IWF vs VUG Overlap

IWF is a U.S. growth equity ETF from IShares, while VUG is a U.S. growth equity ETF from Vanguard. IWF and VUG show very heavy overlap, with an estimated weighted overlap of 82.96%. They share 127 holdings in the loaded dataset, led by NVDA, AAPL, and MSFT.

83.0% overlap
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127Shared Holdings
OK
Very High Overlap

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Quick Answer

IWF is a U.S. growth equity ETF from IShares, while VUG is a U.S. growth equity ETF from Vanguard. IWF and VUG show very heavy overlap, with an estimated weighted overlap of 82.96%. They share 127 holdings in the loaded dataset, led by NVDA, AAPL, and MSFT.

  • 82.96% weighted overlap across 127 shared holdings.
  • The top three shared holdings explain 39.49% of the measured overlap.
  • IWF and VUG are closer in breadth than a broad-vs-niche ETF pair.
  • The overlap is mostly explained by the top shared positions rather than sector labels alone.
  • Holding both may add less diversification than the fund names imply.

Data Freshness

IWF holdings
Mar 12, 2026
VUG holdings
Mar 12, 2026
Overlap computed
Mar 15, 2026
Data source
Financial Modeling Prep

Review the methodology for the overlap formula and refresh policy.

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About These ETFs

ETF A

IWF

iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF

Issuer
IShares
Asset class
Equity
Expense ratio
0.18%
AUM
$117B
Inception
May 22, 2000

ETF B

VUG

Vanguard Growth ETF

Issuer
Vanguard
Asset class
Large Cap Equity
Expense ratio
0.03%
AUM
$350B
Inception
Jan 26, 2004

What Stands Out In This Comparison

01

What This Means

IWF is a U.S. growth equity ETF from IShares, while VUG is a U.S. growth equity ETF from Vanguard. IWF and VUG are closely aligned. A large share of their portfolio weight is invested in the same companies, especially NVDA, AAPL, and MSFT, which means holding both is likely to feel similar to increasing the size of one core position.

02

How They Differ

IWF is a U.S. growth equity ETF from IShares, while VUG is a U.S. growth equity ETF from Vanguard. Neither fund clearly dominates on breadth, so the practical difference is more about weighting, index construction, and cost. VUG has the lower expense ratio, while IWF charges more for its exposure.

03

What Drives The Overlap

The overlap is driven by a relatively small set of large shared positions. The top three shared holdings account for 39.49% of the score, which means the result is heavily influenced by the biggest common weights rather than a long tail of tiny positions.

04

When One May Fit Better

Because IWF and VUG are closer in breadth, the better fit usually comes down to index methodology, issuer preference, and cost. VUG has the lower expense ratio, while IWF charges more for its exposure.

Overlap Driver Snapshot

Concentration

The top three shared holdings explain 39.49% of the full overlap score.

That helps show whether the score comes from a handful of giant shared positions or from a broader mix of common holdings.

Shared Sector Tilt

Sector tags are not consistently available for the biggest shared positions in this dataset, so this comparison leans more on the specific holdings than on sector labels.

Top Shared Holdings

These are the holdings contributing the most to the overlap score between IWF and VUG.

HoldingIWF Wt.VUG Wt.Overlap
NVDA12.68%13.23%12.68%
AAPL11.18%11.50%11.18%
MSFT8.91%9.60%8.91%
AMZN4.41%4.81%4.41%
AVGO4.91%3.92%3.92%
META3.78%4.69%3.78%
TSLA3.54%3.66%3.54%
GOOGL3.53%5.90%3.53%
GOOG2.87%4.67%2.87%
LLY2.79%2.66%2.66%

Why These ETFs Overlap

IWF is a U.S. growth equity ETF from IShares, while VUG is a U.S. growth equity ETF from Vanguard. The overlap exists because both funds allocate meaningful weight to the same holdings. In this dataset, the biggest shared drivers are NVDA, AAPL, and MSFT, which appear in both portfolios and push the overlap score higher.

Holding both IWF and VUG is usually redundant unless you have a very specific reason to tilt toward their shared holdings. In most cases, one ETF is enough.

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions About IWF and VUG

What is the overlap between IWF and VUG?+
IWF and VUG currently show an estimated weighted overlap of 82.96% based on the loaded holdings data.
How many holdings do IWF and VUG share?+
They share 127 holdings in the current dataset.
Is the IWF and VUG overlap high?+
The current verdict is Very High Overlap. That means the two ETFs have substantial duplication in portfolio weight.
Why do IWF and VUG overlap?+
IWF and VUG overlap because the same large positions appear in both funds. In this comparison, the top three shared holdings explain 39.49% of the measured overlap score.
Which ETF is broader, IWF or VUG?+
IWF and VUG look closer in breadth than a broad-vs-niche pair, so the main difference is more about strategy and weighting than simple market coverage.

How Overlap Is Calculated

A straightforward approach used by portfolio analysts.

Overlap = sum(min(Weight_A, Weight_B)) for each shared holding

For every stock that appears in both ETFs, we take the smaller of the two weights. Adding up all those minimums gives the total overlap percentage. A score of 100% means the two ETFs hold the exact same stocks in the same proportions.

Want the full explanation? Read the methodology page.

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