FZROX vs VTI Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
FZROX and VTI are both total US stock market index funds with near-identical returns, but FZROX is a Fidelity-only mutual fund with 0% cost while VTI is a universally portable ETF at 0.03%. FZROX's 0.03% cost advantage is real but small — on a $100,000 portfolio it saves $30 per year. VTI's portability (no brokerage lock-in) is a significant structural advantage that FZROX's cost savings may not fully compensate for over long periods.
FZROX vs VTI is free total market exposure with Fidelity brokerage lock-in (FZROX) versus total market exposure at 0.03% with universal portability (VTI) — the cost advantage of FZROX is real but small, while VTI's portability has option value that may exceed the $30/year per $100K savings over a long investment lifetime.
FZROX holds the edge across 1 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. FZROX has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+16.27% vs +16.08% for VTI).
- prefer Fidelity's platform and are committed to holding their investments at Fidelity long-term without brokerage changes
- value 0.00% expense ratio as a philosophical commitment to zero cost, even if the dollar savings are modest relative to portfolio size
- want total US market exposure at no cost within a Fidelity account where the lack of transferability is not a concern
- are comfortable with proprietary Fidelity index methodology and mutual fund (non-ETF) end-of-day trading execution
- prefer ETF structure with universal portability — no brokerage lock-in if they change from Fidelity, Schwab, or any other platform
- value third-party CRSP index methodology as more transparent than FZROX's proprietary Fidelity index
- want the world's most liquid total market ETF with tightest bid-ask spreads and universal availability at any brokerage
- are comfortable paying 0.03% per year ($30 on $100K) for the flexibility and portability that FZROX cannot provide
| Metric | FZROX | VTI |
|---|---|---|
| ETF scorei | 68.0 | 78.0 |
| Latest closei | $26.67 | $375.43 |
| 1M returni | -1.08% | -1.20% |
| 6M returni | +18.17% | +17.90% |
| 1Y returni | +16.27% | +16.08% |
The ETF score weights long-term returns and risk-adjusted performance most heavily, but still rewards low expense ratios, larger fund size, and broader diversification — so it can favor low-cost, broad, mega-cap funds over smaller thematic or actively-managed funds even when the latter have delivered stronger returns.
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | FZROX | VTI |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $11.75K (+17.5%) started 2025-09-18 | $11.74K (+17.4%) started 2025-09-18 |
| 5Y ago | $19.31K (+93.1%) started 2021-09-20 | $19.24K (+92.4%) started 2021-09-20 |
| 10Y ago | $32.5K (+225.0%) started 2018-08-03 | $47.37K (+373.7%) started 2016-09-19 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | FZROX | VTI |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratioi | N/A | 0.03% |
| Total assets (AUM)i | N/A | $2.34T |
| Dividend yieldi | N/A | 1.03% |
| Trailing P/Ei | N/A | 24.11 |
| Betai | N/A | 1.03 |
| 52-week change | 16.27% | 16.08% |
| Metric | FZROX | VTI |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y returni | +16.27% | +16.08% |
| 6M returni | +18.17% | +17.90% |
| 1M returni | -1.08% | -1.20% |
| 1Y Sharpe ratio | 0.87 | 0.87 |
| Betai | N/A | 1.03 |
| Dividend yieldi | N/A | 1.03% |
| 5Y CAGR | +12.61% | +12.36% |
Over the past year, FZROX and VTI have moved strongly in the same direction (correlation of 1.00), based on daily returns.
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | FZROX | VTI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | +16.27% | +16.08% |
| CAGRi | +16.28% | +16.09% | |
| Volatilityi | 13.20% | 13.09% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.87 | 0.87 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 1.25 | 1.24 | |
| Max drawdowni | 8.89% | 8.92% | |
| Current drawdowni | 2.20% | 2.31% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 1.42% | 1.44% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 2.13% | 2.15% | |
| Max daily dropi | 2.73% | 2.68% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 3.65% | 3.66% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | +80.94% | +78.92% |
| CAGRi | +12.61% | +12.36% | |
| Volatilityi | 17.49% | 17.52% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.51 | 0.50 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.73 | 0.71 | |
| Max drawdowni | 25.12% | 25.36% | |
| Current drawdowni | 2.20% | 2.31% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 6.08% | 6.22% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 9.05% | 9.23% | |
| Max daily dropi | 5.85% | 5.87% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 11.76% | 11.61% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | +193.12% | +300.02% |
| CAGRi | +14.15% | +14.88% | |
| Volatilityi | 19.79% | 18.30% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.54 | 0.61 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.76 | 0.85 | |
| Max drawdowni | 34.96% | 35.00% | |
| Current drawdowni | 2.20% | 2.31% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 5.31% | 4.68% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 8.35% | 7.72% | |
| Max daily dropi | 12.34% | 11.38% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 18.68% | 18.80% |
| Category | FZROX | VTI |
|---|---|---|
| Fund name | Fidelity ZERO Total Market Index | Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF |
| Type | ETF | ETF |
| Expense ratioi | N/A | 0.03% |
| Total assets (AUM)i | N/A | $2.34T |
| Dividend yieldi | N/A | 1.03% |
- 0.00% expense ratio — the cheapest possible total market exposure, free of any fund management costs
- Comprehensive US market exposure similar to VTI covering large, mid, small, and micro-cap US stocks
- No investment minimums and fractional shares available at Fidelity for all investors regardless of account size
- ETF structure provides portability — VTI shares transfer to any brokerage without requiring sale and repurchase
- Third-party CRSP index provides transparent, independently maintained methodology not controlled by the fund provider
- World's largest ETF with highest liquidity and tightest bid-ask spreads of any broad market fund
- Not transferable to any other brokerage — FZROX can only be held in Fidelity accounts; changing brokerages requires selling and reinvesting (triggering potential capital gains taxes)
- Tracks a proprietary Fidelity index, not a third-party index — slightly less index transparency than VTI's CRSP index
- Mutual fund structure (not ETF) means same-day trading is not possible — trades execute at end-of-day NAV rather than intraday
- 0.03% expense ratio is 3 basis points more expensive than FZROX — over 30 years this compounds to a small but real difference on large portfolios
- ETF structure requires whole-share purchases at most brokerages (though fractional ETFs are now available at many brokerages)
- Vanguard platform is excellent but lacks some features available at Fidelity — for Fidelity users, VTI doesn't leverage platform integration
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