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 (+27.39% vs +27.29% 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 score | 74.0 | 90.0 |
| Latest close | $26.18 | $369.99 |
| 1M return | +2.83% | +2.76% |
| 6M return | +12.60% | +12.55% |
| 1Y return | +27.39% | +27.29% |
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 | $12.87K (+28.7%) started 2025-06-18 | $12.88K (+28.8%) started 2025-06-18 |
| 5Y ago | $19.78K (+97.8%) started 2021-06-18 | $19.7K (+97.0%) started 2021-06-18 |
| 10Y ago | $31.9K (+219.0%) started 2018-08-03 | $48.32K (+383.2%) started 2016-06-20 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | FZROX | VTI |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | N/A | 0.03% |
| Total assets (AUM) | N/A | $2.31T |
| Dividend yield | N/A | 1.01% |
| Trailing P/E | N/A | 26.35 |
| Beta | N/A | 1.03 |
| 52-week change | 27.39% | 27.29% |
| Metric | FZROX | VTI |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y return | +27.39% | +27.29% |
| 6M return | +12.60% | +12.55% |
| 1M return | +2.83% | +2.76% |
| 1Y Sharpe ratio | 1.61 | 1.61 |
| Beta | N/A | 1.03 |
| Dividend yield | N/A | 1.01% |
| 5Y CAGR | +13.13% | +12.87% |
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 | Growth | +27.39% | +27.29% |
| CAGR | +27.41% | +27.31% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 1.61 | 1.61 | |
| Max drawdown | 8.89% | 8.92% | |
| Max daily drop | 2.73% | 2.68% | |
| Max wkly drop | 3.65% | 3.66% | |
| 5Y | Growth | +85.29% | +83.13% |
| CAGR | +13.13% | +12.87% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.54 | 0.52 | |
| Max drawdown | 25.12% | 25.36% | |
| Max daily drop | 5.85% | 5.87% | |
| Max wkly drop | 11.76% | 11.61% | |
| 10Y | Growth | +187.73% | +307.06% |
| CAGR | +14.36% | +15.08% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.55 | 0.61 | |
| Max drawdown | 34.96% | 35.00% | |
| Max daily drop | 12.34% | 11.38% | |
| Max wkly drop | 18.68% | 18.80% |
| Category | FZROX | VTI |
|---|---|---|
| Fund name | Fidelity ZERO Total Market Index | Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares |
| Type | ETF | ETF |
| Expense ratio | N/A | 0.03% |
| Total assets (AUM) | N/A | $2.31T |
| Dividend yield | N/A | 1.01% |
- →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
Want deeper AI forecasts?
This comparison page is public and free forever. Subscribers can unlock saved watchlists, full AI rankings, detailed forecasts, and interactive analysis tools.