to have a high portion of its holdings in tech stocks.Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an &#34;Indispensable Monopoly&#34; providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue »If you want a simple approach to just buy the entire S&amp;P 500 index, the State Street SPDR Portfolio S&amp;P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: SPYM) is a solid choice. This fund lets you own the entire S&amp;P 500, representing about 80% of the U.S. stock market.Let's take a closer look at these U.S. stock ETFs and see which one could be a better buy.<img alt="Two people checking something on a tablet." src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://g.foolcdn.com/image//query-dXJsPWh0dHBzOi8vZy5mb29sY2RuLmNvbS9lZGl0b3JpYWwvaW1hZ2VzLzg1OTkzOC9pbnZlc3RvcnMtbG9vay1hdC10YWJsZXQtb3V0c2lkZS0xMjAxeDgwMS1kMjFiNDVkLmpwZyZ3PTcwMA?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="700" height="467" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://g.foolcdn.com/image//query-dXJsPWh0dHBzOi8vZy5mb29sY2RuLmNvbS9lZGl0b3JpYWwvaW1hZ2VzLzg1OTkzOC9pbnZlc3RvcnMtbG9vay1hdC10YWJsZXQtb3V0c2lkZS0xMjAxeDgwMS1kMjFiNDVkLmpwZyZ3PTcwMA"/>
Image source: Getty Images.
<h2>VONG: 391 stocks with an emphasis on tech and growth</h2>The Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF has gained about 24% in the past year, outperforming the S&amp;P 500 index (which gained 20.8%) and underperforming the tech-heavy Nasdaq-100 index (which gained 28.4%). This fund has also delivered strong average annual returns of 26% in the past three years, 14.3% in the past five years, and 18.1% in the past 10 years.VONG owns a total of 391 stocks, with a heavy allocation to the tech sector: 59.7% of the fund's holdings are in technology stocks. The ETF's top five stock holdings are Nvidia (12.7% of the fund), Apple (10.8%), Microsoft (9.2%), Amazon (4.8%), and Broadcom (4.6%). VONG charges an expense ratio of 0.06%. If you want your investments to have a strong weighting toward tech stocks, this fund can be a good low-cost choice.<h2>SPYM: A simple, low-cost S&amp;P 500 index ETF</h2>The State Street SPDR Portfolio S&amp;P 500 ETF is just what its name describes: a straightforward S&amp;P 500 index fund. If you want to own the entire S&amp;P 500, this stock ETF is an easy, low-cost way to do it. This fund has delivered average annual returns of 21.8% in the past three years, 14.2% in the past five years, and 15.5% in the past 10 years.Compared to VONG, SPYM has slightly less exposure to technology stocks. Only 33.3% of this fund's holdings are in the technology sector. But the fund's top holdings are still mostly the same as VONG's. SPYM's top five holdings are Nvidia (7.6% of the fund), Apple (6.6%), Microsoft (5.2%), Amazon (3.6%), and Alphabet Class A (NASDAQ: GOOG) (3.1%).SPYM charges an expense ratio of 0.02%, making it an exceptionally low-cost way to own the entire S&amp;P 500 index.<h2>VONG or SPYM: Head-to-head comparison</h2>If you're trying to decide which of these U.S. stock ETFs to buy, here's a quick side-by-side comparison of key metrics and performance indicators.<section><table width="678">
<thead>
<tr>
<th>
Metric
</th>
<th>
Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF (VONG)
</th>
<th>
State Street® SPDR® Portfolio S&amp;P 500® ETF (SPYM)
</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td width="192">
Number of stocks
</td>
<td width="228">
391
</td>
<td width="258">
504
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="192">
Top five sectors
</td>
<td width="228">
Technology (59.7% of fund), Consumer Discretionary (17.5%), Industrials (8.9%), Health Care (7.6%), Financials (2.5%)
</td>
<td width="258">
Information Technology (33.3% of fund), Financials (12.4%), Communication Services (10.6%), Consumer Discretionary (9.9%), Health Care (9.6%)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="192">
Top five holdings
</td>
<td width="228">
Nvidia (12.7% of fund), Apple (10.8%), Microsoft (9.2%), Amazon (4.8%), and Broadcom (4.6%)
</td>
<td width="258">
Nvidia (7.6% of the fund), Apple (6.6%), Microsoft (5.2%), Amazon (3.6%), and Alphabet Class A (3.1%).
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="192">
Price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio
</td>
<td width="228">
37.1
</td>
<td width="258">
27.1
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="192">
Average annual returns (as of Feb. 28, 2026)
</td>
<td width="228">
1 year: 14.8%
3 year: 26%
5 year: 14.3%
10 year: 18.1%
</td>
<td width="258">
1 year: 17%
3 year: 21.8%
5 year: 14.2%
10 year: 15.5%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="192">
Expense ratio
</td>
<td width="228">
0.06%
</td>
<td width="258">
0.02%
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table></section>Data source: Vanguard, State Street.Which U.S. stock ETF should you buy? Both funds are diversified across hundreds of stocks and have low expense ratios. VONG has outperformed SPYM over the past 10 years, but its tech-heavy allocation might be the wrong fit for investors who are getting skeptical about AI stocks and major tech names. VONG also has a higher valuation -- its price-to-earnings ratio is 37.1 vs. only 27.1 for SPYM.If you still believe in loading up on a tech-heavy index of growth stocks, the Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF could be a good buy. But if you want to diversify more broadly across the entire S&amp;P 500 index with slightly less concentration in major tech names, the State Street SPDR Portfolio S&amp;P 500 ETF could be a better buy.<h2>Should you buy stock in State Street SPDR Portfolio S&amp;P 500 ETF right now?</h2>
Before you buy stock in State Street SPDR Portfolio S&amp;P 500 ETF, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and State Street SPDR Portfolio S&amp;P 500 ETF wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $514,000!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,105,029!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 930% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 187% for the S&amp;P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.
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*Stock Advisor returns as of March 15, 2026. Ben Gran has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, and Nvidia and is short shares of Apple. The Motley Fool recommends Broadcom. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
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VONG

GGUS

The article compares two popular ETFs: the Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF (VONG) and the State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF (SPYM). VONG focuses on growth stocks, particularly in tech, and has outperformed SPYM over the past decade with a 24% gain in the last year. SPYM offers a low-cost way to invest in the entire S&P 500, with a 21.8% average annual return over three years. VONG has a higher expense ratio (0.06%) compared to SPYM (0.02%). Investors should consider their risk tolerance and investment goals when choosing between these ETFs.

- The article compares two popular U.S. stock ETFs: the Vanguard Russell 1000 Growth ETF (VONG) and the State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF (SPYM).  
- VONG targets growth stocks with a significant allocation in technology, while SPYM offers a straightforward S&P 500 index approach with lower tech concentration.  
- Investors are advised to choose between VONG for tech exposure or SPYM for broader S&P 500 diversification, depending on their investment strategies and market outlook.

VONG or SPYM: Which Stock ETF Is a Better Buy?