IWF tracks the Russell 1000 Growth index, offering similar large-cap growth exposure to VUG, but at a 0.18% expense ratio — six times VUG's 0.03%. Its max drawdown (-15.0%) is comparable to VUG's (-15.3%).

Given the substantial overlap in holdings and strategy but a much higher cost, VUG is the more cost-efficient pick on pure economics. IWF makes sense mainly for specific needs tied to Russell-index benchmarking (e.g., institutional mandates), but otherwise ranks lower in priority.